1 July 2013

NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY AT RISK

By Marla Stelk, Policy Analyst, ASWM

I am old enough to remember the days before digital geographic information system (GIS) mapping services – the world before TomTom, Garmin, or ESRI’s ArcGIS. My father was a big fan of AAA and would always prepare for our summer family vacations by making sure he had all the maps of each state we would be driving through from the local AAA office. Our car was littered with maps for each state we had ever visited or ever hoped to. TripTik maps signified a huge advance in having your whole trip in one handy map booklet – an advantage to slugging around the half dozen other individual state maps. Now you could view your whole trip as a somewhat cohesive whole. And who could forget the good ol’ enormous Rand McNally atlas...

. - Marla Stelk

Maps have, and continue to be, useful tools for navigation, planning, and spacial awareness. They assist us in understanding our physical world beyond our immediate senses, in planning how we choose to interact with it, and in developing a deeper understanding of how the world as a whole interacts within an interconnected ecosystem. The National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) program, established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) in 1974, is one of the oldest and most frequently used government mapping resources. It was established with the mission to create a nationwide inventory of U.S. wetlands to provide biologists and other stakeholders with data and visual displays of the physical distribution of wetlands in an effort to assist in wetland protection and conservation. Throughout its history, the NWI program has diligently worked to support the FWS mission “to protect and enhance fish,

wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit for the American people.”

For several years, the maps produced by the NWI were paper maps created through a mylar layering technique made wildly popular by Ian McHarg’s book, Design with Nature, in 1979. This was a very time and labor intensive process and one which was never fully completed by the NWI before the introduction of modern computerized desktop geospatial technology in the 1980’s. One of the most significant contributions of the mapping efforts by NWI was the creation of a classification system for wetland types (generally referred to as the Cowardian et al. system) that is now the official FWS wetland classification system and the Federal standard for wetland classification.

In this Issue

NWI at Risk

Association News

ASWM Welcomes New Staff

Welcome New Members

Vol. 23 No. 2 July 2013

Register here for ASWM’s July Members’ Webinar

Exponential advances in technology and software programming over the last 30 years have resulted in the transition of those layering techniques and data into a virtual platform through GIS software. However, most of the new GIS software programs that we commonly use today have been built up from or built around the ability to utilize the digitized wetland data provided by the NWI as well as other geospatial data providers. NWI was the foundation for the development of popular mapping applications like Habitat Priority Planner, SLAMM (Sea-Level Affecting Marsh Model), and Thunderstorm Maps and users continue to use NWI data within those applications to delineate watersheds, locate habitat, and plan for both development and conservation.

As Bill Wilen, Senior Biologist at the FWS explains, “The EPA-developed SLAMM shows the possible effects of sea-level rise on coastal wetlands and thus on fish, wildlife, communities, infrastructure, and economies. These models are run using NWI wetlands geospatial data that change over time as the ocean levels rise.” Kevin Doherty, Plains & Prairie Joint Venture (PPJV) Science Coordinator, explains the relationship with Thunderstorm Maps: “The NWI provides the foundation for all of the spatially explicit conservation planning for waterfowl and other wetland-dependent migratory birds in the US Plains & Prairie Region (USPPR). The FWS Four-Square-Mile Breeding Duck

Pair Survey sampling design is based on NWI basins, and the resulting statistical models are applied to NWI basins to produce the “Thunderstorm Map” and other habitat conservation targeting tools.”

The NWI program has had to navigate the wave of technological advancement in order to provide the American public, academics, scientists, contractors and government with the most up to date, user friendly maps possible. Although the new world of computerized mapping services has made digital cartography more accurate, cleaner, and more accessible, the time and cost involved in collecting data remains financially prohibitive to many government and nonprofit organizations. Because of the expense involved, those entities, private or public, which are able to make the significant investment in data collection and validation, more often than not, do not readily share their proprietary data.

