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 – Vacant
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.
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.
Maryann McGraw
Curriculum Vitae
Maryann McGraw
New Mexico Environment Department Surface Water Quality Bureau
1190 St. Francis Drive Santa Fe, New Mexico 87502
Education
M.A. Geology, University of Texas, Austin Texas, December 1983.
B.A. with Honors Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin Texas, May 1974.
Positions Held
2003- Wetlands Program Coordinator, Wetlands Team Leader, Water Resources Manager I, New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1999-03 | Watershed Protection Section Project Officer, Environmental Scientist- Specialist Operational, New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico |
1998-99 | Research Scientist, US Dept. of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Los Lunas Plant Materials Center, Los Lunas, NM |
1997-99 | Part-Time Faculty, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM. |
1993-98 | Highway Environmental Scientist I, NM State Highway and Transportation Dept., Santa Fe, NM |
1985-87 | Environmental Consultant, Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona |
1984-84 | Field Geologist, Noranda Exploration S.W. District, Tucson Arizona |
1981-82 | Geological Consultant, Tenneco, Inc., Tucson, Arizona |
1979-79 | Geologist, Superior Oil Company, Minerals Division, Tucson, Arizona. |
1976-79 | Research Assistant, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas |
1975-76 | Research Assistant, Department of Geology, Univ. Cape Town, Cape town, South Africa |
1974-75 | Research Assistant, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas |
Current Bio: Maryann McGraw is the Wetlands Program Coordinator and the Wetlands Team Leader with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) Surface Water Quality Bureau. Maryann has managed projects funded by CWA Section 319(h) since 1998. Maryann currently manages projects funded by CWA Section 104(b)(3) and the New Mexico Wetlands Program since 2003. The heart of the Wetlands Program thus far, has been the development of Wetlands Action Plans by watershed groups as part of their Watershed Based Plans. In 2006, the Wetlands Program began developing the NM Rapid Assessment Method (NMRAM) to
characterize wetlands resources in New Mexico and has completed Montane Riverine Wetlands Version 2.4, Lowland Riverine Wetlands Version 2.3, and Confined Valley Rivirine Wetlands Version 1.3, Springs Ecosystems NMRAM Version 1.0, NMRAM for Playa Wetlands of the Southern High Plains Version 1.2, and NMRAM for Riverine Wetlands Regulatory Version 1.4. In 2009, the Wetlands Program began a comprehensive effort to map, classify and assign wetland functions to all wetlands in the state, and has thus far mapped and classified wetlands nearly all wetlands in New Mexico except for those on tribal lands. The goals of the New Mexico Wetlands Program are to implement our wetlands monitoring and assessment strategy, develop wetlands water quality standards and a comprehensive program to protect and restore the State’s scarce wetlands resources. Currently, the Wetlands Program has drafted standards for playa wetlands and lowland riverine wetlands. The goals of the New Mexico Wetlands Program are articulated in the New Mexico Wetlands Program Plan that was approved by EPA in 2011 and updated and approved by EPA in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and in 2021.
Maryann was a past Board Member of the Association of State Wetland Managers providing to the board the perspective and challenges of a growing wetlands program in the arid West. She has served on the Steering Committee to develop a Strategic Plan for the EPA National Wetlands Program. Maryann is also a member of the National Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment Workgroup and the Society of Wetland Scientists. Maryann has presented on wetlands topics at the ASWM State/Tribal/ Federal Coordination Workshops 2009, 2010 and 2011, and 2013 and at EPA Region 8 Wetlands Program Capacity Building Workshop in 2010, and at the National Wetlands Monitoring and Assessment Work Group Meeting in 2008 and on several ASWM webinars, in 2016 for ACWA on the development of narrative standards for wetlands, at SWS Meetings in Denver where Maryann presented NMRAM for Playa Wetlands, NMRAM for Lowland Riverine wetlands (Gila Watershed) and SWS Rocky Mountain Chapter about NMRAM for Confined Valley Riverine wetlands. Maryann has been a member of the National Wetlands Condition Assessment Team for New Mexico collecting soils and other data in 2011, 2016 and 2021 and has managed funds and reporting for the NWCA.
Previously, Maryann worked for the New Mexico Department of Transportation (DOT) as an Environmental Specialist since 1993 where she provided input for natural resources protection as a part of transportation project design, wrote NEPA documents and was in charge of developing mitigation plans and projects for wetland impacts.
She has previously taught landscape ecology and restoration classes at Santa Fe Community College including Wetlands, Riparian Restoration, Dryland Restoration, Bioremediation, and Natural History of Arid Lands.
Maryann paints en plein air in pastel and oil, concentrating on New Mexico’s scenic vistas and how time and seasonal changes affect those places. Maryann served on the board of the Pastel Society of New Mexico as Program Chair for 5 years and Treasurer in 2007, is a signature member of Chicago Pastel Painters, Pastel Society of New Mexico and Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and is a member of Plein Air Artists Colorado, Pastel Society of Colorado and American Impressionist Society.
