Eric B. Guinther
CEO
SENIOR ECOLOGIST

Eric Guinther has been conducting environmental studies throughout the Pacific since 1972. His responsibilities at AECOS include corporate and project management, consulting on water quality and ecological issues, production and editing of environmental reports, and conducting botanical field surveys. His educational background emphasized ecology, and included geography, geology, and botany in addition to his declared major in invertebrate zoology.

Mr. Guinther received a degree in biology from the University of the Pacific in 1965 and undertook graduate studies in zoology at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. These studies focused on non-marine aquatic environments (including anchialine features) on atolls in the central Pacific. He has conducted coastal zone, terrestrial, stream, and marine surveys for AECOS clients at many locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands and in the western and central Pacific, including American Samoa, Kwajalein, Canton, Tarawa, Christmas Atoll, Fanning Atoll, Guam, Saipan, Tinian, Yap, Palau, and Japan. In addition to project-related travels throughout the Pacific, during a three-year period when AECOS was affiliated with a Saudi Arabian company conducting environmental studies in the western Arabian Gulf, Mr. Guinther managed personnel and material procurement for onsite operations.

Eric has turned over all responsibilities for marine surveys and assessments to the
younger biologists on staff. Some two decades ago, he revived his early interest in non-marine aquatic environments (streams, anchialine ponds, wetlands) to focus his field efforts on streams and wetlands. Gaining experience in wetland delineation, he combined a long-time interest in plants and taxonomy to develop a successful career as a field botanist. He has conducted dozens of botanical surveys throughout the Hawaiian Islands and the Mariannas (Guam and Tinian). He has developed and maintains several website texts dedicated to the identification of various plant groups, such as grasses found in the Hawaiian Islands and on Guam. In his spare time, he operates a small native plant nursery at is home in Kane‘ohe, and spends part of every weekend planting native plants at Na Pohaku o Hauwahine.

At AECOS, Eric maintains editorial (quality control) control over reports, but now limits his field work to botanical surveys and training our other field biologists in plant identification. His decades of experience preparing reports and assessing impacts on the natural environment for client projects is an invaluable resource that the company calls upon for all nature of projects. He has training and certification in wetland delineation, HAZMAT, maritime security, first aid, and CPR. Mr. Guinther is company webmaster (the present Webguy@AECOS.com) and database programmer. His management title at AECOS is CEO.

Susan Burr
AECOS PRESIDENT
SENIOR BIOLOGIST

Susan Burr is the president of AECOS Inc. and has over 20 years of experience in the environmental field in positions including Water Quality Specialist, Planner, and Marine Biologist. Her primary responsibilities at AECOS include corporate and project management, freshwater and marine biology, wetland/stream delineations, and preparation of environmental survey and assessment reports. Susan has been the project manager for numerous environmental and water quality studies throughout Hawai‘i for projects in urban streams, nearshore coral reefs, coastal wetlands, isolated stream tributaries, mangroves, sandy beaches, small boat harbors, and various construction sites.

Susan Burr received a B.A. degree in Biology in 1991 from Pomona College a M.S. degree in Marine Resources Management in 1993 from the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences at Oregon State University. She has worked for the Washington State Office of Marine Safety, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Division of Environmental Quality, and the Hawaii Department of Health Environmental Planning Office and has been with AECOS since 2001. She recently returned from a year living in Denmark, where she continued her employment with AECOS communicating over the internet. She is also an avid athelete, having completed the Ironman World Championshiop twice (in 2000, finishing 18th, and in 2001, finishing 23rd), as well as the Honolulu Marathon in 2008. Her finish in the marathon was 16th place overall, earning her the Kamaaina Award.

Susan is a versatile biologists and leads or supports studies in Hawaiian streams (with Bryson Luke), on coral reefs and in other marine environments (with Stacey Kilarski), and conducts wetland delineations (with Bryson). Recent projects Susan has managed while with AECOS include monitoring of stream restoration at Pila‘a on Kaua‘i, benthic community monitoring of Honolulu Harbor for a NPDES permit, stream surveys for University of Hawai‘i, West Oahu campus, and a mangrove removal project for the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Susan is a member of the Hawaii Association of Environmental Professionals and the University of Hawaii Chapter of The Coastal Society. She has training and certification in wetland delineation, hazardous waste operations, maritime security, first aid, and CPR.

S. Allen Cattell
SR. ECOLOGIST

Dr. Allen Cattell is trained in oceanography and specializes in water quality and phytoplankton ecology. His primary responsibilities at AECOS include senior review, statistical analysis, and preparation of environmental survey and assessment reports having water quality aspects. Dr. Cattell has been extensively involved in the design and implementation of field survey programs, many aimed at the production of environmental impact documents. He has participated as a major contributor in numerous ecological investigations throughout the Pacific area including: Alaska, British Columbia, California, Hawaii, Christmas Island, Johnston Island, Canton Island, Fanning Island, American Samoa, Kwajalein, Palau, Guam, and Thailand.

Dr. Cattell received his Bachelor of Science in 1963 and Master of Marine Sciences in 1965, both from the University of the Pacific. He was awarded a Ph.D. in oceanography by the University of British Columbia in 1969. He subsequently served as an Assistant Professor in the Graduate Department of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii and as Assistant Research Associate at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology before joining the staff at AECOS.

While at AECOS his consulting experience has included a wide variety of environmental investigations throughout the Central and Western Pacific area, including: the effects of disposal of thermal and sewage effluents and also dredge spoils into aquatic environments; the effects of various land development and watershed uses on the water quality of rivers, streams and coastal environments; and the suitability of certain specialized environments for aquaculture development of the alga Spirulina, brine shrimp (Artemia salina), and the common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and the agriculture potential for the Barbados cherry (Acerola) in Hawaii. Research investigations have included the seasonal cycle of dinoflagellates in California coastal waters; the effects of vitamins on phytoplankton growth in the coastal waters of British Columbia; the seasonality of primary productivity in sub-tropical oceanic waters; studies of zooplankton growth rates as a function of salinity and diet under controlled laboratory conditions; factors contributing to the development of "red tides" in sub-tropical coastal waters; and ground water simulation studies relative to deep-well injection of liquid wastes from a manganese nodule processing facility. Curently he manages (and prepares monthly reports for) a coastal water quality monitoring program off Mākena, on the Island of Maui