About Confluence | A Team of Environmental Experts and Passionate Outdoors People

Jim Lovell

President and Ecologist

Jim Lovell, an international expert in aquatic restoration, is the founder and president of Confluence Consulting, Inc. Jim’s technical skills include design and construction of fish habitat projects, restoration for threatened and endangered species, geomorphic assessments of stream channels, and relocation of streams and rivers for fisheries conservation, highway construction, and property development. Jim’s passion for nature, personality for innovation, and strong communication skills drive his success. He currently focuses on integrating drought resiliency planning with natural water storage and water quality improvements.

“Working at Confluence allows me to put my love for nature to work, restoring damaged ecosystems for fish and wildlife, leaving the world a better place one project at a time.”

Rich McEldowney

Principal Wetland and Riparian Ecologist

Rich is a certified professional wetland scientist (#1439) and a returned Peace Corps volunteer (Philippines 1994-1996). For over 25 years, he has managed and contributed to riparian-, wetland-, floodplain, and stream-related projects throughout Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West. His passion is process-oriented wetland restoration that emphasizes wetland function, such as flood flow attenuation, water quality improvement, and habitat interspersion. This approach delivers dynamic restoration better adapted to evolving conditions caused by climate change. More specifically, Rich’s experience includes environmental permitting, project management, conceptual model development, wetland and riparian habitat restoration and revegetation, public involvement/stakeholder meetings, wetland functional assessments, wetland and riparian buffers for water-quality improvement, plant and wildlife surveys, management plans, construction oversight, and wetland/stream monitoring.

Mike Sanctuary

Principal Stream Group Lead

Mike incorporates his wildlife, fisheries, hydrology, and watershed science background into Confluence’s stream and river assessment projects. As one of Confluence’s principals and most experienced project managers, Mike leads multi-disciplinary teams of engineers, scientists, and construction contractors to accomplish various projects. His project experience includes several large watershed inventories, mitigation planning and design, bank stabilization, irrigation infrastructure modifications, stream channel restoration, revegetation, drought mitigation, stakeholder facilitation, and cost estimation. Mike has worked primarily in the northern Rockies states of Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, and Colorado.

Ronda Creiglow

Office Manager

Ronda C. is the glue that holds the Confluence team together. As our Office Manager, Ronda stays on top of payroll, accounts payable, human resources, inventory, supplies, preparing financial reports, and 3,258 other things that can happen on any given day. Ronda spent nearly 20 years working on projects in Yellowstone National Park including historic building renovation and advising Park personnel as a member of the Safety and Environmental Committee. Her love of the outdoors finds her frequently paddle boarding, hiking, and enjoying all that Montana has to offer.

Ronda Burns, PE

Senior Water Resources Engineer and Hydrologist

Ronda has 23 years of consulting and agency experience in water resources engineering and has been a Certified Floodplain Manager since 2007. Ronda specializes in hydrology, hydraulics, and sediment transport modeling. Her extensive experience includes assessing hydraulics and scour at bridges, river and stream restoration, flood hazard studies, and permitting. As Confluence’s most experienced hydrologist, Ronda takes the lead role in many of our technical projects that utilize hydraulic modeling as a design and planning tool. Ronda is a licensed professional engineer in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Maryland, Idaho, and Oregon.

Keeghan Lauver

EIT and Survey Technician

Keeghan is a recent civil engineering graduate from Montana State University. Currently pursuing his Master’s degree in civil engineering with a specialization in ecohydrology, he has developed a strong foundation in studying streams and their associated organisms through specialized coursework such as Fisheries Habitat Management, Stream Restoration Ecology, and Ichthyology. Keeghan has gained valuable project experience in fish habitat design, stream channel restoration, stream and wetland monitoring, bank stabilization, and Cutthroat trout research. His expertise in these areas has been honed through hands-on work in Montana, where he has consistently demonstrated a commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable engineering practices. As a native to Montana, Keeghan has many secret fishing holes.

Miguel Ley, LE

Water Resources Engineer

Miguel is a professional engineer with an extensive background in construction, surveying, design, and hydraulic modeling. Miguel’s expertise covers a wide spectrum of projects, including floodplain management, bank stabilization, irrigation diversion systems, and stream restoration. Miguel is adept at designing fish screens that support aquatic life and developing sophisticated hydraulic models to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of water systems. Miguel’s approach ensures that each project is well-planned and executed, meeting regulatory standards, environmental quality, and client goals. In addition to technical skills, Miguel excels in construction management, overseeing projects from inception to completion. He works closely with multidisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality results efficiently and effectively.

Kris Gandrud

Construction Supervisor

Kris applies his degree in watershed sciences and hydrology with 10 years of experience in environmental construction to implement Confluence’s restoration projects. Kris specializes in stream construction, wetland restoration, floodplain reactivation, and mine reclamation which provides him the unique ability to perform industry specific constructability reviews, develop project cost estimates, oversee complex environmental projects and work directly with industry contractors. Kris has managed, supervised, and directed environmental construction projects throughout the Central Rockies, Upper Midwest, and the greater Chesapeake watersheds. Primary clients have included Idaho Fish and Game, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, NRCS, the U.S. Forest Service, CO Dept of Transportation, Trout Unlimited, and a variety of counties, watershed coalitions, and private entities. Kris is also an avid angler and public land enthusiast.

Richard Baumgarten

Wetland Scientist

RJ is a well-rounded environmental scientist with an interest in soil microbiology, who recently graduated from MSU. He has experience performing wetland delineations and vegetation surveys. RJ has participated in multiple conservation efforts including land cleanup around Gallatin Valley and large carnivore preservation in Zambia. Additionally, he has diverse research experience ranging from implementation of anaerobic metabolism studies to data entry and statistical analysis. He is an avid fly fisher and outdoors enthusiast.

