Pacific Northwest Chapter
Click here to access the Pacific Northwest Chapter bylaws.
PNW Chapter Lifetime Achievement & Leadership Awards
Past Award Winners
2002 – Andy McMillan, Washington State Department of Ecology (Lifetime Achievement)
2004 – Dyanne Sheldon, Sheldon & Associates and Suki Cupp, CH2MHill (Co-chairs of the 2004 25th Anniversary and International SWS meeting in Seattle) (Lifetime Achievement)
2010 - Yvonne Vallette, EPA Region 10 (Leadership)
2014 - Tom Hruby, Washington State Dept of Ecology (Lifetime Achievement)
2014 - Jim Wiggins, Aqua-Terr Systems, Inc. (Leadership)
Purpose of Awards – To honor individuals and/or groups that have performed outstanding service and dedication in leading and promoting the functions and activities of the Pacific Northwest Chapter of SWS.
Recipients – Chapter members who have made generous contributions of their time, skills and services in accomplishing the Chapter and SWS organization’s mission and objectives. Recipients should serve as a model to the Chapter’s membership in their demonstration of exceptional leadership abilities and perseverance in advancing the efforts of the Chapter. Their leadership abilities showcase the art of inspiring and motivating others to realize their personal/professional and collective best. Consistent with the objectives of the SWS organization, the recipient of this award has consistently demonstrated one or more of these qualities in their contributions to the field of wetland science and to the Chapter’s membership:
- Commitment to the Organization
- Ability to Translate the Organization’s Vision and Mission into Action
- An Effective Communicator
- A Relationship Builder
- A Motivator
- A Collaborator
- A Problem Solver
- Retiring (Lifetime Achievement Award only)
To submit a nomination for these awards, please contact any Pacific Northwest Chapter Board member to submit your nomination with a brief write-up that addresses the nominee’s qualities in addressing the above award standards. Submittal should include:
- Your name, contact information (address, email and phone);
- Name of the nominee, organization or affiliation; contact information (address, email and phone – they will not be contacted during the review process); years they have been a member of the PNW Chapter (estimate if you don’t know).
- Brief description of the actions or attributes of the nominee and how you see that they fit the positive attributes above. Provide examples of leadership efforts, courses taught, actions taken, years of service, etc.
- Names and contact information (address, email and phone) for at least two other PNW Chapter members who are knowledgeable of the nominee and their contributions. You must have permission to provide these names as supporters of this nomination.
McMillan Student Scholarship Awards
The McMillan Student Scholarship Awards are to encourage student participation at our regional and national meetings. The Awards are named in honor of Andy McMillan in recognition of his outstanding service and dedication in leading and promoting the functions and activities of SWS-PNW. Awards can be used for travel, hotel and conference registration costs.
Eligibility: Awards are open to currently registered graduate and undergraduate students, regardless of location. Preference is given to students living, performing research or attending a university within the SWS-PNW region (WA, OR, ID, and AK).
Student Opportunities
SWS Research Awards
The Pacific Northwest Chapter sponsors one to two annual research awards as a part of the Society’s larger research grant program. The call for awards is generally made alongside the national research grant programs and is due early each winter. Students from the Chapter’s region of WA, OR, ID, and AK are encouraged to apply. For more information, please see the SWS Awards and Grants page:http://www.sws.org/Awards-and-Grants/student-research-grants.html.
SWS Multicultural Mentoring Program (SWaMMP)
The Pacific Northwest Chapter is proud to support the diversity and education initiatives of the SWS Multicultural Mentoring Program. These awards are offered for student researchers across the U.S. who come from historically underrepresented groups in wetland science. Students are selected by the SWAMMP selection committee and funds to support students are given directly to the program by the Chapter. For more information on SWAMMP, please visit http://www.sws.org/Awards-and-Grants/sws-undergraduate-mentoring-program-swammp.html.
If students, mentors, or Pacific Northwest Chapter members have any questions about any chapter awards, please contact the SWS PNW board at pnwchapter.sws@gmail.com.
The Washington Chapter of the Wildlife Society, the Society of Northwestern Vertebrate Biology, and Northwest Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation are hosting a joint meeting in April 2023. You can learn more about the schedule and submit presentation, workshop, panel discussions, program cover art, and symposia proposals here.
