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WETLAND NEWS
Board of Directors
David Davis, ChairAlan Quackenbush, Vice Chair
Cherie Hagen, Secretary/TreasurerCollis AdamsPeg BostwickRichard Gitar
Maryann McGrawJanet Morlan
fJeanne Christie, Executive Director
Jon Kusler, Esq. PhD., Assoc. Director
Inside this issue:
Association News ASWM Current Projects Summer Interns Birds of Utah, Birds of Maine Welcome New Members
Vol. 20 No. 3 June 2010
Leah Stetson photo
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ASWM ~ Dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Nation’s wetlands
Association News - by Jeanne Christie, Executive Director It scarcely seems possible that the last time I worked on Association News the tragedy in the Gulf was confined to the terrible news about 11 lives lost in the destruction of an oil rig. The reports about the oil spill would come later. On April 25th it was estimated that 1,000 barrels per day were flowing into the Gulf. Recent estimates have been revised upward to somewhere between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels per day. We all know what’s happening—stories of increasingly desperate people losing jobs and businesses and more as the oil moves into and along the coast. There have been lots of news stories about wetlands.
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ASWM Current Projects Summer – Fall 2010 By Leah Stetson, ASWM ASWM is currently working on several new projects to be carried out during summer and fall of 2010. The Association provides an essential bridge between the federal government and the states and tribes to assist in understanding and implementing Clean Water Act (CWA) programs and guidance. These projects supplement the services that ASWM provides on a regular basis—such as Wetland Breaking News, Insider’s Edition and weekly blog posts on the Compleat Wetlander—all with the goal of keeping members up-to-date on key wetland issues.
ASWM Welcomes Two Summer Interns!
Shelley Hodges and Will Walker III will be working on four projects at the Maine office this summer. For more about Will and Shelley, see their bios on p. 9.
Preserved Habitat for Birds in Utah, Birds in Maine by Leah Stetson
In my backyard and throughout my woods, I have spied robins, swallows, wrens, blue jays, a pileated woodpecker, starlings—and my favorite, chickadees, the Maine state bird. I’ve heard a meadowlark in the afternoon, loons in the evening and owls at night. Red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks soar overhead, casting shadows on the yard and scaring away the cat.
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Before last month, I would have said having wetlands in the news every day would be a good thing. But not now, not this way. I’ve had several opportunities in the past to visit coastal Louisiana, where I was entranced by the wetlands and charmed by the wonderful people who live there. It is terrible to witness the oil leaking into the Gulf threatening future of wildlife, wetlands and the people who depend on them. We all hope the oil will stop flowing soon and that the waters and wetlands of the Gulf prove resilient enough to recover in the coming months and years. We’ve added a webpage on the oil spill to our website where we have been adding stories about the spill particularly those that relate to wetlands and future policy implications http://aswm.org/science/oil_spill/index.htm.
I would like to welcome our new officers. Our new chair is Dave Davis of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Alan Quackenbush of Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation is our Vice Chair and Cherie Hagen of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is our Secretary Treasurer. If the past is anything to judge by, the next two years will be challenging ones for wetland policy and their leadership will be important in shaping the priorities and projects undertaken by ASWM.
Our new offices are very busy this summer. The move this spring to a larger space has enabled ASWM to bring two new interns from the Muskie School of Public Policy to work with us for the summer. Shelley Hodges and Will Walker will assist us in a number of projects. We’ll be sharing the finished products with you in the coming months.
We have devoted this issue of Wetland News to describing these and other projects and activities underway. Please contact us if you have questions, ideas about sources of information we can use or are otherwise interested.
Stay cool this summer,
Jeanne Christie Executive Director
New Wetlands Job Webpage!
ASWM posted a wetland and water resources jobs webpage: http://aswm.org/wetlands/job_opportunities.htm To have a wetlands job posted, send the announcement with a link to the full job description to [email protected] . This is a growing list of hot wetland-related jobs, including research opportunities in wetlands and climate change and mapping positions. ASWM will continue to include relevant job announcements in the monthly Wetland Breaking News.