The NWI data, however, is a public resource which enables states, nonprofits, and academic institutions to develop the tools and programs that are integral for successful wetland conservation. The availability of the NWI data saves a significant amount of time and expense and it allows for a more efficient decision-making process in states with limited and/or declining revenues. For example, according to the Water Quality Certification Program at the Department of Environmental Protection of Kentucky, “NWI layers are the only source of reference for assessments via desktop of wetland impacts for the state of Kentucky…we would have nothing without it...” Or as Michael Mitchell, a GIS Analyst at Ducks Unlimited wrote: “Not having the NWI would cause me to have to recreate a wetlands layer for the region I work in. This would take a large amount of time and funding, which isn’t available. All projects relying on NWI data would be put on hold, or have to use data that, if available, may not be as accurate as what is provided by the NWI.”

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In addition to providing data, the NWI has provided financial, technological, physical and educational support to numerous tribal, Federal, state, and local government agencies as well as private, academic and nonprofit institutions who are partnering and collaborating on research and planning projects in joint efforts to respond to some of today’s most pressing environmental issues such as habitat loss and climate change. “Sea level rise is certainly one of the most pressing issues facing many coastal communities, as well as national wildlife refuges,” said Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge Manager Lou Hinds. “SLAMM will be used by many coastal refuge managers to involve the public in discussions concerning sea level rise as part of the Comprehensive Conservation Planning process. This planning process must be undertaken every 15 years and unless something changes dramatically, coastal refuges will be dealing with this issue over the next 100 years."1

The increasing cost to NWI of providing these services, the massive learning curve entailed in constantly learning and adapting to new technologies, and the rapid increase in demand has been a challenge for NWI but it is one which they have risen to meet, albeit there is still much work to be done. NWI’s newest advancement, the Surface Waters Inventory (SWI), exemplifies their commitment to continually improve their product. Once it is up and running, it will provide consistent information about wetlands and water bodies and their connectivity from a hydrological perspective.

NWI explains on their website that the new SWI maps will “assist in resource management, planning, and strategic habitat conservation efforts. Applications include various geospatial analyses, tracing contaminant pathways through aquatic systems, identifying and prioritizing habitat restoration opportunities, examining continuity or dissection of habitat corridors, quantifying aquatic and wetland resource types, and facilitating ecological modeling. Modeling changes at the community level (e.g., species richness, diversity, cover, and biomass) are often linked to the hydrologic characteristics of wetlands or the surface water bodies adjacent to wetlands. Current hydrography that attempts

1 http://www.fws.gov/slamm/

to trace surface water flow is often incomplete or misleading because it lacks one or more of the landscape-level components that make up surface water features. The SWI dataset provides more complete geospatial data on surface waters and wetlands than has been available in the past and will provide a more efficient means to make determinations of flow and water movement in surface water basins and channels as well as in wetlands.”

In order to predict the impacts of climate change induced sea-level rise on Pacific Northwest coastal habitats, the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) was utilized to simulate future coastal habitat configurations under various sea-level rise scenarios at several sites in Washington and Oregon, USA. The model was run for 2025, 2050, 2075, and 2100. Historical or “initial condition” habitat classifications are also available for some sites. Several sites were also modeled with existing dikes removed.

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Ironically, due to budgetary concerns, the future of the NWI program is at risk. The message is that because of anticipated budget reductions NWI will look different going forward. However, the budget proposed by Congress actually reduces the current NWI budget by about the same amount so the future funding for the NWI remains uncertain.

In response to these funding challenges, the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) has embarked on an effort to reach out to private and public organizations which utilize the NWI data in order to: collect stories which highlight various projects which use or have used the NWI mapping service; discern who is using the data and what it is used to do; and to estimate the cost and time savings benefits of using the NWI as well as the

potential consequences of not having NWI maps with up-to-date data available.

What we found was not surprising. Respondents unanimously reported back that, if anything, the NWI

needed increased funding in order to catch up on the backlog of areas which still do not have any digitized mapping or current data available as well as to update areas of rapid environmental change such as the Louisiana and New Jersey coastlines. ASWM has been overwhelmed with stories of successful collaborations, increased ability to track wetland changes and typology, and advances in strategic planning for habitat restoration as

well as development. The tools and staff support provided by the NWI were identified as integral to their various projects’ success and to conserving priority wetlands.

