Dear Friends,

This summer on August 25th, the National Park Service (NPS) turned 100 years old. Established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916, the NPS now oversees more than 410 parks, monuments and historic sites on approximately 85 million acres across 50 states and territories. Although our national parks are lauded primarily for their magnificent natural beauty, charismatic wildlife and recreational opportunities, they have also provided scientists with unique living laboratories within which to conduct critical scientific research. According to an article in this issue of Wetland Breaking News (Science in the Wild: The Legacy of the U.S. National Park System), scientists are currently working in about 289 of the 412 national park units conducting around 4,000 scientific

experiments. However, the pros and cons of creating national parks have been hotly contested for the last 100 years. One of the challenges currently being raised is the impact of visitors on the parks’ infrastructure. In the Editor’s Choice section of this issue, you will find an article, National Park Service turns 100, and some sites are showing their age, reporting that park visitations for 2016 are expected to top 330 million for the first time – a 23 million increase over last year. However, the NPS does not have adequate funding to maintain visitor services such as restrooms, camp sites, bridges and roads. According to the article, “In a December report, the GAO concluded that Congress’s $3.1 billion appropriation over about a decade amounted to an 8 percent funding drop when adjusted for inflation. Lawmakers who called on the service to create a higher revenue stream overlooked one major obstacle: Congress. It virtually barred the agency from increasing rates and must pass a law to change that.” In fact, the NPS has an estimated $11.93 billion shortfall. As the climate continues to change the geographical distribution of wildlife habitats, fragmentation is becoming a more significant and pressing issue. Various species of flora and fauna will shift their geographical distribution in order to adapt to changing conditions assuming they can access new habitat. But as human populations continue to grow and develop available land this will become more challenging - thus the NPS will continue to provide critical habitat far into the future even if the species composition may change. Several new reserves and parks have been recently created across the globe that may fill this need (see Obama Creates the World’s Largest Marine Reserve, It’s Official: Obama Declares Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, and Yosemite recently announced its biggest expansion in 70 years.) Hopefully the funding issue will be resolved soon in order to support the national parks we already have and provide support for current and future expansions. Happy Fall! Marla J. Stelk, Editor, Wetland Breaking News

IN THIS ISSUE: EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR’S CHOICE

NATIONAL NEWS

STATE NEWS

WETLAND SCIENCE

NEWS

RESOURCES &

PUBLICATIONS

POTPOURRI

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

INDEX

To view the September issue of Wetland Breaking News as well as past issues on our website, please click here.

Visit ASWM online to read weekly news updates between issues. Please send comments and news stories to news@aswm.org. Thank you for your continued interest.

All photos by Jeanne Christie, ASWM

The Wetland Campus Research Challenge The National Wetland Condition Assessment Campus Research Challenge gives graduate students the opportunity to use NWCA data to conduct scientific research and analysis. This challenge is intended to encourage external, innovative research and information development in support of enhanced wetland assessment and management at multiple scales. EPA encourages student applicants to work with their advisors and other faculty; and to consider how this work may also be incorporated into your thesis, a standalone project, journal articles, and/or presentations or posters at conferences. For more information, click here. What Do the Presidential Candidates Know about Science?

By Christine Gorman – Scientific American – September 13, 2016 This year’s highly unusual presidential election resembles the past two campaigns in at least one way. The candidates of the two major parties— Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump—provided answers to 20 questions about the most important science-based issues the U.S. faces in coming years. Green Party candidate Jill Stein answered the questions as well. (Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson has not responded so far.) The questions were developed and refined by dozens of scientific organizations representing more than 10 million scientists and engineers after a crowd-sourcing effort led and coordinated by ScienceDebate.org. Scientific American, as the group’s media partner, plans to grade the candidates’ answers in advance of the September 26 presidential debate. For full story, click here. National Park Service turns 100, and some sites are showing their age By Darryl Fears – The Washington Post – August 24, 2016 Interior Secretary Sally Jewell commemorated the National Park Service’s 100th birthday in a speech late Thursday, calling their creation “one of the nation’s most revolutionary ideas — that these lands, our iconic historic sites and our culturally significant places should belong to every American.” Standing on a stage erected near the Roosevelt Arch at the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park near Gardiner, Mont., Jewell said, “I can think of no better place to commemorate this milestone than here, at America’s first national park, under a big sky, on a crisp night, in the shadows of beautiful mountains and on the shoulders of conservation giants who came before us.” For full story, click here. Science in the Wild: The Legacy of the U.S. National Park System By Jim Robbins – Environment360 – August 24, 2016 In a small cabin that serves as the Glacier National Park climate change office, Dan Fagre clicks through photos that clearly show the massive glaciers that give this park its name are in a hasty retreat. "There was a hundred square kilometers of ice in 1850," Fagre, a United States Geological Survey researcher who has studied the glaciers of Glacier since 1991, explains. "We are down to 14 to 15 square kilometers, so an 85 to 86 percent loss of ice in the park. There's no doubt they are going to disappear unless some massive cooling happens," he says, which isn't likely. The flows of mountain streams and rivers throughout the park will dwindle as their sources melt. And one species that will dearly miss the ice-cold runoff from the glaciers is the meltwater stonefly, an insect that's only found in a few glacier-fed streams in the park. It will likely disappear when the glaciers vanish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says. For full story, click here.

ASWM UPCOMING WEBINARS AWM’S Members’ Wetland Webinar: Legal Processes for Wetland Permits – September 28, 2016 The Association of State Wetland Managers Members’ Wetland Webinar Legal Processes for Wetland Permits will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 - 3:00 p.m. ET. Presenter: Janet Brooks, Esq., Attorney at Law. For more information, click here. Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance Webinar – October 4, 2016 Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance (NFFA) Webinar will be held on October 4, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. ET.

October Federal Update: The FEMA Proposed Rule for FRMS and Update on WRDA presented by Larry Larson, Senior Policy Advisor, Association of State Floodplain Managers

Improving the Quantity and Quality of Coastal Wetlands in the U.S. South Atlantic presented by Kristine Cherry, Governors' South Atlantic Alliance (GSAA); Kim Matthews, RTI International; and Jason Doll, Moffatt & Nichol. This webinar will be held on October 4, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. For more information, click here.

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar – October 5, 2016 Wetland Mapping Consortium webinar will be held on October 5, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Presented by Elijah Ramsey III, U.S. Geological Survey and Amina Rangoonwala, U.S. Geological Survey. For more information and to register, click here. ASWM Soils Training Webinar #4: Using Field Observations of Soils Onsite in Decision Making – October 12, 2016 The Association of State Wetland Managers Training Webinar Series: Soils Training Webinar #4: Using Field Observations of Soils Onsite in Decision Making will be held on October 12, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Presented by John Galbraith, Associate Professor, Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech; W. Lee Daniels, Professor of Environmental Soil Science, Virginia Tech; and Bruce Vasilas, Professor of Agronomy and Soil Management in the Plant and Soil Sciences Department at the University of Delaware. For more information and to register, click here.

ASWM’s Improving Wetland Restoration Success Project Webinar: Not Lost in Translation: How to Select the Right Wetland Restoration Team – October 18, 2016

The Association of State Wetland Managers Improving Wetland Restoration Success Project Webinar: Not Lost in Translation: How to Select the Right Wetland Restoration Team will be held on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. ET. Presented by Lisa Cowan, PLA, ASLA, Principle, Studioverde; John Bourgeois, Executive Project Manager, South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project; and Matt Schweisberg, Principal, Wetland Strategies and Solutions, LLC. For more information and to register, click here.

US, China Formally Join Paris Climate Agreement By Mike Gaworecki – DESMOG – September 23, 2016 The two biggest greenhouse gas emitters in the world have formally joined the Paris climate agreement. Shortly after China adopted the agreement, U.S. President Barack Obama today made the announcement that the U.S. had followed suit while he was in Hangzhou, China, ahead of this weekend's G20 summit. Together, the U.S. and China are responsible for some 38.76 percent of global emissions. For full blog post, click here.

U.S. Forest Service and Coca-Cola Announce the Restoration of One Billion Liters of Water Contact: Office of Communications – USDA – September 13, 2016 Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas today announced that their partnership to restore and protect damaged watersheds on national forests achieved a milestone of one billion liters of water restored, and that the partnership will commit to double that outcome through 2018. The 13 restoration areas are located on national forest land, which provides drinking water to more than 60 million Americans, and they ensure future generations will have access to fresh water. For full news release, click here. Playa Lakes Joint Venture Seeks Grant Proposals to Support Bird Habitat Conservation Playa Lakes Joint Venture – September 11, 2016 Playa Lakes Joint Venture (PLJV) announces the availability of funding, through the ConocoPhillips grant program, for projects that support habitat conservation for wintering, migrating and breeding birds within its region. PLJV boundaries include portions of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. For more information, click here. To download grant RFP and instructions, click here. More Than $33 Million in Funding Approved to Protect Waterfowl and Other Bird Species HuntingLife – September 9, 2016 The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission today approved $33.2 million in funding for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners to purchase, lease or otherwise conserve more than 81,000 acres of wetland and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds and other birds across the United States. For full story, click here. U.S. Suspends Construction on Part of North Dakota Pipeline By Jack Healy and John Schwartz – The New York Times – September 9, 2016 The federal government on Friday temporarily blocked construction on part of a North Dakota oil pipeline, an unusual intervention in a prairie battle that has drawn thousands of Native Americans and activists to camp and demonstrate. In announcing the pause, the government acknowledged complaints from the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribal nations that their concerns had not been fully heard before federal overseers approved a pipeline that the tribe said could damage their water supplies and ancestral cultural sites. The Justice Department and other agencies called for “serious discussion on whether there should be nationwide reform with respect to considering tribes’ views on these types of infrastructure projects.” For full story, click here.

National Academies panel urges overhaul of energy policies By Christa Marshall – E&E Publishing, LLC – September 8, 2016 The United States needs to put a price on carbon dioxide and other pollutants and overhaul energy policies to help avoid catastrophic climate change and other public health calamities, according to a report released today by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. For full story, click here. Yosemite announces biggest expansion in 70 years, adding new meadows and forestland By Louis Sahagun – Los Angeles Times – September 7, 2016 In its biggest expansion in decades, Yosemite National Park on Wednesday broadened its western boundary by adding 400 acres of lush meadowlands edged with cedars and ponderosa pines that provide habitat for some of California’s most threatened wildlife. For full story, click here. US Clears Way for Cleanup of Colorado Mine After Huge Spill By Dan Elliott, Associated Press – ABC News – September 7, 2016 A Colorado mine that spewed 3 million gallons of contaminated wastewater into rivers in three Western states was designated a Superfund site Wednesday, clearing the way for a multimillion-dollar federal cleanup. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the inactive Gold King Mine and 47 other nearby sites to the Superfund list. It also included nine other sites in eight states and Puerto Rico. The Colorado Superfund designation is the beginning of a years-long effort to clean up the wreckage of a once-booming mining industry in the San Juan Mountains in the southwestern corner of the state. Abandoned mining sites send millions of gallons of acidic wastewater to creeks and rivers every year. For full story, click here. Service Creates ESA Listing Workplan to Provide Predictability and Encourage Proactive Conservation of Imperiled Wildlife Contact: Brian Hires – U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – September 1, 2016 As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness and implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and provide the best possible conservation for our nation’s imperiled wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released today its National Listing Workplan for addressing ESA listing and critical habitat decisions over the next seven years. This announcement comes as Service biologists wrap up work on a previous list of more than 250 species that had been identified as candidates for protection under the ESA. This new workplan will allow the Service to meet its current and future ESA obligations while creating opportunity for partnerships aimed at delivering conservation on the ground to keep working lands working, protect local ways of life and reduce regulatory burdens, saving the ESA’s protection for the species that need it most. For full press release, click here. USDA announces changes for largest conservation program U.S. Department of Agriculture – Farm Forum – September 1, 2016 In response to customer and partner input, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced today a significant update to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), the nation’s largest conservation program by acreage. Beginning with the new enrollment period planned later this year, the updated CSP will leverage redesigned planning and evaluation tools and an expanded array of new enhancements to provide conservation-minded producers with more options to improve conditions on working lands. For full story, click here. Thousands of Homes Keep Flooding, Yet They Keep Being Rebuilt Again By Katherine Bagley – Environment 360 – August 29, 2016 More than 2,100 properties across the U.S. enrolled in the National Flood Insurance Program have flooded and been rebuilt more than 10 times since 1978, according to a new analysis of insurance data by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). One home in Batchelor, Louisiana has flooded 40 times over the past four decades, receiving $428,379 in insurance payments. More than 30,000 properties in the program, run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have flooded multiple