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ASWM Current Projects Summer – Fall 2010
by Leah Stetson, ASWM
Continued from p. 1. The Association also responds to critical events that have an impact on wetlands; for example, last year ASWM posted new webpages on the Stimulus bill and Clean Water Restoration Act, established a weekly “climate change feature,” and most recently, a new webpage on the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf. Working with federal, state, tribal and nongovernmental partners, ASWM fosters collaborative relationships to further its mission to promote the inclusion of sound science into public policy.
Current Projects
Strengthening 401 Certification
In 30 states 401 certification under the Clean Water Act (CWA) is the program states rely on to condition or deny Section 404 dredge and fill permits. ASWM will be working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the states to provide current information on how state laws and regulations can be applied to conditioning federal permits. EPA recently published a new handbook titled, Clean Water Act Section 401 – Water Quality Certification and Water Quality Protection Tool for States and Tribes http://www.epa.gov/wetlands/pdf/CWA_401_Handbook_2010_Interim.pdf This document in conjunction with other documents and activities will support state capacity building. This project has three parts:
401 Certification Training. EPA has launched an Enhancing State and Tribal Programs Initiative (ESTP). http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/initiative/estp.html One of the first areas they are addressing is 401 Certification. ASWM is working with the Wetlands Division to schedule a series of conference calls on successful strategies for implementing 401 certification programs. For more information contact Jeanne Christie at [email protected].
401 Certification of Nationwide Permits 2010. ASWM is establishing a 401 Certification Committee. This committee will provide support and advice for the 401 Certification training project above. It will also provide leadership in coordinating activities related to reviewing and commenting on the next set of proposed nationwide permits and subsequent 401 Certification. It will give advice and make recommendations on other projects as needed. Dave Davis from Virginia DEQ Office of Water and Wetlands will chair this work group. For more information contact [email protected].
401 Certification Case Studies. ASWM is planning to develop detailed summaries of 10 State 401 Certification programs to help foster a broader understanding of the different ways that states are implementing 401 Certification programs. When completed these will be available on the ASWM website. For more information, contact Shelley Hodges at [email protected].
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State In-Lieu Fee Programs
The Corps/EPA final mitigation rule published two years ago required a number of changes to In-Lieu Fee programs. It limited In-Lieu Fee program participants to states and nonprofit organizations and required that existing programs come into compliance with the rule by July 2010 or formally request an extension for up to three years to meet the new requirements. At
this point, only a couple of In-Lieu Fee programs have formally met the requirements for the new rule. ASWM will establish an In-Lieu Fee work group this summer for states and Corps district staff to encourage discussion, address questions and provide support to states working toward complying with the rule. Collis Adams from New Hampshire DES will chair the In-Lieu Fee Work Group. For more information, contact Shelley Hodges at [email protected] .
State Climate Change Programs for Wetlands
ASWM is working on several activities related to climate change. The Association is gathering information on state responses to climate change with a focus on wetlands and water resources. ASWM is querying other state organizations working with their respective state agencies on climate change adaptation strategies for water resources and wildlife. An important project this summer will be to provide short summaries of the status of climate change activities related to wetlands in each state.
ASWM posted a list of 25 state climate change action plans in 2007 based in part on information from EPA and the PEW Center for Climate Change; however, there is a need to update the list http://www.aswm.org/science/climate_change/climate_change.htm#state . EPA’s current list of state climate change action plans focuses on activities related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions http://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/local/local-examples/action-plans.html . ASWM’s project will build upon and enhance the ongoing Office of Water Climate Change Strategy, which can be found here: http://www.epa.gov/water/climatechange/strategy.html. For more information, contact Will Walker at [email protected].
