The New England Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to fostering conservation and understanding of wetland issues in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The objectives of the New England Chapter of the SWS are:
- To operate solely and exclusively as a non-profit and educational organization to foster conservation and understanding of wetland issues of particular interest to New England.
- Advance public education and enlightenment concerning New England's wetland resources.
- Provide an independent forum for interchange of ideas and data focusing on wetland science in New England.
- Develop and encourage wetland science as a distinct discipline by supporting student education, curriculum development, and research in New England.
- Encourage and evaluate the educational, scientific, and technological development and advancement of all branches of wetland science and practice with a focus on New England wetlands and issues.
- Encourage the knowledgeable management of wetland resources of New England.
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Please contact us for further information about the SWS NE Chapter.
New England Chapter
A.Z. Arietta
Bryan Bayer
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.
Timothy Bishop
As a wetland ecologist, Timothy Bishop is currently serving the Town of Fairfield as the Director of the Conservation Department charged with managing the Town's natural resources.
With over 20 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry, Timothy Bishop has a broad range of experience managing environmental investigation and remediation projects throughout New York, New Jersey and Connecticut in both the residential and commercial sectors. Aside from his current duties in natural resources, Mr. Bishop has performed and managed environmental site assessments, soil, groundwater and air quality investigations, remedial system design and monitoring and remediation, including soil excavation and in-situ techniques. He also conducted wetlands delineations and HBM surveys/asbestos inspections (NY and CT).
Mr. Bishop’s service to his Town has also resulted in his appointment and election to various natural resource Commissions/Boards related to Conservation and Inland Wetlands and is currently serving as Vice Chair of the Town of Ridgefield Inland Wetlands Board. He also volunteers additional time on the Certification Review Board for the Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals. In addition to volunteering, holds certification as a Professional Wetland Scientist, Certified Ecologist and Certified Environmental Professional.
Juli Crane
Ms. Crane is a Principal Wetland Specialist with the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission (SMC) in Lake County, Illinois, where she reviews permit applications for wetland impacts, helps administers Lake County’s Wetland Restoration Fund, and manages various SMC grants. Before joining the SMC, she worked as a consultant primarily in the Intermountain West and Midwest. With a B.S. in Wildlife and Range Resources and an M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife, Juli has over 30 years (yikes!) of experience playing with water, dirt (soil, for you purists), and plants… and forging paper trails. She has an alphabet soup of professional creds that get trotted out as needed, including Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS), Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), and Certified Ecological Restoration Professional (CERP).
Karina Dailey
Karina Dailey is a Restoration Ecologist for Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC). In this position, she is responsible for running VNRC’s dam removal program and contributing her scientific knowledge and expertise to policy issues around the conservation and restoration of Vermont’s waters. Prior to joining VNRC, Karina worked as a Senior Ecologist at Trudell Consulting Engineers (TCE) in Williston, overseeing the ecology department and managing all-natural resource-related projects and providing expert testimony. Formerly, Dailey was a Project Manager for the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District and a Restoration Ecologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Intervale Nursery. Before moving to Vermont, she taught environmental science and worked in conservation in the Greater Yellowstone area in Wyoming.
Karina holds a Masters in Environmental Science from Antioch University New England, and a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Sociology from St. Lawrence University. She is a Certified Wetland Scientist and Wildlife Biologist. Karina lives with her family in Jericho and enjoys every opportunity for outdoor exploration.
