Rocky Mountain Chapter
The SWS Rocky Mountain Chapter includes the states of Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
Current Chapter Board Members
President – Becky Pierce
Vice President – Jeremy Sueltenfuss
Treasurer – Pat Hickey
Secretary – Tyler Bell
Immediate Past-President – Ryan Hammons
Are you interested in hosting an event for the Rocky Mountain Chapter, such as a field trip, pub talk, or volunteer event? Contact Becky Pierce if you have any ideas for events that you would like to coordinate (swsrockymtn@gmail.com).
Become a Rocky Mountain Chapter Board Member!
We are always looking for new Board members for the Rocky Mountain Chapter. Being on the Board does not require a huge time commitment but allows you to get more involved with regional wetland events, help direct the activities of the chapter, and establish relationships with other wetland professionals. For more information regarding volunteering, please email Becky Pierce at swsrockymtn@gmail.com. Below is a summary of the key responsibilities for all of the Board positions (adapted from the Chapter Standing Rules):
President: Responsible for the business of the Chapter, including making appointments authorized in the Standing Rules, establishing committees required for the business of the Chapter and exercising such other responsibilities determined from time to time by action of the Chapter or the Board. The President also chairs all meetings of the Chapter and the Board. 1-year term.
Vice-President: Assists the President and performs the duties of the President when he/she is absent or unable to act. The VP also serves as chairperson of the Program Committee for the annual Chapter meeting and is responsible for Chapter publicity (as directed by the Board). 1-year term and automatically nominated for President.
Secretary: Annually obtains a list of Chapter members from SWS National, serves as the chairperson for the Membership Committee, prepares any correspondence with the Chapter at the direction of the Board, prepares and disburse information pertinent to increasing membership, maintains chapter files, records and reads minutes at all meetings and oversees development and distribution of Chapter information. 3-year term.
Treasurer: Administers the financial resources of the Chapter. Works with SWS National to authorize and pay all Chapter bills. Serves as chairperson of the Ways and Means Committee if such a committee is formed. Prepares an annual budget and presents it at the annual Chapter meeting. 3-year term.
Immediate Past-President: Chair the Nominating Committee and Bylaws Committee and performs duties of President if both the President and VP are unable to act.
Rocky Mountain Chapter

Heidi Bellorado
Karen Caddis
Karen Caddis is the principal, senior biologist, and wetland scientist at Caddis Environmental Consulting, LLC, a woman-owned small business. Over her 30-year career, Karen has been extensively involved in the coordination and/or management of multi-disciplinarian environmental and biological teams throughout the western U.S. and Alaska involving local and state governments, BLM, DOD, USFS, USACE, NRCS, CEC, OSM, FERC, and BIA. These have included biological studies and permitting for developments, utilities, transportation, oil and gas pipelines, hard and soft rock mining, reservoirs, ski areas, and renewable energy.
Karen specializes in coordination and completion of biological, wetlands, and environmental studies and documents in relation to regulatory permitting. She is also well-versed in preparing, evaluating, and conducting biological, and wetland delineation analyses to ensure compliance with applicable laws. She has managed and coordinated many biological field studies, associated NEPA permitting and reporting, and Section 404 and 401 coordination, including biological and wetlands studies for a 750 MW solar thermal electric development across 6,000+ acres in the Imperial Valley near El Centro, California; and over 50 large field efforts associated with military bases, airport development, mining, renewable energy, power plants, and other utility projects in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Montana, and Nevada.
Karen has bachelor’s degrees in Natural Resource Management, Physical Geography, and Journalism from Colorado State University and Eastern Washington University. She is current in both surface and underground MSHA training, is a USACE-certified wetlands delineator and CDOT FACWet-trained and is permitted by the USFWS to conduct Ute-ladies’ tresses orchid, black-footed ferret, Mexican spotted owl, and Chiricahua leopard frog surveys. She is also experienced in desert tortoise, raptor, migratory bird, rare plant, invertebrate, general vegetation, yellow-billed cuckoo, and southwestern willow flycatcher studies.
Kent Crofts
L. Dean Culwell

Chelsea Duball
Chelsea is an Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Management in the Department of Biology at Grand Valley State University. Her current research primarily investigates the biogeochemistry of wetland ecosystems toward developing solutions for problematic soil situations and improving wetland conservation and management.
Michael Gloden

Gwen Kittel
Vegetation ecologist specializing in wetland and riparian ecology, assessment, classification, and restoration.
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.