The SWS Annual Meeting will be held in Spokane, WA from June 27-30, 2023. See the Annual Meetings webpage for more information.
May is American Wetland Month
https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/may-american-wetlands-month
https://www.fws.gov/wetlands-month
https://nationaltoday.com/american-wetlands-month/
2022 Conference (Lacey, WA)
On November 3, 2022 the PNW Chapter held an all day, in-person conference at the Lacey Community Center in Lacey, Washington. The hall was packed with enthusiastic wetland scientists with over 100 in attendance. A great lineup of speakers presented on scientific, management, and regulatory topics from all over our region. The schedule of events is included below. Also the conference attendees contact info and PDFs of the presentation slides are available to download below.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
8:45am Opening (kick off board elections) PNW board
9:00am Policy Wake-Up Session
Rick Mraz, WA Ecology. What's new at Ecology? Policy and Guidance Updates (30 min)
Melody Rudenko. Oregon Department of State Lands. Oregon’s Function-Based Mitigation Accounting for Wetlands (30 min)
10-10:10am Break
10-10:50am Current Research Updates
Zoe Rosenblum, OSU. Global perspective: new database for transboundary wetlands governance (10 min)
Joe Rudolph, Wolf Water Resources. Monitoring Large Scale Restoration with Applied Remote Sensing (10 min)
Lee Lynn Michel. Diet of Introduced American Bullfrog after Five Years of Control in a Temperate Forest Wetland System Southwestern Washington (20min)
10:50-11:00am Break
11:00am Speakers
Neil Molstad, WA Ecology. The Washington Tool for Online Ratings: Getting into the WATOR (45 min)
Nicole Jacobsen. WA Department of Natural Resources. The role of internal consultation and external outreach in managing wetlands on forest trust lands in Washington State (15 min)
12:00-1:15pm Lunch and Raffle
1:15-2:30pm Oregon Spotted Frog Session
F. Teal Waterstrat USFWS. Oregon Spotted Frog Introduction (10 min)
Stephen Nyman, Whatcom Land Trust (30min)
Habitat restoration for the threatened Oregon spotted frog in an emergent wetland dominated by reed canarygrass at the Samish river preserve, Whatcom County, Washington
Cassie Doll, Nick George, (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), Mara Healy (Thurston Conservation District), Melissa Habenicht, Sarah Hamman (EcoStudies Institute). Livestock Grazing as a Tool for Managing Oregon Spotted Frog Oviposition Habitat (30 min)
2:30-2:45pm Break
2:45-3:30pm Data Analysis Session
Dana Hicks, Oregon Department of State Lands. Trend study of wetlands and land use in the Willamette Valley between 2005 and 2020(30 min)
Scott Luchessa, Seattle City Light. The results of a pilot wetland enhancement project at Boundary Dam. (20 min)
3:30pm Closing (PNW board)
4:00pm Networking
2020 SWS-PNW Meeting Leavenworth, WA
As many of you have heard, and given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Society of Wetland Scientists’ Pacific Northwest Chapter has canceled the upcoming fall meeting scheduled for this September in Leavenworth, WA.
We are currently working with the SWS national business office to find an online format and date for programming later this fall. We realize that keeping our membership connected and apprised of regional and national wetland science and policy developments are of the utmost importance. We look forward to providing these opportunities to connect later in 2020 and encourage you to keep an eye on your inbox for new web-based content.
Also, we are actively planning the SWS national meeting in Spokane next spring. While there is great uncertainty as to whether an in-person meeting will be possible, SWS and the planning committee members are actively working to create a stellar program for 2021. Please see the meeting website at http://www.swsannualmeeting.com. More information to come.
Nate Hough-Snee
SWS-PNW Program Vice President and Conference Chair
Questions: nhoughsnee@fourpeaksenv.com
2018 SWS-PNW and Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest Joint Meeting
SWS-PNW has paired with the Society for Ecological Restoration Northwest to present the 2018 joint meeting: Restoring Resilient Communities in Changing Landscapes, October 15-19, in Spokane, WA.
All conference information is available at: https://restoration2018.org
2017 SWS-PNW Chapter Mini-Meeting Archived
The 2017 Pacific Northwest Chapter meeting, Applied Wetland Science in a Changing Northwest World was held on September 26th and 27th, 2017 at the Red Lion Hotel in Kelso, WA. The meeting took a plenary format with day one comprised of a dozen plenary talks on emerging topics in wetland policy, mitigation planning, restoration, and carbon accounting for climate change. Day two consisted of workshops and field trips (with separate registration costs). The meeting was catered and includes an evening social on Tuesday, the 26th.
