Natural Systems Design

The firm focuses on restoring Washington's waters and related ecosystems through science-based, landscape-scale restoration.

Mission and approach

• Restore balance to natural systems by working with natural processes rather than against them.
• Promote quality of life for local communities through healthier rivers, streams, coasts, and floodplains.
• Apply interdisciplinary expertise across geomorphology, hydrology, ecology, coastal science, and engineering.
• Collaborate with public agencies, tribes, nonprofits, and other partners to deliver innovative, purpose-driven projects.

Key areas of work

Natural Systems Design works across a range of aquatic and watershed environments, including:

• Rivers, streams, and floodplains
• Coastal shorelines and estuaries
• Fisheries and aquatic habitat

Projects typically focus on habitat restoration, flood and erosion risk reduction, and long-term resilience of communities and ecosystems.

For more detail on specific technical services, see the separate Services and Practice Areas document.

The firm organizes its work into several primary practice areas:

• Rivers, Streams, and Floodplains
• Coastal
• Fisheries Habitat

Representative services

Based on the services described on the website, Natural Systems Design offers capabilities that include:

• Bank Stabilization and Bioengineering
• Climate Change Assessment
• Coastal Engineering
• Coastal Monitoring
• Coastal Restoration
• Coastal, Hydraulic, and Hydrologic Modeling
• Bank Stabilization
• Construction Administration
• Culvert Assessment and Prioritization "+ Fish Passage"
• Dam Removal
• Environmental State and Federal Regulations and Permitting
• Fisheries Habitat Assessment and Restoration
• Flood and Erosion Hazard Assessment
• Geomorphic Assessment
• Hydraulic and Hydrologic Modeling
• Landscape Architecture and Restoration Ecology
• Logjam Design
• Monitoring and Adaptive Management
• Natural Water Storage
• Riparian Forest Ecology
• River and Stream Restoration
• Shoreline and Estuary Restoration
• Stormwater Design and Treatment
• Wetland Delineation, Functional Assessment, and Mitigation Planning

For project-specific questions about methods, scope, or whether a particular service is offered for your project, please contact the firm directly using the details in the Office Locations and Contact Information document.

Bellingham Office

• Street address: 203 W. Chestnut St., Bellingham, WA 98225
• Phone: 360-656-5207

Port Angeles Office

• Street address: 2032 South O Street, Port Angeles, WA 98363
• Mailing address: P.O. Box 674, Port Angeles, WA 98363
• Phone: 206-681-8697

General contact

• Email: info@naturaldes.com

Natural Systems Design is a registered engineering firm in the states of Washington and Oregon.

For inquiries about projects, services, teaming opportunities, or other questions, customers should use the phone numbers or email above.

Lists Mission, Bellingham, Port Angeles, Seattle, and Shoreline as a location. Names Washington as a service area. Areas beyond these are not published.

Examples of roles listed on the website include:

• Project Engineer (including coastal-focused roles)
• Senior Scientist (e.g., restoration ecologist, coastal geologist, geomorphologist)
• Principal and Senior Principal Scientists
• Principal and Associate Principal Engineers
• Riparian / Wetland Ecologist
• Landscape Architect
• Fisheries Biologist
• Hydrologist
• Admin and Human Resources roles
• Marketing and Proposal coordination
• Operations and Business Development leadership

This combination of technical and support roles allows the firm to manage complex, multi-stakeholder restoration and engineering projects from planning and design through implementation and monitoring.

For a full, current list of team members and biographies, customers can refer to the team page on the Natural Systems Design website.

• Awards and project recognition
• Conferences and professional events
• Company culture and community engagement
• Habitat restoration initiatives and pilot programs

The website highlights content such as the Habitat Recovery Pilot Program (HRPP) and other restoration efforts.

Awards

The website notes that the Little Squalicum Estuary Project received an APWA Project of the Year award (2024).

Speaker Series

Natural Systems Design hosts an NSD Speaker Series, featuring presentations related to rivers, coasts, restoration, and related topics. The site offers registration for specific talks (for example, a presentation by Ian Miller) and invites collaborators, clients, and partners to engage in the conversation.

For the latest detailed news posts, press coverage, and upcoming events, customers should visit the News or Press sections on the Natural Systems Design website.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.