Toney Ott
Toney Ott
Toney Ott has been with the Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 over 40 years ago. Toney began her career as an aquatic field biologist and has assessed and sampled waters across the west. Toney has worked developed a strong fish advisory program in Region 8, worked in the nonpoint source program, worked in the aquatic invasive species field and water/wetland monitoring and assessment. Toney began working with the Region 8 wetlands team about 20 years. She was an active member of the waters of the U.S. Workgroup and helped with the completion of the first guidance for jurisdiction and initial rulemaking. She led the Region 8 workgroup to ensure consistent implementation of jurisdictional determinations, trained EPA and other water staff personnel on the processes and field support work.
She has been involved in the CWA Section 401 and 404 program. She provides support to the NEPA program, reviewing and providing comments on water and wetlands issues. Under 404 she has reviewed a wide of range of projects, including pipelines, residential and industrial development, dam removal, hydroelectric facility redesign and relicensing, and supported the jurisdictional reviews. She also organized four regional wetland workshops that had participants from all levels of government and the private wetland world. Toney led the 401 program for 20 years and continues to support the program. Toney is the lead for tribal wetlands technical assistance and grant program management. For the past 6 years Toney has been supporting EPA rule making.
Toney is an interdisciplinary riparian, wetland, and river ecologist with a diverse background in wetland, stream, floodplain, and watershed research support, restoration, and planning. Because of this broad background, she is able to see projects in their larger context and always work to see both the forest and the trees (and the watershed and floodplain).
Toney has organized and managed a number of large national and regional workshops and conferences. She has been able to bring diverse groups together to present on emerging and standard aquatic biology assessment methodologies and monitoring. Accordingly, I can help organizations of all sizes synthesize, create, and communicate scientific information and meetings to meet their needs.
I got my start in the field, monitoring and auditing wastewater and drinking water facilities. The other aspect of my position involved sampling, monitoring and assessing riparian, stream, river, wetlands and wetland complex ecosystems to inform adaptive ecosystem management and restoration, natural resource policy development, and environmental planning efforts. I am currently involved in Clean Water Act rule making, implementation of rules and guidance development, education of tribal professionals, policy and planning of environmental programs. I am knowledgeable in the development of wetland programs including monitoring, developing restoration and criteria to protect aquatic resources.
I am an experienced project manager, grant manager, assisting in the development of work plans and budgets, and developing successful programs to protect aquatic resources. I have managed over 75 grants, working with our applicants to develop and manage strong, nonpoint source, water quality, fish consumption and wetland programs. I have been able to develop relationships with diverse groups of stakeholders, scientists, policymakers, and interagency teams. As an experienced scientist, I specialize in the technical aspects of aquatic programs, but also my leadership and policy experience allow me to place ecosystem science into the policy and stewardship contexts that matter to agencies, companies, and society. Some of these contexts include the National Environmental policy Act (both Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements) Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act (including section 404, 402 and 401 programs), and tribal trust responsibilities outreach.





Christine Prah
Chris Prah is the co-founder and CEO of On Pointe Consulting, a woman-owned environmental consulting firm specializing in natural resource “boots on the ground” surveys, permitting, and project management for the energy industry nationwide.
She has over 17 years of experience working for private environmental consulting firms, local government, and non-profit organizations in a variety of regions (from the Rockies to the Gulf Coast to the Midwest).
Chris is passionate about truly acting as an ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISOR to On Pointe’s clients by helping them complete the projects that benefit people while also protecting the natural resources that benefit our world. She believes that the best way to secure clients and create strategic partnerships is by building relationships and trust through genuine connection and engagement. Good business starts with a good relationship!
You will find Chris nowadays traveling across the country in the On Pointe mobile RV office! This adventure allows her to travel, live, and work wherever project needs and business development opportunities arise.
Gallup Clifton Top Superpowers: Futuristic, Achiever, Responsibility, Strategic, Relator.
Rachel Puttmann
Joseph Schubauer-Berigan Ph.D.
Joel Wagner
I earned my MS in Environmental Science at Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs in 1980. I began my 39 year career with the U.S. National Park Service at Everglades National Park in 1980, working on optimizing surface water flow to the park's wetlands. In 1988 I moved to Denver, Colorado where I served as the National Park Service’s Servicewide Wetlands Program Lead (NPS Water Resources Division) until I retired in March 2020. I am now an NPS Water Resources Division "Affiliate" (volunteer).
Blaine Watson

Salt Lake City, Utah
Field Tour & Pub Talk
September 18, 2023
Calling all Utah wetland enthusiasts! Please save the date for a Society of Wetland Scientists Rocky Mountain Chapter field tour and pub talk in the Salt Lake City area on September 18th. *No RSVP is required, but please save the date!*The field tour is free to attend. The pub talk will be free to current SWS Chapter members, $5 for non-member students, and $10 for non-members. Only cash or check can be accepted.
Current event information can be found below. Please email Becky Pierce with any questions - swsrockymtn@gmail.com.