Tuesday, September 26th, 2017
8:00 am – Registration opens
8:55 am – Opening Remarks
Yvonne Vallette, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
9:00 am – 10:30 am
Wetland classification and mapping in Washington State
Moderated by Nate Hough-Snee, Meadow Run Environmental
9:00 am
Improving Wetland Identification for Conservation and Regulatory Priorities
Dr. Amy Yahnke – Senior Wetland Ecologist, Washington Department of Ecology
9:30 am
Classification of Washington's Wetlands for Inventory, Mapping, and Conservation Prioritization. An Approach Based on the U.S. National Vegetation Classification
Joe Rocchio – Senior Vegetation Ecologist, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program
10:00 am
A semi-automated, remote sensing-based approach for updating the National Wetland Inventory in Washington State
Dr. Meghan Halabisky – Research Ecologist – the University of Washington, School of Environmental and Forest Sciences
10:30 am Break and refreshments
11:00 am – 12:15pm
Frontiers session: Emerging ideas in wetland restoration and management
Session 1 – Beaver, watershed, wetland, and stream restoration
Moderated by Nate Hough-Snee, Meadow Run Environmental
11:00 am
Wetland restoration planning using the Beaver Restoration Assessment Tool
Dr. Nate Hough-Snee – Riparian and Wetland Ecologist, Meadow Run Environmental
11:15 am
Could beaver dams buffer a declining snowpack?
Konrad Hafen – Ph.D. Candidate, University of Idaho, Water Resources
11:45 am
The Methow Beaver Project
Dr. Torre Stockard – Project Coordinator – Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
12:15 pm Lunch and chapter business meeting
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Frontiers session: Emerging ideas in wetland restoration and management
Session 2 – Blue carbon science and applications
Moderated by Katrina Poppe, Northwest Ecological Services/Western Washington University
1:30 pm
Blue carbon science
Dr. Jude Apple – Research Coordinator Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve/Washington State Department of Ecology
2:00 pm
Blue carbon in practice
Stefanie Simpson – Blue Carbon Program Senior Manager, Restore America's Estuaries
2:30 pm Break and refreshments
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Wetland policy and regulatory issues
Moderated by Yvonne Vallette, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
3:00 pm
Comparison of mitigation banking to other mitigation options – A consulting perspective
Fiona McNair, Senior Biologist, GeoEngineers
3:30 pm
Aquatic resource mitigation framework in Oregon
Dana Hicks – Mitigation Policy Specialist, Oregon Department of State Lands
4:30 pm
The next national wetland status and trend effort
Bill Kirchner – National Wetland Inventory Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
5:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Social and ad hoc poster session.
Wednesday, September 27th, 2017
Field Trips and Workshop
Cowlitz Indian Tribe Restoration Projects Tour - 9:00am-2:00pm
Cowlitz Indian Tribe staff
Registration - $35 (includes coffee service at Red Lion Hotel, and box lunch). Transportation to the restoration sites are on your own, but carpooling is encouraged. Sites are located near Kelso, WA.
Tour of the Abernathy Creek Restoration Projects- A series of restoration projects have been implemented by the Cowlitz Indian Tribe Natural Resources Department since 2014 in an effort to improve salmon habitat within Abernathy Creek in Cowlitz County, Washington. The Tribe first restored a 600-foot historical side channel of Abernathy Creek that had become filled with debris. The Tribe removed sand and rocks, restored access to the main channel of Abernathy Creek and strategically placed engineered log jams to create pools and resting areas. Other projects have included the installation of whole trees and wood accumulations in 1.3 miles of upper Abernathy Creek and Ordway Creek. These creeks are used by winter steelhead, coho and chinook. Abernathy Creek is part of the Intensively Monitored Watershed (IMW) project which is a joint effort of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ecology, NOAA Fisheries, the Environmental Protection Agency, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and Weyerhaeuser Company. The Mill, Abernathy, Germany watershed is one of three IMWs in the state. The IMW cooperators collected water quantity, water quality, habitat, summer juvenile fish abundance, and smolt production data and are identifying specific restoration actions for each IMW treatment watershed. The Cowlitz Indian Tribe Biologist will lead the fieldtrip up Abernathy Creek, explaining their restoration design considerations and monitoring effort.
