WETLAND BREAKING NEWS - CURRENT ISSUE

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EDITOR'S NOTE

EDITOR'S CHOICE

• You Are Invited to Sign up for Two Webinars hosted by the Association of State Wetland Managers
• Senate passes WRDA in decisive 83-14 vote
• Conservation Commitment in Senate Farm Bill
• The true cost of climate change?
• CEQ Proposes Paradigm Shift for Funding Federal Water Investments
• White House warned on imminent Arctic ice death spiral
• Major victory as Sixth Circuit strikes down Nationwide Permit 21
• New Clean Water Act Section 319 Guidelines Released

NATIONAL NEWS

• Federal Agencies Seek Input to Update Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan
• More Massive Algal Blooms Likely for Lake Erie
• Mountain Top Removal of Coal
• VA: New study shows restored oyster reef worth its weight in nutrients
• EPA Planning More Stringent Standards For Stormwater at Newly Developed Sites
• EPA Proposes to Reduce Toxic Pollutants Discharged into Waterways by Power Plants
• W.Va. congressional delegation blasts D.C. Circuit decision
• Slow Start on Environment in Second Obama Term
• Crop insurance indemnities nearly $17 billion in 2012
• EPA wants State Dept. to rework analysis of Keystone XL pipeline
• Good news, finally, on climate change
• Report: Promise, Purpose, and Challenge: Putting the RESTORE Act into Context for the Communities and Ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico
• Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Recognized with 2013 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award
• Cheseapeake Bay Sees 20% Drop In Underwater Grasses

STATE NEWS

• NC: Jacobs Ladder Stream Restoration
• TX: Texas Watersheds: Conservation News from Headwaters to Coast Newsletter (formerly Texas Wetland News)
• FL: USA: Corps Denies Permit for Proposed SunWest County Park
• MI: Helen Taylor: In Michigan, we celebrate, and ignore, nature's rhythms of change
• AK: State, ConocoPhillips, ASRC join legal fight for NPR-A drilling
• MT: CSKT works to restore Has Sandhill Cranes wetland
• OH: Ohio EPA Issues Draft Wetlands Rules
• MN: Aquatic plant removal may require permits
• FL: Our take: River wreckers?
• NY: To Protect Great Lakes From Ballast Water Invaders National Wildlife Federation Asks For Restraining Order
• ME: Maine cos. prep for rise in climate change planning
• IN: Sam Pierce cited for wetland violations
• AK: New study finds Alaska wetlands shrinking
• IN: Constructed IN wetland system wins national honor, saves $26M
• MO: Town under siege by river seeks buyout
• NE: Bill calls for study of how climate change might affect Nebraska agriculture
• WA: Bureaucrat Destroys Wetlands in Order to Save Them
• AZ: A Water Bank Helps Revive Colorado Delta Willows and Wetlands
• FL: Environmental groups enlist Bob Graham to help stop bills
• IA: New waterfowl biologist: Habitat should be top priority
• AK: First step for wetlands: Legislature authorizes administration to investigate state permitting primacy
• VA: Oyster farming down to a science
• MI: Lessons from the flood: What community leaders say they learned from last week's high waters
• IL: Chicago River Flooding: 'This Never Had to Happen'
• NY: Permit to build on Staten Island tidal wetlands issued, but groups still protesting
• FL: Florida Sues BP On Third Anniversary Of Gulf Oil Spill (PHOTOS)
• IL: Missing Illinois' Lost Wetlands
• KY: Kentucky to develop water pollution plan to curb 'dead zone'
• AK: Sensing study quantifies permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaskan wetlands
• KS: Climate change deniers strike out – even in energy-rich Kansas
• DE: Protecting tidal wetlands: Scientists study tidal flow, sediment movement in salt marsh
• LA: MSU explores Louisiana's shrinking coastline
• MI:  DEQ dropped from farm flooding suit
• WA: Changing Course: Why protecting floodplains is good for people and wildlife
• WA: Wetland 'bank' near Long Beach certified to operate
• WI: Critics rip mining bill's provision allowing firms to create replacement wetlands
• WI: WWA Announces 2013-17 Strategic Plan
• WI: Science enlisted to see where turtles dare to roam

RESOURCES & PUBLICATIONS

• New Tool Available for Accessing Data on Climate and Health
• New Report: Habitat Restoration Yields Long-term Benefits to Fisheries
• CSU's Colorado Natural Heritage Program Releases New Field Guide to Colorado's Wetland Plants
• State Constraints: State-Imposed Limitations on the Authority of Agencies to Regulate Waters Beyond the Scope of the Federal Clean Water Act
• Water quality index for ag runoff streamlined
• USDA Develops Phosphorus Management Tool
• Climate Change Responsible for Global Vegetation Change
• Surface waters and wetlands inventory coming soon!
• New Study: A Warming World Will Further Intensify Extreme Precipitation Events
• Hydrologic Monitoring of Wetland: Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources: Supplemental Guidance
• EPA Report: Emerging Technologies for Wastewater Treatment
• The State of Adaptation in the United States: An Overview