Summary of State Wetland Permitting Fees
Every year ASWM receives questions from states looking for a comprehensive review of what states around the country charge for wetland permits. This is a complicated question because states differ in fee structure, type of permit, what the permits or services provide and whether there are combined permit fees. ASWM will partner with EPA
Wetlands Division and the University of North Carolina’s Finance Center to gather and provide this information to states. The project will focus on state 404 and 401 certification permits. For more information, contact Jeanne Christie at [email protected].
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Wetland Mapping Project
Status Report on State Wetland Maps – ASWM is currently working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. FWS) National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) staff to develop a state by state summary of the status of wetland maps (state coverage, age of imagery, etc.) as well as new mapping efforts underway. The final product will be posted on the website. For more information, contact Will Walker at [email protected].
Wetland Mapping Training – ASWM is also working with the U.S. FWS and other partners to develop an online training resource for wetland mapping that will be added to the U.S. FWS online training program and available to the public. The training will cover, “What is a Wetland?” the Cowardin classification system, the Wetlands Mapping Standard, which was formally adopted nationally by the Federal Geographic Data Committee in 2009, and “Getting Started Mapping Wetlands.” ASWM is also developing materials for those four topics that can be used in on-site training. For more information, contact Jane Awl at [email protected].
Wetland Mapping Consortium – Wetland mapping imagery, methods and applications are growing rapidly with lots of innovation and new products. As a result of ASWM’s activities in supporting the development of the federal Wetlands Mapping Standard, leading GIS and remote sensing experts from around the country asked ASWM to establish a Wetland Mapping Consortium (WMC). The WMC will improve wetland mapping tools, develop new ones and assist in supporting new wetland mapping efforts nationwide. It will also bring wetland program managers and mappers together.
In cooperation with Virginia Tech University and other partners, ASWM has been facilitating development of the WMC. There is a new webpage for the Wetland Mapping Consortium, linked on both the ASWM mapping page http://www.aswm.org/swp/mapping/index.htm and the Virginia Tech website, here: http://clic.cses.vt.edu/WMC/. For more information, contact Jane Awl at [email protected].
National Floodplain Policy
Wetlands are threatened not only by water quality problems, but also by water quantity (floods and drought). At the same time, wetlands can act as natural sponges when floods occur and as natural water reservoirs during drought. In addition natural floodplains and wetlands can stabilize streams, support wildlife and fisheries, provide recreational opportunities and deliver other important benefits. However, many national/state floodplain and natural hazard policies provide incentives for the destruction of floodplains and the wetlands contained within them. ASWM has been actively working with the Association of State Floodplain Managers and other partners to encourage the development of national and state policies that protect people and
property by restoring natural floodplains and leveraging the ability of wetlands to reduce the severity of floods and store water. ASWM is participating in national listening sessions and forums on natural hazards and floodplain issues. ASWM is also a steering committee member of the recently formed Natural Floodplain Function Alliance. For more information contact Jeanne Christie at [email protected].
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Improving Wetland Permitting
Since late 2009 an ASWM task force has been working on identifying the ways states are improving their programs. This summer ASWM will query states to gather additional information. “Improved” permitting encompasses making the permitting process more efficient while maintaining the same level of protection for wetlands and water resources as well as making the permitting process easier for both regulatory staff and applicants to understand. The project focuses on six types of mechanisms that states use (or could use) to improve wetland permitting: 1) consolidated (joint) permitting; 2) communication before permitting; 3) online applications; 4) utilizing science & technology; 5) enhancing data management; and 6) consistency and program management (incl. evaluating permit decisions).
Cherie Hagen from Wisconsin DNR is the Chair of the Wetland Permitting Task Force. For more information contact Leah Stetson at [email protected]. A PowerPoint presentation by Cherie describing the project is also available at: http://www.aswm.org/swp/state2010/hagen.pdf.
Clarifying the State & Tribal 404 Assumption Application Process
ASWM is working with the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) to improve the State and Tribal Assumption application process. ECOS and ASWM have assembled a small task force, comprised of representatives from states that have conducted in-depth
investigations on 404 assumption in the past, or have assumed the 404 program (Michigan and New Jersey), as well as experts from EPA. The work group plans to offer recommendations to EPA on how to further clarify and streamline the assumption application process for states and tribes with comprehensive wetlands protection programs. For more information, please contact Jeanne Christie at [email protected].