Paul Davis
Dr. Davis is an Ecologist and Ecological Restoration Specialist with a forty-year career in professional consulting. He obtained his PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Rhode Island with a research emphasis in marine ecosystems, also receiving Masters Degrees in Zoology and Environmental Policy. He maintains professional certifications as a Professional Wetland Scientist, Certified Professional Soil Scientist and Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner which are central to his practice and experience with wetland and aquatic resources, ecological restoration, soil science, water quality, mitigation design and permitting. At GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc., based in Massachusetts, Dr. Davis was Principal of Ecological Services 2009-2019 and Technical Practice Lead for natural resource and ecological services, networking and helping to develop the skills of over 60 professional scientists. Over the course of his career, he managed and implemented numerous large-scale interdisciplinary projects encompassing a wide diversity of wetland and aquatic resource affected projects, and their permitting processes at the local, state and federal levels; including highway, rail, airport, utility, retail development, facility construction, recreation, natural resource management, and site remediation projects. He has served as an expert witness in numerous judicial, arbitration, and regulatory enforcement cases. He is also active with the Society of Ecological Restoration (SER) since 2017 and has served on the board of certification, reviewing new applicants for certification. He helped develop several teaching modules for the 2020 SER Principles and Standards for Ecological Restoration. He has authored >60 professional publications and presentations over the course of his career.
Kenneth Deshais
Lauren Healey
Lauren attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she received a degree in natural resource conservation. Upon graduating she worked for the Parker River NWR controlling invasive species and assisting with pilot marsh restoration work. Her love of backpacking then led her out to Oregon where she worked for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and later the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) leading wetland restoration projects. Today, she is a regional coordinator for the National Wetland Inventory Team and helps ensure high quality wetland data across the US.
Maureen Herald
I perform wetland and riverfront delineations, vernal pool assessments, wildlife habitat evaluations, wetland restoration and mitigation projects. I provide construction overview, stormwater and erosion control monitoring and soil evaluations. I represent homeowners, engineers and developers at conservation commission meetings, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) site walks and appeals, provide expert testimony in the DEP adjudicatory hearings, enforcement and litigation issues.
I file federal, state and local permits to the appropriate regulatory authority. The federal permits include U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (GP - Self-Verification Notification Form, Pre-Construction Notification, and Individual Permits) and Environmental Protection Agency (NPDES - Construction General Permits, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans and Stormwater Construction Site Inspections). The state permits include the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (Environmental Notification Forms & Environmental Impacts Reports), Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (Information Requests, Pre-filing Consultations & Conservation & Management Permits) and Chapter 91 licenses. The state/local permits include (ANRADs, RDAs, NOIs, Insignificant Changes, Amendments, Certificate of Compliances, Extensions, Appeals, Adjudicatory Proceedings, Enforcement & Litigation Issues).
Catherine Koning
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.
Micaela Leandro
Christian Marks Ph.D.
Stacy Minihane
Stacy is a Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) and Principal at Beals and Thomas, Inc. (B+T). She leads B+T’s Planning and Environmental Services Discipline and has extensive experience in local, state, and federal land use and environmental permitting processes, wetland science and environmental research, and she is adept at the preparation and oversight of complex reports and permitting documentation.
Stacy actively reviews and comments on proposed regulatory changes, and has coordinated extensively with various local, state, and federal regulatory agencies about such changes, including involvement in technical advisory committees. She is engaged in various regulatory and resiliency initiatives, including previously serving on MassDEP’s Stormwater Management Updates Technical Advisory Committee on behalf of the Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists. Stacy is currently serving as the President of the Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists (AMWS) as well as on the board of the Environmental Business Council of New England. She is also an MVP Certified Provider.
Stacy routinely provides project peer review services for various Conservation Commissions in Massachusetts and has also acted as an on-call Consulting Agent in several municipalities. She is a former member of her community’s Conservation Commission and is engaged with her community's Open Space and Recreation Plan Committee.
Heidi Ricci
E. Heidi Ricci is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Mass Audubon, with decades of experience in environmental policy and community engagement. She co-authored Losing Ground: Nature's Value in a Changing Climate and created tools and programs to assist communities in building climate resilience through nature-based solutions including wetland restoration and low-impact development. Ms. Ricci holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Tufts and an M.S. degree from Antioch University New England. She serves on the Nashua River Wild & Scenic Stewardship Council and on the Boards of the Citizen Planner Training Collaborative, Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions, and the Massachusetts Rivers Alliance. She has also served on numerous state advisory committees and working groups. She has received several awards including an Environmental Merit Award from EPA Region I.