WETLAND SCIENCE

• Saving the delta is a pipe dream sans sediment diversion projects
• Climate change shifts migrating birds' wintering ground
• CA: California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) Version 6.1 Available
• Bay’s smallmouth bass under siege, report says
• The Role of Conservation Programs in Drought Risk Adaptation
• EPA Region 5 - Wetlands Supplement: Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning

POTPOURRI

• Costs of the Effects of Extreme Weather will continue to Increase, according to Report
• Low water is high time for planting Great Lakes beaches
• Green Infrastructure Boosts Property Values
• The government is spending way more on disaster relief than anybody thought
• Conservatives’ grand opportunity on energy (opinion)
• Does Climate Change Worry You? How About Insurance To Cover Its Consequences?
• Researchers advocate a simple, affordable and accurate technology to identify threats from sea-level rise
• ASFPM Recommendations on 2012 NFIP Reform flood insurance affordability issues (3/2013)
• Growing Number of Countries Factoring Nature's Value into Economic Decisions
• Environmental Law Institute Recognizes Seven National Wetlands Award Winners
• The Ecology of Pooh
• Coastal Blue Carbon Workshop Helps Coastal Managers
• How's My Waterway App Now Has New Features
• What is i-Tree?
• Floodplains By Design

MEETINGS, WEBINARS AND TRAINING

• Online Wetland Design Class
• Webinar: The Economics of Green Infrastructure: Strategies for Flood Mitigation
• Michigan Port Collaborative Spring Summit 2013
• Webinar on Coastal Wetlands Restoration
• NCCWSC Climate Change Science Management Webinar Series
• Ecosystems for Water and Energy Conference
• Wetland Restoration and Creation Workshop
• Shale Gas Development Impacts on Biodiversity: A workshop for professionals
• Coastal Climate Adaptation & Resilience Workshop
• Mass Audubon Wetland Restoration Workshop
• Wetland Plant Camp, PA
• National Roundtable on New Tools for Water Quality: Trading and Beyond
• Workshop: Common reed (Phragmites) ecology and management
• Workshop: Conservation of urban biodiversity
• Course: BC Wildlife Federation's Wetlands Institute
• 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement
• Stream Mechanics Workshop Series
• 2013 Susquehanna Water Science Forum, Call for Paper
• NHANRS Coastal Wetlands Conference - Call for Papers
• 2013 Watershed Symposium, Missoula, MT
• Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop
  
  

EDITOR'S NOTE

Hello Friends, Colleagues, and Fellow Regulators,

I am still shaking my head. What was I thinking?!? I was retired, I was enjoying the good life, I was enjoying getting up when I wanted to, going fishing, golfing, just lazin' around reading a good book, watching reruns of NUMB3RS. What was I thinking?!? Volunteering to taking on the job of editor for the Wetland Breaking News? Come on, Alan. Did Jeanne put something in your drink? Some people just don't know when they have it good.

Let me introduce myself and explain my insanity. I grew up on the bays of San Diego (when they had some), the waves of the ocean, and the streams and water holes of the high desert. My dad would fish before work and after work. He loved the outdoors and even today one of the dining halls of the San Diego County conservation camp is named after him. He never taught my brother or I about conservation and land respect, he just lived it. I guess it just rubbed off.

Today, I am retired from the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. I spent several years as a regulator for the Kentucky Department of Environmental Services as a Human Health and Ecological Health Risk Assessor. During the second part of my career with KDEP, I worked with the Water Quality Certification Section (CWA 401) and eventually became supervisor of some of the greatest people I ever came to know. That is where ASWM comes in and plays its part.

The yearly ASWM meeting with EPA Region, HQ personal, and the states became the highlight of my year and was irreplaceable. The people, the lessons, the sharing between states was most instrumental in allowing me to develop a stronger section in Kentucky. ASWM became one of my go-to organizations for answers, directions, and guidance. ASWM continues to be that go between regulators need.

So now, I find myself having the time to give back as a volunteer to ASWM. Maybe you have the time now to help. Join me in volunteering with ASWM becoming an even greater asset to the wetland community.

Thanks to Tom Biebighauser, U.S. Forest Service, Erik Kiviat, Bard College, and Toney Ott, EPA for suggested stories in this issue of WBN.