Elise Reynaud

Wetland Scientist

Elise’s love for the outdoors has led to her involvement in a wide variety of environmental work throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. She participated in soil-borne disease research with Montana State University and plant-pollinator research at the U.S. Forest Service’s Rocky Mountain Research Station. She performed land surveys and monitoring for the Teton Regional Land Trust to conserve ecologically viable lands, as well as annual sandhill crane counts and trumpeter swan monitoring for the land trust’s trumpeter swan program. In her free time Elise likes to hike, ski, swim in alpine lakes, and simply sit outside.

Bryce Pease

Wetland Scientist II/Botanist

Bryce is a wetland scientist and enthusiastic botanist with four years of experience with Montana flora and ten years with plant science and identification. A recent MSU graduate with a broad background in environmental sciences, her experiences include riparian and alpine vegetation monitoring, wetland delineation, floral scent and pollinator research, teaching a plant identification lab, technical report editing, and soil science writing. Bryce is a former long-distance hiker, but these days she prefers to take her hikes slowly and look at the flowers.

Cole Buller, EIT

Water Resources Engineer

Cole recently graduated from Montana State University where he earned an M.S. in Civil Engineering with a focus in Eco-hydraulics. Throughout his education, Cole gained a strong foundation in hydraulics and hydrology by taking courses such as: Open Channel Hydraulics, River Modelling, and Fisheries Habitat Management. During his graduate research, Cole gained project experience in fish passage and monitoring. His experiences and education reflect a commitment to hydraulics, fisheries, and the connection between the two to promote ecological wellbeing. In his free time, you’ll find Cole skiing, biking, fishing and more in the areas around Montana.

Hannah Cantú

Aquatic Biologist

Hannah is an aquatic biologist who studied at Montana State University. Her research on native fish and aquatic macroinvertebrates earned her authorship on the Montana Prairie Fish Collection. Her experience spans from stream restoration projects across the Western US to native revegetation projects and invasive species removal. She has successfully navigated extensive permitting, including for the film Mending the Line, and works with the DNRC on Reserved Water Rights processes. Her experiences in Montana include the construction of ponds and recirculating streams along with maintaining freshwater ecosystems’ health. Hannah has been instrumental in Confluence launching their aquatic amenity care program, with a focus on a holistic approach to water feature health. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the mountains with her husband, often in search of aquatic macroinvertebrates (caddisflies are a favorite!), crystals, or sheds.

Nate Clifton

Senior Water Resources Engineer and Engineering Group Lead

Nate brings over 15 years of experience in water resources engineering, specializing in fish passage, river restoration, hydraulics, and hydrology. He has led interdisciplinary teams on restoration and infrastructure projects across the U.S. and abroad. His career spans roles with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, where he focused on restoring aquatic connectivity. Nate’s expertise ranges from hydraulic and sediment modeling on major rivers to designing fish passage structures in remote headwaters, with recent work concentrated in the Rocky Mountain West and Alaska.

Hunter King

Senior Wetland Scientist

Hunter has over a decade of experience in natural resource protection and planning. Specializing in wetland and stream mitigation, Hunter has played a key role in safeguarding water resources in Montana and Michigan. His expertise includes wetland delineation per U.S. Army Corps protocol, regulatory compliance under the Clean Water Act, and hydrologic assessments. Through his tenure with state agencies, he has successfully worked with stakeholders to enhance wetland function, restore impacted ecosystems, and ensure compliance with environmental regulations. Hunter has led efforts to regulate wetland impacts, oversee large-scale restoration projects, and develop wetland and stream mitigation strategies. His extensive field experience, technical knowledge, and commitment to conservation make him a vital advocate for sustainable water resource management.

Backed by a team of environmental experts and passionate outdoorspeople, Confluence Consulting strives to design and implement innovative solutions to modern environmental challenges.

Our Mission

We aim to deliver expertise that promotes the wise stewardship of our natural environment and preserves our quality of life.

Who We Are

We are fishermen, hikers, skiers, backpackers, and runners who take time to enjoy the environment we work so hard to improve. Since our inception, we have hired a passionate crew of ecologists, engineers, and administrative staff to serve our clients best. Interested in learning more about us? Our State of Qualifications provides a comprehensive company overview, outlining our mission, services, experience, and impact.

Our Statement of Qualifications

Values

Inspired by Nature: Our love of nature is what inspires us, giving us a passion for our work. This makes us naturally inspired people who strive to excel at what we do. When we’re not at work, you can typically find us out enjoying the natural world.

Understanding Through Science: Our work is underpinned by science, which helps us to understand and solve problems in an objective, unbiased manner. Through scientific understanding, we seek and deliver truthful answers to our client’s questions.

Own It: We take ownership of everything we do, approaching our client’s projects as if they were our own.

Balanced Life: We can only give our best when work life is balanced with time for family, friends, and personal pursuits. While we appreciate hard work, we also take time for the most important things in life.

Our Team

Some of Our Clients

Our Community

We hold a deep respect for the communities where we live and work. The West is a unique and special place, from its breathtaking landscapes to unparalleled opportunities for outdoor recreation. So we’re dedicated to taking care of our community by giving back through contributions of our time and resources. Through financial donations to key nonprofit partners, we’re doing our part to contribute to preservation efforts and to ensure a sustainable future for our community.

Organizations We Support

Work With Us

Let’s build a better world together. To start realizing your vision, please click the link below to contact us.

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