Clearly, the NWI is an integral resource for advancing the FWS mission “to protect and enhance fish, wildlife, and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit for the American people.” NWI data is critical to developing sound, science-based conservation strategies for waterfowl and other wetland species. Some species which respondents specifically identified as being assisted by the NWI program through habitat identification, restoration and preservation include:

Alaskan Salmon Gadwall Duck Plymouth Redbelly Turtle Alaskan Sea Duck Hine’s Emerald Dragonfly Queen Snake Arid Land Ribbon Snake James Spinymussel Rails Blanchard’s Cricket Frog King Rail Roanoke Logperch Blanding’s Turtle Least Bittern Roswell Springsnail Blue-Winged Teal Duck Least Shrew Sonora Tiger Salamander Bog Turtle Longtail Salamander Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Bogbean Buckmoth Mallard Duck Spectacled Eider California Red-Legged Frog Massasauga Rattlesnake Spiny Softshell Turtle Canadian Geese Mexican Tetra Tomah Mayfly Caspian Tern Northern Cricket Frog Tundra Swans Chiricahua Leopard Frog Northern Pintail Duck Wood Duck Common Tern Northern Shoveler Duck Wright’s Marsh Thistle Devil Crawfish Pecos Pupfish Several species of damselfly and dragonfly Eastern Massasauga Pecos Sunflower Several fish, snail and crawfish species Freshwater Mussels Pied-Billed Grebe Several rare plant species

“Given the scope and scale of investments in wetlands conservation by FWS and its partners, the widespread use and application of the NWI data in the U.S. Prairie Pothole Region and across the country more than justifies continuation of the program.”

Johann Walker, Lead Scientist Ducks Unlimited Great Plains Office, Bismark, North Dakota

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Christina Sloop from the San Fransisco Bay Joint Venture wrote: “NWI is often the only wetland maps available for some of the breeding grounds for birds that over winter or migrate through the San Francisco Bay and the Central Valley.” According to Chad Fizzell, Wetlands GIS Specialist (Wetlands, Lakes, and Streams Unit) at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, “Losing this resource, and the efforts to keep it up to date, severely limits the State’s ability to track the long term status and trends of its wetlands. This makes it near impossible to track the success of any number of regulatory and non-regulatory efforts to protect wetlands, and clouds the knowledge that we’ve gained observing our wetlands at a landscape scale. There is no doubt that suspension of these efforts will result in a drastic decrease in wetland protection and restoration projects going on in the State.”

Michael Mitchell, a GIS Analyst with Ducks Unlimited wrote: “I use the NWI for multiple projects during the data development stage to calculate base wetland acreage, target conservation priorities, mask out known areas to enhance classification of different habitat types, and refine waterfowl forage calculations. This data is crucial for early development of foraging models and habitat classification.” And Jennifer Boyer, PWS, Wetland Supervisor for Dupage County, Illinois, told us that “If wetland maps cannot be used in the planning process to site projects or make program decisions, more time and money must be spent for on-the-ground reconnaissance to achieve the same level of information. Opportunities to maximize water quality, habitat, and flood control benefits without impacting existing wetland resources may be missed if wetlands are not considered in the early planning stages.”

Credit: North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources: Division of Coastal Management

5 July 2013

Additionally, the NWI has fostered collaborations in multiple states and among many different partners. The projects they have supported are incredibly diverse. This is due, in part, to the influence of the Clean Water Act, failing infrastructure systems, the Federal government’s emphasis on increasing the development of domestic energy sources (including renewables), as well as the impacts of climate change. “The NWI provides the historical background for spatially explicit wetland loss and wetland change assessments. These efforts are increasingly important to inform conservation strategies as the landscape of the U.S. Plains & Prairie Region is altered by row-crop expansion, energy development, and climate change.” (Ducks Unlimited Great Plains Office, Bismark, North Dakota)

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HOW THE NATIONAL WETLANDS INVENTORY IS USED

For Spatial Modeling Efforts to create Thunderstorm maps to manage for

migratory waterfowl in SLAMM models to predict changes in tidal

marsh area and habitat type in response to sea-level rise

as a data layer in NOAA’S SLOSH model to predict storm surge heights

in NOAA’s C-CAP program to produce a nationally standardized database of land cover and land change information for the coastal regions of the U.S.