Other Ongoing and Future Activities
The description above does not include all of the projects that ASWM will have underway in 2010. The Association is also providing technical assistance to various groups on jurisdiction and Clean Water Act issues. ASWM responds to requests for formal comments on issues related to wetland policy. In the coming months ASWM will also start projects to improve the states’ ability to implement programmatic general permits (PGPs) and to establish water quality standards for wetlands. In addition ASWM is beginning plans for major improvements to the website and planning an educational-outreach project to help state legislators understand the importance of wetland resources and the laws and regulations that affect them. These projects have been made possible by significant support from the McKnight Foundation, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Orchard Foundation and ASWM members like you. If you have questions or suggestions about any of the activities described in this issue of Wetland News, please contact the staff person identified or Jeanne Christie at [email protected] or 207-892-3399.
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Preserved Habitat for Birds in Utah, Birds in Maineby Leah Stetson, ASWM
In May I attended River Rally at Snowbird, Utah, near Salt Lake City. A group of us rode in a shuttle van down into the valley to explore the 2, 225-
acre Legacy Nature Preserve, which is normally off-limits to the public. The Legacy Highway was a controversial project. In order to mitigate for the wetland
loss, the Utah DOT worked with the SWCA Environmental Consultants to create the Legacy Nature Preserve. The mission of the nature preserve is “to provide in perpetuity quality wildlife habitats for mitigating impacts to wetlands and wildlife associated with the Legacy Parkway.” The preserve is located within the Great Salt Lake ecosystem.
Our group—full of avid birders—arrived at the parking lot for the preserve’s observation deck, where everyone shed layers. It was 95° and sunny, a forty-degree difference from the Wasatch Mountains National Forest, where the conference was held. In the preserve, we saw 60 species of birds in three hours, wandering with our guide, Eric McCulley, an environmental consultant and manager for the site. A big part of Eric’s job is managing the water in the various types of wetlands within the preserve, including playas, creeks and ponds. For a link to the Legacy Nature Preserve’s Water Management Plan, go to: http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=1927752816403691464 He’s also in charge of monitoring the birds, water quality and vegetation restoration work. The local duck groups monitor the duck populations and assist with managing the duck habitat.
Through binoculars and digital cameras, our group spied snowy egrets, great blue herons, red-winged and yellow-headed blackbirds, meadowlarks, mallards, red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks, two eagles sitting on their nest, white-faced ibis, several types of swallows and sparrows, a robin, blue-winged teal, Canadian geese, marsh wrens, black-neck stilt, Wilson’s Phalarope, shrike, terns and gulls. An American avocet displayed his wings for us to capture him on film (see above). We discussed how the preserve provided essential habitat for migratory birds, as they travel across the country. http://www.udot.utah.gov/main/uconowner.gf?n=1989558418418130493
Many of the same species I saw in Utah now flit over the ponds, lakes and meadows in Maine. At home my backyard sounds like a sanctuary or aviary. My house sits near a 1000-acre preserve called Morgan Meadow with significant intervale marsh habitat, which is home to waterfowl—including black ducks, wood ducks, as well as wildlife, e.g. deer, moose, coyote, red fox, bobcat, meadow vole, star-nosed mole, bats, raccoons, porcupines and skunks. http://www.maine.gov/ifw/wildlife/management/wma/region_a/morganmeadow.htm. It is located within the Sebago Lake watershed.
