Mid-Atlantic Chapter

Edge Engineering & Science | Environmental Consulting

Mary Alldred is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science and Professional Wetland Scientist at the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at SUNY Plattsburgh. She studies the influence of organisms and ecological communities on ecosystem function. Her research focuses on predicting the influence of wetland plants on denitrification, a microbial process that provides an important ecosystem service by removing excess nitrogen. Her work has also addressed the impacts of coastal management, including invasive-plant removal and coastal marsh restorations, on nitrogen cycling and ecosystem services. Learn more at malldred.github.io

Bryan manages the Planning & Compliance Department within the Environmental Service Group at C&S Engineers, Inc. He is a Professional Wetland Scientist as certified by the Society of Wetland Scientists, and a Certified Ecologist by the Ecological Society of America with 25 years of experience. Mr. Bayer manages large and complex environmental projects. His areas of expertise include environmental and ecological assessments including wetland and waterway delineations, ecological community mapping, and rare and endangered species habitat assessments. In addition, Bryan provides services related to Section 404/401 Clean Water Act permits including wetland and stream mitigation planning and design. 

Bryan has authored hundreds of environmental documents consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act and New York State Environmental Quality Review Act. He has authored environmental impact statements, environmental assessments and categorical exclusion documents, and assisted in development of such documents for numerous federal and state agencies.

Environmental educator at the Marine Science Consortium, Wallops Island, VA,  1977 - 1980; Biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District 1980 - 1987; Senior staff Biologist with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Philadelphia District 1987 - 2016; Chief of Regulatory Branch, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District 2016 - 2020. Retired May 2020. I have been a member of SWS since January 1980 with PWS certification since 1995.

I engage stakeholders to lead complex and sometimes controversial projects to amicable resolution. I embrace hard work and creativity while building teams with key expertise. The side benefit? It allows me to also mentor staff to reach their potential!

I am currently a Project Manager over post-construction monitoring and regulatory compliance for large-scale pipeline projects. I also manage our FlexForce biological professionals for temporary assignments across the U.S. As a key subject matter expert, I prepare NEPA documentation on behalf of industry clients as well as federal agencies.

 
My career began as a wetland regulator with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and transitioned to environmental consulting where I delineated and monitored wetland ecosystems across the U.S. and Alaska. Working in multidiscipline teams allowed me to participate and collect survey data for mass movement areas, aquatic resources, and threatened/endangered species. Applying decades of “boots on the ground” surveys I advanced to manage large-scale field efforts, consult with regulatory agencies, and guide construction activities to comply with permitting.

My career’s successes include:
• finding unique perspectives while authoring sections for Environmental Impact Statements;
• bringing conflicts to consensus among stakeholders on controversial projects; and
• focusing regulatory goals to practical and beneficial outcomes.

In my life/career stage, I find opportunities to encourage the up-coming cohorts that will lead natural resource management. I enjoy laughing but can spend hours buried in a spreadsheet. I enjoy opposing philosophical and political discourse to safeguard becoming stuck in a perspective. And if I don’t get into the forest occasionally – I might combust.

When not working, I enjoy restoring my 1900 bungalow, creating natural habitats within my urban lot, and restoring vintage treasures buried in flea markets.

With a total of 33 years of experience (20 as a manager) working within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, Mr. Der is currently executive principal of Andrew T. Der and Associates, LLC practicing in the water resources consulting and contracting industry regionally and nationally since 2013. Before that and since 2000, he was Director of Environmental Services for two civil engineering firms in the Washington DC/Baltimore, MD metro region. Previously, he completed 18 years of service at the Maryland Department of the Environment leaving as a manager. Specialties include regulation and compliance; assessment; watershed studies; advocacy; permitting; feasibility studies; nonpoint source pollution; wetland and stream mitigation; water quality; and Clean Water Act and NEPA, as well as various federal and state pollution and waste programs. He is an Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals (ABCEP) Certified Environmental Professional (CEP) by eminence, and also teaches seminars, publishes industry-related and natural resources articles, a member of industry and advisory committees, recipient of numerous awards of recognition, and provides expert testimony and media interviews.

