Nick Fedorko, III Travis L. Hudson, Ph.D.
Ammonite Managing Partner Skip Hobbs is pleased to announce that Dr. Travis Hudson and Nick Fedorko have become Ammonite consultants, resulting in a significant increase in the firm’s expertise in minerals, coal, aggregates, and natural resource environmental issues.
Travis Hudson is a professional geologist with over 40 years experience in developing, applying, and communicating the geologic understanding needed to address mining, petroleum, environmental, and educational challenges. Research activities have generated new understanding of regional geology, ore-forming processes, petroleum systems, and Earth’s crustal character. Mining-related experience has included developing and managing grass-roots exploration programs (tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold, silver, and base metals), prospect drilling evaluations (tin, gold, base metals, and graphite), and extensive mineral deposit characterization. Petroleum-related experiences include managing geoscience support for production at the Kuparuk River field, Alaska (300,000 BOPD) and managing exploration that discovered the Alpine, Tarn, Fiord, and Kalubik oil fields (Alaska). Environmental studies initially focused on surficial processes, active faulting, and related earthquake hazards evaluations in Alaska. Understanding surficial processes also became important to accurately characterizing geochemical base lines for soils and waters regionally and at mining-related sites such as Rico, Colorado. Accurate geochemical base lines were important to evaluating environmental risk and remediation alternatives for mining-related sites including several Superfund sites in Montana and Utah. The environmental work at Superfund sites included support for ongoing litigation and negotiations with regulators and principal responsible parties. During his 18 years as Director of Environmental Affairs at the American Geosciences Institute, Travis contributed extensively to public education and outreach focused on explaining Earth Science and its relation to environmental issues.
Travis obtained a BS in Geology from San Jose State University and a MS and PhD in Geology from Stanford University. He has been a member in good standing of many professional societies and is a registered geologist in the state of Washington. An extensive publication record demonstrates his ability to provide timely and effective communication of project results (one of his publications is Living with Earth, a college-level environmental geology text published in 2010). His scientific communication experience also includes extensive technical review, editing, and evaluation of the professional contributions of other earth scientists. Travis resides in Sitka, Alaska.
Nick Fedorko is a professional geologist with 39 years of experience in the Appalachian Basin. He began his career in 1975 with the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES) Coal Resources Study. Fedorko and the other study geologists organized and interpreted all of the data collected from fieldwork and industry and used them to create a series of coal bed maps drawn on USGS 7.5-minute quadrangle map overlays. These maps were then used to calculate original in-place, mined, and remaining coal resources following USGS guidelines. In 1990, Fedorko was named Head of the WVGES Coal Program, serving in that role until 2006. In addition to the Coal Resources Study, he oversaw cooperative coal work with the USGS such as the Coal Availability Study, the Coal Recoverability Study, other projects aimed at better understanding coal and coal-bearing rocks, and cooperative geologic mapping of 7.5-minute quadrangles in coal-bearing areas. In 1996, Fedorko was instrumental in launching a new and expanded mapping effort at WVGES, called the Coal Bed Mapping Project. This effort embraced Geographic Information System technology to digitally create coal bed maps and calculate resources. These maps are now available on-line.
Retiring from the WVGES in 2006, Fedorko opened Cove Geological Services, a sole proprietorship consulting firm. He clients include coal mining and coalbed methane producing companies which he supports with exploration, geotechnical core logging, mapping, and submittal reviews. Branching out, Fedorko has identified producible beds for a limestone aggregate producer and aided in an issue concerning insoluble residue in limestone. He has also prepared court documents and appeared in court as an expert witness in cases involving disputes of ownership and value of coal, limestone, and shale.
Nick Fedorko received a B.A. in Geology from Lehigh University and an M.S. in Geology from West Virginia University. His M.S. thesis melded his interest in coal and paleopedology. He has authored and co-authored many talks and publications. He is a member of the Geological Society of America, a Registered Professional Geologist in Pennsylvania (PG001858G), an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Geology and Geography at West Virginia University, and a member of the WVGES STATEMAP Geologic Mapping Panel. Nick lives in Morgantown, West Virginia.