Coweeman Mitigation Bank Site Tour - 9:00am-11:30am
Victor and Zachary Woodward, Habitat Bank
Registration- $35 (includes morning coffee service at the Red Lion Hotel and box lunch). Transportation to the bank site is on your own, but carpooling is encouraged. Site is located less than 3 miles from the Red Lion Hotel in Kelso, WA.
This 312 acre site located along the Coweeman River was approved in 2016 as a joint wetland and habitat (endangered species) mitigation bank. The project includes approximately 100 acres within the tidally influenced portion of the Coweeman River floodplain and approximately 200 acres of old growth forest surrounding the river. A large palustrine forested/shrub/emergent/aquatic bed wetland complex locally known as “Hart’s Lake” and three smaller wetlands are located within the floodplain of the Bank site. The old growth forest includes wetlands and small tributaries that flow into the Coweeman River. The project restored wetlands and riparian areas within the floodplain and preserve critical wetland, upland and riparian habitat within the old growth forest areas. Historically these areas were grazed by cattle or hayed each summer which had significantly degraded and impaired their condition. The bank sponsor will lead the field trip explaining their restoration design and the process for getting approval for a joint wetland and habitat bank.
Wetland Restoration: What to plant and what NOT to plant - 8:30am-2:30pm
Dr. Sarah Cooke – Ecologist, Cooke Scientific
Registration- $125 (includes morning coffee service at the Red Lion Hotel and box lunch). Morning is in a class room setting at the Red Lion Hotel. Afternoon field session is at the Coweeman Mitigation Bank site. Transportation to the field site is on your own, but carpooling is encouraged. Field site is less than 3 miles from the Red Lion Hotel in Kelso, WA.
Sarah Cooke will provide a workshop on “what to plant and what not to plant” appropriate in many different types of aquatic environments including –stormwater ponds, small residential applications, wastewater treatment, bioswales, emergent meadows and forest wetlands. Learn from the master on what species work best in these different and often challenging locations and the importance of using native species in your plantings to avoid future problems.
Wetland Training Classes
The Coastal Training Program, sponsored by the Department of Ecology, offers multiple classes throughout the year for wetland and aquatics professionals. Registration is online and classes generally fill up. Classes by locations vary. See website for details on upcoming classes.
Past classes include:
- How to Determine the Ordinary High Water Mark
- How to Conduct a Forage Fish Survey
- Using the Credit-Debit Method for Estimating Mitigation Needs
- Using the Revised Washington State Wetland Rating System (2014) in Western Washington
Workshops and Courses
The Pacific Northwest Chapter of SWS is sponsoring workshops that may be of interest to our members. Proposals should be on a topic of interest to our members and could include a wide variety of topics that are relevant to wetland function, management, ecology, or restoration. Workshops might include teaching our members or the greater scientific, regulatory, or consulting community the latest monitoring methods for measuring or estimating ecological functions provided by wetlands. While they are specifically intended for the continuing education and benefit of our members (at a discounted rate), it is up to the proposer to consider whether they may have broader appeal and open to non-members. Successful workshop ideas will likely include education on current gaps in our understanding on the function and ecology of wetlands, innovative solutions or monitoring techniques, and the like.
Please submit your request to any PNW Board member at least 6 weeks before the proposed workshop, to allow time for sponsorship decisions.
Upcoming Workshops:
Law Seminars International
Contact: http://www.lawseminars.com/index.php
Northwest Environmental Training Center
Contact: http://nwetc.org/
Portland State University Environmental Professional Program.
Contact: http://epp.esr.pdx.edu/
Wetland Training Institute
Contact: http://wetlandtraining.com/.
Richard Chinn Environmental Training, Inc.
Contact: http://www.richardchinn.com/
Coastal Training Program.
Contact: http://www.coastaltraining-wa.org/
The Seminar Group
Contact: http://www.theseminargroup.net/
University of Washington – Professional Development Program
Contact: http://www.pce.uw.edu/certificates/wetland-science-management.html
- Offers other Environmental and Sustainability Programs. http://www.pce.uw.edu/environment-sustainability.html
Western Washington University
Contact: http://www.acadweb.wwu.edu/eesp/summer/index.shtml
EPP 720 Wetland Plants in the PNW course approaching June 25-29th 2018
The Portland State University Environmental Professional Program is pleased to announce that the date for EPP 720 Wetland Plants in the Pacific Northwest course is fast approaching. Spaces are filling quickly so please register HERE and reserve your seat today. Follow the link below to read more about the course.