times over the years. Those homes, known as “severe repetitive loss properties,” make up just 0.6 percent of federal flood insurance policies. But they account for 10.6 percent of the program’s claims — totaling $5.5 billion in payments. For full story, click here. Dirt Capital Seeds Financing for Ecological Farms By Kat Friedrich – Conservation Finance Network – August 24, 2016 Who is there to provide financing when small farmers in the Northeast are trying to secure the futures of ecological farms? Dirt Capital Partners has set up a business model to support its goals by working with 11 mission-oriented investors. It has now purchased and leased nine farms in New England, New York, and New Jersey. “My focus is pretty simple: it's ‘invest in good farmers,’” said Jacob Israelow, founder of Dirt Capital Partners, at The New York Times Food for Tomorrow Conference in 2015. “By ‘good farmers,’ I mean farmers who produce very high quality food, who take care of the ecology of their farms and their communities, and who know how to make money doing it. For full story, click here. NRCS Announces November 18 Application Deadline for Financial Assistance USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced November 18 as the first cut-off date to apply for fiscal year 2017 funds through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). “EQIP provides a wide range of opportunities to help Missouri farmers, ranchers, and landowners improve the quality of natural resources on their land,” State Conservationist J.R. Flores said. “An extensive variety of problems can be solved through EQIP, and I encourage our customers to visit their local NRCS field offices to explore how we can assist them.” EQIP allows farmers, ranchers, forestland managers and landowners to conserve natural resources by making available financial assistance to improve soil, water, air, plants, animals and related resources. For more information, click here. Health official warns Zika could spread across U.S. Gulf By Chris Prentice – Reuters – August 21, 2016 One of the top U.S. public health officials on Sunday warned that the mosquito-borne Zika virus could extend its reach across the U.S. Gulf Coast after officials last week confirmed it as active in the popular tourist destination of Miami Beach. The possibility of transmission in Gulf States such as Louisiana and Texas will likely fuel concerns that the virus, which has been shown to cause the severe birth defect known as microcephaly, could spread across the continental United States, even though officials have played down such an outcome. For full story, click here. Cruel Summer: Floods, fires and heat By Andrew Freedman – Mashable.com – August 19, 2016 When it comes to our climate, everything is connected. And there has never been a year, and most especially a summer, that has so prominently and destructively showcased this. Right now, wildfires are blazing across the drought-stricken western United States, overpowering firefighters in California. Earlier this summer, the already scorching Middle East saw all-time record heat. Meanwhile, from huge swaths of China to at least four states in the U.S., devastating flooding has inundated homes and uprooted lives. And we still haven’t arrived at the peak of hurricane season. The extreme weather events we’ve seen — and are still living through — around the world collectively bear the fingerprints of human-caused global warming. So, too, does the bevy of monthly heat records that have fallen so frequently that the news stories announcing them almost write themselves. For full story, click here. Great Lakes Commission leads fight against web trafficking of aquatic invasive species Great Lakes Commission – August 17, 2016 The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) announced today that it has completed development and testing of an innovative web data mining tool to find aquatic invasive species for sale on the internet, and is continuing with implementation of the tool. The GLC is receiving $340,000 in Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to work with invasive species managers to apply the Great Lakes Detector of Invasive Aquatics in Trade (GLDIATR) to shield against this threat. For full story, click here.

Most of the world’s large aquifers at tipping point By American Farm Bureau Federation – Natural Resource Report – August 12, 2016 To most people in the U.S., water is simply assumed. Without much thought, they turn on the shower, brush their teeth, make coffee or tea, flush the toilet, and grab a full, cold plastic bottle of name-brand water. Taking a bite of food or slipping on a cotton T-shirt does not inspire thoughts of water, its role in agriculture, or challenges to managing the nation’s water supply. But water is the lifeblood of agriculture, and plays an ever-increasing role in food availability, cost, food security, and national security… and competition for it is increasing as supplies decrease. For full story, click here. How a 1995 firearms case led to Clean Water Act muddle By Amanda Reilly – E&E Publishing, LLC – August 11, 2016 Court rulings in Clean Water Act cases largely gave federal agencies broad regulatory authority until an unrelated 1995 Supreme Court decision on the possession of firearms in school zones, according to Congress' research arm. In United States v. Lopez, the high court struck down a federal statute for the first time in more than 50 years on the grounds that it exceeded the powers given to Congress by the Commerce Clause. "Lopez set the backdrop" for future rulings limiting federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction, the Congressional Research Service said in a report released Monday. For full story, click here. Unprecedented federal court ruling elevates environmental justice over demands of industry By Ari Phillips – Fusion – August 10, 2016 An unprecedented federal court ruling this week validated the way the Obama administration measures the social cost of carbon (SCC), a decision that could have wide-ranging impacts on the future of the energy industry and the way the United States addresses environmental justice. For full story, click here. NOAA Announces New Partnerships to Restore Habitat in the Great Lakes NOAA Habitat Conservation – August 9, 2016 NOAA is announcing $8.9 million in funding for three Great Lakes habitat restoration partnerships. Funding for these partnerships is provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes. We are working with the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to implement habitat restoration projects that will help improve “toxic hotspots” known as Areas of Concern. For full story, click here.

2017 National Wetlands Awards

AK: Exotic ticks appear to be establishing themselves in Alaska By Ned Rozell – Alaska Dispatch News – August 27, 2016 While Alaskans have long endured dense mosquitoes and frigid air, we've always had the absence of venomous snakes and dog ticks. But the latter may be establishing themselves here. Ticks that infest red squirrels, snowshoe hares and a variety of birds have always been present in Alaska, but a team of biologists and veterinarians recently found five non-native ticks on Alaska dogs and people. In a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology, researchers identified brown dog ticks, American dog ticks, Rocky Mountain wood ticks, deer ticks and Lone Star ticks in Alaska. A few of those creatures hitchhiked up on animals and humans that had recently visited the Lower 48. But some had not. For full story, click here.

AK: Shishmaref votes to relocate from eroding barrier island to mainland By Lisa Demer – Alaska Dispatch News – August 18, 2016 Residents of the coastal Alaska village with some of the worst erosion in the state voted this week to relocate rather than stay and protect the land they already have. The advisory vote in the village of Shishmaref was fairly close, with 94 voters who picked relocating to one of two nearby sites on the mainland, and 78 who said they would rather "protect in place." The City Council certified the election results Thursday, said Donna Barr, a council member who serves as secretary. For full story, click here. CA: Newly discovered beetle decimates trees in Tijuana River Valley By Nancy Aziz – CW6 News – September 1, 2016 A beetle from Southeast Asia has killed more than 140,000 trees in the Tijuana River Valley in a span of just 9 months, according to scientists, who fear the Kurishio Shot Hole Borer could spread to the rest of the state. "When I look at this I see a disaster. This is devastation I never thought I’d see in my lifetime,” said UC Agriculture and Natural Resources entomologist Dr. John Kabashima as he looked at hundreds of dead trees in the area Thursday. For full story, click here. CA: Wetlands celebrates 10 years By Brittany Woolsey and Bradley Zint – Los Angeles Times – August 31, 2016 The Amigos de Bolsa Chica recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of a tidal inlet project for the Bolsa Chica wetlands that allowed ocean waters to flow into the area for the first time in more than 100 years. The inlet, near Pacific Coast Highway and Seapoint Street, opened in the early hours of Aug. 24, 2006, with a Champagne toast. The moment marked an historic occasion for the Amigos, which had been working for more than 30 years to restore the area. For full story, click here. CA: 1.8 Million Acres of Sierra Nevada Habitat Protected for Imperiled Frogs, Toads Contact: Jeff Miller – Center for Biological Diversity – August 25, 2016 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced designation of 1,812,164 acres of protected “critical habitat” throughout the Sierra Nevada mountains for several endangered amphibians: the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, Yosemite toad and northern population of the mountain yellow-legged frog. The vast majority of the critical habitat for these amphibians is on federal public lands in national forests and national parks. For full press release, click here.

CO: Rocky Flats: A Wildlife Refuge Confronts Its Radioactive Past By Fred Pearce – Environment 360 – August 16, 2016 A barn owl bursts from the tall prairie grasses. Elk skitter among cottonwood trees near an old stagecoach halt. A shrew crosses a track and hurtles into milkweed, where monarch butterflies feed. Somewhere amid the rare xeric grasses are coyotes, moose, mule deer, a handful of endangered Preble’s meadow jumping mice, and more than 600 plant species. "Welcome," says David Lucas of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "to Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge." The place is undeniably beautiful, one of the best exurban wildlife reserves in the United States, an oasis of prairie biodiversity on the outskirts of Denver. For full story, click here. FL: Sign up for Wetland Reserve Easements Morning Ag Clips – September 12, 2016 Agricultural landowners and Indian tribes can apply for a Wetland Reserve Easement until Nov. 15 for fiscal year 2017 funding. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides financial and technical assistance for landowners to purchase and restore wetlands, protect wildlife habitat and recharge groundwater on their property. Eligible landowners can enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement. Although applications are accepted on a continuous basis, funding selections are typically made once a year. Applications are available online. Contact Roney Gutierrez, 352-338-9502 for questions and submissions. For full story, click here. FL: Nelson, local leaders question Florida changing water pollution rules By Erika Pesantes and Andy Reid – Sun Sentinel – August 31, 2016 – Video With water pollution already fueling toxic algae blooms in Florida, the state shouldn't allow more toxic chemicals to flow into waterways, South Florida officials warned Wednesday. U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson met with local leaders in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday to discuss concerns about the state's plan to ease some limits on potentially cancer-causing chemicals that drain into waterways. For full story and to view video, click here. HI: Obama Creates the World's Largest Marine Reserve Environmental News – August 30, 2016 The Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, first named a national monument by President George W. Bush in 2006, is a massively important marine nature reserve. Designated a World Heritage site, the region surrounding the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands teems with more than 7,000 marine and land species — some of which are unique to the area, including endangered whales and sea turtles. As a result, the region has been deemed irreplaceable by scientists. Environmental advocates have repeatedly called for an expansion of the monument’s protections to ensure that the area is safeguarded from commercial operations long into the future. Clearly, President Obama agrees. For full story, click here. IA: Vilsack: Iowa's economy needs a water quality solution By Donnelle Eller – The Des Moines Register – August 18, 2016 U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says he might be getting to the age where he speaks his mind, and he's talking pretty loudly this week: The former Iowa governor is frustrated his home state is unable to find a big answer to water quality problems. The way Vilsack sees it; the answer will be key to the state's ability to recruit companies, attract and retain the state's workers and build its economy. For full story, click here. IA: Iowa farmers ripped out prairie; now some hope it can save them By Darryl Fears – The Washington Post – August 7, 2016 There’s a wild presence in Tim Smith’s corn and soybean field that most farmers kill on sight. Smith made his way toward it, hoisting his long legs over row after row of soybean plants under a baking mid-morning sun. “It’s right over there,” he said. He stopped at the edge of a Midwestern prairie, a thicket of tall flowers and grasses more frightening to farmers than any horror movie madman lurking in a barn with a chain saw. Most growers say prairie is a nuisance that can choke crops. But not Smith. He is proud of the three acres he planted in the middle of one of the most productive farms in the county. He was there to show it