Maryann has provided Friday food deliveries for homebound clients for Kitchen Angels since 1996.
Fellowships
Shell Companies Foundation Fellowship 1979
Current Professional Membership
Member - National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) Member – Society of Wetland Scientists, Rocky Mountain Chapter
Certifications
Certified COE Wetland Delineator Training Certified Floodplain Manager
Additional relevant classes and training
3 Rosgen River Restoration Classes Southwestern Willow Flycatcher Protocol Training Spring Inventory and Assessment Training
Summary of Related Experience
Experience in land restoration includes the planning, design, and construction of wetlands and riparian areas, selection of sites and monitoring. I developed designs for mitigation wetlands, chosen appropriate plant species, provided cost estimates for excavation, disposal of excavated material and plantings. My work at the NRCS Los Lunas Plant Materials Center included propagation, maintenance and installation of wetland plant species. I helped develop plans for the restoration of habitat for the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher and Meadow Jumping Mouse, and the protection of listed plant species and their habitat in highway right of way. I have trapped and relocated prairie dog colonies and coordinated the protection of bird and bat species. I have worked with engineers to develop box culvert structures with fish passage, and to reconstruct streambeds to their original configuration after construction.
I have experience working with the majority of regulatory and resource agencies in the state for environmental compliance. I have written Environmental Assessments and other NEPA related documents. I currently lead the New Mexico Wetlands Roundtables for agencies and NGOs with an interest in wetlands.
Recent Awards:
2018 National Wetlands Award for Wetlands Program Management – Environmental Law Institute
2018 New Mexico Environment Department Employee of the Year 2018 New Mexico Environment Department Employee of the Quarter 2010 Research Award – New Mexico Riparian Council
2010 Radical Center Award for Civil Service – The Quivira Coalition
Recent Publications:
McGraw, M. and Johnson B., 2023. East Fork of the Jemez Watershed Wetlands Action Plan. New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Muldavin, E.H., E.R. Milford, and M.M. McGraw 2021. New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Confined Valley Riverine Wetlands Field Guide. Version 1.13. New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
McGraw, M.M., E.H. Muldavin, and E.R. Milford, 2018. Rapid Assessment of Arid Land Lowland Riverine Wetland Ecosystems: A New Mexico Case Study. In Wetland and Stream Rapid Assessments, Development, Validation, and Application, (eds) J. Dorney, R. Savage,
R.W. Tiner, and P. Adamus, Elsevier, Inc. 2018, pp. 387-400.
Muldavin, E.H., E.R. Milford, and M.M. McGraw 2017. New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Playa Wetlands Field Guide. Version 1.2. New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Muldavin, E.H., E.R. Milford, and M.M. McGraw 2016. New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Montane Riverine Field Guide. Version 2.1. New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Muldavin, E.H., E.R. Milford, and M.M. McGraw 2016. New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Lowland Riverine Wetlands Field Guide. Version 1.1. New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Muldavin, E.H., Bader, B.J., Milford, E.R., McGraw, M.M., Lightfoot, D., Nicholson, B.,
and Larson, G. 2013, New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Montane Riverine Wetlands Field Guide, Version 2.0, New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 39 p. and appendices.
NMED, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Wetlands Program 2012, New Mexico Wetlands Technical Guide #1: Wetland Functions, New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 36 p.
McGraw, M.M. and Jansens, J.W. eds. 2012, Exploring Springs and Wetlands and Their Relationship with Surface Flows, Geology, and Groundwater in the La Cienega Area, Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Wetlands Program Project Report, New Mexico Environment Department,
Surface Water Quality Bureau, 125 p.p. 3
Muldavin, E.H., Bader, B.J., Milford, E.R., McGraw, M.M., Lightfoot, D., Nicholson, B., and Larson, G. 2011, New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Montane Riverine Wetlands Manual, Version 1.1, New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 90 p. and appendices.
Muldavin, E.H., Bader, B.J., Milford, E.R., McGraw, M.M., Lightfoot, D., Nicholson, B.,
and Larson, G. 2011, New Mexico Rapid Assessment Method: Montane Riverine Wetlands Field Guide, Version 1.1, New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 39 pp. and appendices.
Morgan, D. and M. McGraw 2010, Healthy Streamside Wetlands, A Guide to Good Stewardship for Southwestern Bosque and Riparian Wetlands. New Mexico Environment Department, Surface Water Quality Bureau, Wetlands Program Booklet, 27 p.
Griffith , G.E. Omernik, J.M., McGraw, M.M., Jacobi, G.Z. Canavan, CM., Schrader, T.S., Mercer, D., Hill, R. and Moran, B.C. 2006 “Ecoregions of New Mexico” color poster with map: Reston, Virginia, U.S. Geological Survey (map scale 1:1,400,000)
Other publications:
McGraw, MM 1979, Depositional Environments and Their Relation to Porosity in Upper Smackover Formation (Jurassic), Paup Spur Field, Miller County, Arkansas: ABSTRACT, American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Bulletin, Vol 63.