Thank you all,

Alan Grant
Editor, Wetland Breaking News

EDITOR'S CHOICE

You Are Invited to Sign up for Two Webinars hosted by the Association of State Wetland Managers

Association of State Wetland Managers
In celebration of American Wetlands Month, you are invited to participate in two webinars hosted by the Association of State Wetland Managers about wetland restoration. May 21 at 2:00 p.m. eastern: Please join us for a webinar on State and Regional Wetland Restoration Strategies presented by Jeanne Christie, Association of State Wetland Managers and Matt Meersman, Friends of the St. Joe River Association. To register, click here.

May 29 at 3:00 p.m. eastern: Please join us--both members and nonmembers--for our American Wetlands Month Members webinar: Designing Wetlands for Rare Amphibians – presented by Tom Biebighauser, U.S. Forest Service. To register, click here.

Senate passes WRDA in decisive 83-14 vote

By Annie Snider –  E&E News
The Senate today accomplished what many experts had thought to be impossible, decisively clearing the first major bill authorizing new lock, dam, levee and environmental restoration in six years despite a ban on congressional earmarks.  To read full article, click here.

Conservation Commitment in Senate Farm Bill

Precision Pays – May 14, 2013
“The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act includes an even stronger commitment to conservation, one borne out of the efforts by environmental and agricultural groups who sat down together to find a way to protect our soil and water resources necessary to keep agriculture strong in America for generations to come,” said Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich).  The bill includes an agreement between agriculture and conservation organizations to ensure that basic soil and wetland protection requirements were extended to apply to crop insurance premium subsidies. For full article, click here.

See also: Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 on the Senate Agriculture Committee's web page.  This web page includes links to a summary of the bill, the legislative text, the Congressional Budget Office Analysis of the Bill and more information.

The true cost of climate change?

Birdwatch – May 12, 2013
Accelerating world climate change will radically decrease two thirds of common plants and half the animals, says new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). Research published today in the journal Nature Climate Change look at 50,000 globally widespread and common species, and found that two thirds of the plants and half of the animals will lose more than half of their climatic range by 2080, if nothing is done to reduce the amount of global warming and slow it down. This means that geographical ranges of common plants and animals will shrink globally, and biodiversity will decline almost everywhere. Almost two thirds of common plants and half the animals could see a dramatic decline this century due to climate change. For full article, click here.

CEQ Proposes Paradigm Shift for Funding Federal Water Investments

By  Adam Gravley, Jeffery Winmill, and Erin Bartlett – VanNess Feldman – May 9, 2013
The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) recently released proposed guidance documents that would establish a new “framework for analyzing” Federal investment in water resources projects.  Released in March 2013, the Principles and Requirements for Federal Investments in Water Resources and Interagency Guidelines (collectively “Proposed Guidance”) instruct Federal agencies to develop and implement regulations under an “ecosystems services approach,” prior to approving investments in water-related projects such as dam or levee construction or funding grant programs.  This new approach is controversial and expands the scope of factors Federal agencies are required to consider when determining whether to fund water resources projects.  The Proposed Guidance is in final draft form and the CEQ is seeking comments on the documents until May 28, 2013. For full article, click here. For full guidance, click here.

White House warned on imminent Arctic ice death spiral

By Nafeez Ahmed – The Guardian - Earthinsight –  May 2, 2013 – Video
Senior US government officials are to be briefed at the White House this week on the danger of an ice-free Arctic in the summer within two years. The meeting is bringing together Nasa's acting chief scientist, Gale Allen, the director of the US National Science Foundation, Cora Marett, as well as representatives from the US Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon. This is the latest indication that US officials are increasingly concerned about the international and domestic security implications of climate change. For full story, click here.

Major victory as Sixth Circuit strikes down Nationwide Permit 21

Appalachian Citizens' Law Center – April 22, 2013
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit today invalidated the 2007 version of the nationwide permit used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to authorize the dumping of coal mining waste into hundreds of miles of Appalachian headwater streams. “The Court agreed with us that the Corps failed in 2007 to demonstrate that filling streams with mining waste has minimal cumulative impacts and that the mining companies can mitigate those environmental impacts to insignificance,”said Jim Hecker, Environmental Enforcement Director at Public Justice in Washington, DC.  ”This permit should never have been issued, because it was based on the Corps’ unsupportable assumption that filling these streams has minimal environmental effects.” For full story, click here. To read full Court of Appeals decision, click here.