Course Description:
The course will be held at Portland State University on June 25-29th. This five-day laboratory and field wetland plant identification course focus on taxonomic identification skills necessary to identify the most common species of wetland plants in the Pacific Northwest. The course is taught by Dr. Sarah Cooke who has 32 years of experience in Ecological, Geological, and Soils research and wetlands and environmental consulting in the PNW, and 36 years of experience in Ecological and Geological research worldwide.
Course Information:
Dates: June 25-29th
Location: Portland State University
Cost: $1175
Watch our short informational video to learn more about the Wetland Delineation Certificate Program.
EPP Wetland Delineation Certificate Video
Please contact the PNW board to add wetland and aquatic research communications to this page.
Reed Canarygrass Annotated Bibliography
This annotated bibliography on the invasive reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) was completed in 2015 for Seattle City Light as part of ongoing habitat mitigation obligations at the Boundary Hydroelectric Project. The annotated bibliography reviews 44 of the most relevant articles, with an additional bibliography of articles not reviewed.
The Beaver Restoration Guidebook
Working with Beaver to Restore Streams, Wetlands, and Floodplains is available online. You can also connect to the guidebook directly here.
Fisheries Restoration-10 years of monitoring
Building Science and Accountability into Community-based Restoration: Can a New Funding Approach Facilitate Effective and Accountable Restoration? http://pnw.sws.org/fisheries_10yr_monitoring.pdf
Method for Rapidly Assessing Tidal Wetland Functions and Integrity
Based on field data collected from 120 wetlands on the Oregon Coast, this new HGM (hydrogeomorphic)-based method is intended for situations where limited time and budget don’t allow for direct measurement of functions. Users can assess conditions during a single site visit, then use a spreadsheet that assigns scores describing the relative levels of 11 wetland functions. Useful for regional profiling of estuarine and tidal wetlands, impact assessment, evaluating mitigation, and monitoring restored wetlands.
Best Available Science and Lit Reviews
Based on a review of over 200 articles, this synthesis addresses the most recent scientific findings related to buffer (setback) characteristics, as relevant to protecting wetland and riparian water quality and the habitat of wetland-dependent species. The review emphasizes literature published after 2004, providing an update to a review published then by Sheldon and Associates for the Washington Department of Ecology. This new review was used as a foundation for updating the local wetlands protection ordinance.
http://www.islandcounty.net/planning/criticalareas/documents/BestAvailableScience.pdf
Click here to view the PNW consultants list.
Local Newsletters
- Society of Ecological Restoration Northwest chapter: https://chapter.ser.org/northwest/
- Washington State Lake Protection Association: https://www.walpa.org/
- Oregon Lakes Association: https://www.oregonlakes.org/
Josh Wozniak, President
Shelby Petro, Executive Vice President
Maki Dalzell, Co-Secretary
Katrina Poppe, Co-Secretary
Erin Page, Treasurer
Brianna Hines, Board Member at large
Contact the board by emailing pnwchapter.sws@gmail.com.
Brooke Benson
Laura Brophy
Laura Brophy is the Director of the Estuary Technical Group at the Institute for Applied Ecology in Corvallis, Oregon. For over 25 years, she has provided leadership in science-based decision support for estuary restoration and conservation in the Pacific Northwest and U.S. West Coast. Through her participation in collaborative groups that share the common goal of improving estuary restoration science and application, she has been central to the recent renaissance of estuary restoration planning in the West. In these collaborations, she has led the development of several heavily-used spatial mapping tools for estuary management and climate change adaptation planning.
Katy Christie
I am an environmental scientist/ wetland biologist with over 15 years of professional experience in environmental regulation and permitting.
Katy Crandall
Evan Dulin
I am a wetland scientist with professional wetland experience starting in 2012. I specialize in wetland delineation, mitigation, permitting, and monitoring. I have had the pleasure of working in wetlands in many different regions of the continental United States from Tennessee to Washington and many places in between. I currently work for the Washington State Department of Transportation as a Wetland Monitoring Lead (since 2019).