Joseph Schubauer-Berigan Ph.D.
Matthew Schweisberg
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.
Jeffrey Shamas
Special Areas of expertise: Wetlands Function Values, Delineation, Mitigation, Permitting, Ecology & Landscape Ecology, Expert Witness, Regulatory, Soils, Stream Restoration.
Michael Sheehan
Happily Retired
BS Biology, MS Entomology, New England Regional Soil Science Certificate. Professional Wetland Scientist (Emeritus). Formerly, I was active as an applied biologist, wetland scientist, & practicing soil scientist.
SWS New England Chapter
Jessica Townsend
2024 Society of Wetland Scientists New England Chapter Scholarship
Congratulations to Kelly McCusker of Antioch University New England on being awarded the Society of Wetland Scientists New England Chapter Scholarship!
REGISTER NOW: tinyurl.com/swsne2022
Call for Nominations for Board of Directors
The New England Chapter is seeking nominations for President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Secretary. If you're interested in one of these roles, complete this form no later than September 15.
Looking to get involved but not ready for the Board of Directors?
We are looking for volunteers to help with an Awards Committee, an Annual Meeting committee, an Educational Committee, and a Nominating Committee. If you're interested, email me at iehegemann@gmail.com and April Doroski at adoroski@fando.com.
- Awards Committee: Coordinate with the office to send out Call for Awards and notices of availability of student grants or scholarships. Help review applications for Awards and Student Scholarships. Attend annual meetings and present Awards and/or Scholarships. Coordinate with applicants and winners. See SWS-NE web page for an example.
- Annual Meeting Committee: Develop Annual Meeting Topic, Coordinate with Board of Directors, find location (we try to rotate between the New England states), put out a call for speakers and review submissions, put out a call for Posters and review applications, coordinate logistics (field trip, hotel, venue, food).
- Education Committee: This committee will participate with the Annual Meeting Committee but will also develop educational activities on its own. In the past, SWS NE has conducted field trips in different states and we're looking to continue that, or conduct educational activities in conjunction with peer groups (state wetland associations, etc). Define this committee yourself and have fun being wetland scientists!
- Nominating Committee: We will need a Nominating Committee for the 2023 Board of Directors vote. This committee issues the call for nominations, reviews applications and makes recommendations for Annual Meeting vote.
2021 Student Research Grant Award Announcement
Objective: To encourage and support graduate and undergraduate research in wetland science, policy, and management within the SWS New England Chapter area.
Grant Award: One award of up to $2,000 will be given to an undergraduate or graduate student submitting the best proposal for wetland related research to be conducted in 2022. The grant will be awarded within 30 days of selection and formal acceptance by the awardee.
Requirements: All research projects must be conducted in New England. Papers and/or presentations based on the funded research must acknowledge the support of SWS-New England. SWS-New England strongly encourages presentation of the results of this research at its Annual Chapter Meeting in the fall of 2022. In lieu of presentation, a report of the research results must be submitted by August 31, 2022. If this research is part of a larger project, partial results are acceptable.
Students must submit their application by email in a single, consolidated document—pdf format—to the contacts listed below. Go to Application Form for the required information.
Applications must be received no later than April 30, 2021.
Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Process/Schedule: The proposals will be reviewed by the Student Awards Committee of SWS-NE for relevance, clarity of hypotheses, suitability of methods, feasibility, and qualifications of the applicant. All applicants will be notified of the decision no later than June 30, 2021.
Contacts: All applications should be emailed to:
Meredith Avery mavery@vhb.com 781-308-5317
Matt Schweisberg matt@wetlandsns.com 508-783-6026
April Doroski adoroski@tighebond.com 215-620-9689
Contact Meredith, April or Matt for more information.