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The nearby Morgan Meadow Wildlife Management Area also provides habitat for pine grosbeak, American goldfinch, white-breasted nuthatch, Northern flicker, great horned owl, Northern saw-whet owl, Nashville warbler, Northern waterthrush, Wilson’s warbler, Northern Oriole, cedar waxwings and eagles, plus another hundred or so species of birds. According to a 2008 analysis, Important Bird Areas of Maine
compiled by Maine Audubon and Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Morgan Meadow Wildlife Management Area is packed with a diverse group of Maine’s marshbirds, including green and great blue heron, American bittern, Sora and Virginia rail, among others. In addition there are birds species “at risk,” including the northern harrier and black-billed cuckoo, with only a handful of breeding pairs present. http://www.maineaudubon.org/conserve/iba/documents/IBAsitedescriptions-final.pdf Predominant wetland types include emergent marsh and scrub-shrub with largely mixed forested uplands throughout. It’s bisected by a brook with hiking trails running along either side of the water. The land is owned by the state and future acquisition of abutting parcels is desired.
The trick is to learn the birds by their call or song. Experienced hobbyists and researchers frequently identify birds by the calls necessarily seeing the individuals. There’s a good list of books, CDs and websites with bird song and call identifying resources and tips at http://www.appalachianfeet.com/2010/02/16/how-to-identify-bird-calls/.
In a 2008 assessment of habitat use by freshwater marsh birds in Maine, wildlife biologists surveyed 137 wetlands. Several species of marsh birds may be declining in population. The American bittern, for example, prefers shrub wetlands but will also nest in emergent wetlands, like those in Morgan Meadow. Maine Inland Fisheries & Wildlife biologists are examining 15 year trends in marsh bird populations, using data from several different bird surveys, according to state wildlife biologist Thomas Hodgman. Because many of these marsh birds are uncommon, widely dispersed and difficult to routinely monitor, land preserves provide a unique opportunity for conducting surveys and examining trends. http://www.maine.gov/ifw/hunting_trapping/weekly_reports/7-12-08.htm
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Be sure to check out the blog with three new posts each week. Read The Compleat wetlander,
Views from the Blog-o-Sphere and Strange Wetlands.
www.aswm.org/wordpress
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Wetland News Staff
Jeanne Christie, Assistant Editor, Photos
Sharon Weaver, Web Lay-out, Design
Laura Burchill, Lay-out, Proof-reader
Leah Stetson, Editor, Design
Copyright Association of State Wetland Managers June 2010 http://www.aswm.org
Will Walker IIIWill Walker joined the Association as an intern in the summer of 2010 through the Environmental Finance Commission. He performs research, GIS and minor IT support tasks for the ASWM. He is a graduate student at the Edmund Muskie School of Public Service, part of the University of Southern Maine. He will receive his Master’s in Community Planning and Development with a focus on Regional Development later this year. In addition to his education, he has three years of experience working on a variety of planning and environmental issues including recycling programs, urban comprehensive planning, and school composting. He lives in Saco, Maine with his girlfriend and has a garden.
Shelley HodgesShelley started as an intern with ASWM in June 2010 and will be working on the In-Lieu Fee Program Work Group and also projects looking into states use of 401 Certification and permitting fees. She is a graduate student at the Muskie School of Public Service in the Community Planning and Development Program, and has a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire. She has been working at a law firm in Portland for six years. During that time, she also escaped to Costa Rica to work at a butterfly garden, and to Spain to nanny and teach pilates.
Shelley lives in southern Maine; she and her boyfriend want a dog and are jealous of the other staff bios mention of pets. She is a certified instructor in pilates and cardiolates, and loves to be outside.
ASWM Welcomes Summer Interns
ASWM Welcomes New MembersAndy BeaudetTim Harvey, Straughan Environmental Services, Inc.Erin Hayes, Vandermost Consulting Services, Inc.Leah Koch, Normandeau Associates, Inc.Cara Mico, Demeter DesignGreg Mico, Demeter DesignLindsay Mico, Demeter DesignSandy Mico, Demeter DesignDaniel Redgate, Blueskies Environmental Associates, Inc.Ken Scarlatelli, Straughan Environmental Services, Inc.Jessica Stitcher, Demeter DesignRobert Winkler, University of Vermont