off, not spray it. This affection for prairie bucks a farming tradition that dates back to when settlers arrived in the Midwest to farm centuries ago and ripped out wild grasses to tame the earth. Over time, prairie was nearly eradicated. Farmers today are still destroying the little that is left. It is a colossal mistake, according to recent studies by researchers at Iowa State University. Not only does prairie, with its deep-rooted plants, soak up farm wastewater that pollutes rivers, it also enriches soil. For full story, click here. IL: TWI to play key role in seven-year “great leap” restoration at Midewin The Wetlands Initiative – August 18, 2016 The U.S. Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in Will County, Illinois, is big in every sense of the word. At 20,000 acres, it’s the largest prairie restoration effort east of the Mississippi River, as well as the largest public open space in the Chicago metropolitan region. In fall 2015, it got some very big new inhabitants when bison were reintroduced. And starting in 2016, TWI will be part of a major restoration expansion at Midewin that’s bigger than anything ever done there before. For full story, click here. IL: Report outlines vision for Chicago rivers: more accessible, inviting, cleaner By Leonar Vivanco – Chicago Tribune – August 17, 2016 – Video Tourists often take architectural boat tours on the Chicago River alongside kayakers and water taxis. People relax, sip on a cocktail and even fish from the riverwalk. Now imagine swimmers in the water. That's one of the activities envisioned for Chicago-area rivers in a report set to be released Wednesday by the Metropolitan Planning Council. For full story and to view video, click here. LA: Louisiana flood price tag could hit $15 billion By Jonathan Berr – CBS News – September 8, 2016 The devastating floods that hit Louisiana and other parts of the Gulf Coast last month likely caused total economic losses of between $10 billion and $15 billion, according to reinsurer AON Benfield. That would make it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. For full story, click here. LA: Louisiana’s sinking coast is a $100 billion nightmare for Big Oil By Catherine Traywick – Bloomberg – August 17, 2016 From 5,000 feet up, it’s difficult to make out where Louisiana’s coastline used to be. But follow the skeletal remains of decades-old oil canals, and you get an idea. Once, these lanes sliced through thick marshland, clearing a path for pipelines or ships. Now they’re surrounded by open water, green borders still visible as the sea swallows up the shore. For full story, click here. ME: It's Official: Obama Declares Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument By Susan Sharon – MPBN – August 24, 2016 – Video Supporters of what’s now known as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument are celebrating the addition of 87,500 acres to the National Park System Wednesday night. The property east of Baxter State Park has been at the center of a fierce debate about the future of the Maine Woods for more than a decade. But the property’s former owner, Roxanne Quimby, has seen her dream come true on the eve of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary. For full story and to view video, click here. MD: Ellicott City flood prompts call for nine-month freeze on development By Fatimah Waseem – The Baltimore Sun – September 12, 2016 July's deadly flash flood in historic Ellicott City is prompting Howard County officials to reconsider the impact of development on the area's waterways. The County Council will vote on a measure next month that would temporarily halt commercial and residential development in the Tiber-Hudson watershed for nine months. For full story, click here.

MD: Maryland awarded $800K to restore oysters in Chesapeake Bay Associated Press – wtop.com – August 30, 2016 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has awarded $800,000 to Maryland to help restore the Chesapeake Bay’s oyster population. Sens. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin announced the award in a news release Tuesday. The award to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources will go to producing and planting 1.5 billion hatchery seeds in three years. For full story, click here. MA: State Awards Grant For Plymouth Wetland Restoration Project CapeCod.com – September 1, 2016 A major freshwater wetlands restoration project in Plymouth is in line for some state funding. The Baker Administration has allocated $50,000 for the Tidmarsh Farms restoration project in Manomet, which aims to restore 250 wetland acres and 3 and a half miles of stream in the Beaver Dam Brook watershed. It is the largest freshwater wetland restoration effort to date in Massachusetts. For full story, click here. MI: No end in sight for Flint; filter use expected to last rest of year By Matthew Dolan – Detroit Free Press – September 12, 2016 A top EPA official warns Flint should expect to use filters for drinking tap water through at least the end of the year. Officials say they have no time line for return to safe water without filters. It has been 347 days since the City of Flint declared its lead-tainted water unsafe to drink straight from the tap, and 250 days since Gov. Rick Snyder put the city into a state of emergency. But the federal Environmental Protection Agency's top official on the ground in Flint doesn't expect current water restrictions to end anytime soon. For full story, click here. MI: EPA, Michigan and Local Officials Mark the Restoration of the River Raisin Area of Concern Contact: Peter Cassell – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – September 7, 2016 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Senior Advisor Cameron Davis joined Michigan Office of the Great Lakes Director Jon Allan, Monroe Mayor Robert Clark and local partners in Monroe, Mich., to mark the near completion of restoration work at the River Raisin Area of Concern. “The River Raisin Area of Concern cleanup is proof positive that Great Lakes Restoration Initiative investments are delivering real, on-the-ground and in-the-water results,” said Davis. “With support from a strong bipartisan alliance of senators, representatives, states, tribes, municipalities, conservation organizations and businesses, the GLRI will keep resuscitating communities and waterways around the Lakes. River Raisin will be the fifth AOC where all cleanup and restoration work has been completed since the start of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative in 2010.” For full news release, click here. MI: Michigan proposes approval for controversial Upper Peninsula mine near sacred tribal sites By Brian Bienkowski – Environmental Health News – September 6, 2016 The State of Michigan on Friday announced its intention to approve, over tribal protests, an open pit mine near burial and other culturally important sites in the Upper Peninsula. The mine would provide an economic boost to the region and metals such as gold, zinc, copper and silver that fuel our tech- and gadget-driven lifestyle. But it would come at the expense of land and water that is central to the existence of the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. The decision comes as Native Americans across the country are unifying to buck the trend of development on off-reservation land. For full story, click here. MN: State health officials to review Roundup as possible carcinogen By Mark Steil – MPR News –September 8, 2016 Minnesota health officials will evaluate the health risks of a highly popular farm herbicide. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Roundup, which is widely applied to fields growing genetically modified corn and soybeans. The International Agency for Research on Cancer found last year that glyphosate is 'probably carcinogenic to humans'. The state health department's Jim Kelly said the agency will review toxicity studies for the herbicide. For full story, click here.

MN: Do not eat: Researchers seek clues on mercury in St. Louis River estuary fish By J Myers – Duluth News Tribune – August 28, 2016 If a little kid catches a big walleye on Lake Winnibigoshish, the state of Minnesota says she can safely eat that fish once a week. If she catches the fish out of the upper St. Louis River, say around Brookston, the state suggests just one meal per month. But if the same kid catches a big walleye on the St. Louis River estuary in Duluth, the state warns her not to eat it. Ever. That’s because walleye in the estuary contain very high levels of toxic mercury — among the highest from any lake or river in Minnesota; only the Red River in northwestern Minnesota has higher mercury levels in fish than the St. Louis River estuary. For full story, click here. MO: USDA Funding Wetland Mitigation Bank in Southeastern Missouri USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Chief Jason Weller announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing more than $7 million to fund agricultural wetland mitigation banks in 10 Midwest and Northern Great Plain states. One of the mitigation banks will be on land in Missouri’s southeastern “Bootheel” region. For full story, click here. MT: Fish Deaths in Montana's Yellowstone River Tied to Warming Waters By Bob Berwyn – InsideClimate News – September 2, 2016 An outbreak of fish-killing disease along a 100-mile stretch of the Yellowstone River in Montana may be the latest sign that mountain stream ecosystems are being disrupted by climate change. Scientists point to warmer, slower rivers as a likely cause of the mass fish mortality. For full story, click here. NE: Wetland Conditions Across State Variable By the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission – September 1, 2016 The conditions of wetlands across the state are varied, according to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. On Sept. 1, Game and Parks released a report on the status of Rainwater Basin wetlands, as well as pumping plans. While conditions were good in some areas, they were dry in others. “Conditions are generally good throughout much of the Sandhills and along the Platte River,” said Ted LaGrange, wetland program manager for the Commission. “However, the wetland water conditions across much of the Rainwater Basin are not good and many are dry. For full story, click here. NY: Oysters Are Nearly Extinct in New York Waters. This Team Is Trying to Coax Them Back. By Samantha Schmidt – The New York Times – September 4, 2016 Torrential rain poured down on the team of scientists and conservationists on Jamaica Bay as their small boat slowly towed about 85 cages packed with 36,000 oysters, a species that once blanketed New York Harbor but is now nearly extinct there. “We are quite the sight,” Casey Stokes, an environmental scientist with HDR, an engineering firm, said on Thursday as he steered the boat to a spot off Kennedy International Airport, where they would leave the oysters to grow, and hopefully, to reproduce. For full story, click here. NY: DEC says GE's PCB cleanup has been inadequate By Stephen Williams – The Daily Gazette – August 22, 2016 State Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos on Monday called General Electric's cleanup of PCB contamination in the Hudson River inadequate, and said more river dredging may be needed. In speaking out, Seggos added the state's voice to that of environmentalists who for months have said the $1 billion project that removed 1.3 million tons of PCBs from the river-bottom fell short. For full story, click here.

NY: Cleaner Creeks and Bays, But How Will New Yorkers Access the Waters They Own? By Guglielmo Mattioli – City Limits – August 16, 2016 After decades of neglecting and polluting its network of waterbodies, New York City is slowly reclaiming its creeks, marshes and shorelines. “The last 20 years have been about New York rediscovering the water,” says Robert Pirani, director of NY-NJ Harbor & Estuary Program. Yet ongoing environmental issues and scarce access to the water, which is mostly still treated as something to look at more than experience, is hindering New York from reaching its full potential as a waterfront city. For full story, click here. NC: Tainted Waters: New Drinking Water Threat Concerns Scientists, Officials By Catherine Clabby North Carolina Health News – September 12, 2016 When the EPA ordered drinking water systems nationwide to test their water for a long list of unregulated contaminants, North Carolina water systems scored high on tests most systems would wish to fail. Some of the highest levels nationally of a likely cancer-causing chemical 1,4 dioxane were detected in North Carolina water systems in the Cape Fear River Basin, which supplies water to more than 120 public water systems used by 1.5 million residents. For full story, click here. ND: Dakotas' honeybee habitat shrinking with changing environment By Patrick Springer – Bismarck Tribune – September 5, 2016 Bob Morlock finds himself driving farther afield to tend his scattered beehives. He travels a circuit of several counties in southeastern North Dakota and Minnesota. The reason for his far-flung bee colonies: Because of changes in farming, it’s getting more difficult to find suitable locations near fields with blossoming plants that provide pollen and nectar for his bees. For full story, click here. ND: Pilot project takes on ag-friendly wetland preservation By Jenny Schlecht – Bismarck Tribune – August 21, 2016 Bunches of cattails stick up like an island in the middle of Denny Ova’s stubble field north of Cleveland. Nearby, boggy mud sucks boots into the ground. There’s little in the way of standing water in that part of the field now, but it was there at some point during the growing season. Ova, however, has little concern for whether the wheat that yielded 60 bushel to the acre got drowned out by the seasonal wetland. Ova, since last spring, has been participating in the North Dakota Working Wetlands Pilot Project, which pays farmers not to alter small, seasonal wetlands in the fields they farm. For full story, click here. OH: Ohio wetland mitigation program gets $350,000 Farm and Dairy – August 22, 2016 A northern Ohio wetland mitigation bank project received $350,000 through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of a $7 million effort to help farmers comply with wetland conservation provisions in the last farm bill. NRCS Chief Jason Weller announced Aug. 18 that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding agricultural wetland mitigation banks in 10 Midwest and Northern Great Plain states. For full story, click here. OR: Nothing easy about conservation easements By Mateusz Perkowski – Capital Press – August 18, 2016 Rancher Roger Ediger has no problem giving up the ability to subdivide his nearly 2,700-acre property near Mount Vernon in Eastern Oregon. Development is the biggest threat to agriculture, wildlife and open space, Ediger believes, which is why he decided to place a conservation easement on the land that will preserve its current condition in perpetuity. “If we don’t look farther than our own lifespan, then we’ll have nothing,” he said. However, Ediger still faces a dilemma. He is reluctant to have an environmentally oriented land trust or similar entity impose conditions on how he operates the ranch in exchange for “holding” the easement. For full story, click here.