Ms. Dix has 35 years of experience as an environmental manager in the environmental consulting field. Her responsibilities include conducting and oversight of all field studies; wetland delineations and mitigation projects; environmental impact assessments; soils investigations; and, threatened and endangered species’ habitat surveys.

I'm enjoying assessing project sites in the field, i.e., in the thick of the NJ Pinelands year-round! I judge research projects with Sigma Xi (The Scientific Research Honor Society) to help students become better researchers!

I implement my undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate education in the advancement of science (field work & continuing education). Specifically, I apply my Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) expertise and effectively evaluate wetlands, floodplains, hydrologic and hydrogeologic site data pursuant to local, county, state and federal regulations. Most importantly, adhering to local ordinances and coordinating with stakeholders as I serve the public.

Key Qualifications: Ms. Greene has worked professionally in the field of environmental impact analysis and protection, environmental permitting wetlands, endangered and threatened species and ecological restoration for over 46 years.  She has a Masters in Ecology from Rutgers University and a Bachelors in Biology from Boston University.  For over 33 years Ms. Greene was President and Owner of Amy S. Greene Environmental Consultants, Inc., providing professional environmental services to private and public sector clients on over 4,000 projects throughout New Jersey and in 10 other states.  Her She is a long-time member of the Raritan Township Environmental Commission and is also currently a member of the Township Green Team.  She is long-time chair of the Raritan Township Open Space Advisory Committee.

She has presented seminars at universities, professional societies, and conferences.  She has worked with NJDEP on development of updates to Environmental Regulations.  She was is past Board Trustee of The Nature Conservancy New Jersey Chapter and currently co-chair of their Conservancy Council, and a trustee of the NJ Conserve Wildlife Foundation, Chair of the Ride for the River Fundraiser for the Raritan Headwaters Association and co-chair of the Hunterdon Land Trust Dvoor Farm Capital Campaign Committee.  She and her firm were recipients of many environmental awards, including the CIANJ Environmental Leadership Champion Award, the NJ Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award, The Nature Conservancy NJ Chapter Leadership Award and the New Jersey Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s Women and Wildlife Inspiration Award.

A Professional Wetland Scientist and Qualified Bog Turtle Surveyor. Specializing in Wetland Delineation, Herpetological Survey and Botanical Survey.

Catherine Owen Koning is Professor of Environmental Science at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, NH.   She received her B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Bowdoin College, her M.S. in Ecology from the University of California at Davis, and her Ph.D. in Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Koning teaches environmental science, wetland ecology, water resources and sustainability.  Her current research focuses on water quality management in lakes and wetlands. She has recently published a book about wetlands, Wading Right In: Discovering the Nature of Wetlands (University of Chicago Press) and has recently co-authored an on-line open-access education textbook for undergraduates, entitled Saving Biodiversity in a time of Climate Change, available at https://ecologyandevolution.org/SAVING_BIODIVERSITY.pdf  On the Franklin Pierce campus, she helped initiate the Institute for Climate Action, and she serves on the Board of the Monadnock Sustainability Hub; both organizations seek to find and implement solutions to the climate crisis. Dr. Koning lives in Keene NH with her husband Rob, child Lynx and 1 dog and 2 cats.

Over 21 years of experience in natural resource consulting and 12 years of project administration and client coordination.  Responsibilities entail conducting natural resource technical investigations and reporting for resources such as streams, wetlands and threatened and endangered species.  Experienced in freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate, wetland delineations, wetland mitigation plan development, construction and post-construction wetland monitoring, global positioning system (GPS) survey, and ecological assessments for rare, threatened and endangered species.  Experience conducting environmental investigations in Alabama, Connecticut, Illinois, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, and military installations.