by the Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation & Enforcement Services for their GeoMine Federal Viewer to address Federal geospatial and hydrologic data needs

in Primordial’s Ground Guidance software to plan fast and concealed routes on- and off-road for dismounted and mounted soldiers

For Planning & Decision-Making agricultural planning aviation & military installation assessments biological monitoring efficient permit processes emergency management planning endangered species recovery efforts energy development project planning enforcement & compliance efforts habitat conservation, identification & delineation hurricane planning & recovery efforts informed real estate decisions invasive species control programs land acquisition decisions land use planning legal defense cases license reviews prioritization of conservation & restoration

projects research & education stormwater management & flood control

planning to evaluate wetland permits to identify ecosystem services to write applications for wetland permits transportation planning water quality planning & compliance watershed planning wetland restoration & mitigation efforts

Jeanne Christie photos

These situations require a multidisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach. The increase in severe weather events (such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the tornados in Oklahoma, and the increase in droughts and wildfires) has devastated communities physically, emotionally and financially. Fortunately, the ability of healthy wetlands to mitigate some of these impacts (to

buffer the impacts of storm surges, to filter stormwater contaminants, and to sequester carbon) has gotten the attention of a critical mass of leaders in government, business and the public. The benefits of maintaining and restoring priority wetlands have now been recognized by others as integral to issues such as national security, economic sustainability, and public health.

The diverse list of NWI partners include: the U.S. Geological Service; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the U.S. Department of Defense; U.S. Center for Disease Control; U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health; the U.S. Bureau of Land Management; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); HUD’s Office of Environment; the Tennessee Valley Authority; national parks; the national wildlife refuge system; private

development firms and environmental consultants; joint ventures (comprised of federal agencies, state fish and wildlife agencies, non-governmental organizations, tribes, universities, policymakers, corporations, foundations, and private landowners); municipal, regional and state planning agencies; the National Wildlife Federation; the Nature Conservancy; Ducks Unlimited; Landscape Conservation Cooperatives; land trusts; tribes; universities and schools; statewide energy and natural resource agencies; statewide natural heritage programs; state departments of transportation; and many utility and energy companies.

7 July 2013

NWI User Groups Click Here

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We’ve come a long way from the days of my youth and the summer vacations spent trying to refold those unwieldy paper maps (they never fold back the way they unfolded!) and deciphering where one map ended and the other map begun. But technology and convenience has come with a hefty price tag – and one which many people, governments, and organizations cannot afford. The issues we are facing from climate change, population growth and habitat loss require partnerships, collaboration, and open source data in order to conserve our nation’s wetlands and wildlife, whose boundaries do not usually fall neatly into local, regional or state boundaries. The NWI offers Americans the opportunity to work together, share resources and knowledge, to literally see the bigger picture and to steer our country into a sustainable future. The Association of State Wetland Managers strongly supports the continuation of the National Wetlands Inventory (and enhanced funding for its programs) and encourages anyone who feels similarly to let the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Congress know how valuable a resource the National Wetlands Inventory is.

If you would like to help ASWM document the many uses of NWI, please provide a summary addressing the following topics and forward that information to Jeanne Christie at mailto:jeanne.christie@aswm.org. We will collect and share your stories.

In addition to supporting future NWI funding, describing the various uses of wetland maps will help practitioners around the country continue to improve program delivery since good wetland maps can lead to substantial time and cost savings in program management.

Please provide:

1. Project Name

2. Project Description

3. Who is Using the Data

4. What it is Used to Do

5. Consequences of not having wetland maps (NWI) as well as not having up to date wetland maps if applicable.

6. Cost and time savings if applicable

7. For more information (contact/website)

Individuals interested in discovering more about the National Wetlands Inventory and related GIS tools can visit wetland one-stop mapping.

Thank you very much!