Derek Faust Ph.D.
I am an Instructor in the Environmental Sciences & Technology program at Clover Park Technical College. I teach courses including Critical Areas in the Environment (wetland delineation), GPS and GIS, Introduction to Ecology, General Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Orientation to Environmental Sciences, Rural Technology, Hydrology, Watershed Analysis, and Air Pollution.
I previously worked as a Research Biologist at the USDA-ARS Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory (NGPRL). My interests include aquatic ecology, wetlands, greenhouse gases, and agricultural landscapes. My previous research efforts focused on water quality, in particular in assessing how management practices in agricultural ecosystems can be used to reduce potential agricultural stressors (e.g., nutrients, sediments, and pesticides) in adjacent aquatic ecosystems.
I am a member of the Society of Wetland Scientists (Chair of the Education Section), Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and Soil Science Society of America. In my free time, I enjoy spending time in the outdoors camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, SCUBA diving, hunting, and fishing.
Ralph Garono
Brianna Hines
Brianna serves as an Environmental Planner at The Watershed Company with over 10 years of experience performing and managing environmental compliance projects, site investigations and technical field activities. A graduate of the University of Washington’s Wetland Science and Management Professional Certification program, Brianna is a certified Wetland Scientist and Wetland Professional in Training (WPIT) with the Society of Wetland Scientists. She has experience with Federal, State, and local compliance through diverse projects, performing riparian restoration design documentation, biological assessments, and critical areas assessments. In addition, she has performed field data collection, including conducting vegetation surveys, amphibian surveys, habitat assessments, wetland characterizations, mitigation site monitoring (vegetation and hydrology against performance standards) and water quality monitoring for habitat enhancement projects. Brianna is known for maintaining excellent professionalism and interactions with partners while delivering high-quality efficient work. She has experience working all over Washington, and currently resides in Thurston County.
Michiel Holley
Susan Kagel
Jonathan Kemp
I am a Professional Wetland Scientist and a college degreed Fish & Wildlife Biologist. I specialize in delineating wetlands and watercourses along with determining the presence or absence of fish and wildlife habitats in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Through detailed field examination, study, and mitigation techniques I orchestrate ways that, upon implementation, minimize critical area impacts for a planned project. I effectively and confidently respond to government agencies during the review process and craft ways to provide solutions to address the challenges to meet the goals and objectives for a complete and successful project.
William Kleindl Ph.D.
I have more than 28 years of academic and consulting experience within public and private sectors in the science, policy, and management of aquatic environments, including extensive experience in the assessment, restoration, and management of degraded wetlands and rivers across multiple scales. The goal of my career has always been to provide straightforward analysis of ecological data to facilitate a translation for management applications to solve tangible problems that intersect natural and human environments. At Montana State University, I focus my research on assessment and management questions that address combined anthropogenic and natural disturbances and how these drive aquatic structure, function, and services.
Marti Louther
Marti is a wetland biologist, with over 25 years of experience. She works in the transportation field in western Washington and is part of the Pacific Northwest Chapter.
Lorene Lynn
Lorene Lynn is a soil scientist and restoration ecologist who specializes in permafrost characteristics and tundra restoration ecology. She primarily works for oil and gas, government, and community clients in the Arctic and for mining, government, and private clients throughout Alaska. Lorene is a federally appointed member and Chair of the Science Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) for the North Slope Science Initiative (NSSI). Previously, she worked for HDR, the NRCS Soil Survey, and the USFWS. Her graduate studies on coastal erosion along the Beaufort Sea Coast of Alaska sparked a career in which she rarely experiences heat, instead working in a parka in the Arctic in the months most people associate with summer.
She lives in Palmer, Alaska with her husband and dog. Her two children have launched lives of their own in Alaska.
John Marshall
I have finished my software developers certificate at Renton Technical College (with focal interests in database design, software design, and web development) and my Masters Degree in Geographic Information Systems - Sustainability at the University of Washington. I am currently looking for work in a position that requires my natural resource management / wetland / computer information skills and allows me to be an advocate for environmental protection and stewardship.