RI: Rhode Island Implements Statewide Standards for Wetlands By Hamza Chaudary – JD Supra – August 16, 2016 Recently, Governor Gina Raimondo signed into law legislation to establish statewide standards to bolster protections for wetlands while streamlining the permitting process during development. Before the new legislation, each municipality in Rhode Island was vested with the authority to draft and enforce their own wetlands regulations in addition to the state mandated standards. This piecemeal system resulted in overlapping and sometimes contradictory state and municipal regulations. Moreover, it allowed for significant differences in wetland regulation and enforcement across the state. For full story, click here. SC: ‘Like it’s been nuked’: Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes By Ben Guarino – The Washington Post – September 1, 2016 – Video On Sunday morning, the South Carolina honey bees began to die in massive numbers. Death came suddenly to Dorchester County, S.C. Stressed insects tried to flee their nests, only to surrender in little clumps at hive entrances. The dead worker bees littering the farms suggested that colony collapse disorder was not the culprit — in that odd phenomenon, workers vanish as though raptured, leaving a living queen and young bees behind. For full story and to view video, click here. TX: EPA: North Texas Earthquakes Likely Linked to Oil and Gas Drilling By Jim Malewitz – The Texas Tribune – August 22, 2016 Federal regulators believe “there is a significant possibility” that recent earthquakes in North Texas are linked to oil and gas activity, even if state regulators won’t say so. That’s according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s annual evaluation of how the Texas Railroad Commission oversees thousands of injection and disposal wells that dot state oilfields — underground resting places for millions of gallons of toxic waste from fracking and other drilling activities. For full story, click here. UT: Utah breaks ground on new wildlife, wetland learning center in Farmington By Leia Larsen – Standard Examiner – September 8, 2016 – Video The state of Utah, Davis County and some generous donors are coming together to make sure Utahns learn about the importance of the Great Salt Lake ecosystem. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources hosted a groundbreaking Thursday, Sept. 8, at the Robert N. Hasenyager Great Salt Lake Nature Reserve for a new, three-building learning center. The building names are quite a mouthful — the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center and L.S. Skaggs Wetland Discovery Classroom — but government and wildlife officials hope they’ll make the intricate workings of the Great Salt Lake a little more accessible to the public. For full story and to view video, click here. VT: Five Years After Hurricane Irene, Vermont Still Striving for Resilience By Kendra Pierre-Louis – InsideClimate News – September 1, 2016 Vermont is a shim of a state, the size and shape of a scanty slice of pie, or a narrow wedge of its finest cheddar. With no ocean coastline, Vermont might have seemed an unlikely candidate to be devastated by a hurricane five years ago, and to most, Irene was an entirely forgettable storm. Its memory is eclipsed for many by Sandy, which followed a year later. For full story, click here. VA: Endangered and Threatened Species Alert: Survey Window for the State-Threatened Wood Turtle Opens Soon Field Notes – Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. – September 7, 2016 If you are planning to develop property in Northern Virginia that has a clear, moderate to fast-flowing perennial stream and a relatively undisturbed floodplain¹, you may need a survey for the wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) this winter - or your wetlands permitting may be delayed up to a year! For full story, click here.

VA: The Norfolk of the future will move away from the waterfront By Eric Hartley – The Virginia – Pilot – August 18, 2016 The future of Norfolk in one word: east. Flooding and rising sea levels threaten the future of the city’s waterfront, including downtown and many neighborhoods. So officials have spent this year developing a strategy for how to thrive into the next century. The first draft of the result, called “Vision 2100,” calls for new businesses, homes and government buildings to be concentrated inland, mainly in the eastern half of the city. For full story, click here. WA: Five Years Later, The Elwha Reborn By Amy Souers Kober – American Rivers – September 9, 2016 “It’s a shining light,” he says. “The success on the Elwha shows we can actually fix things.” Now that the dams are gone, Gussman, a resident of Sequim, WA has witnessed what he describes as the “rapid recovery of nature” — the sediment that has moved downriver to restore the beach at the river’s mouth, to the plants and trees reclaiming land once drowned by reservoirs, to the salmon and other fish and wildlife rebounding. For full story, click here.

'We can't replace nature': Oilsands wetland reclamation a mixed success By Bob Weber – CBS News – September 11, 2016 The challenge makes turning bitumen into oil seem like the easy part. Faced with reclaiming open-pit mines that were once thriving wetlands, Suncor and Syncrude have been trying to do what's never been done — rebuilding one of the most complex, diverse and delicate ecosystems in the boreal forest. Three years into the ground-breaking, high-profile projects, early successes are emerging. Suncor's Nikanotee fen and Syncrude's Sandhills fen are staying wet year-round. They're growing some typical fen plants. Even better, they've begun to store carbon in their peaty depths. For full story, click here.

Gene editing might help conserve species. But should it? By Joseph Dussault – The Christian Science Monitor – September 7, 2016 At the World Conservation Congress, which meets in Honolulu this week, environmental leaders are considering an unusual solution to help endangered animals: planned extinction. Gene drive, a controversial genetic editing technique through which scientists could alter or eliminate entire species, is mostly discussed alongside Zika and malaria fears. But recently, some conservationists have reframed the technique as a way to control invasive species. By slipping genetic disadvantages into the non-native population, they could theoretically protect endemic species. For full story, click here. The Oceans Can’t Protect Us Anymore—Here’s Why By Christine Dell'Amore – National Geographic – September 5, 2016 The oceans, which have borne the brunt of most of global warming, have finally hit their limit as dying corals and plummeting fish stocks signal that the seas are at a dangerous tipping point, according to the broadest ever look at the issue. And people are already experiencing direct consequences, such as more extreme weather events, including hurricanes, says the report, released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. For full story, click here. Official Web Soil Survey Available - Soil Science Annual Data Refreshes in October USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service – August 31, 2016 The National Cooperative Soil Survey Program is an endeavor of the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other federal agencies; state and local governments; and other cooperators. It provides a systematic study of the soils in a given area, including the classification, mapping, and interpretation of the soils. Soil types are classified from physical properties, drawing heavily on the principles of pedology, geology, and geomorphology. For more information, click here. Sediments control methane release to the ocean University of Tromso – Science Daily – August 31, 2016 Methane is stored under the sea floor, concentrated in form of hydrates, crystalline ice structures that stay stable under high pressure and in low temperatures. Several studies suggest that as the ocean warms, the hydrates might melt and potentially release methane into the ocean waters and atmosphere. This potent climate gas is profusely leaking from the seafloor in an area offshore western Svalbard, which is close to the gas hydrate stability zone. There, scientists have discovered over 250 methane flares in water depths from 90 to 240 meters. For full article, click here.

The Southern Ocean is getting less salty. Here’s what that could mean for the rest of the world

By Chelsea Harvey – The Washington Post – August 31, 2016 The ocean surrounding Antarctica has become substantially less salty over the past couple of decades — and until now, scientists weren’t really sure why. But because changes in the Southern Ocean’s salinity have the potential to affect all kinds of important processes, including ocean circulation and its transport of heat and nutrients around the world, researchers have been eager to figure it out. For full blog post, click here.

Watersheds Lost Up to 22% of Their Forests in 14 Years. Here’s How it Affects Your Water Supply

By Yiyuan Qin and Todd Gartner – World Resources Institute – August 30, 2016 Drought in Sao Paulo. Flooding in the Himalayas. And pollution in Sumatra. These three distinct water crises have a common cause—degradation in forests. That’s because upstream forests, wetlands and other “natural infrastructure” play a critical role in supplying clean water downstream. They stabilize soil and reduce erosion, regulate water flow to mitigate floods and droughts, and purify water. Yet the world’s watersheds lost 6 percent of their tree cover on average from 2000-2014, putting citizens at risk of losing their water supplies. For full story, click here.

The American 'Fur Ball' Being Threatened by a Warming Climate

By Nicholas Kusnetz – InsideClimate News – August 29, 2016 Scientists have warned for years that a warming climate will threaten many of the world's species. But for one diminutive alpine creature, the threat has already arrived. The American pika is disappearing from much of its mountain habitat across the western United States, with rising temperatures a driving factor, a new study says. The findings, said lead author Erik A. Beever, a research ecologist with the United States Geological Survey, also point to a much larger problem. For full story, click here.

Climate change has less impact on drought than previously expected

University of California - Irvine – ScienceDaily – August 29, 2016 As a multiyear drought grinds on in the Southwestern United States, many wonder about the impact of global climate change on more frequent and longer dry spells. As humans emit more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, how will water supply for people, farms, and forests be affected? For full story, click here.

Mussels disappearing from New England waters, scientists say

By Patrick Whittle – Boston.com – August 28, 2016 New England is running out of mussels. The Gulf of Maine’s once strong population of wild blue mussels is disappearing, scientists say. A study led by marine ecologists at the University of California at Irvine found the numbers along the gulf coastline have declined by more than 60 percent over the last 40 years. Once covering as much as two-thirds of the gulf’s intertidal zone, mussels now cover less than 15 percent. For full story, click here.

Scientists digging up the dirt for clues to disappearing nitrogen

By Rona Kobell – Bay Journal – August 28, 2016 Call it the case of the missing nitrogen. For decades, scientists have wondered what happens to the nitrogen that farmers apply to fields. On the farm, levels of the nutrient are high. But downstream, they’re lower — sometimes only half as much. In an attempt to figure out where it went, scientists have undertaken “mass balance studies” to solve the mystery. For full story, click here.

Biofuels worse for climate change than gas, U-M study says

By Keith Matheny – Detroit Free Press – August 25, 2016 The multi-billion-dollar U.S. biofuels industry — promoted and expanded for more than a decade by the federal government — may be built on a false assumption, according to a University of Michigan study published Thursday that is sure to stir all sides in the contentious debate over the industry. Despite their purported advantages, biofuels — created from crops such as corn or soybeans — cause more emissions of climate change-causing carbon dioxide than gasoline, according to the study from U-M Energy Institute research professor John DeCicco. For full story, click here.

Duck numbers increasing Ducks Unlimited – The Southern Illoisan – August 25, 2016 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released its 2016 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, based on surveys conducted in May and early June by FWS and the Canadian Wildlife Service. Overall duck numbers in the survey area are statistically similar to last year. Total populations were estimated at 48.4 million breeding ducks, which is 38 percent above the 1955-2015 long-term average. Last year's estimate was 49.5 million birds. The projected mallard fall flight index is 13.5 million birds, similar to the 2015 estimate of 13.8 million. The main factor for duck breeding success is wetland and upland habitat conditions in the key breeding landscapes of the prairies and the boreal forest. For full story, click here. To save its native trout, Yellowstone National Park poisons its rivers By Rowena Lindsay – The Christian Science Monitor – August 23, 2016 As the cutthroat trout in Yellowstone National Park struggles to survive under the ecological pressure of an invasive species of brook trout, wildlife experts have turned to a chemical poisoning treatment as the solution. After the cutthroat trout are stunned and removed from the river, rotenone, a chemical that clogs the gills of fish, will be distributed throughout parts of the park’s water system, particularly Soda Butte Creek. Once the brook trout are eliminated, the cutthroat trout will be reintroduced to the river. Poisoning an entire river may seem like an extreme solution, but it is the approach that is most likely to get the job done, officials say. For full story, click here. Climate Change Could Cost Millennials $8.8 Trillion By Kelsey E. Thomas – Nex City – August 23, 2016 A hotter world could mean less wealth for millennials, according to a new report from environmental advocate NextGen Climate and research center Demos. They found inaction could cost Americans currently in their 20s and 30s $8.8 trillion in potential earnings over their lifetime. For full story, click here. The Saltmarsh Sparrow Is Creeping Dangerously Close to Extinction By Hannah Furfaro – Audubon – August 23, 2016 It’s first light, and the sky against the Connecticut coast is silky and pale. Two scientists stand ankle-deep in the marsh, stringing up nets in hopes of catching a ghost. Chris Elphick, a conservation biologist at the University of Connecticut, strides through the coarse grass to meet them. Suddenly, he stops in his tracks. He’s spotted our specter. “There! There’s a bird sitting up on that stick,” he says, motioning to a palm-sized, orange-faced Saltmarsh Sparrow about 50 feet away. Dozens of these birds are probably hiding around us, but the sighting still feels lucky. For full story, click here. From Grasslands to Forests, Nitrogen Impacts all Ecosystems By Ashley Mayrianne Jones – It All Starts with Science – EPA Blog – August 22, 2016 Can there be too much of a good thing? That’s the case with nitrogen, an essential element for plant growth that, in overabundance, can also be potentially damaging. Nitrogen moves from the air to the land, soil, and water via a process called nitrogen deposition. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition has increased ten-fold or more since pre-industrial levels due to increased emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, fertilizer use, and other human activities. For full blog post, click here. Ocean Slime Spreading Quickly Across the Earth By Craig Welch – National Geographic – August 19, 2016 When sea lions suffered seizures and birds and porpoises started dying on the California coast last year, scientists weren't entirely surprised. Toxic algae is known to harm marine mammals. But when researchers found enormous amounts of toxin in a pelican that had been slurping anchovies, they decided to sample fresh-caught fish. To their surprise, they found toxins at such dangerous levels in anchovy meat that the state urged people to immediately stop eating them. For full story, click here.