- See more at: http://aswm.org/wordpress/the-compleat-wetlander-wetland-maps-are-important/#sthash.ZVtVDykT.dpuf

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Delegation from the Shandong Province, China visits the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory July 9, 2013

On the international level, other countries are interested in learning about the National Wetlands Inventory as a prototype for future wetland mapping work abroad. On July 9 a delegation from Shandong Province, China visited with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory headquarters for a technical discussion about NWI, status and trends reporting, and the standards and data collection procedures and tools available to anyone in the world over the internet from http://www.fws.gov/wetlands/. In recent years China has embarked on several large and ambitious projects to restore wetlands such as one currently underway in Heilongjiang province in response to studies

showing that an increase in droughts, floods and sandstorms were linked to wetland loss. The Shandong Province where the delegation originated from is located on the eastern edge of the North China Plain and in the lower reaches of the Yellow River and extends out to sea in the form of the Shandong Peninsula. Shandong is one of the most populous and most affluent provinces in the People's Republic of China. It

ranks first among the provinces in the production of a variety of products, including cotton, wheat, sorghum, and maize as well as precious metals such as gold and diamonds. Their Victory Oil Field is one of the major oil fields in China. The province has also spent $204.6 million to protect wetlands in recent years. The meeting was one of the many international meetings arranged through organizations such as Triway International Group to bring together individuals with the knowledge and expertise in an area of interest.

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“In recent years China has embarked on several large and ambitious projects to restore wetlands such as one currently underway in Heilongjiang province in response to studies showing that an increase in droughts, floods and sandstorms were linked to wetland loss.”

Bill Wilen, FWS, NWI and Yuchen Gao, Director General, Qingdao Municipal forestry Bureau

Shandong Province, China visitors at FWS, July 9, 2013

Association News

By Jeanne Christie, Executive Director, ASWM

Summer has reached southern Maine and we’ve been working hard to get the gardens around the house planted with perennial and annual flowers, shrubs, fruits and vegetables. It is especially important this year because in August our garden will be included in the Cumberland County Cooperative Extension’s Backyard Locavore Day tour.

Every year I experiment with something new and this year I decided to try making ‘comfrey tea’ to fertilize the plants. Numerous books and websites extol the virtues of submerging comfrey leaves in water for 2-6 weeks and using the tea as either a fertilizer or foliar spray to deter insects. So I was feeling quite accomplished when I started the brew. I even added some of the recommended stinging nettle leaves to improve its potency. But the smell! It is truly, truly awful. The fumes of comfrey tea easily rank among the worst bad smells I have ever had close and extended contact with right up there with the rotted fish carcasses used by my cousin to bait lobster traps and a hog farm I lived on briefly in Denmark where the pigs were fed large quantities of day-old bakery products.

However, the plants love the stuff. I can see improvements within 24 hours. Happily we have a large yard where it is possible to keep the ‘tea’ sequestered, and the smell only lingers for 24-48 hours after application. Also, should any summer guests linger too long—we have a solution which, when generously applied to the gardens near the house, is sure to speed them on their way!

Have a great summer!

Busy spring at our offices with new hires - I would like to welcome Brenda Zollitsch and Marla Stelk to our staff. We’re delighted to have them with us. They both bring a great deal of experience and expertise to ASWM. Short bios are included in this newsletter

along with Dawn Smith’s who has been working with us for many months on web development and processing our recorded webinar series. Marla is the author of “NWI at Risk” in this newsletter and Brenda recently contributed a blog post as “The Wetland Wanderer.” Marla will be documenting the uses of the National Wetland Inventory and gathering information about state wetland programs. Brenda is working hard on our stream identification, delineation and mitigation project described below. And of course, both will receive ‘other duties as assigned’ which tend to occur on a weekly basis!

Stream Identification, Delineation and Mitigation Project: What is a stream? How are they defined and delineated by states? How many states have stream mitigation policies and procedures? This summer ASWM will be focusing on a project to identify and compare the various ways states address jurisdiction, identification and protection of perennial, intermittent and ephemeral streams across the country. ASWM will

