Our Services

 Coastal Conservation Group brings decades of hands-on marine turtle monitoring experience to every project. Robert Fraser has served as an FWC-permitted marine turtle permit holder and volunteer coordinator in St. Johns County for over 14 years, leading patrol teams, collecting nesting data, and ensuring compliance with coastal construction monitoring requirements. Tara Dodson spent 17 years managing St. Johns County's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Incidental Take Permit (ITP) — a federal framework under the Endangered Species Act governing the protection of nesting sea turtles and the federally threatened Anastasia Island beach mouse.

Together, they bring deep institutional knowledge of Florida's coastal ecosystems and the regulatory frameworks that protect them. Our monitoring services include systematic nesting surveys, nest documentation and inventory, hatchling emergence monitoring, and data reporting per FWC and USFWS requirements. Species monitored include loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtles. CCG also coordinates volunteer patrol programs — providing training, scheduling, and field oversight to extend conservation efforts throughout the nesting season.

 Coastal Conservation Group provides certified shorebird monitoring services in accordance with FWC Imperiled Beach Nesting Bird standards. All team members hold FWC-required shorebird monitor certifications, equipping them to conduct systematic surveys across coastal environments and project types — from nesting season patrols to compliance monitoring for beach renourishment, coastal armoring, and shoreline development throughout Northeast Florida.

Shorebird monitoring is a critical component of coastal construction permitting, as protected species activity can directly influence project timelines, work windows, and permit conditions. Our team's field presence and documentation keep construction activities compliant with FWC, USACE, and USFWS requirements — minimizing project risk while protecting vulnerable shorebird populations during nesting and brooding periods. Species regularly surveyed include the federally threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus), Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia), American Oystercatcher (Haematopus palliatus), Least Tern (Sternula antillarum), and Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger).

Tara Dodson is a founding member of the region's first FWC Shorebird Alliance, a collaborative initiative dedicated to long-term population monitoring through annual, monthly, and routine survey counts. Robert Fraser brings additional field experience as a certified shorebird monitor on numerous coastal construction projects across St. Johns County and Northeast Florida.

  Environmental permitting requires experience on both sides of the process. CCG has spent decades obtaining and managing permits for government agencies, coastal construction clients, and conservation organizations — giving our clients a clear advantage in understanding what agencies expect and how to move applications forward efficiently.

We coordinate with FDEP, FWC, USACE, and USFWS from pre-application through final compliance. 

Services include:

CCG provides permitting support for:

• FDEP Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) Permits — Application preparation, agency coordination, and compliance management for construction seaward of the CCCL.
• FWC Gopher Tortoise Relocation Permits — Authorized relocation and permitting for upland development impacting gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrow sites.
• Incidental Take Permits (ITP) — Preparation and management of ITPs and accompanying Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) under the Endangered Species Act.
• Dune Restoration Permits — Permitting and oversight for dune restoration projects, including agency coordination and post-restoration monitoring.
• Sea Oat Planting & Sand Fence Installation — Permit acquisition and field implementation for native dune vegetation restoration and sand retention.
• St. Johns County Coastal Access Permits — Local permit preparation and coordination for coastal access points, minimizing impacts to sensitive dune and beach habitats.

 The gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is a state-listed threatened species and keystone species whose burrows support hundreds of commensal species. As upland development continues to fragment available habitat, proper assessment and humane relocation prior to ground-disturbing activities is both a legal requirement and an ecological responsibility.

Robert Fraser and Ashleigh Jansen are FWC Authorized Gopher Tortoise Agents, certified to conduct surveys, assessments, and permitted relocations in accordance with FWC's Gopher Tortoise Management Plan. Any upland project with the potential to impact burrow sites requires a formal survey and, where impacts are unavoidable, an FWC relocation permit prior to site work. Non-compliance can result in project delays, substantial fines, and potential criminal liability under Florida statute.

CCG provides comprehensive gopher tortoise services including:

• Presence/Absence & Burrow Surveys — Field assessments to identify and map active, inactive, and abandoned burrows within the project footprint and required buffer zones.
• FWC Permit Application & Management — Preparation and submission of permit applications, agency correspondence, and supporting documentation.
• Tortoise Relocation & Transport — Authorized capture, health assessment, and transport to FWC-approved recipient sites.
• Recipient Site Coordination — Identification and coordination with approved upland recipient sites meeting FWC habitat quality and density requirements.
• Construction Compliance Monitoring — On-site monitoring during ground-disturbing activities to ensure permit compliance and address incidental tortoise encounters. 

As development continues to fragment Florida's natural ecosystems, science-based habitat assessment and proactive management are essential. CCG serves development clients, government agencies, and conservation organizations across Florida's coastal beach and dune systems, maritime hammocks, upland scrub, wetlands, and transitional coastal zones — habitats that support sea turtles, gopher tortoises, the Anastasia Island beach mouse, eastern indigo snake, Florida scrub-jay, and numerous shorebird species.

Early habitat assessment is critical to anticipating permitting requirements and avoiding costly project delays. CCG services include:

• Habitat Assessments & Mapping
• Conservation & Management Plan Development
• Habitat Conservation Plans (HCP) — drawing on Tara Dodson's 17 years of direct HCP management experience
• Species-Specific Habitat Management
• Restoration Planning & Oversight
• Long-Term Monitoring & Reporting