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WETLAND NEWS
Board of Directors
David Davis, ChairAlan Quackenbush, Vice Chair
Cherie Hagen, Secretary/TreasurerRichard Gitar
Maryann McGrawJanet MorlanCollis Adams
Peg Bostwick (Past Chair)f
Jeanne Christie, Executive DirectorJon Kusler, Esq. PhD., Assoc.
Director
Inside this issue:
Association News Resources for Wetland Mgrs on State Legis. Swan
Lake, A Nutcracker - holiday poem
ASWM ~ Dedicated to the protection and restoration of the
Nation’s wetlands
December 2010Vol. 20 No. 6
Association News - Jeanne Christie, Executive Director
Resources for Wetland Managers on State Legislators - Leah
Stetson
Ramah Wilder photo
In the recent-most elections, thirty new governors were elected.
For the first time since former President George H.W. Bush was in
office, the new Republican majority will take center stage in the
House. Congress and state governors seem to capture the most
national media attention across the country. But that is not the
whole story. There are now more Republican state legislators
(3,941) than at any point since 1928. Both the newly elected and
returning state legislators are quietly getting organized for the
significant challenges they will face in 2011.
2010 is nearly over. It has been a very eventful year at the
Association of State Wetland Managers and 2011 is likely to be
filled with activity as well.
In April we moved to new offices. This may not sound terribly
exciting, but the larger office space has made us all more
productive and allowed us to bring on two interns, Shelley Hodges
and Will Walker from the Muskie School of Public Service to work on
projects for the summer and fall. An added plus was that Will had
quite a bit of web design experience and has been retained for a
little longer to redesign the ASWM website.
continued on next page
Continued on pg. 3
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2 Wetland News
Association News continued from p. 1
Jean
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We’re all wondering how we ever managed to exist without an IT
guy and have gained a new appreciation for the headaches we were
unknowingly creating for our website host. The new ASWM website
will be different and information should be much easier to find. It
will also be much easier for us to add content. We are planning to
launch the new site in January, but will keep the old site up for a
couple of months so members will still have access to the old site
while becoming comfortable with the new one. In the coming months
we will add a state-by-state status report on climate change
adaptation activities, another on wetland mapping as well as case
studies on state 401 certification programs and a series of
discussion papers on developing and applying water quality
standards for wetlands.
It is likely that early in the New Year there will be actions
taking place on the national level that will be important to
wetland professionals. The Section 404 Nationwide permits will
expire in March of 2012. Prior to that the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers will need to publish a proposed rule and allow for public
comment. A revised national wetland plant list is also expected to
be released, which will include proposed changes in status for some
of the wetland plants on the list. There will be a public comment
period for the plant list, too.
Recent elections make it highly unlikely that a fix to Clean
Water Act jurisdiction will be pursued in the new Congress. It is
unknown whether the Administration will decide to take any action.
An useful activity would be to document best practices already in
use in some parts of the country to identify jurisdictional waters
and recommend their application nationally in order to create more
consistency and predictability.
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Climate Change
Adaptation Task Force released a report in October setting the
stage for development of more detailed plans for adapting to
climate change.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adaptation.
Future actions and strategies will have the potential to adversely
or positively impact
wetlands. ASWM is working toward engaging federal agencies in
discussions on the importance of developing policies that support
protection of existing carbon stores in deep soils and natural
vegetation.
Activities directed to reducing the impacts of natural hazards
(i.e., floods and hurricanes) will be an area of national policy
development in the coming year. Larger and more frequent floods,
fires, droughts and hurricanes are occurring and wetland managers
have a large stake in how the nation addresses these
challenges.
A sneak preview of the new ASWM homepage
continued
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/adaptation
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Wetland News 3
Association News, continued from p. 2
The recently re-energized Interagency Task Force on Floodplain
Management http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/fifm_task_force.shtm
held hearings last spring to gather ideas about how to improve the
nation’s strategies for responding to natural hazards. In addition
CEQ has also been leading an effort to update the Principles and
Guidelines for Water and Land Related Resources Implementation
Studies
http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/PandG,
which provides the basis for cost-benefit analyses of all major
water resource projects by a number of federal agencies. The
policies and programs that ultimately are supported by these
initiatives will either encourage restoration of natural
floodplains, coastlines, waterways and wetlands, or their loss and
degradation.