I spent 13 years in the private sector as an ecological consultant to the energy , mining, and land development industries. I have a strong background in surface water permits and field delineation of non-tidal freshwater wetlands and streams. My experience in the private sector included compiling permit packages/reports for submission to various state and federal agencies, Threatened and Endangered species and habitat surveys, invasive species surveys, Clean Water Act compliance, and wetland stream mitigation. A large part of my job was educating clients and junior staff on environmental regulations. 

I am currently a Project Manager for the USACE Pittsburgh District in the Programs and Project Management Branch. My main duties include planning, coordinating, and conducting site investigations and preparing appropriate documents and reports in response to Federal and State environmental and cultural resource protection statutes. Conducting inventories of project/study area resources, analyzing the potential impacts of proposed actions, and recommending alternatives to avoid, minimize, or mitigate impacts. In addition, I help ensure that District activities satisfy necessary compliance requirements, such as NEPA and other legislation applicable to more specific resources (wetlands, fish and wildlife habitat, cultural resources, etc.).

JOSEPH M. MCMULLEN, MS, Senior/Emeritus PWS

         Environmental Consultant/Botanist

       joymcmullen2@msn.com

      315-622-1031

Mr. McMullen holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in biology with a concentration in botany.  He has over 45 years experience in environmental consulting.  He has extensive knowledge and experience with environmental permitting in the natural resource fields.  He has over 40 years active experience in wetland study.  His specific expertise in wetlands studies includes:  aerial photograph interpretation; wetland delineations; wetland vegetation cover type mapping; state and federal permitting; wetland restoration/creation planning; wetland construction monitoring; post-construction monitoring of created and restored wetlands; and expert testimony.  Mr. McMullen has been involved in hundreds of wetland studies in New York and adjacent states, and has made numerous presentations on various aspects of wetland permitting and wetland restoration.  He frequently works on projects where negotiations with permitting agencies are involved.  With his expertise in botany, he has also performed numerous vegetation surveys, including endangered and threatened plant surveys, vegetation/habitat cover mapping, and descriptions of plant communities.  Mr. McMullen has considerable mapping experience using CIR, true color, and black and white imagery.  He has performed wildlife habitat studies, herpetological surveys, and fisheries work on various projects.  His experience includes work in Alaska, Florida, Puerto Rico, and all the northeastern states from Michigan to Virginia to Maine.

Education

M.S. Biology/Botany, West Virginia University, 1974.

B.S. Biology, Saint Francis College, 1971.

Work Experience

Self Employed, Environmental Consultant/Botanist – 2012 to Present.

Terrestrial Environmental Specialists, Inc., Principal Environmental Scientist – 1976 to2012.  

One of Founders and President of the company.  Retired, 2012.

Environmental Analysts, Inc., Environmental Scientist - 1974 to 1975.

Rochester Institute of Technology, Adjunct Professor. - 2004 to 2011; 2018

Marnie J. Niederhofer is Senior Biologist at Water’s Edge Environmental, LLC. Her expertise includes freshwater and coastal wetland delineations, dune delineations, wetland mitigation design and monitoring, wildlife and plant surveys, habitat identification, and report preparation with reference to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for pre-purchase assessment, permit analysis and development feasibility of properties. 

Marnie is a graduate of Stockton University with a Professional Science Masters (PSM) as well as certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist, (PWS) through the Society of Wetlands Scientists and a Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) from the Society of Ecological Restoration. Marnie is a PADI Certified Diver and Underwater Naturalist as well as serves on the City of Ocean City Environmental Commission.

https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/gregory-noe

Habitat Researcher, NEIWPCC

Mr. Page has over thirty-five years of experience as a Project Manager/Biologist that has worked for the natural gas and environmental/engineering consulting industries, as well as for non-profit organizations performing natural resource investigations (wetland delineations and stream assessments); rare, threatened, and endangered species surveys; wetland and stream mitigation/restoration design; permitting; compliance; site/right-of-way (ROW) restoration; and permit closure activities.