Historical Data Shows Arctic Melt of Last Two Decades Is 'Unprecedented'

By Bob Berwyn – InsideClimate News – August 18, 2016 While satellite images of the Arctic clearly show that sea ice in the region has been on a steady decline since those images began in 1979, the relatively short span of that history has been seized on by some climate denialists to discount its significance in concluding humans are warming the planet. Now, scientists have compiled the most detailed study to date of sea ice records going back more than a century and a half. The data shows that the rapid meltdown that satellites have been documenting since 1979 is unprecedented since at least 1850 and coincides with the buildup of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuels. For full story, click here.

Mystery of Bizarre Bird Deformities May Be Solved

By Jane Kay – National Geographic – August 16, 2016 Scientists working with sophisticated DNA sequencing technology think they may have solved a 20-year-old mystery of what has caused thousands of Alaska’s wild birds to be afflicted with deformed, twisted beaks. The findings suggest that a newly discovered virus – poecivirus – may be the culprit behind the bizarre beak deformities in chickadees, crows, and other birds. Birds with the defective beaks, which sometimes cross like warped chopsticks, starve to death or die early. The virus may endanger the health of bird populations around the world, particularly sensitive endangered species, says Colleen Handel, a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Anchorage. For full story, click here.

Building equity, inclusiveness for low-income communities is key in climate resilience planning

By Shamar Bibbinss – Environmental Justice in Action – EPA Blog – August 16, 2016 As a student organizer, I saw firsthand the lack of engagement with communities of color around key environmental issues. When I began working on climate change years later, I remained guided by a deep passion to ensure that people from historically underrepresented groups were included in efforts to advance climate solutions. Low-income communities have, historically, been largely excluded from the benefits of robust investments in clean energy, green infrastructure, high-quality transit, and other climate-beneficial interventions. Climate policies have failed to address the magnitude of environmental, economic, and social vulnerabilities these communities face. For full blog post, click here.

In U.S. Methane Hot Spot, Researchers Pinpoint Sources of 250 Leaks

By Phil McKenna – InsideClimate News – August 15, 2016 Methane is escaping from more than 250 different oil and gas wells, storage tanks, pipelines, coal mines and other fossil fuel facilities across the Four Corners region of the U.S. Southwest, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For full story, click here.

How Farms Affect the Chesapeake Bay’s Water

Earth Observatory – August 12, 2016 People who track water quality issues in the Chesapeake Bay are accustomed to bad news. But lately some glimmers of hope have begun to emerge amidst the polluted streams, dead zones, fish kills, and algae blooms. In April 2016, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences published its annual Chesapeake Bay report card and found clearer water, lower levels of algae, and a resurgence of sea grasses. In the same month, the Maryland Department of Environment announced that it had mapped 53,000 acres of submerged aquatic vegetation—a record amount and a clear sign of the ecosystem’s improving health. In July 2016, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reported that the size of the dead zone in the Bay in late June was the second smallest since 1985. For full story, click here.

EPA's Fracking Finding Misled on Threat to Drinking Water, Scientists Conclude

By Neela Banerjee – InsideClimate News – August 12, 2016 An Environmental Protection Agency panel of independent scientists has recommended the agency revise its conclusions in a major study released last year that minimized the potential hazards hydraulic fracturing poses to drinking water. The panel, known as the Science Advisory Board (SAB), issued on Thursday its nearly yearlong analysis of a June 2015 draft EPA report on fracking and water. For full story, click here.

Warming climate expected to squeeze out Arctic bird habitat By Yereth Rosen – Alaska Dispatch News – August 7, 2016 Many species of shorebirds that migrate to the Arctic each year to breed their young will lose substantial amounts of their summer habitat to climate change, and the biggest losses in the coming decades will be in Alaska and neighboring parts of Russia, new research concludes. For full story, click here.

Report: Maintaining Sagebrush-Covered Landscapes Keeps Water on the Land for Ranchers and Wildlife By Justin Fritscher – U.S. Department of Agriculture – August 4, 2016 Removing invading conifer trees improves the health of sagebrush ecosystems, providing better habitat for wildlife and better forage for livestock. And now, new science shows these efforts may also help improve late-season water availability, which is crucial for ecosystems in the arid West. According to the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI)’s newest Science to Solutions report – which summarized research from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) – a sagebrush-dominated watershed holds water in snow drifts an average of nine days longer than one dominated by juniper trees. For full blog post, click here.

Restoring Neighborhood Streams: Planning, Design, and Construction By Ann L. Riley – Island Press – July 2016 Thirty years ago, the best thinking on urban stream management prescribed cement as the solution to flooding and other problems of people and flowing water forced into close proximity. Urban streams were perceived as little more than flood control devices designed to hurry water through cities and neighborhoods with scant thought for aesthetics or ecological considerations. Stream restoration pioneers like hydrologist Ann Riley thought differently. She and other like-minded field scientists imagined that by restoring ecological function, and with careful management, streams and rivers could be a net benefit to cities, instead of a net liability. In the intervening decades, she has spearheaded numerous urban stream restoration projects and put to rest the long-held misconception that degraded urban streams are beyond help. For more information and to order, click here.

Diamond mining companies setting sights on the sea as land dries up in Africa By Aislinn Laing – The Telegraph – September 12, 2016 Twelve miles off Namibia’s arid southern coastline, 150 metres below rolling ocean waves, diamond miners are hard at work securing a future for the practice of romancing by stone. With the precious gems expected to run out on land in as little as 15 years, diamond company De Beers is building up a naval fleets to protect its interests. For full story, click here. Three Nations Create Giant Reserves for Ocean Life By Jane Braxton – Little National Geographic – September 9, 2016

Concern over a worldwide decline in marine life prompted the presidents of Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica to announce agreements Friday to increase protection of some of the most biodiverse ocean waters. The agreements bring the marine reserves off the three nations to 83,600 square miles. Ecuador and Costa Rica also agreed to delineate the boundaries of their national waters, exchanging nautical charts in a step toward protecting the underwater “highways” used by sharks, sea turtles, and other migrating marine life. For full story, click here. Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth's wilderness in 25 years – study By Adam Vaughan – The Guardian – September 8, 2016 Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth’s remaining wilderness in the last 25 years and there may be none left within a century if trends continue, according to an authoritative new study. Researchers found a vast area the size of two Alaska’s – 3.3m square kilometers – had been tarnished by human activities between 1993 and today, which experts said was a “shockingly bad” and “profoundly large number”. For full story, click here. New coalition launches to scale private conservation investment at IUCN World Conservation Congress IUCN – September 3, 2016 In an effort to address an estimated US $200-300 billion annual funding gap in conservation, civil society organizations, private and public sector financial institutions and academia joined forces today to launch the Coalition for Private Investment in Conservation (CPIC) during the IUCN World Conservation Congress taking place in Hawaiʻi. The Coalition’s goal is to help preserve the world’s most important ecosystems by creating new opportunities for return-seeking private investment in conservation. For full story, click here. Campers, oil drillers are neighbors in 'land of many uses' By Marc Heller – E&E Publishing, LLC – August 23, 2016 For the U.S. Forest Service, this northwest Pennsylvania forest is the "land of many uses," where recreation and oil and gas production have overlapped since the early 1920s. For Laurie Barr, the Allegheny's an accident waiting to happen. On a recent visit, Barr — co-founder of the environmental group Save Our Streams PA — pointed out a mound of spent charcoal just 30 feet from the gray pipe of a gas well poking out of the ground. "People don't know the difference between a clearing for a well and a clearing for a campsite," Barr said. "It just confounds me that the forest hasn't blown up yet." For full story, click here.

Be Thankful for Floodplains

By Roy Schiff and Jessica Louisos – The Northfield News – August 18, 2016 We all should be more thankful for floodplains – the flat areas next to rivers where water spills onto during a flood. We live, eat, shop, and play in our floodplains. They store flood waters to keep us safer. They capture sediment and take up nutrients to protect the water quality of our favorite rivers and lakes. They provide habitat for some of the most unique plants and animals we know of. They grow our food. With all of the “ecosystem services” that we know floodplains provide, we still abuse them. For full story, click here. Taking a Buyout from the Beach

By Jackie Snow – Hakai Magazine – August 18, 2016 Coastal communities are under threat—from erosion, sea level rise, and, in some cases, increasingly powerful storms and floods. People who live on degrading coastal land face a difficult choice: they can stay and risk increasingly hazardous conditions, or leave and suffer potentially heavy financial losses. In a new paper, lawyer Emily Nellermoe argues that a market-based solution known as transferable development rights, or TDR, could be used to help homeowners vacate coastal properties without overextending government budgets. For full article, click here. A Reflection on the Gold King Mine Incident

By Mathy Stanislaus – EPA Connect Blog – August 1, 2016 Today, we are releasing a new publication, One Year After the Gold King Mine Incident: A Retrospective of EPA’s Efforts to Restore and Protect Communities. The report details our efforts — including the projects and groups we have funded — to protect the areas around the Gold King Mine (GKM) and prevent another spill like this from happening at other EPA work sites at mines across the country. For full blog post, click here. Boosting Mill Towns by Busting Dams

By Tim Purinton – Ebb & Flow – July 2016 The term “dam removal” brings to mind the decommissioning of large hydropower facilities in the west and the waging of contentious legal battles to improve wild salmon passage on big, iconic rivers, images of roiling white water, dynamite charges and environmental luminaries like Edward Abbey and Yvon Chouinard come to mind. While these river restoration projects capture the national headlines, in the Northeast, where a myriad of dams dot the landscape like white church spires, dams are being removed for more subtle environmental and social reasons, one of which is the economic revitalization of depressed mill towns. For full story, click here. 'One Water': Concept for the Future?

By John Dyson – WaterWorld The concept of “one water” has been around for several years in the water and wastewater industry, but what does it mean? I am sure if you gathered top industry professionals together to define the term, it would take days of discussions and still would vary greatly depending on the person. As a general rule, our industry has kept drinking water and wastewater separate. Now, due to water shortages in some areas of North America and throughout the world, we’ve added reuse to the mix, which further complicates the issues. Should we change our entire approach to water use in North America and throughout the world by considering it a single resource? For full story, click here.