It all adds up to a very busy and important year for
wetlands!
Jeanne ChristieExecutive Director
Jean
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Resources for Wetland Managers on State Legislators
Who are the state legislators? Here’s a comprehensive summary of
how the 2010 elections wrapped up:
http://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2010/12/final-wrapup-of-2010-state-legislative-elections.html
Members of Congress have staff to help them carry out their
responsibilities. State legislators generally do not have their own
staff. They are tasked with understanding a myriad of issues
including environmental legislation. See “Understanding your State
Legislator”
http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/legislative_action/understanding_your_state_legislator
and Oregon Environmental Council’s guide to communicating with
state legislators:
http://www.oeconline.org/resources/citizen-action-guide
To learn about individual state legislatures, visit the
Thomas/Library of Congress website:
http://thomas.loc.gov/home/state-legislatures.html By clicking on
the state in question, explore the information for state
legislators and their issues (it includes email addresses for
legislators who have them.)
The National Conference on State Legislatures (NCSL) released a
list of the Top 11 issues for state legislators in 2011.
http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?TabId=21929 The first issue is
balancing budgets. All but two states have budget deficits and the
new governors and state legislators will inherit the budget crisis.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gAAIUF5e79lhfE80rBEjsE5nmdtg?docId=da77f6e9572949d5a3426587f9fe8174.
States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact:
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=711
It is worth noting that #11 on NCSL’s list is aging
infrastructure, referring to roads and highways, as well as old oil
rigs along the Gulf
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/12/17/is-americas-aging-infrastructure-a-recipe-for-disaster.
More critically, sewage treatment plants, stormwater conveyance
systems and drinking water systems have all aged to the point that
many need to be replaced.
http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/10/29/can-we-save-americas-crumbling-water-system/
continued on next page
http://www.fema.gov/business/nfip/fifm_task_force.shtmhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/PandGhttp://ncsl.typepad.com/the_thicket/2010/12/final-wrapup-of-2010-state-legislative-electionshttp://www.aacap.org/cs/root/legislative_action/understanding_your_state_legislatorhttp://www.oeconline.org/resources/citizen-action-guidehttp://thomas.loc.gov/home/state-legislatures.htmlhttp://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?TabId=21929http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gAAIUF5e79lhfE80rBEjsE5nmdtg?docId=da77f6e9572949d5a3426587f9fe8174http://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=711http://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/12/17/is-americas-aging-infrastructure-a-recipe-for-disasterhttp://www.infrastructurist.com/2010/10/29/can-we-save-americas-crumbling-water-system/
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4 Wetland News
Charles Turner photo
State legislators will also need to address increasingly
unpredictable climate events, including sea level rise, storm
surge, flooding, drought and melting permafrost, depending on the
region of the country they serve.
http://www.economist.com/node/17572735?story_id=17572735&fsrc=rss
The number one environmental concern for most Americans is clean
drinking water, so naturally the costs and supplies involved with
running water quality and drinking water programs will factor into
state legislators’ overall budget needs.
http://aswm.org/wordpress/267/climate-change-americans-less-concerned-now-than-nine-years-ago/
A Guide for Legislators: Wetland Protection & Restoration
ASWM published a Legislator’s Guide to Wetlands Protection &
Restoration that addresses many of the major issues relevant in
states now. These include adequate wetland protections, the roles
of states & local government to fill in the gaps created by
SWANCC and Rapanos Supreme Court cases, the “no net loss” goal,
need for updated wetland mapping, wetland assessment, mitigation
banking and state assumption of the Clean Water Act Section 404
program, along with programmatic general permits (PGPs). This guide
addresses each of these issues and defines them for state
legislators:
http://www.aswm.org/propub/1_legislator_6_26_06.pdf
In addition to ASWM’s guide, there are a number of
state-oriented nonprofit organizations that have expertise in water
and wetland issues, which can be a good resource for state
legislators.
The National Caucus for Environmental Legislators offers a
number of helpful resources for decision-makers on its website:
http://www.ncel.net/ with links to key environmental and
conservation-related issues, e.g. the Gulf oil spill, the Great
Lakes; legislative links for each state’s legislature and other
resources like nonprofit and government organizations.