Support Student Research
February 5, 2018
Our New England Chapter of SWS will hold a raffle at the upcoming Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists Annual Meeting (March 8, 2018) to benefit our student research grant fund. We are requesting donated items to offer in the raffle. Last year we had a number of great books. This year we currently have two $50 gift certificates (Cabela's and REI). One was donated by our New England Chapter. Donated items can be sent to Tony who will be staffing a table at this event:
Tony Federici
c/o Kleinschmidt
35 Pratt Street
Suite 201
Essex, CT 06426
Phone: (860) 718-0295
New version released of Field Indicators for Identifying Hydric Soils in New England
The New England Hydric Soil Technical Committee (NEHSTC) has completed Version 4 of the Field Indicators for Identifying Hydric Soils in New England. This version supersedes older versions of the Indicators and is approved for use in New England (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island). This version is a working copy for wetland and soil scientists to use in the field for wetland ID and delineation. A copy will be published through the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission in the fall of 2017. Learn more on the NEHSTC website.
2017 Student Research Grant Award
To stimulate and support graduate and undergraduate research in wetland science, policy and management within the New England Chapter area.
Grant Award:
One award of up to $1,000 will be given to an undergraduate or graduate student submitting the best proposal for wetland-related research to be conducted in 2017. The grant will be awarded within 30 days of selection and formal acceptance by the awardee.
Requirements:
All research projects must be conducted in New England. Papers based on the funded research must acknowledge the support of SWS-New England. SWS-New England strongly encourages the presentation of the results of this research at its Annual Chapter Meeting in the spring of 2018. In lieu of presentation, a report of the research results must be submitted by February 28, 2018. If this research is part of a larger project, partial results are acceptable.
Process/Schedule:
The proposals will be reviewed by the Student Awards Committee of SWS-NE for relevance, clarity of hypotheses, the suitability of methods, feasibility and qualifications of the applicant. All applicants will be notified of the decision no later than March 24, 2017. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
Fall Newsletter - Oct 2015
The newly elected SWS New England Executive Board is hard at work organizing our chapter conference meeting for the spring, looking into informative and exciting workshops and field trips and finding ways to build the chapter membership through social media, student chapters and our new quarterly newsletter.
Check out our Fall chapter newsletter introducing the Board. You will also find articles from our student members as well as information on upcoming field trips.
SWS 2015 Annual Meeting hosted by the New England Chapter
The SWS New England Chapter was a proud host of the 2015 SWS Annual Meeting. This ground-breaking conference was held in Providence, Rhode Island and examined the role that wetlands play in the global carbon cycle, how wetlands provide climate adaptation services and how wetlands are being impacted by our changing climate. This meeting was very well attended - over 650 attendees gathered to share their research and love of wetlands.
New England Chapter 2014 Technical Conference and Annual Meeting
The SWS New England Chapter was reinvigorated with its 2014 Technical Conference and Annual Meeting held at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA on May 1. This meeting was well attended, with chapter members from a wide range of backgrounds, including government, academia and consulting. Click here to access meeting abstracts.
Annual Chapter Conference & Field Trip: Restoration in the Face of Climate Change
October 6, 2023 at the Pompositticut Community Center
The day will begin at the Pompositticut Community Center in Stow, MA with an update on SWS-NE initiatives since the 2022 Conference, and two presentations to set the scene for the field trip. During the field trip at Stow Acres Country Club, we will examine filled wetlands proposed for restoration to a wet meadow and stream complex. Filled wetlands will be evaluated via soil test pits and soil IRIS tubes. Following the field trip, we’ll venture back to the Community Center, enjoy lunch and a field trip recap discussion, and the final three presentations.
Please contact April Doroski (adoroski@fando.com, 413-282-7008) with any questions.