WEBINARS, MEETINGS, TRAINING, SPECIAL EVENTS

WEBINARS

SEPTEMBER 2016 September 28, 2016 3:00 p.m. EST

Association of State Wetland Managers Members’ Wetland Webinar: Legal Processes for Wetland Permits

September 29, 2016 1:00 p.m. EST

The Swamp School Webinar: Wetland Ferns

OCTOBER 2016 October 4, 2016 1:00 p.m. EDT

USDA Office of Sustainability and Climate Change Webinar: Responding To Drought and Water Challenges

October 4, 2016 1:00 p.m. EDT

Webinar is Co-sponsored by the NOAA National MPA Center, MPA News, and the EBM Tools Network (co-coordinated by NatureServe and OpenChannels.org): Ocean Highlights from the IUCN World Conservation Congress

October 4, 2016 3:00 p.m. EDT

Future Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance (NFFA) Webinar: Improving the Quantity and Quality of Coastal Wetlands in the U.S. South Atlantic

October 5, 2016 1:30 p.m. EDT

Ohio Department of Transportation, the San Diego Association of Governments, and the Federal Highway Administration: Eco-Logical CoP Webinar - Innovative Mitigation Contracting and Financing

October 5, 2016 3:00 p.m. EDT

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar: Mapping Coastal Storm Surge Flooding and Marsh Structure

October 12, 2016 1:00 p.m. EDT

Center for Watershed Protection Webcast 5: Retrofitting Revisited: Forward Into the Past

October 18, 2016 3:00 p.m. EDT

Association of State Wetland Managers Improving Wetland Restoration Success Project Webinar: Not Lost in Translation: How to Select the Right Wetland Restoration Team

October 25, 2016 2:00 p.m. EDT

River Network Webinar: Water Scarcity as a Catalyst for Integrated Water Management – Creating Multiple Benefits for Your Community and River

October 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. EDT

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) webinar: Oregon's First Integrated Water Resources Strategy: Lessons Learned Since Implementation

October 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. EDT

Carpe Diem West Webinar: Navigating the Intersection: Western Water, Climate Change & Public Health

October 26, 2016 2:00 p.m. EDT

Forester University Webinar: Specifying Engineered Soils for Sustainable Vegetation

October 26, 2016 3:00 p.m. EDT

Association of State Wetland Managers Members' Wetland Webinar: Developing Effective Buffer Protections: State Panelists and Presentation of Findings from a New England Study by the New England Interstate Pollution Control Commission

NOVEMBER 2016 November 15, 2016 3:00 p.m. EST

Association of State Wetland Managers Hot Topics Webinar: Wetlands & Climate Change: A Summary of Current Wetland Scientific Findings

November 16, 2016 1:00 p.m. EST

Center for Watershed Protection Webcast 6: Non-Traditional MS4s

November 16, 2016 3:00 p.m. EST

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar: Method for Estimating Potential Wetland Extent by Utilizing Streamflow Statistics and Flood-Inundation Mapping Techniques: Pilot Study for Land Along the Wabash River Near Terre Haute, Indiana

November 30, 2016 3:00 p.m. EST

Association of State Wetland Managers Members' Wetland Webinar: State Integration Practices Panel: Stromwater, TMDL and Wetland Management

MEETINGS

SEPTEMBER 2016 September 27-30, 2016 Mount Royal University Alberta, Canada

Under Western Skies (UWS) Conference: Water: Events, Trends, Analysis

September 29-30, 2016 Baltimore, MD

EUCI: 2016 EPA 316(b) Fish and Shellfish Impingement & Entrainment in Power & Industrial Facilities Conference

September 30-October 2, 2016 Shepherdstown, WV

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: 2016 Chesapeake Watershed Forum

OCTOBER 2016 October 2-6, 2016 Oklahoma City, OK

EPA Region 6, in partnership with Texas A&M University in Kingsville, the City of Oklahoma City, Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4s), and States in R6: 18

th Annual

Stormwater Conference October 4-6, 2016 Toronto, Canada

Great Lakes Public Forum 2016

October 4-7, 2016 Marquette, MI

16th Annual Great Lakes Beach Association Conference

October 5-6, 2016 West Palm Beach, FL

8th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership

Summit

October 5-6, 2016 Kent, OH

Fourth Annual Kent State University Water and Land Symposium: Sustainability and Resilience on the land-Water Continuum

October 5-7, 2016 Las Vegas, NV

Southern Nevada Water Authority WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition

October 6-7, 2016 Toronto, Ontario Canada

Great Lakes Commission 2016 Annual Meeting

October 8-9, 2016 Knoxville, TN

National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis (NIMBioS): 8th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference

October 9-14, 2016 Scheveningen, The Netherlands

Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas Conference

October 11, 2016 Syracuse, NY

U.S. EPA Region 2 and The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF): Microplastics/Citizen Science Workshop

October 11-14, 2016 Shepherdstown, WV

Natural Channel Design Review Checklist Workshop

October 14-15, 2016 University of New Hampshire Durham, NH

Society for Ecological Restoration – New England Chapter Conference: Ecological Restoration in a Changing Climate: Ecosystems, Adaptation, Infrastructure and Resiliency

October 15-16, 2016 Toronto, Canada

Fifth International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation 2016

October 16-19, 2016 Baton Rouge, LA

Southeastern Fish & Wildlife Agencies: 70th Annual Conference

October 17-20, 2016 Boise, IA

4th Northern Rockies Invasive Plants Council Conference

October 17-21, 2016 Leavenworth, WA

2016 Mountain Climate Conference: Mountains Without Snow: What are the Consequences?

October 18-20, 2016 Atlantic City, NJ

New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM) 12th Annual Conference: Supporting Municipalities to Reduce Flood Risk

October 18-21, 2016 Davis, CA

Natural Areas Association: 2016 Natural Areas Conference.

October 18-22, 2016 Latin America

Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) Conference: 'Healthy ecosystems for resilient societies'

October 19-21, 2016 Birmingham, AL

11th Annual Regional Stormwater Conference: Stormwater Solutions

October 19-21, 2016 San Diego, CA

Association of Climate Change Officers: Climate Strategies Forum - West Coast

October 20, 2016 Linthicum, MD

12th Annual MAFSM Conference

October 20-22, 2016 New York, NY

Center for Biodiversity and Conservation: Student Conference on Conservation Science – New York (SCCS-NY)

October 24-26, 2016 Valenia, Spain

World Conference on Climate Change

October 25, 2016 Washington, DC

Environmental Law Institute: The Paris Agreement & Private Actors: Extra-jurisdictional Considerations of the Climate Agreement (2016 ELI-Miriam Hamilton Keare Policy Forum)

October 25, 2016 Washington, DC

Environmental Law Institute: The Business of Water (2016 Corporate Forum)

October 28-30, 2016 Fairhope, AL

Diamondback Terrapin Working Group: 7th Symposium on the Ecology, Status and Conservation of the Diamondback Terrapin

October 28-30, 2016 Minneapolis, MN

Land Trust Alliance Rally 2016 National Land Conservation Conference

October 28-30, 2016 Kansas City, MO

14th Annual Ecological Genomics Symposium

October 30-November 2, 2016 Phoenix, AZ

American Water Works Association: Water Infrastructure Conference & Exposition

October 31-November 4, 2016 Santa Fe, NM

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP): 39th Annual Scientific Symposium and Committee Meetings

NOVEMBER 2016 November 1-4, 2016 Banff, Alberta, Canada

North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) Symposium: Science to Stewardship: Balancing Economic Growth and Lake Sustainability

November 2, 2016 University of Illinois

Chicago Wilderness Congress: Celebrating 20 Years: One Home. One Future

November 3, 2016 Gulfport, FL

The Environmental Law Institute and Stetson's Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy: Fourth Annual ELI-Stetson Wetlands Workshop

November 3-5, 2016 Pensacola Beach, FL

Gulf Estuarine Research Society (GERS) / Society of Wetland Scientist South Central Chapter Joint Meeting

November 9-11, 2016 Las Vegas, NV

Society for Ecological Restoration-Southwest Chapter Annual Conference

November 9-11, 2016 Albuquerque, NM

Quivira Coalition Conference: Lights, Soil, Action!

November 13-17, 2016 Orlando, FL

2016 AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference

November 13-17, 2016 Indianapolis, IN

American Water Works Association: Water Quality Technology Conference® & Exposition

November 14–15, 2016 Manhattan, KS

Kansas Water Office: Governor’s Conference: The Future of Water in Kansas

November 14-16, 2016 Stevenson, WA

7th Annual Northwest Climate Conference

November 15, 2016 UC Davis Conference Center Davis, CA

Hosted by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Davis, and UC Riverside the 2nd Annual Do No Harm Workshop: Considerations for the Use of Non-local Species in Ecological Restoration

November 15-16, 2016 Norfolk, VA

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association: 2016 Annual Meeting

November 15-17, 2016 Sacramento, CA

2016 Bay-Delta Science Conference

November 15-17, 2016 Front Royal, VA

EcoAgriculture Partners Landscape Leadership 3-Day Intensive Workshop

November 18–19, 2016 State College, PA

Pennsylvania Botany Symposium

November 28-30, 2016 Sanya, China

International Forum on Water (2016IFW)

DECEMBER 2016 December 2, 2016 North Linthicum, MD

Maryland Water Monitoring Council’s 22nd Annual Conference: A River Runs Through It – Strengthening Networks and Connections

December 5-9, 2016 Jacksonville, FL

ACES: A Community on Ecosystem Services conference: Linking Science, Practice, and Decision Making

December 7, 2016 Loveland, CO

Southern Rockies Seed Network 2016 Conference: Ecotypes: Science, Practice, & Policy

December 10-15, 2016 New Orleans, LA

8th National Summit: Our Coasts, Our Future, Our Choice and 25th Biennial Meeting of The Coastal Society

December 12-16, 2016 San Francisco, CA

AGU Fall Meeting

JANUARY 2017 January 4-6, 2017 Acme, MI

Northern Michigan Waterways Hazardous Material Spill Planning Committee (No-Spills) 27th Annual No-Spills Conference

January 4-8, 2017 New Orleans, LA

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Annual Meeting

FEBRUARY 2017 February 6-9, 2017 North Charleston, SC

Coastal GeoTools 2017

February 6-9, 2017 New Orleans, LA

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference

February 7-9, 2017 Fort Collins, CO

14th Annual Tamarisk Coalition Conference: The Future is

Now: Forward-Thinking Restoration, Planning, and Adaptation February 13-15, 2017 Denver, CO

17th Annual International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF)

February 13-16, 2017 Washington, D.C.

Native Seed Network: 2017 National Native Seed Conference

February 26-March 3, 2017 Honolulu, HI

Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2017 Conference: “From the Mountains to the Sea”. Abstracts due by October 14, 2016.

February 28–March 2, 2017 Stevens Point, WI

Wisconsin Wetlands Association's 22nd Annual Wetland Science Conference. Abstract deadline November 15, 2016.

MARCH 2017 March 1-2, 2017 Toronto, Canada

50th International Conference: Water Management Modeling. Call for papers deadline is December 31, 2016.

March 1-3, 2017 Chicago, IL

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry: Climate Leadership Conference: Connecting People, Innovation, and Opportunity

March 7-9, 2017 New Orleans, LA

RES/CON. Presentation proposals due by October 7, 2016.

March 16-17, 2017 University of Denver Denver, CO

Rocky Mountain Land Use Institute at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law: 26th Annual Western Places/Western Spaces Conference. Additional workshops will be held on March 15, 2017.

March 26-28, 2017 Scottsdale, AZ

National Flood Determination Association: 20th Annual NFDA Conference

APRIL 2017 April 4, 2017 Online and remote hub locations

Center for Watershed Protection Association: 2017 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference

April 17-21, 2017 Coral Springs, FL

Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (GEER 2017) Conference

April 30-May 3, 2017 Snowbird, UT.

2017 AWRA Spring Specialty Conference: Connecting the Dots: The Emerging Science of Aquatic System Connectivity. Abstract deadline is January 9, 2017.

April 30-May 5, 2017 Kansas City, MO

2017 ASFPM Conference: "Flood Risk Management in the Heartland"

MAY 2017 May 9-12, 2017 Sacramento, CA

National Mitigation & Ecosystem Banking Conference: Invest in the Environment. Presentation deadline is October 1, 2016.

May 15-19, 2017 Detroit, MI

IAGLR's 60th Annual Conference: From Cities to Farms: Shaping Great Lakes Ecosystems. Call for session deadline is October 14, 2016.

