Evaluating Your Community's Largest Asset: Roadways

Evaluating Your Community's Largest Asset: Roadways

Wisconsin communities must assess and submit roadway ratings every two years. Ruekert & Mielke’s experts can help ensure accurate ratings, identify deterioration trends, and develop a cost-effective pavement management strategy to extend the life of your roads.

How to Advance Urban Forestry & GIS Needs Through Grants

How to Advance Urban Forestry & GIS Needs Through Grants

Municipalities can secure funding through Wisconsin DNR Urban Forestry Grants to support tree planting, maintenance, and education, ensuring a proactive approach to urban forest management. Partnering with Wachtel Tree Science, Ruekert & Mielke leverages GIS tools to inventory street trees and integrate critical data into municipal systems for efficient long-term planning.

Where We’ve Come & Where We’re Going: Lead Service Line Initiatives

Where We’ve Come & Where We’re Going: Lead Service Line Initiatives

As municipalities work to replace aging Lead Service Lines (LSLs) and comply with evolving regulations, careful planning and collaboration are essential. Ruekert & Mielke provides expert support in inventory management, GIS updates, and funding administration to help communities achieve compliance and ensure safe drinking water.

Stabilizing Streambanks Using Natural Channel Design

Stabilizing Streambanks Using Natural Channel Design

Unstable streambanks threaten infrastructure, water quality, and community safety, making resilient engineering solutions essential. Ruekert & Mielke’s expertise in natural channel design provides sustainable, cost-effective strategies that restore stability while enhancing ecological resilience.

Ruekert & Mielke Promotes Jason Lietha to Senior Vice President

Ruekert & Mielke Promotes Jason Lietha to Senior Vice President

Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) is proud to announce the promotion of Jason Lietha, P.E., to Senior Vice President. With over 25 years of experience in civil engineering and infrastructure, Jason has been instrumental in optimizing operations and delivering exceptional client service. In his new role, Jason will focus on advancing operational strategies, enhancing project execution, and driving innovation to support the firm’s continued growth.

Ruekert & Mielke Promotes Steve Wurster to President

Ruekert & Mielke Promotes Steve Wurster to President

Ruekert & Mielke, Inc. (R/M) is proud to announce the promotion of Steve Wurster, P.E., CPSWQ, CFM, to President. Since joining R/M in 1999, Steve has played a vital role in the firm's success. His expertise in business development, client management, and project oversight has made a lasting impact. As President, Steve will lead R/M’s strategic growth, strengthen client partnerships, and advance innovative engineering solutions.

 Navigating Staff Changes and Document Hurdles in MS4 Compliance

Navigating Staff Changes and Document Hurdles in MS4 Compliance

Effective MS4 management requires organized documentation and clear staff coordination to meet WDNR compliance. Without proper systems, municipalities risk non-compliance, increased costs, and inefficiencies. Leveraging GIS, transparency tools, and structured workflows can streamline processes and prevent missed deadlines.

Innovative 2D/3D Flood Mitigation for a Resilient Future

Innovative 2D/3D Flood Mitigation for a Resilient Future

As storms become more frequent and intense, municipalities face increasing challenges in managing flooding and keeping roads accessible. Advanced 2D/3D stormwater modeling provides a clear visual representation of flood risks, helping communities identify priority areas and explore cost-effective solutions. With expert guidance from R/M, municipalities can develop smart, data-driven strategies for a more resilient future.

Eliminating Infiltration: Thiensville's Solution to Persistent Sewer Backups

Eliminating Infiltration: Thiensville's Solution to Persistent Sewer Backups

Persistent sewer backups plagued a Thiensville neighborhood during heavy rains, with infiltration from aging pipes suspected as the culprit. Learn how the Village teamed up with R/M and MMSD to use innovative techniques to reduce infiltration (PP/II) and address sewer backups at no cost to homeowners.

Wetland Mitigation Banking: A Path to Environmental and Financial Gains

Wetland Mitigation Banking: A Path to Environmental and Financial Gains

Wetland mitigation banking offers a promising solution to compensate for the loss of wetlands due to activities like municipal construction, private development, or agriculture. By restoring, creating, or enhancing wetland areas, these mitigation banks provide credits that developers can purchase to offset the environmental impacts of their projects. Instead of individually restoring wetlands for each project—a costly and complex task—developers can buy credits from established banks, streamlining the process and meeting environmental regulations more efficiently.

Protecting Wisconsin’s Bats: Essential Guidelines for Project Developers

Protecting Wisconsin’s Bats: Essential Guidelines for Project Developers

Why Are We So Concerned About Bats?

Bats play a crucial role in ecosystems by consuming agricultural and forest pests and acting as predators of biting insects. They also help reduce the spread of insect-borne diseases like the West Nile Virus. However, since 2014, bat populations in Wisconsin have been rapidly declining due to a fungal disease that causes high mortality rates among cave-dwelling bats.

This disease, known as White-Nose Syndrome (WNS), was first identified in New York in 2006 and has since spread across the U.S., reaching Wisconsin in 2014. WNS has led to the most significant decline in North American wildlife ever recorded, impacting many species of cave-hibernating bats. Some populations have experienced nearly 100% declines. In Wisconsin, WNS poses a severe threat to all four cave bat species: the Big Brown Bat, Little Brown Bat, Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB), and Tricolored Bat.

What Does This Mean for Your Project?