Jeffrey Mason
Greg Mazer
I have over 25 years of experience providing government and private entities with technical expertise to efficiently evaluate and sustainably manage environmental resources. Having worked as a consultant and a regulatory project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, I have developed deep understanding of Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and associated federal, state and local laws and regulations. I have project experience in several western states, but mainly in Oregon where I have prepared many Joint Permit Applications. I have conducted innumerable wetland delineations, functions assessments, and stream surveys as well as other ecological evaluations such as noxious weed surveys, rare plant surveys, and watershed assessments. I have also planned, designed, implemented and monitored aquatic and riparian habitat restoration and enhancement as well as stream bank stabilization via bioengineering. I look forward to continuing with work that helps to balance reasonable development with appropriate mitigation to benefit both natural systems and society.
Kerrie McArthur
Kerrie McArthur, Senior Biologist with Confluence, has 28 years of wide-ranging experience as a natural resources professional in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Her expertise includes water quality monitoring, stream-channel characterization, wetland reconnaissance and delineations, plant and animal identification, aquatic and terrestrial habitat evaluation, fisheries surveys, and functional assessment of aquatic ecosystems. She specializes in the collection of field samples of marine and freshwater fish, plants, and invertebrates using a range of equipment. Her experience focuses on impacts to fish and wetlands, both freshwater and marine, from a wide range of development activities; regulatory permitting and associated mitigation; and restoration. Kerrie has written numerous wetland delineation reports, project-specific biological assessments, aquatic and terrestrial plant and animal sections of SEPA/NEPA EISes, and has developed mitigation plans for sensitive species and habitats including salmonids and wetlands. She has also worked in tropical and subtropical ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean.
Kevan Moffett Ph.D.
David Monnin
Professional Wetland Scientist with twenty plus years of natural resource consultation experience throughout the Pacific Northwest. Specializes in production of ArcGIS / AutoCAD georeferenced maps, habitat assessments, wetland delineations, permit processing, mitigation construction, and compliance monitoring projects. Project work includes generation of detailed soil descriptions, plant identification and analysis, hydrological evaluation, georeferenced field mapping and generation of AutoCAD based graphics. Responsibilities include collection, analysis, interpretation of field data, and compilation of technical reports suitable for Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) review for required Oregon Removal-Fill Law and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act compliance. Works as a liaison between environmental permit regulators, project engineering staff, construction contractors, and clientele to facilitation smooth processing of state and federal authorizations and to maintain project compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Marshal Moser Jr
Following TNC in 1978 through the present I have been a free-lance biological/ecology consultant. I also taught life sciences for 10 years and what is now Rhodes State and 15 years at Ohio Northern University.
Francis Naglich
Francis has over three decades experience working in the field of environmental resource management, assessment, permitting and mitigation, and as a consulting biologist and project manager for a myriad of public and private projects in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. As founder and President of ELS, he leads a company that includes 25 professional biologists, ecologists, and environmental resource specialists. His specific focus is land management and environmental permitting strategy for Port, marine, transportation, and land based development. Furthermore, he is a leader in innovative mitigation strategies including banking, advanced mitigation, programmatic and Corps regional general permitting.
Amanda Nahlik
Dr. Amanda M. Nahlik is a wetland ecologist in the Office of Research and Development at the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) Pacific Ecological Systems Division in Corvallis, Oregon. With nearly two decades of wetland research experience, she is a wetland biogeochemist with extensive experience in wetland ecology. Her research projects range from carbon storage and nutrient cycling, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, sedimentation and fluvial dynamics, to condition assessments and ecological indicator development. As one of the lead researchers for and Technical Co-Lead of the USEPA National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA), Dr. Nahlik uses national-scale data to estimate changes in wetland carbon storage, nitrogen cycling, and provision of ecosystem services.
Lisa Palazzi
Curriculum Vitae
Lisa M. Palazzi
Home: 1603 Central NE
Olympia, WA 98506
(360) 789-4069 (cell)
(360) 352-1465 (x137) (work)
Education
1989 Master's degree in Soil Science: Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
Emphasis in Soil Physics[1] and Microclimatology, Minor in Forest Science
1985 Bachelor's degree in Soil Science: Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
Emphasis in Soil Physics and Geology, Minor in English Composition
Certifications and Accreditations
Soil Science Society of America: Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS)
Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program: Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS)
Lisa M. Palazzi, CPSS, PWS
Research and Work Experience
Ms. Palazzi has over 35 years of professional experience in her field of expertise – soil and wetland science.