May 17-20, 2017 Saint Paul, MN

Citizen Science Association: CitSci2017

May 31-June 2, 2017 Detroit, MI

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Green Infrastructure Conference: Integrated Stormwater Management from Duluth to Quebec

JUNE 2017 June 5-8, 2017 San Juan, Puerto Rico

Society of Wetland Scientists’ 2017 Annual Meeting: Celebrating Wetland Diversity Across the Landscape: Mountains to Mangroves

June 27-29, 2017 New Orleans LA

US Water Alliance: One Water Summit 2017

AUGUST 2017 August 6-11, 2017 Portland, OR

2017 ESA Annual Meeting: Linking biodiversity, material cycling and ecosystem services in a changing world

August 21-25, 2017 Beijing, China

12th International Congress of Ecology (INTECOL 2017 Beijing): Ecology and Civilization in a Changing World

OCTOBER 2017 October 14-17, 2017 Iselin, NJ

Association of State Floodplain Managers: National Flood Mitigation & FloodProofing Workshop

TRAINING

SEPTEMBER 2016 September 27-29, 2016 Pocono Mountains, PA

The Swamp School: Wetland Plants Field ID Workshop

September 28-29, 2016 Bordentown, NJ

Rutgers University Course: Wetland Construction: Planning and Functional Design

September 28-30, 2016 Hays, KS

Wetland Training Institute, Inc. Course: Woody Plants (Trees, Shrubs, and Vines) Identification – 2016

September 29-30, 2016 Denver, CO

Urban Watersheds Research Institute Course: 2D Floodplain Delineation using 2D HEC-RAS Model

September 29-October 3, 2016 Front Royal, VA

George Mason University, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation Course: Watershed Conservation: Riparian Restoration

September 30-October 1, 2016 Pittsburgh, PA

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Wetland Permitting Training

OCTOBER 2016 October 3-4, 2016 Tuckerton, NJ

Rutgers University Course: Identification of Tidal Wetland Plants

October 3-7, 2016 Atlanta, GA

Duncan & Duncan Wetland and Endangered Species Training Course: Basic Wetland Delineation

October 5-7, 2016 Asheville, NC

North Carolina State University Stream Restoration Program Course: Stream Morphology Assessment

October 7, 2016 St. Paul, MN

University of Minnesota Course: Hydrology Tools for Minnesota Wetlands

October 11-12, 2016 Atlanta, GA

Duncan & Duncan Wetland and Endangered Species Training Course: Interagency Consultation for Endangered Species

October 14, 2016 Brunswick, NJ

Rutgers University Course: Understanding Advanced Stormwater Management Techniques

October 18-19, 2016 Charleston, SC

Wetland Training Institute, Inc. Course: Wetland Delineation Refresher - 2016

October 18-21, 2016 San Diego, CA

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Wetland Delineation Training

October 20-21, 2016 San Diego, CA

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Regional Supplement Wetland Delineation Training

October 25-26, 2016 Anchorage, AK

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) course: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI, or EIS

October 25-28, 2016 Basking Ridge, NJ

Rutgers University Course: Methodology for Delineating Wetlands. Instructors: Ralph Tiner and Mallory N. Gilbert

October 26, 2016 Basking Ridge, NJ

Rutgers University Course: Introduction to Wetland Identification

October 27, 2016 Anchorage, AK

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: Advanced NEPA-Taking the National Environmental Policy Act to the Next Level

October 31-November 3, 2016 Columbus, OH

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Wetland Delineation Training

NOVEMBER 2016 November 2-4, 2016 Raleigh, NC

North Carolina State University Stream Restoration Program Course: Natural Channel Design Principles

November 8-9, 2016 St. Louis Park, MN

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI, or EIS

November 10, 2016 St. Louis Park, MN

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: Advanced NEPA-Taking the National Environmental Policy Act to the Next Level

November 14-15, 2016 Atlanta, GA

Duncan & Duncan Wetland and Endangered Species Training Course: Advanced Hydric Soils, Atypical Wetlands & Hydrology (Piedmont)

November 29-December 2, 2016 Tampa, FL

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. ACOE Wetland Delineation, Waters of the US, Regional Supplement and Florida Statewide Wetland 62-340 FAC Wetland Delineation Training

DECEMBER 2016 December 1-2, 2016 Denver, CO

Urban Watersheds Research Institute Course: Watershed Modeling Using CUHP-SWMM

December 1-2, 2016 Arlington, VA

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: Planning and Preparing an Ecological Risk Assessment

December 5-8, 2016 Santa Fe, NM

Wetland Training Institute, Inc. Course: Federal Wetland / Waters Regulatory Policy

December 12-13, 2016 Atlanta, GA

Duncan & Duncan Wetland and Endangered Species Training Course: Wetland Delineation Regional Supplement (Eastern Mountains/Piedmont)

December 12-16, 2016 Front Royal, VA

Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation Course: Statistical Downscaling of Global Climate Models using SDSM 5.2

December 13-14, 2016 Tigard, OR

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI, or EIS

SPECIAL EVENTS October 1, 2016 Baltimore, MD

Celebrate Baltimore Birds Fest is a family friendly fall festival being held in Gwynns Falls Leakin Park to celebrate Baltimore being designated an Urban Bird Treaty City.

October 1-2, 2016 Ridgefield, WA

Ridgefield Birdfest and Bluegrass

October 6-9, 2016 Cape Charles, VA

24th Annual Eastern Shore Birding & Wildlife Festival

October 7-9, 2016 Houma, LA

Voice of the Wetlands (VOW) 13th Annual Voice of the Wetlands

Festival

October 16-22, 2016 Sanibel, FL

Ding Darling Days - J. N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge

October 18-23, 2016 Northeast NC

Wings over Water Festival

October 20-24, 2016 Cape May, NJ

New Jersey Audubon: 2016 Cape May Fall Festival

November 2-6, 2016 Harlingen, TX

Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival

November 15-20, 2016 San Antonio, NM

Festival of the Cranes - Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge

November 24-27, 2016 Chincoteague, VA

Assateague Island Waterfowl Weekend

November 26, 2016 Stone Harbor, NJ

Wetlands Institute: Wetland Wonderland

For more wetland events, meetings, conferences, and courses nationwide, visit the ASWM calendar.

INDEX

EDITOR'S NOTE EDITOR'S CHOICE

The Wetland Campus Research Challenge

What Do the Presidential Candidates Know about Science?

National Park Service turns 100, and some sites are showing their age

Science in the Wild: The Legacy Of the U.S. National Park System

ASWM’S Members’ Wetland Webinar: Legal Processes for Wetland Permits – September 28, 2016

Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance Webinar– October 4, 2016

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar – October 5, 2016

ASWM Soils Training Webinar #4: Using Field Observations of Soils Onsite in Decision Making – October 12, 2016

ASWM’s Improving Wetland Restoration Success Project Webinar: Not Lost in Translation: How to Select the Right Wetland Restoration Team – October 18, 2016

NATIONAL NEWS

US, China Formally Join Paris Climate Agreement

U.S. Forest Service and Coca-Cola Announce the Restoration of One Billion Liters of Water

Playa Lakes Joint Venture Seeks Grant Proposals to Support Bird Habitat Conservation

More Than $33 Million in Funding Approved to Protect Waterfowl and Other Bird Species

U.S. Suspends Construction on Part of North Dakota Pipeline

National Academies panel urges overhaul of energy policies

Yosemite announces biggest expansion in 70 years, adding new meadows and forestland

US Clears Way for Cleanup of Colorado Mine After Huge Spill

Service Creates ESA Listing Workplan to Provide Predictability and Encourage Proactive Conservation of Imperiled Wildlife

USDA announces changes for largest conservation program

Thousands of Homes Keep Flooding, Yet They Keep Being Rebuilt Again

Dirt Capital Seeds Financing for Ecological Farms

NRCS Announces November 18 Application Deadline for Financial Assistance

Health official warns Zika could spread across U.S. Gulf

Cruel Summer: Floods, fires and heat

Great Lakes Commission leads fight against web trafficking of aquatic invasive species

Most of the world’s large aquifers at tipping point

How a 1995 firearms case led to Clean Water Act muddle

Unprecedented federal court ruling elevates environmental justice over demands of industry

NOAA Announces New Partnerships to Restore Habitat in the Great Lakes

STATES NEWS

AK: Exotic ticks appear to be establishing themselves in Alaska

AK: Shishmaref votes to relocate from eroding barrier island to mainland

CA: Newly discovered beetle decimates trees in Tijuana River Valley

CA: Wetlands celebrates 10 years

CA: 1.8 Million Acres of Sierra Nevada Habitat Protected for Imperiled Frogs, Toads

CO: Rocky Flats: A Wildlife Refuge Confronts Its Radioactive Past

FL: Sign up for Wetland Reserve Easements

FL: Nelson, local leaders question Florida changing water pollution rules

HI: Obama Creates the World's Largest Marine Reserve

IA: Vilsack: Iowa's economy needs a water quality solution

IA: Iowa farmers ripped out prairie; now some hope it can save them

IL: TWI to play key role in seven-year “great leap” restoration at Midewin

IL: Report outlines vision for Chicago rivers: more accessible, inviting, cleaner

LA: Louisiana flood price tag could hit $15 billion

LA: Louisiana’s sinking coast is a $100 billion nightmare for Big Oil

ME: It's Official: Obama Declares Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

MD: Ellicott City flood prompts call for nine-month freeze on development

MD: Maryland awarded $800K to restore oysters in Chesapeake Bay

MA: State Awards Grant For Plymouth Wetland Restoration Project

MI: No end in sight for Flint; filter use expected to last rest of year

MI: EPA, Michigan and Local Officials Mark the Restoration of the River Raisin Area of Concern

MI: Michigan proposes approval for controversial Upper Peninsula mine near sacred tribal sites

MN: State health officials to review Roundup as possible carcinogen

MN: Do not eat: Researchers seek clues on mercury in St. Louis River estuary fish

MO: USDA Funding Wetland Mitigation Bank in Southeastern Missouri

MT: Fish Deaths in Montana's Yellowstone River Tied to Warming Waters

NE: Wetland Conditions Across State Variable

NY: Oysters Are Nearly Extinct in New York Waters. This Team Is Trying to Coax Them Back.

NY: DEC says GE's PCB cleanup has been inadequate

NY: Cleaner Creeks and Bays, But How Will New Yorkers Access the Waters They Own?

NC: Tainted Waters: New Drinking Water Threat Concerns Scientists, Officials By Catherine Clabby

ND: Dakotas' honeybee habitat shrinking with changing environment

ND: Pilot project takes on ag-friendly wetland preservation

OH: Ohio wetland mitigation program gets $350,000

OR: Nothing easy about conservation easements

RI: Rhode Island Implements Statewide Standards for Wetlands

SC: ‘Like it’s been nuked’: Millions of bees dead after South Carolina sprays for Zika mosquitoes

TX: EPA: North Texas Earthquakes Likely Linked to Oil and Gas Drilling

UT: Utah breaks ground on new wildlife, wetland learning center in Farmington

VT: Five Years After Hurricane Irene, Vermont Still Striving for Resilience

VA: Endangered and Threatened Species Alert: Survey Window for the State-Threatened Wood Turtle Opens Soon

VA: The Norfolk of the future will move away from the waterfront

WA: Five Years Later, The Elwha Reborn

WETLAND SCIENCE

'We can't replace nature': Oilsands wetland reclamation a mixed success

Gene editing might help conserve species. But should it?

The Oceans Can’t Protect Us Anymore—Here’s Why

Official Web Soil Survey Available - Soil Science Annual Data Refreshes in October

Sediments control methane release to the ocean

The Southern Ocean is getting less salty. Here’s what that could mean for the rest of the world

Watersheds Lost Up to 22% of Their Forests in 14 Years. Here’s How it Affects Your Water Supply

The American 'Fur Ball' Being Threatened by a Warming Climate

Climate change has less impact on drought than previously expected

Mussels disappearing from New England waters, scientists say

Scientists digging up the dirt for clues to disappearing nitrogen

Biofuels worse for climate change than gas, U-M study says

Duck numbers increasing

To save its native trout, Yellowstone National Park poisons its rivers

Climate Change Could Cost Millennials $8.8 Trillion

The Saltmarsh Sparrow Is Creeping Dangerously Close to Extinction

From Grasslands to Forests, Nitrogen Impacts all Ecosystems

Ocean Slime Spreading Quickly Across the Earth

Historical Data Shows Arctic Melt of Last Two Decades Is 'Unprecedented'

Mystery of Bizarre Bird Deformities May Be Solved

Building equity, inclusiveness for low-income communities is key in climate resilience planning

In U.S. Methane Hot Spot, Researchers Pinpoint Sources of 250 Leaks

How Farms Affect the Chesapeake Bay’s Water

EPA's Fracking Finding Misled on Threat to Drinking Water, Scientists Conclude

Warming climate expected to squeeze out Arctic bird habitat

RESOURCES & PUBLICATIONS

Report: Maintaining Sagebrush-Covered Landscapes Keeps Water on the Land for Ranchers and Wildlife

Restoring Neighborhood Streams: Planning, Design, and Construction

POTPOURRI

Diamond mining companies setting sights on the sea as land dries up in Africa

Three Nations Create Giant Reserves for Ocean Life

Humans have destroyed a tenth of Earth's wilderness in 25 years – study

New coalition launches to scale private conservation investment at IUCN World Conservation Congress

Campers, oil drillers are neighbors in 'land of many uses'

Be Thankful for Floodplains

Taking a Buyout from the Beach

A Reflection on the Gold King Mine Incident

Boosting Mill Towns by Busting Dams

'One Water': Concept for the Future?