SPWS #001101

Kimberli Ponzio has over 36 years of experience working in Florida wetlands as an Environmental Scientist for two water management districts in the state of Florida, USA.  Kim has been certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist for 25+ years, finding it important to ensure stakeholders from public, academic, and consultancy sectors that she has the education, work history, and skill-set necessary to deliver professional wetland services, and that she is committed to upholding a high standard of ethical behavior.  Kim has been involved in leadership with the Society of Wetland Scientists since 2007, was SWS President in 2015, President of the SWS Professional Certification Program (SWSPCP) in 2020, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the SWSPCP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.  Kim is actively involved in helping to globalize the SWSPCP by making the Program accessible to qualified individuals, regardless of geography or financial standing.  Kim’s approach has always been one of a collaborative spirit, which she believes is one of the most powerful mechanisms to further the cause of conserving, restoring, and protecting wetlands.

Senior Environmental Scientist with over seventeen years of experience working as a consultant in eastern Pennsylvania. Professionally skilled in wetland delineation, wetland mitigation monitoring, environmental permitting, habitat assessments, threatened and endangered species surveys, phase I environmental site assessments, limnological studies, and water quality monitoring. 

Charles Schutte earned a B.S. in Environmental Science and a B.S. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2007 and a PhD in Marine Science from the University of Georgia in 2018. He went on to a postdoctoral scientist position at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen, Germany and later returned to the United States as a research scientist at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. He has been an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science at Rowan University since 2019 where he teaches field methods and oceanography courses. As a biogeochemist, his work is focused on understanding how nutrients and greenhouse gases cycle through aquatic environments and how these cycles are likely to shift in response to global environmental alterations like climate change and sea-level rise.

Matt is a retired federal wetlands ecologist and wildlife biologist. He is the Principal at his firm, Wetland Strategies and Solutions, LLC (WSS), where he provides policy, regulatory and technical advice and assistance for clients seeking to navigate a wide range of regulatory and non-regulatory issues related to wetlands and other aquatic resources. He works throughout the U.S.

He spent nearly 33 years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at both its Headquarters office and New England Region office in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to retiring from federal service, he served concurrently as Chief of the New England Region’s Wetlands Protection Program, as Senior Mediator with the Region’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Program, and as the Agency’s representative on the International Joint Commission’s International St. Croix River Watershed Board. During his entire tenure with the New England Region, Matt also served as the Region's Senior Wetlands Ecologist.

He is a nationally recognized expert in the federal Clean Water Act’s Section 404 Program. Matt served on national work groups developing federal guidance and regulations on Clean Water Act jurisdiction, and agriculture and enforcement issues.  He also testified before federal grand juries and served several times as an expert witness on wetland regulatory and technical matters at both federal and state levels.

Matt has extensive experience with coastal and inland wetlands and other aquatic resource issues for major projects involving transportation, energy, agriculture, commercial and port development, and hazardous waste cleanup. He has taught courses in wetland regulation, restoration, wetland ecology, and wetland identification and delineation for EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers, the New England states, Northeastern University, and many other organizations. 

Special Areas of expertise: Wetlands Function Values, Delineation, Mitigation, Permitting, Ecology & Landscape Ecology, Expert Witness, Regulatory, Soils, Stream Restoration.

Ms. Shearer is a Natural Resources Project Manager. She has a diverse background including conducting rare, threatened, and endangered plant surveys and wetland and stream delineations. She is a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP), Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), and maintains a valid Pennsylvania Wild Plant Management Permit. She is qualified to conduct running buffalo clover surveys in Ohio.

Ms. Shearer also prepares Pennsylvania Chapter 105 Water Obstruction and Encroachment Permit application packages, Joint Chapter 105/Section 404 Permit Applications (JPAs), Nationwide Permit application packages, West Virginia Stream Activity Permits, and Critical Issues Analysis. She coordinates with state and federal agencies on projects and facilitates meetings between agencies and clients.