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be conducting interviews with state agencies throughout the summer to gather information. The goal of this project will be to provide materials that will be useful to states, members and other interest groups. Part of this project includes the development of a new stream mitigation resource page on ASWM’s website. We will inform members when the new streams section is added. It will include expanded links to regulatory documents, stream identification and assessment information, guidance and protocols, programs, compensatory mitigation resources and program information, links to current tools and techniques, supporting scientific documentation and performance measurement

documents. After interviews and information gathering is completed, ASWM will produce a report summarizing

state approaches to stream jurisdiction, identification, assessment, and mitigation and share project findings through web-based materials, webinars and workshop presentations. Funding for this project has been provided through the Wetland Grants Program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Voluntary Restoration Handbook Available to Review - Wetland restoration is an important activity nationally. In recent decades millions of acres of wetland have been restored or enhanced. Many of these restoration projects require dredge and fill permits. Restoration activities are fundamentally different from activities requiring a permit that destroys or partially eliminates a wetland. However, a wetland restoration may involve a significant amount of fill, alteration of local hydrology or excavation. ASWM established a workgroup in 2012 that included permit issuers and permit applicants involved with restoration permitting. After a series of conference calls and discussions, ASWM developed a draft handbook to assist both parties in the permitting process. We are interested in your comments. You can access a PDF of this document here. If you would like a Word version of the document to use for providing comments, please e-mail Laura Burchill at laura@aswm.org with your request. Comments are due by August 2nd. If you have questions about the material included in the document, please contact Peg Bostwick at peg@sweetgrass-jacobs.com.

Invitation to Members’ Webinar - Developing a Wetland Management Plan for the White Oak Bayou Watershed, Scott Owens, Terra Aquatica Environmental, LLC –

Wednesday, July 24, 2013 – 3:00 p.m. EST

The White Oak Bayou watershed is located in central Arkansas within the city limits of Maumelle, North Little Rock, and also Pulaski County. As with many urban watersheds, there has been long term concern over increased urbanization and the associated loss of forested habitat, including wetlands. Based on these concerns, the City of Maumelle has been working on a collaborative wetland management strategy for the watershed since 2008. This has included wetland mapping, HGM assessments, development of a technical advisory committee and steering committee, public education efforts, and collaborative research efforts with the University of Central Arkansas. Members can register here.

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Jeanne Christie photo

Board of Directors

David Davis Chair

Alan Quackenbush Vice Chair

Mark Biddle Secretary/Treasurer

Collis Adams

Richard Gitar

Amy Lounds

Maryann McGraw

Erik Stockdale

ASWM Staff

Jeanne Christie Executive Director

Jon Kusler, Esq. PhD. Founder

Peg Bostwick Senior Policy Analyst

Branda Zollitsch Policy Analyst

Marla Stelk Policy Analyst

Dawn Smith Communication Specialist

Steve Palmer Bookkeeper

Laura Burchill Program Assistant

Sharon Weaver Webmaster

Invitation to a Special Webinar Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management District:

What Happened and Where Do We Go From Here!

Wednesday, July 17, 2013 – 3:00 p.m. EST

On June 23rd, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that is likely to be a significant property rights ruling. The 5-4 ruling expanded the application of "essential nexus" and "rough proportionality" from the earlier Nollan and Dolan decisions. It extended these tests to permit conditions requiring monetary payments — with no express limitation except taxes. This is a complicated case that is likely to be extremely challenging for government agencies, the public and the courts to interpret and apply. The Association of State Wetland Managers is hosting a 2-hour webinar with four expert lawyers to provide an overview of the decision and explore its potential implications for state, local and federal decision-making. There are three questions that will be addressed during the webinar: 1) What does the decision say and what does it mean? 2) What actions or changes in program decision-making, permitting, planning, etc. should local, state and federal governments consider pursuing as a result of the decision? and 3) In light of Koonz and other recent Supreme Court decisions, is there a shift in takings law and, if so, what does that mean for state and local government?

To register, click here.

Copyright Association of State Wetland Managers July 2013

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ASWM Welcomes New Staff

Brenda Zollitsch, PhD, began working part-time with ASWM in June. Brenda has her PhD in Public Policy from the University of Southern Maine’s Muskie School of Public Service, focusing on environmental policy and collaborative environmental

management. She has her M.A. from Boston University and her B.A. from the University of Maine. She comes to ASWM with more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience and a strong background in academic and action research, collaboration building, facilitation and organizational capacity building. Brenda works part-time as an independent consultant to environmental collaborations in New England and has been instrumental in developing regional approaches to stormwater management in the State of Maine. She is also a Switzer Environmental Fellow (’09). Brenda is excited to be learning about the intricacies of wetlands policy and practice and is both an avid canoeist and a Registered Maine Whitewater Rafting Guide.