WEBINARS, MEETINGS, TRAINING, SPECIAL EVENTS Webinars

Association of State Wetland Managers Members’ Wetland Webinar: Legal Processes for Wetland Permits

The Swamp School webinar: Wetland Ferns

USDA Office of Sustainability and Climate Change Webinar: Responding To Drought and Water Challenges

Ocean Highlights from the IUCN World Conservation Congress

Future Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance (NFFA) Webinar: Improving the Quantity and Quality of Coastal Wetlands in the U.S. South Atlantic

Webinar - Innovative Mitigation Contracting and Financing

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar: Mapping Coastal Storm Surge Flooding and Marsh Structure

Center for Watershed Protection Webcast 5: Retrofitting Revisited: Forward Into the Past

Association of State Wetland Managers Improving Wetland Restoration Success Project Webinar: Not Lost in Translation: How to Select the Right Wetland Restoration Team

River Network Webinar: Water Scarcity as a Catalyst for Integrated Water Management – Creating Multiple Benefits for Your Community and River

American Water Resources Association (AWRA) webinar: Oregon's First Integrated Water Resources Strategy: Lessons Learned Since Implementation

Carpe Diem West Webinar: Navigating the Intersection: Western Water, Climate Change & Public Health

Forester University Webinar: Specifying Engineered Soils for Sustainable Vegetation

Association of State Wetland Managers Members' Wetland Webinar: Developing Effective Buffer Protections: State Panelists and Presentation of Findings from a New England Study by the New England Interstate Pollution Control Commission

Association of State Wetland Managers Hot Topics Webinar: Wetlands & Climate Change: A Summary of Current Wetland Scientific Findings

Center for Watershed Protection Webcast 6: Non-Traditional MS4s

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar: Method for Estimating Potential Wetland Extent by Utilizing Streamflow Statistics and Flood-Inundation Mapping Techniques: Pilot Study for Land Along the Wabash River Near Terre Haute, Indiana

Association of State Wetland Managers Members' Wetland Webinar: State Integration Practices Panel: Stromwater, TMDL and Wetland Management

Meetings

Under Western Skies (UWS) Conference: Water: Events, Trends, Analysis

EUCI: 2016 EPA 316(b) Fish and Shellfish Impingement & Entrainment in Power & Industrial Facilities Conference

Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay: 2016 Chesapeake Watershed Forum

18th Annual Stormwater Conference

Great Lakes Public Forum 2016

16th Annual Great Lakes Beach Association Conference

8th Annual Southeast Florida Regional Climate Leadership Summit

Fourth Annual Kent State University Water and Land Symposium: Sustainability and Resilience on the land-Water Continuum

Southern Nevada Water Authority WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition

Great Lakes Commission 2016 Annual Meeting

8th Annual Undergraduate Research Conference

Physics of Estuaries and Coastal Seas Conference

Microplastics/Citizen Science Workshop

Natural Channel Design Review Checklist Workshop

Ecological Restoration in a Changing Climate: Ecosystems, Adaptation, Infrastructure and Resiliency

Fifth International Conference on Climate Change Adaptation 2016

Southeastern Fish & Wildlife Agencies: 70th Annual Conference

4th Northern Rockies Invasive Plants Council Conference

2016 Mountain Climate Conference: Mountains Without Snow: What are the Consequences?

New Jersey Association for Floodplain Management (NJAFM) 12th Annual Conference: Supporting Municipalities to Reduce Flood Risk

Natural Areas Association 2016 Natural Areas Conference

Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) conference: 'Healthy ecosystems for resilient societies'

11th Annual Regional Stormwater Conference: Stormwater Solutions

Association of Climate Change Officers: Climate Strategies Forum - West Coast

12th Annual MAFSM Conference

Student Conference on Conservation Science – New York (SCCS-NY)

World Conference on Climate Change

The Paris Agreement & Private Actors: Extra-jurisdictional Considerations of the Climate Agreement (2016 ELI-Miriam Hamilton Keare Policy Forum)

Environmental Law Institute: The Business of Water (2016 Corporate Forum)

7th Symposium on the Ecology, Status and Conservation of the Diamondback Terrapin

Land Trust Alliance Rally 2016 National Land Conservation Conference

14th Annual Ecological Genomics Symposium

American Water Works Association: Water Infrastructure Conference & Exposition

National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP): 39th Annual Scientific Symposium and Committee Meetings

North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) Symposium: Science to Stewardship: Balancing Economic Growth and Lake Sustainability

The Chicago Wilderness Congress: Celebrating 20 Years: One Home. One Future

The Environmental Law Institute and Stetson's Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy: Fourth Annual ELI-Stetson Wetlands Workshop

Gulf Estuarine Research Society (GERS) / Society of Wetland Scientist South Central Chapter Joint Meeting

Society for Ecological Restoration-Southwest Chapter Annual Conference

Quivira Coalition Conference: Lights, Soil, Action!

2016 AWRA Annual Water Resources Conference

American Water Works Association: Water Quality Technology Conference® & Exposition

Kansas Water Office: Governor’s Conference: The Future of Water in Kansas

7th Annual Northwest Climate Conference

2nd Annual Do No Harm Workshop: Considerations for the Use of Non-local Species in Ecological Restoration

Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway Association: 2016 Annual Meeting

2016 Bay-Delta Science Conference

EcoAgriculture Partners Landscape Leadership 3-Day Intensive Workshop

Pennsylvania Botany Symposium

International Forum on Water (2016IFW)

Maryland Water Monitoring Council’s 22nd Annual Conference: A River Runs Through It – Strengthening Networks and Connections

ACES: A Community on Ecosystem Services conference: Linking Science, Practice, and Decision Making

Southern Rockies Seed Network 2016 Conference: Ecotypes: Science, Practice, & Policy

8th National Summit: Our Coasts, Our Future, Our Choice and 25th Biennial Meeting of The Coastal Society

AGU Fall Meeting

Northern Michigan Waterways Hazardous Material Spill Planning Committee (No-Spills) 27th Annual No-Spills Conference

Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Annual Meeting

Coastal GeoTools 2017

Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference

14th Annual Tamarisk Coalition Conference: The Future is Now: Forward-Thinking Restoration,

Planning, and Adaptation

17th Annual International LiDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF)

Native Seed Network: 2017 National Native Seed Conference

Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) 2017 Conference: “From the Mountains to the Sea”

Wisconsin Wetlands Association's 22nd annual Wetland Science Conference

50th International Conference: Water Management Modeling

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry: Climate Leadership Conference: Connecting People, Innovation, and Opportunity

RES/CON

26th Annual Western Places/Western Spaces Conference

National Flood Determination Association: 20th Annual NFDA Conference

Center for Watershed Protection Association: 2017 National Watershed & Stormwater Conference

Greater Everglades Ecosystem Restoration (GEER 2017) Conference

2017 AWRA Spring Specialty Conference: Connecting the Dots: The Emerging Science of Aquatic System Connectivity

2017 ASFPM Conference: "Flood Risk Management in the Heartland"

National & Ecosystem Banking Conference

IAGLR's 60th Annual Conference: From Cities to Farms: Shaping Great Lakes Ecosystems

Citizen Science Association: CitSci2017

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Green Infrastructure Conference: Integrated Stormwater Management from Duluth to Quebec

Society of Wetland Scientists’ 2017 Annual Meeting: Celebrating Wetland Diversity Across the Landscape: Mountains to Mangroves

US Water Alliance: One Water Summit 2017

2017 ESA Annual Meeting: Linking biodiversity, material cycling and ecosystem services in a changing world

12th International Congress of Ecology (INTECOL 2017 Beijing): Ecology and Civilization in a Changing World

Association of State Floodplain Managers: National Flood Mitigation & FloodProofing Workshop Training

The Swamp School Wetland Plants Field ID Workshop

Rutgers University Course: Wetland Construction: Planning and Functional Design

Wetland Training Institute, Inc. course: Woody Plants (Trees, Shrubs, and Vines) Identification – 2016

2D Floodplain Delineation using 2D HEC-RAS Model

George Mason University, Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation course: Watershed Conservation: Riparian Restoration

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Wetland Permitting Training. Rutgers University course: Identification of Tidal Wetland Plants

Duncan & Duncan Wetland and Endangered Species Training Course: Basic Wetland Delineation

North Carolina State University Stream Restoration Program Course: Stream Morphology Assessment

University of Minnesota course: Hydrology Tools for Minnesota Wetlands

Interagency Consultation for Endangered Species

Rutgers University course: Understanding Advanced Stormwater Management Techniques

Wetland Training Institute, Inc. Course: Wetland Delineation Refresher - 2016

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Wetland Delineation Training Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Regional Supplement Wetland Delineation

Training

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) course: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI, or EIS

Rutgers University Course: Methodology for Delineating Wetlands

Rutgers University Course: Introduction to Wetland Identification

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: Advanced NEPA-Taking the National Environmental Policy Act to the Next Level

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. Course: Wetland Delineation Training

Natural Channel Design Principles

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI, or EIS

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: Advanced NEPA-Taking the National Environmental Policy Act to the Next Level

Advanced Hydric Soils, Atypical Wetlands & Hydrology (Piedmont)

Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc. ACOE Wetland Delineation, Waters of the US, Regional Supplement and Florida Statewide Wetland 62-340 FAC Wetland Delineation Training

Urban Watersheds Research Institute Course: Watershed Modeling Using CUHP-SWMM

Northwest Environmental Training Center (NWETC) Course: Planning and Preparing an Ecological Risk Assessment

Federal Wetland / Waters Regulatory Policy

Wetland Delineation Regional Supplement (Eastern Mountains/Piedmont)

Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation Course: Statistical Downscaling of Global Climate Models using SDSM 5.2

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI, or EIS

SPECIAL EVENTS

Celebrate Baltimore Birds Fest

Ridgefield Birdfest and Bluegrass

24th Annual Eastern Shore Birding & Wildlife Festival

Voice of the Wetlands (VOW) 13th

Annual Voice of the Wetlands Festival

Ding Darling Days

Wings over Water Festival

New Jersey Audubon: 2016 Cape May Fall Festival

Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival

Festival of the Cranes

Assateague Island Waterfowl Weekend

Wetlands Institute: Wetland Wonderland

The Association of State Wetland Managers' Wetland Breaking News is a monthly e-newsletter. Wetland Breaking News is an edited compilation of wetland-related stories and announcements submitted by readers and gleaned from listservs, press releases and news sources from throughout the United States. WBN chronicles the legislative, national and state news relevant to wetland science and

policy, wetland regulations and legal analysis of Supreme court cases from the past month; it also links to new publications and resources available to wetland professionals as well as events and training opportunities for those working in water resources and related fields. Wetland Breaking News has been published for over fifteen years and ASWM has been a think-tank and source for wetland science and policy news and discussion for over 30 years. The items presented in Wetland Breaking News do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or of the Association of State Wetland Managers. Send your news items, comments, corrections, or suggestions to news@aswm.org. "WETLAND BREAKING NEWS" Compiled and Edited by Marla Stelk, Editor; Laura Burchill and Sharon Weaver, Assistant Editors. Executive Director: Jeanne Christie. Association of State Wetland Managers, 32 Tandberg Trail, Ste. 2A, Windham, ME 04062. Telephone: 207-892-3399; Fax: 207-892-3089

All photos by Jeanne Christie, ASWM