Due to the significant decline in Wisconsin’s cave-dwelling bat populations, all municipal projects must undergo a review to assess potential impacts on bats. This review is required before proceeding with later phases of the project. Identifying whether your project area contains suitable habitat for NLEBs can help expedite the permitting process.

Private development, agriculture, and utility projects do not require approval, but municipal projects do. Approval from both the state and federal governments is required before the project can begin.

  • Federal Approval: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (via the Information for Planning and Consultation Determination Key; IPaC DKey)

  • State Approval: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (via the Natural Heritage Inventory; NHI)

To avoid delays, aim to get approval from the IPaC DKey and NHI early in the project design phase (around 30% completion).

Does Your Project Area Have a Potential Habitat for Northern Long-Eared Bats (NLEBs)?

Suitable HabitatS

Trees and snags with a diameter of 3 inches or greater at breast height (dbh) that feature exfoliating bark, cracks, crevices, and/or cavities provide suitable habitat. Bats typically roost singly or in maternity colonies under bark or more often in cavities or crevices of live trees and snags. Suitable roosting habitats must be within 1,000 feet of a forest.

Other potential roosting sites include:

  • Bridges

  • Covered bridges

  • Culverts taller than 4 feet and longer than 130 feet

  • Old structures

Not Suitable Habitats

  • Trees located more than 1,000 feet from forested areas

  • Trees in predominantly urban, developed areas

  • Pure stands of trees less than 3 inches in dbh that lack larger trees

What If Your Project Is Not Cleared of Bat Habitat?

  1. Contact Your Environmental Consultant: They can provide options, such as performing field surveys, to determine whether bat habitat is present in the project area.

  2. Potential Roost/Habitat Survey: A trained biologist can assess the project area to confirm the presence of suitable habitat. Additional coordination with the USFWS/WDNR may be required for a final determination.

  3. Conservation Measures: If habitat is present, measures such as tree clearing during the winter (August 16 to May 31) may allow the project to proceed without further conditions.

  4. Habitat Conservation Plan: If impacts on bat habitat cannot be avoided, the existing habitat must be replaced or mitigated, typically at a 2:1 ratio. A mitigation plan must be submitted to the USFWS, and incidental take permits may be pursued through the WDNR.


R/m can help!

Do you need a review to assess the potential impact on bats on your future project site? Contact one of our experts today!


About the Author

Nicholas P. Connor, MS

Senior Biologist

Nick is a Senior Biologist with more than 10 years of experience managing and completing complex ecological-related projects from both public and private sector clients. He conducts or evaluates projects involving wetland delineations, potential wetland mitigation needs, cultural resource screens, archaeological reports, threatened and endangered (T&E) species reports, and storm water/erosion control plans.

Meeting Water Quality Requirements in Your Community

Meeting Water Quality Requirements in Your Community

Maintaining water quality is essential for the health and safety of any community, particularly for those that are classified as Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) communities or are governed by Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs). These designations bring with them a set of stringent requirements to prevent pollution from contaminating local water bodies. Meeting these standards not only ensures compliance with environmental regulations but also contributes to the broader goal of protecting natural resources for current and future generations.

Hub Sites: At the Center of Information Management

Hub Sites: At the Center of Information Management

Hub Sites offer a centralized platform for municipalities to share vital community information, from polling locations to complex project data. Learn how these online portals enhance transparency, streamline workflows, and foster collaboration between local government and its residents.

Odor Control For An Interceptor: A Multi-faceted Approach

Odor Control For An Interceptor: A Multi-faceted Approach

The City of Franklin constructed a new interceptor to address increased development but soon faced severe odor complaints. To combat this niche issue, a multi-phase approach was implemented to effectively mitigate odors, allowing the interceptor to operate efficiently for the community.

Ruekert & Mielke Adds Axiom Consultants to Employee-Owned Organization

Ruekert & Mielke Adds Axiom Consultants to Employee-Owned Organization

R/M is excited to announce the addition of Iowa-based engineering firm Axiom Consultants (Axiom) to our 100% employee-owned organization. This addition brings together two strong engineering organizations, providing numerous opportunities and benefits for both employees and clients. Clients of both firms will benefit from a broader range of services offered under one cohesive team, including civil engineering and building services such as structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.

International Women in Engineering Day 2024: Recognizing R/M's Women

International Women in Engineering Day 2024: Recognizing R/M's Women

Taking place annually on June 23, International Women in Engineering Day celebrates the achievements of women in engineering. R/M is extremely proud of all our women who make community possible with their work every day. Meet a few of our women in engineering at R/M!

Reduce Costs & Increase Efficiency with Construction Review

Reduce Costs & Increase Efficiency with Construction Review

Quality observation, documentation, and communication are essential to ensure all project components are balanced, and disruptions to residents are minimized. Learn how R/M’s field services team and technology bridges the gap between client and contractor to ensure project requirements are being met through diligent construction review.

Complying with Threatened and Endangered Species Protections

Complying with Threatened and Endangered Species Protections

Thinking about a new project but worried it might impact endangered species? This guide will help you navigate the state and federal regulations protecting these vulnerable creatures. Learn about the key steps involved in the review process, from initial screening to permits, and discover how to avoid project delays.

The Benefits of Digital Twins for Facility Renovation and Design

The Benefits of Digital Twins for Facility Renovation and Design

In the constantly evolving world of civil engineering, a new technology is revolutionizing how engineers approach facility renovation and design: the "digital twin". Discover how digital twins can significantly enhance design, visualization, and planning capabilities, proving invaluable in the design and renovation of municipal facilities.