SCHEDULE
- 8:30-9:00 - Registration & Light Breakfast
- 9:00-9:15 - Opening Remarks and Business Meeting
- 9:15-9:45 - David Hilgeman, Senior Environmental Engineer, MassDEP Massachusetts Inland Wetland Replacement Guidelines – BVW Manual
- 9:45-10:15 - Kathy Sferra, Conservation Director, Town of Stow, Stow Acres: From Plan to Action
- 10:15-12:30 - Stow Acres Field Trip
- 12:30-2:00 - Field Trip Debrief & Lunch - At the Community Center
- 2:00-2:30 - Matt Burne, Senior Ecologist, BSC Group, Inc, Planning Restoration and Resiliency on the Stow Acres Golf Course
- 2:30-3:00 - Madeliene Meadows-McDonnell, PhD Candidate, University of Connecticut, How does texture of added sediment affect carbon sequestration of restored coastal salt marshes?
- 3:00-3:15 - Break & Light Refreshments
- 3:15-3:45 - David Wong, MassDEP, Freshwater Invasive Species in Massachusetts in the Face of Climate Change
Getting Your Feet Wet as A Wetland Scientist Panel Discussion
February 24, 2023 at the University of Connecticut
This program will facilitate a dialogue between panelists and participants about career experiences across industries. Students, young professionals, and those curious about the variety of career options as a wetland scientist are strongly encouraged to join.
Brought to you by: Society of Wetland Scientists – New England Chapter, Environmental Business Council, and Natural Resources Conservation Academy (NRCA) at the University of Connecticut.
2022 New England Chapter Annual Meeting and Conference
The Role of Wetlands in Climate Resilience
AGENDA
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8:00-8:30 |
Registration, coffee and continental breakfast |
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8:30-8:45 |
Opening Remarks & SWS NE Business Meeting: Dwight Dunk, SWS-NE Chapter President |
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8:45-9:30 |
Evaluating thin layer placement in Long Island Sound marshes using a multi-scale approach |
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9:30-10:15 |
Design of an Innovative Gated Bridge to Support Restoration of the Herring River and its Historic Salt Marshes |
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10:15-10:45 |
AM Break |
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10:45–11:30 |
Effects of historic and on-going phosphorus inputs from treated wastewater effluent on a freshwater emergent marsh, Rindge NH |
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11:30–12:15 |
Come Rain, Come Shine: Methane Cycling and Emissions in a New Hampshire Peatland Under Drought and Heavy Rain |
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12:15–1:15 |
Lunch |
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1:15–3:00 |
Field Trip: Living Shorelines at Wagon Hill Farm, Durham NH |
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3:00–5:00 |
PM Refreshments at the University of New Hampshire |
2021 New England Annual Chapter Meeting
The theme this year was: Long-Term Success / Successional Trends Of Wetland Restorations.
The Virtual Annual Meeting and Conference was scheduled for Friday, September 17, 2021.
The field trip was scheduled for Saturday, September 25, 2021 in Vermont – St. Albans area.
Virtual Meeting - September 17th
10:00 - 10:15 - Welcome
10:15 - 10:30 - Annual Meeting
10:30 - 11:30 - Presentations 1 & 2
11:30 - 11:45 - Break / Networking
11:45 - 12:45 - Presentations 3 & 4
12:45 - 1:00 - Closing Remarks and Adjournment
Registration is free.
Field Trip in Vermont - September 25th
More Information to Come
9am-3pm
Limit of 25 participants
Hotel Block
Hampton Inn St. Albans
43 Lake Street
St. Albans, VT 05478
Cost: $209 Room Block Name: Society of Wetland Scientists
Reservation cut off date is: August 25th
http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/groups/personalized/B/BTVSAHX-WET-20210923/index.jhtml
Registration cost is $25
2020 New England Virtual Annual Chapter Meeting
October 30, 2020 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (ET)
Keynote Speakers
Gillian Davies, PWS, BSC Group, Inc.
Paul Minkin, PhD, US Army Corps of Engineers
May 2018: Coastal Restoration in the Face of Climate Change - Rhode Island
On Friday, May 4, there was a field trip to examine salt marsh restoration through thin layer deposition projects at two National Wildlife Refuges. The program started at 10:00 am with a presentation followed by a restoration site visit to the John H. Chafee National Wildlife Refuge for lunch (provided), followed by restoration viewing and discussion.