Field Tour- UDOT Northern Utah County Mitigation Bank
Time: 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. (approx.)
Tour guide: Rod Hess, Utah DOT
Description: The field tour will begin at the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Northern Utah County Mitigation Bank (NUCMB), located on the northeast side of Utah Lake. UDOT established the NUCMB in 2009, following the 2008 Final Compensatory Mitigation Rule, to compensate for several large state / federally funded transportation projects scheduled between 2009 and 2012 in Utah County with an anticipated wetland impact of 30-50 acres. NUCMB will provide mitigation for future UDOT/FHWA transportation projects occurring within its Service Area (Utah County, up to 5,100' elevation).
Logistics: Site tour will include walking less than 1 mile on upland slopes (adjacent landfill) and through wetland habitat within the Bank. Please wear waterproof shoes if you want to walk in wet areas. No formal restrooms are located at the site.
Meeting Location: 40.340432, -111.763425 (about 1,000' west of North Utah Valley Animal Services building along 200 North in Lindon)
Parking: Drive west through the main gate and park along the gravel access road.
Field Tour - Galena Soonkahni Nature Preserve
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. (approx.)
Tour guides: Keith Hambrecht (UDFFSL), Rae Robinson (UDFFSL/Jordan River Commission), and Rod Hess (UDOT)
Description: The Galena Preserve is protected by a conservation easement held by Utah Open Lands. The preserve hosts important archaeology, 2 miles of the Jordan River and the Jordan River parkway trail, Corner Canyon Creek (tributary to Jordan River) and its confluence with the Jordan, 40 acre wet meadow, 25 acre UDOT wetland mitigation project, and lots of upland habitat. Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands (UDFFSL) is working to protect and improve the vegetation, habitat quality, ecosystem function, and overall value of this large protected open space in the middle of a sprawling urban valley. Efforts thus far have included weed control, revegetation - planting and seeding, irrigation, and beaver dam analog installation. On the tour, we can look at and discuss what efforts have been made, what potential future plans look like, successes and failures, lessons learned, challenges, etc. We can discuss details of vegetation restoration, land management, etc. UDOT can share their experience with their challenging mitigation project.
Logistics: Site tour will involve approximately 2 miles of walking. Please wear waterproof shoes if you want to walk in wet areas. No formal restrooms are located at the site.
Meeting Location: 40.517911, -111.908949
Parking: Participants can park on the west shoulder of Vista Station Boulevard near the meeting location.
Wetland Pub Talk @ Wasatch Brew Pub
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m. (presentations start at 6:00)
Location: Wasatch Brew Pub (Sugar House location), 2110 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City
Cost: Free to members, $5 for non-member students, $10 for non-members - Bring cash!
Description: Join your fellow wetland practitioners, scientists, students, and enthusiasts at Wasatch Brew Pub for food, drinks, and thought-provoking discussion on wetland topics. You will learn something interesting from local wetland ecologists while enjoying refreshments with your peers. SWS will provide appetizers. All ages are welcome.
Presenters:
Becka Downard
Becka is a Wetland Ecologist for the Groundwater & Wetlands Program at the Utah Geological Survey (UGS). Before joining the UGS, she was the wetland coordinator for the Utah Division of Water Quality. She received a Ph.D. in ecology from Utah State University in 2017 studying the impacts of impounded wetland management on wetland health around Great Salt Lake. She received her M.S. degree in human dimensions of ecosystem science and management from USU as well, researching strategies for acquiring water for wetlands. Becka will talk about Great Salt Lake wetland plants and habitats and the birds they support.
Megan is pursuing her M.S. degree in ecology from Utah State University as a member of the Wetland Ecology and Restoration Laboratory. Her research focuses on interactions among native and invasive aquatic vegetation and the ways that native plants can support reestablishing aquatic organisms at restoration sites. Meghan enjoys centering her work around community engagement and collaboration.
Sam Kurkowski
Sam and Meghan will talk about recent efforts in their lab to increase understanding and capacity for restoration of native aquatic plant communities within Utah waters.
Wetland Pub Talk
Renegade Brewing
Denver, Colorado
September 20, 2023
5:30-7:30
The Society of Wetland Scientists Rocky Mountain Chapter invites you to our Denver wetland pub talk. Join your fellow wetland practitioners, scientists, students, and enthusiasts at Renegade Brewing for food, drinks, and thought-provoking discussion on the Clean Water Act / waters of the U.S. You will learn something interesting from local wetland and legal experts while enjoying refreshments with your peers. SWS will provide appetizers, and Taguara Venezuelan food truck will be on site for food purchase.
No RSVP is needed. The pub talk is free for SWS members, $5 for non-member students, and $10 for non-members. Only cash or checks can be accepted. All ages are welcome.