McGraw, M.M. 1984, Carbonate Facies of the Upper Smackover Formation (Jurassic), Paup Spur-Mandeville Fields, Miller County, Arkansas, in The Jurassic of the Gulf Rim, Proceedings of the Third Annual Research Conference, Gulf Coast Section, Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, pp. 255-273.
Gustavson, T.C, McGraw, M. M., Tandy, M., Parker, F., Wohlschlag, D. E., Meriwether, J. 1977, Potential environmental impacts arising from geopressured-geothermal energy development Texas--Louisiana Gulf Coast region, Gulf Coast Association of Geological Sciences Transactions Vol 44, 1977-11-16.
Gustavson, Thomas, M. M. McGraw, and Mills Tandy. United States Department of the Interior. Ecological Implications of Geopressured Geothermal Energy Development. March 1978.
White, W.H., McGraw, M.M. and T. Gustavson, 1978, Environmental Analysis of Geopressured- Geothermal Prospect Areas, Brazoria and Kenedy Counties, Texas, Publ. Bureau of Economic Geology, Austin Texas, Department of Energy, Geothermal Energy, 203 p.
Kimberli Ponzio
Kimberli Ponzio has over 36 years of experience working in Florida wetlands as an Environmental Scientist for two water management districts in the state of Florida, USA. Kim has been certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist for 25+ years, finding it important to ensure stakeholders from public, academic, and consultancy sectors that she has the education, work history, and skill-set necessary to deliver professional wetland services, and that she is committed to upholding a high standard of ethical behavior. Kim has been involved in leadership with the Society of Wetland Scientists since 2007, was SWS President in 2015, President of the SWS Professional Certification Program (SWSPCP) in 2020, and currently serves as Co-Chair of the SWSPCP Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. Kim is actively involved in helping to globalize the SWSPCP by making the Program accessible to qualified individuals, regardless of geography or financial standing. Kim’s approach has always been one of a collaborative spirit, which she believes is one of the most powerful mechanisms to further the cause of conserving, restoring, and protecting wetlands.
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.
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
Registration Open & Call for Abstracts!
Annual Meeting - April 10, 2024
Registration
The Annual Meeting of the Society of Wetland Scientists Rocky Mountain Chapter will be held in person on April 10, 2024, at the Denver Botanic Gardens in Denver, Colorado. The all-day meeting is attended by researchers, students, government staff, private-sector consultants, and other wetland practitioners. The event cultivates scientific exchanges between diverse groups of professionals involved in wetland stewardship in the region. Registrations after April 3rd will not include a lunch.
Ben Goldfarb, independent journalist and author of Eager and Crossings, will deliver our keynote.
Visit the annual meeting page for registration and sponsorship information
Call for Abstracts
We are accepting abstracts for 20-minute presentations on projects, research, management, policy, or other interesting topics related to wetlands. Presentations related to topics that affect wetlands within the Rocky Mountain Chapter (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming) will be preferred. Speakers receive a complimentary registration. Abstracts are due by March 10th.
Visit this link to submit an oral presentation abstract
Have research or a project you would like to display on a poster at the annual meeting? We have space for you! Please submit an abstract for your poster presentation at the link below. Poster presenters receive a complimentary registration. Abstracts are due by March 10th.
Visit this link to submit a poster presentation abstract
Although SWS membership is not required to present at the meeting, members will be given priority. If you are not a member of SWS and would like to become one, please visit the website below to join. Your support is much appreciated.
Join the Society of Wetland Scientists here:
https://www.sws.org/Membership/join-today.html
Sponsorship Opportunities
We invite companies, agencies, organizations, and individuals to sponsor the meeting. Sponsorship will get visibility for your organization, while helping us make it a great event! It offers an effective way to demonstrate your organization’s interest in, and commitment to, wetland science and its implications for wetland policy and management. Sponsorship enables us to offer a high-quality meeting at a reasonable cost. We will recognize and acknowledge the generosity of all of our sponsors in the meeting program and other meeting materials. Sponsorship also includes one or two complimentary registrations depending on the level. More information on sponsorship can be found on our registration page.
Travel Grants Available
The Chapter has travel grants available for the annual meeting. If you are interested in applying for a travel grant, please email Pat Hickey for more information at swsrockymtn@gmail.com.
Volunteer Opportunities
Are you interested in volunteering for the meeting or other Chapter activities? This is a great way to network with other wetland professionals and help make the annual meeting a success. Please let Becky Pierce know if you are interested in helping at swsrockymtn@gmail.com.
Are you interested in hosting an event for the Rocky Mountain Chapter in one of our Chapter states, such as field trips, pub talks, or training courses? Contact Becky Pierce if you have event ideas and/or would like to coordinate an event in your town at (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