On Saturday, May 5 was a full day of conference talks and networking opportunities at Save the Bay Conference Center. The day included presentations on the previous day’s field trip, living shoreline design, IPCC update on salt marsh response to climate change, salt marsh restoration at Plum Island Ecosystems LTER and more. Additionally, we had an update from our 2017 student grant winner on the impacts of road salt on the function and structure of forested wetlands. We also gave an update on current SWS activities, at the international and chapter level, and announce the 2018 student grant recipients.
May 2017: Wetland/Aquatic Restoration Success and Failures - Maine
On Friday, May 5, there was a field trip to look at the good, bad, and ugly of wetland mitigation. First, the attendees visited a mitigation site in Sanford that failed and learned about the site that replaced itt. Later they headed to Westbrook and Scarborough to see other sites and discussed how they are better - or not? - than the morning site.
On Saturday, May 6, the full-day meeting featured talks focused on wetland restoration sites, the Connecticut In-Lieu Fee program, Vernal Pool conservation and land use, wetland restoration in a changing climate and more. The meeting featured posters and a chance to learn about activities and opportunities within the SWS NE Chapter. The day ended with an optional field trip on the University of New England campus to see a constructed wetland. Learn more about the full meeting program.
September 2016: Hydrologic Considerations in Wetland Restoration –Vermont
The New England Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists hosted a trip, led by USDA Wetland Specialist, James Eikenberry. We visited several excellent sites that are closely located to one another in Brandon, Sudbury, and Leicester, VT. Eikenberry highlighted a wide range of wetland areas; some had been restored for several years and we're doing well, others had been restored for several years, but needed invasive plant control (possibly with some restoration planned for this summer), and lastly some sites that were new and in need of full planning and future funding. Interestingly, this is the only site with active hydrology manipulation used for waterfowl management.
July 2016: River Floodplains - Vermont
The New England Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists visited Northern Vermont floodplain forest communities and learned of the efforts by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to restore floodplain forests. Led by Christian O. Marks, Floodplain Ecologist with TNC, we visited two locations (Maidstone and Lemmington, VT) and spent the day studying floodplain forest patches, point bars and oxbow wetlands. We learned of the ecological relationships between species distribution and flooding, sediment deposition and floodplain forest succession.
We then visited floodplain forest restoration areas, reviewing stream buffer plantings and comparing natural regeneration in old hay and cornfields. The plantings included field trials of American elm-crosses that were part of a collaboration between TNC and the USDA FS to develop new cultivars of the American elm that would have greater disease tolerance and other desirable traits.
State Wetland Scientists Organizations
- Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists
- Maine Association of Wetland Scientists
- Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientist
- New Hampshire Association of Natural Resource Scientists
- Society of Soil Scientists of Southern New England
- Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
- Society of Soil Scientists of Northern New England
Wetland Related Links
- Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program
- Invasive Plant Atlas of New England
- Go Botany, New England Wildflower Society
- NEIWPCC Hydric Soil Indicators
- FWS NE Wetland Inventory
- Assoc. of State Wetland Managers
- New England District USACE
- National Wetland Plant List
- EPA Wetlands
- Environmental Law Institute
- USDA NRCS Wetlands
- USGS National Wetland Research Center
2023 - Bordering Vegetated Wetlands Delineation Handbook Roundtable
A Virtual Roundtable on the new Bordering Vegetated Wetlands Delineation Handbook was co-hosted by the New England Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists and Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists on July 18, 2023. The slides from that roundtable are linked below:
- Update of the BVW Delineation Handbook Vegetation and Other Indicators of Hydrology by Scott Jackson
- BVW Delineation Handbook 2022 Updates: Hydric Soils by Deborah Henson
- Massachusetts Handbook for Delineation of Bordering Vegetated Wetlands by David Helgeman