Ms. Palazzi's university education was focused on soil science and forest ecology. She attained her Bachelor of Science degree in 1985, graduating with highest honors from Montana State University with a major in Soil Science and a minor in English Composition. Her Master of Science thesis work, completed at Oregon State University in 1989, was focused on forest science and soil physics -- the study of water and heat transport in soils.
Ms. Palazzi’s post-graduate research (1989 to 1991) included participation in an interdisciplinary team of Oregon State University scientists studying ecosystem function of riparian systems in disturbed watersheds of Oregon's Coast Range, and working as a soil scientist for the USFS PNW Research Lab in Olympia, WA.
In 1991, she became the principal and owner of a soil and wetland science consulting firm in Olympia, WA (Pacific Rim Soil & Water, Inc. [PRSW]), which provided soils and hydrology assessment services for over 20 years throughout Washington state and the Pacific Northwest. In 2012, she closed PRSW and joined SCJ Alliance, a well-respected planning and engineering firm in Lacey, Washington, where she continued to provide expert services in soils, wetlands, and hydrology assessment, and related environmental science consulting issues. More details are provided below:
June 1991 to present: Consulting Soil Scientist and Wetland Scientist
Soils and Hydrology Consulting: SSSA certified professional soil scientist (CPSS)
Expert witness and/or advice in soils, wetland hydrology and soil hydrology related cases at City, County, State and Federal level
Soil and hydrology assessment and detailed soil mapping expert
Hydric (wetland) soil determinations on potential wetland sites
Soil hydrology studies for stormwater or wetland mitigation projects –restoration, enhancement, or creation
Soil physics studies to estimate percolation rates and determine suitability for septic treatment and/or stormwater treatment or infiltration
Determination of surface and soil water quantity and quality control features for site specific stormwater management or septic system design
Low Impact Development (LID) services as relate to effective protection of soil functions and management of stormwater
Groundwater or surface water monitoring wells with dataloggers for stormwater system design or verification of wetland hydrology conditions
Detailed soil mapping studies, necessary for determination of agricultural potential, or other soil-limited development activities
Soil assessment and sampling for hazardous waste conditions and cleanup
Soil sampling for physical or chemical lab analysis
Teacher of various soil science workshops: Hydrology monitoring; Interpretation of hydric (wetland) soil characteristics; Erosion and sediment control plans; Basic local geology and related soil development; Interpretation of soil characteristics for septic system design.
Wetlands Consulting: SWS certified professional wetland scientist (PWS)
Expert witness and/or advice in wetlands regulations, permitting, hydric soils and wetland hydrology at City, County, State and Federal level.
Wetland delineation expert, trained in the 1987 Army Corps of Engineers method as well as the 2010 Regional (PNW) Supplements to the 1987 Manual
Hydric soil and wetland hydrology assessment
Groundwater or surface water monitoring wells with dataloggers for determination of wetland conditions, as well as for wetland mitigation projects –restoration, enhancement, or creation
Wetlands rating, as per the Washington State Wetlands Rating System (1993, 2004 and 2014 methods)
Development and design of wetland mitigation and restoration projects
Expert witness in hydric soils and wetland hydrology related cases at City and County level
Teacher of various wetland and hydric soils training workshops, including: workshops in the 2010 ACOE Regional Supplements to the 1987 Manual; hydric soils interpretation and description; groundwater monitoring; soil hydrology and related regulatory issues at any level of audience expertise
Jenny Sandifer
Joseph Schubauer-Berigan Ph.D.
Shane Slate PWS
Environmental Project Manager
Ardurra
Coeur d'Alene, ID
www.ardurra.com
William Streever
Lee Lynn Thompson
Part owner of PNW Ecoservices LLC, with contracts for Bullfrog control on behalf of the northwestern pond turtle in Washington State. Student at Oregon State University, specializing in wetland ecology and management seeking first bachelor's degree. Interests include herpetology, aquatic insects, invasive species, research, and wetland community interactions.
Valerie Watkins
Erika Whitney
Erika is an environmental professional with an extensive background in environmental planning, ecological research, and natural resource management.
She brings a strong foundation of ecological knowledge to the wetland practices, built through both professional field experiences and a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science. Intimate understanding of Pacific Northwest ecosystems and plant communities has contributed to effective assessment of site conditions and development of planting plans.