Marla J. Stelk started her internship with the Association of State Wetland Mangers in June 2013. She received her undergraduate degree from Colorado College in 1992 with a self-designed degree in

Environmental Issues. She received her master’s degree this spring in Community Planning & Development: Land Use and the Environment, from the Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine. While in graduate school, Marla interned with the York Land Trust, the Presumpscot Regional Land Trust, and the Maine Association of Planners and was a Research Assistant at the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership. She moved to Maine from Martha’s Vineyard in 2006, and settled in Gorham with her partner and their dog Alice in 2008. She has owned and operated her own metal sculpture studio business for fourteen years and exhibits at various art and fine craft shows in Maine. She enjoys hiking backcountry, kayaking and canoeing on the waters of Maine, gardening, cooking and music.

Dawn Smith works on multimedia projects, focusing on webinars and short videos. After working in the corporate world for several years, she is redirecting creative energies towards social media, documentaries and short film communication formats. A lifetime resident of Maine, she has an appreciation for the preservation of local heritage and natural treasures, primarily from behind the lens. Working with the Association of State Wetland Managers, she has gained a greater appreciation for the local and national efforts to preserve and rebuild the wetland ecosystems that are all around us.

13 July 2013

Welcome New Members

John Amos, SkyTruth Joe Artz, EarthView Environmental, Inc. Bruce Bauer Charles Beam, SC DHEC Randy Bearce, NJ DEP Jim Boyle, Boyle Associates Harold Brady, NC DENR Dave Brenneman, Boyle Associates Steve Brown, ECOS William Bunch, U.S. EPA Wade Caffrey, VCS Environmental Brett Callanan, NJ DEP Sharon Carter Sarah Chamberlain, PA State University Cara Clark, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Jenifer Clayton, NJ DEP Mark Contorno Alexandra Dunn, Association of Clean Water Administrators Gary Frazer, U.S. FWS John Freeland Samantha Groce, IN DEM Zach Halstead, HDR Alaska, Inc. John Hanf, NJ DEP Melanie Haveman Jucilene Hoffman, NC DENR Sue Homewood, NC DENR Hannah Ingram, PA State University Charlene Johnson, HDR Alaska, Inc. Richard Jordan, Boyle Associates Russell L. Kaiser, U.S. EPA Karen Keesecker, HDR Alaska, Inc. Peter Keledy, NJ DEP Rodney Kelshaw, Boyle Associates Anne Leggett, HDR Alaska, Inc. Anthony Lobred, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Michael Lutz, NJ DEP Mauriya Majada, SWS Wetland Society Matt Matrise, WI DNR Andrew May, FL DEP Bruce McArthur, North Shore Wetland Partners Society Paul McLarnon, HDR Alaska, Inc. Thomas Melton Matthew Mersel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lindsey Meyers, ND State University

Shannon Morgan, HDR Alaska, Inc. Charlene Mosley, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kelly Neff, MD Department of the Environment Bill O'Beirne, NOAA Tim O'Hara, North Shore Wetland Partners Society Jerry Panzner Armand Perez, NJ DEP David Pro, DE Nature Society Patrick Ryan, NJ DEP Mac Salway, HDR Alaska, Inc. Jeff Schively, HDR Alaska, Inc. Emily Sheehan, U.S. EPA Kristin Skadberg, CH2M Hill Lori Sommer, NH DES Susan-Marie, Stedman NOAA Fisheries Barry Sulkin, Mississippi River Collaborative / PEER Rachel Sullivan, U.S. EPA David Sumba, NJ DEP Amanda Sweetman Chloe E. Tewksbury, KY Division of Water Edith Tobe, North Shore Wetland Partners Society Lynn Tomich, Kent Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Brian Topping, U.S. EPA Shana Udvardy, Udvardy Consulting Virgina Ursitti Joseph Wagner Heather Ward, Boyle Associates Lance Watt, KY Division of Water Stephen Wiedl, GA DNR Chris Wrobel, HDR Alaska, Inc. Pamela Zevit, North Shore Wetland Partners Society Katherine Zornig, GA DNR

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