About Us
Basic Biological Services LLC (BBS) has been serving Montana and Idaho from Dillon, Montana since 1999. We are a full-service vegetation management company. BBS strives to complement and inspire the ambitions of landowners and land managers with simple and effective options to achieve healthy, productive, and sustainable vegetative landscapes.
BBS provides personal service, excellent results, with an emphasis on simplicity and value. We design, permit, and install many of our projects, and provide project oversight. Our team offers professional expertise, experience in environmental field services, specialized equipment, and pride in a job well done. We have over 60 years of combined experience in successful land rehabilitation, reclamation, and restoration projects in wetland, riparian, steppe, forest, and alpine environments.
Chairman, Western Landowners Alliance
Linda Walent, Owner, Aquatic Biologist
Ms. Walent is a graduate of University of Montana, Missoula, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Wildlife Biology, Fisheries Management. Her early career was as an Alaskan oceanic commercial fisherman around Kodiak Island, Bristol Bay, Norton Sound, Homer, King Salmon, and Naknek. Ms. Walent then worked for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (MFWP) as a Fisheries Technician, and the United States Forest Service (USFS) as an Aquatic Biologist Technician, mostly in the Big Hole Watershed, MT. While with the USFS, Ms. Walent worked on salmonid and amphibian habitat assessments and fisheries habitat improvement projects. She founded Basic Biological Services LLC (BBS) in Dillon, Montana, in 1999. BBS initially offered aquatic habitat assessments and improvements, with emphasis on environmental field services to support pond construction, stream habitat enhancement, and land improvement projects. Ms. Walent offers three decades of experience in rapid and successful revegetation techniques for restoration and reclamation projects. In addition, she has been continuously engaged in long-term property management with an emphasis in wetland and riparian habitats. She is Mine Safety and Health Act (MSHA) certified (2001-present), holds four commercial licenses with the Montana Department of Agriculture, and is a member of the Montana Weed Control Association.
John Whittingham, Owner, Hydrologist
Mr. Whittingham received Bachelors’ degrees in Geology (Hydrogeology), and Geography (Watershed Management) from the University of Montana, Missoula. He completed his Master of Science degree in Earth Sciences at Montana State University. Mr. Whittingham worked as a hydrogeologist technician for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, a hydrologist technician for the USFS, a consulting hydrogeologist, and as a soil scientist and hydrologist for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). He joined BBS full-time in 2000. Mr. Whittingham is a career field scientist with over three decades of experience in environmental sciences and field services. He provides project expertise and oversight on mining, construction, and habitat restoration projects. He performs wetland determinations and delineations, water resource investigations, and provides Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) design, installation, and inspection. Mr. Whittingham is a Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS #2155, 2011-present), a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC #3445, 2006-present), a Montana certified SWPPP Preparer/Administrator, HazWoper certified (1998-present), MSHA certified (2001-present), holds four commercial licenses with the Montana Department of Agriculture, and is the Montana Representative of the International Erosion Control Association. He is a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists, National Association of Wetland Managers, International Erosion Control Association, and Montana Weed Control Association. He has published numerous articles on land rehabilitation, reclamation, and restoration; and is a frequent speaker at professional and academic conferences. Mr. Whittingham has experience in litigation support, expert witness testimony, and third-party investigations.