Ms. Shearer is safety-orientated and ensures her team follows all safety procedures, including client-specific requirements. 

Jason Smith is a Senior Scientist and Project Manager for Hanover Engineering. He is also certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist.  Jason specializes in surface water resource management, including wetlands, lake and watershed management, stream restoration, land preservation, environmental planning, and stormwater management. Jason received his BS degree in Environmental Resource Management from the Pennsylvania State University, focusing on water resource management.

Jason is a Township Supervisor and Chairman of the Environmental Advisory Council in Bushkill Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.  He has served terms with the Pennsylvania Lake Management Society, Education Committee for the North American Lake Management Society, Northeast Aquatic Plant Management Society, and the Society of Wetland Scientists (currently on the Wetlands of Distinction Committee).

Lorie Staver is an ecologist at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Horn Point Laboratory (UMCES HPL).  Her focus is on restoration of nearshore and subtidal habitats to promote coastal resilience, estuarine water quality and carbon sequestration.  Her work has focused on the role of nutrients in the restoration and sustainability of marsh and submersed aquatic vegetation communities.  Current work includes tidal marsh restoration at the Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island and studies of the ecosystem services provided by living shorelines.

Alani Taylor has had a career in environmental regulation and research in freshwater entomology that exposed her to intricacies of watershed dynamics. She contributes her ecology knowledge base to sound environmental management and planning. Alani is proud to be an environmental regulatory specialist since 2009, first with the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement and now with the Army Corps of Engineers, in a way that effectively incorporates her science-based education and experience. She also applies her valuing of freshwater resources outside of the workplace, and has been thanked, as a member of Society of Wetland Scientists and as a volunteer in biomonitoring efforts for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy and the Allegheny Land Trust. She even donates her research mind to a professor at the local Chatham University as an adjunct researcher. As a member of two committees with the Society of Wetland Scientists (and previous chair of one), she spearheaded initiatives to increase underrepresented membership by launching events like the “Value of Human and Cultural Diversity to Wetland Scientists” workshop (2021), speaks by invitation on topics such as “Outreach in the Community” (2020), and has mentored students.

Environmental Specialist with Georgia Power Company supporting wetland and environmental permitting needs for the utility construction and maintenance requirements of the company.

B.S. in Environmental Biology from Manhattan University (1974). Ph.D. in Ecology (Wetlands) from Rutgers University (1981). Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology - Rider College, Mercer County Community College, and College of New Jersey (1980-1984). Chief of Surveillance and Enforcement, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, Philadelphia District (1984-1987), Director of Ecological Services, Najarian Associates (1987-1992), Colliers Engineering & Design (Formerly Maser Consulting)(Director of Ecological Services 1992-2002, Division Director for Geo-Environmental Services 2002-2024, Technical Director for Natural Resources Services - Currently) 

Dr. Wilcox is a wetland ecologist who retired from the U.S. Geological Survey in 2008 to accept a position at Brockport in his native western New York State.  He had also recently retired from his role as Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal Wetlands after a 20-year tenure.  His research on wetlands has spanned the Great Lakes basin and focused primarily on interactions of wetland plant communities and hydrology, including the role of climate change and the effects of lake-level regulation.  He was a major contributor in the International Joint Commission study on regulation of Lake Ontario/St. Lawrence River levels and flows.  He was the Lake Ontario/eastern Lake Erie lead on a large study funded by the USEPA that initiated a wetland monitoring program for all Great Lakes wetlands.  His research also focused on developing wetland restoration methodologies for use in Lake Ontario wetlands and implementing them in the field. He took his second retirement in 2020 and continues work on journal manuscripts relating to his research.

38 Years of Natural Resources Experience; Mid-Atlantic; VA,MD, NC; Floristics Expert