William Young

M.S. Urban Design, Pratt Institute (1984)
B.S. Environmental Science/Landscape Architecture, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (1977)

Mr. Young is a recognized leader in the environmental field with 33 years of experience as a project manager, designer, and wetland specialist. He has experience in construction, design and planning in both the public and private sector. His expertise includes habitat restoration on disturbed lands, wetlands monitoring and construction, natural resource inventory, forestry, wildlife assessment, carbon offset, and erosion and sediment control. Mr. Young also performs site assessment and hydrological studies for site selection on wetland mitigation and master planning. Bill has worked in fifteen states and is an award winner on designing an industrial site in New Jersey and a wastewater treatment wetland in Florida.  Mr. Young is an Ajdunct Professor of Wetland Ecology at Temple University and a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design, teaching Sustainable Practices and Ecology.

William Young is founder of Young Environmental, LLC, a design/build firm specializing in ecological restoration, and especially restoration of disturbed lands. He has had a varied career, working in both private and public sectors, in several states, and has many projects under his belt.

Mr. Young graduated with a B.S. degree from SUNY College of Forestry at Syracuse, in Environmental Sciences/Landscape Architecture. This was followed not long after with an M.S. degree in Urban Design from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Bill continues his studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he teaches part time at the Weitzman School, Masters of Landscape Architecture. He has taught the class “Reclamation of Large Scale Sites” since 2003. He is a professional wetland scientist (PWS).

He is currently involved in some high profile restorations, including restoring Yellow Bar Hassock in Jamaica Bay back to its original size, the installation of several native plant communities atop the capped landfills of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fountain Avenue, and Fresh Kills Landfill, where the City of NY is striving to convert the closed landfill into the City’s largest park. Bill has also partnered with The Gaia Institute on the Jamaica Bay Watershed Study, whereby they have devised pilot programs to retrofit New York’s largest watershed to “Green Streets”, green roofs, and alternative stormwater management. Bill has managed budgets over $80 million, with staff of one to nine persons.

He is a member of the Society for Ecological Restoration, Society of Wetland Scientists, The Partnership for NJ Plant Conservation, NJ Native Plant Society, Delaware River Invasive Plant Partnership, Ecological Society of America, and Association of Energy Engineers.