The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) is a national
nonprofit association of state and territorial environmental agency
leaders, whose mission is to improve the capability of state
environmental leaders. http://www.ecos.org/ ECOS is actively
working on a number of environmental policy projects that engage
state environmental agency staff, state legislators, federal agency
staff and decision-makers, as well as many nonprofit partners.
The Association of State & Interstate Water Pollution
Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) is a national nonpartisan
professional organization that strives to protect and restore
watersheds to achieve clean water for everyone, everywhere. It
serves as a liaison between state and federal officials.
http://www.asiwpca.org/
The Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) is a
national organization of floodplain professionals involved in
managing floodplains, flood hazard mitigation and flood
preparedness. http://www.floods.org/
The Association of State Drinking Water Administrators (ASDWA)
serves state drinking water programs. http://www.asdwa.org/
The Coastal States Organization (CSO) represents the coastal
states, including those in the Great Lakes, on legislative and
policy issues related to Great Lakes and coastal ocean resources.
It publishes the CSO Weekly Report with legislative news affecting
coastal states. http://www.coastalstates.org/
continued on last page
Resources for Wetland Managers, cont.
http://www.economist.com/node/17572735?story_id=17572735&fsrc=rsshttp://aswm.org/wordpress/267/climate-change-americans-less-concerned-now-than-nine-years-ago/http://www.aswm.org/propub/1_legislator_6_26_06.pdfhttp://www.ncel.net/http://www.ecos.org/http://www.asiwpca.org/http://www.floods.org/http://www.asdwa.org/http://www.coastalstates.org/
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Wetland News 5
Tundra swans fly over a cold lake,Where no ballerina, no pure
Odette,
Enchanted by sorcery, or nature’s mistake,Turns outward and
dives into a pirouette.
Swan Lake, A Nutcracker & Sleeping Beauties
~Leah Stetson
“Are you a good swan or a bad swan?”She asks, before choosing
her mate.
The answer comes, aggressive tho’ muteCharging through the
rushgrass, he invades.
In a rocky mountain forest, some Dreamy hemlock land of
snow,
A nutcracker flits and floats, then restsWithout Christmas
lights aglow.
Sunrise secretly hunkers low: horizonCastle’s purple shadow—pine
turrets and peaks
Tower, looming like a curse. No woman, No princess inhabit this
wild place.
His crooked wing-stance resolute, its spanTo rival the dance:
majestic trumpeter swan.
He fights a crowned corvid’s battle Against neither king nor rat
nor mouse,Unaware of sugar plum fairies, or tales
Besides that song of the sage blue grouse.
As snow falls upon the salt marsh and fens,Freezing creek beds
for speed skates
In chilly dark December, the beauties waitMany moons, missing
loons, to awake
The sleeping wetlands Only by spring’s long-awaited kiss.
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Wetland News Staff
Jeanne Christie, Assistant Editor, Photos
Sharon Weaver, Web Lay-out, Design
Laura Burchill, Proof-reader
Leah Stetson, Editor, Design
© Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc. December 2010
http://www.aswm.org
6 Wetland News
Look closely: our snowflakes are made from different wetland
plants’ leaf patterns!
Many Thanks to Our Members
Thank you for renewing your membership with ASWM.
Please consider making an end-of-the-year donation to help
support the Association’s on-going services like “Wetland Breaking
News,”
the Compleat Wetlander blog and this newsletter.
The Ground Water Protection Council (GWPC) promotes the
protection and conservation of groundwater resources.
http://www.gwpc.org The National Conference of State Legislatures
(NCSL) is a bipartisan organization that serves the state
legislators in all 50 states with technical assistance and
opportunities for policy-makers to exchange ideas on issues that
are important to their states. Their website has an official list
of the new state legislators to take office in 2011:
http://www.ncsl.org/LegislaturesElections/LegislativeLeaders/StateLegislativeLeadersforthe2011Session/tabid/21804/Default.aspx
The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) is a national nonprofit
organization that fosters innovative and practical law and policy
solutions for state leaders. http://www.eli.org/
Resources for Wetland Managers, cont.
Good tidings from all of us at ASWM!
http://www.gwpc.orghttp://www.ncsl.org/LegislaturesElections/LegislativeLeaders/StateLegislativeLeadersforthe2011Session/tabid/21804/Default.aspxhttp://www.eli.org/http://www.aswm.org