The panel speakers will begin at 6:00, and open discussion will follow. Current speaker information can be found below. Please email Becky Pierce with any questions - swsrockymtn@gmail.com.
Panel Speakers:
Rachel Harrington
Rachel Harrington is an aquatic ecologist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 8 based in Denver, CO. Rachel has worked in the Clean Water Act Section 404 regulatory program for the past 7 years focusing on compensatory mitigation and waters of the U.S. policy. Her work currently includes Section 404 program implementation in Colorado and Wyoming.
Elly Miller
Elly is an environmental scientist and biologist with nearly 20 years of environmental industry experience. She is also a wetland scientist and an expert in Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) regulatory expert. Elly most recently managed projects, primarily projects with Section 404 permits (including nationwide, regional general, and individual permits), and was the subject matter expert and technical lead for biological resources for large, complex projects at Pinyon Environmental. She recently started a position at Kiewit Construction focusing on Section 404 permitting and planning. Elly has also worked in the following industries: transportation (design-build, Construction Manager/General Contractor [CMGC], design/bid/build), construction (vertical and horizontal), airports, development (commercial and residential), and renewable energy.
John Kolanz
John is a partner at Otis & Bedingfield in Loveland. He has practiced environmental law for over 30 years in both governmental and private practice settings. John has extensive experience with Section 404 permitting and related matters on projects ranging from small developments, to stream restoration, to large infrastructure development. He has also written and presented frequently on Clean Water Act issues.
Matt Montgomery
Matt is a Project Manager in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Denver Regulatory Office, where he started his career with Regulatory as a student in 2002. He spent 4 years (2015-2019) working in the Grand Junction office on the Western Slope before returning home to the Omaha District. Some of the areas he’s worked throughout his career include hard rock mining, whitewater parks, water supply development, mitigation banking, jurisdiction, and stream assessments.
Beginner Hydric Soils Workshop
The Rocky Mountain Chapter is hosting a beginner hydric soils workshop on October 17th. This 1-day field course will take place at the City of Longmont Peschel Open Space at 10552 Weld County Road 1, Longmont, Colorado (40.14893234, -105.05507805). The workshop is intended for early wetland professionals who are seeking practical knowledge and experience. Andy Steinert, a soil survey leader with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), will lead students through the excavation and investigation of soil sampling pits throughout the open space property.
**SPACE IS LIMITED TO 20 STUDENTS**
Instructor: Andy Steinert, MLRA Soil Survey Leader, NRCS (andy.steinert@usda.gov) - Andy enjoys working with the stewards of the land and collecting soil survey data in the field. He also enjoys teaching the science of soils to students of all ages. Andy is from a farm in central Kansas. He received his B.S. from Kansas State University in Agronomy – Soil and Water Science with a secondary degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. He started in 2001 as a soil scientist in Fort Morgan, Colorado and is currently in his 22nd year on the job.
When: Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 9:00 - 4:00
Where: Peschel Open Space, 10552 Weld County Road 1, Longmont, Colorado (40.14893234, -105.05507805)
Cost: Current SWS Members - FREE
Non-member Students - $25.00
Non-members - $75.00
Travel Grants: SWS has travel grants available to students to offset the cost of attending the workshop. Please contact the Chapter for more information about grants and for all other questions -swsrockymtn@gmail.com.
Colorado:
Colorado Native Plant Society http://www.conps.org/
Colorado Natural Heritage Program http://www.cnhp.colostate.edu/
United States Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District Denver Regulatory Office http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryProgram/Colorado.aspx
Montana:
Montana Native Plant Society http://www.mtnativeplants.org/Home
Montana Natural Heritage Program http://mtnhp.org/
Montana Department of Environmental Quality Wetlands Program https://deq.mt.gov/water/Programs/sw
United States Army Corps of Engineers Omaha District Montana Regulatory Office http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryProgram/Montana.aspx
New Mexico:
New Mexico Native Plant Society http://www.npsnm.org/
New Mexico Natural Heritage Program http://nhnm.unm.edu/
New Mexico Environment Department Wetlands Program http://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/swqb/Wetlands/
United States Army Corps of Engineers Albuquerque Regulatory Office http://www.spa.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryProgramandPermits.aspx
Utah:
Utah Native Plant Society http://www.unps.org/index.html
Utah Conservation Data Center http://dwrcdc.nr.utah.gov/ucdc/
Utah Geological Survey https://geology.utah.gov/water/wetlands/wetlands-in-utah/
Wyoming:
Wyoming Native Plant Society http://www.wynps.org/
Wyoming Natural Diversity Database http://www.uwyo.edu/wyndd/
United States Army Corps of Engineers Wyoming Regulatory Office http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/Missions/RegulatoryProgram/Wyoming.aspx