New Clean Water Act Section 319 Guidelines Released (ECOSWIRE Friday, May 10, 2013, Vol. 15 No. 17)

EPA – April 12, 2013
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released the final Nonpoint Source Program and Grants Guidelines for States and Territories. The newly revised guidelines provide updated program direction, an increased emphasis on project implementation in watersheds with impaired waters, and increased accountability measures. The guidelines are applicable for FY 2014 and subsequent section 319 grant awards. They replace the guidelines that had been in effect since the FY 2004 grant cycle.

NATIONAL NEWS

Federal Agencies Seek Input to Update Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan

Contact: Peter Cassell – EPA News Release – May 10, 2013
The federal agencies and departments of the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force today announced opportunities for the public to provide input to a planned update of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan. The updated Action Plan would direct Great Lakes restoration for fiscal years 2015-2019. The public may comment directly to the federal agencies and to the Great Lakes Advisory Board (GLAB), a panel of experts established to provide recommendations to the federal agencies. For full news release and dates to submit comments, click here.

More Massive Algal Blooms Likely for Lake Erie

By Catherine Griffin – Science World Report – May 7, 2013
Algae can have serious consequences for Lake Erie. They can choke fish and hamper boat movement. In fact, toxic algal blooms two years ago were so thick that some anglers said that their boats slowed down as they drove through the green slime. Now, it turns out that these blooms may becoming more frequent--a bad situation for one of the Great Lakes. Harmful algal blooms are made of blue-green algae, which can drastically impact wildlife. The bloom thrives in nutrient rich waters where it can spread out across vast swathes of the lake. Yet when the algae dies, oxygen is leached out of the water. This, in turn, causes dead zones where little to no life can survive. Since the algae contains a toxin that can cause gastrointestinal illness, liver problems and headaches, swimmers are also at risk if they come in contact with the bloom, according to The News Messenger. Unfortunately, it looks like these blooms are likely to continue into the future. Climate change is causing increased heavy rains and dry summers in the area, according to the National Wildlife Federation.Heavy rains wash fertilizers and other nutrients into the lake, which then help feed the algae. Since the Lake Erie Basin has the most agricultural land in the Great Lakes region, it's due to suffer some serious consequences with these rain events. For full story, click here.

Mountain Top Removal of Coal

Contact: Liz Judge – Earthjustice – May 7, 2013
Groups Petition U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Water Quality Standard in Appalachia to Protect Communities from Mountaintop Removal Mining Pollution. Yesterday afternoon, a coalition of Appalachian and national groups pressed the Environmental Protection Agency for stronger protection for their waters from the most extreme form of coal mining, mountaintop removal. For full story, click here.

VA: New study shows restored oyster reef worth its weight in nutrients

The Virginia Gazette – May 2, 2013
A recent study led by researcher Lisa Kellogg of William and Mary's Virginia Institute of Marine Science shows that a restored oyster reef can remove up to 10 times more nitrogen from Chesapeake Bay waters than an unrestored area nearby, according to a release. The findings provide more evidence that reef-restoration can improve water quality in the nation’s largest estuary. The study, “Denitrification and nutrient assimilation on a restored oyster reef,” is the feature article in this month’s issue of Marine Ecology Progress Series. Co-authors are Jeff Cornwell, Michael Owens and Ken Paynter of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. To date, the justification for restoring oysters to Chesapeake Bay has focused on their capacity to clear the water, provide habitat for their own young and for other species, and to sustain both watermen and seafood lovers. For full story, click here. To read the study, click here.

EPA Planning More Stringent Standards For Stormwater at Newly Developed Sites

By Amena H. Saiyid – Bloomberg, BNA – May 1, 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to propose that new developments have greater stormwater retention ability than what would be required for redeveloped sites, an agency official said April 30. Speaking at a webinar on stormwater rulemaking, Christopher Kloss, green infrastructure and stormwater coordinator in the EPA Office of Water, said, “We will have differential standards” in the upcoming proposed rule on post-construction stormwater. The purpose of proposing more stringent standards for stormwater at newly developed sites versus relatively relaxed standards at redeveloped sites is to create an incentive for businesses to invest in redevelopment projects in cities, he explained.

“Right now, we recognize the current situation where we have [stormwater] standards within [municipal separate storm sewer systems], and not outside,” Kloss said, adding that the situation makes for “an unequal playing field.” For full story, click here.

EPA Proposes to Reduce Toxic Pollutants Discharged into Waterways by Power Plants

EPA – April 2013
Last week, EPA proposed a range of options to help reduce pollutants, including mercury, arsenic, lead, and selenium that are released into U.S. waterways by coal ash, air pollution control waste and other waste from steam electric power plants. The proposal includes a variety of options for whether and how these different waste streams should be treated. Steam electric power plants currently account for more than half of all toxic pollutants discharged into streams, rivers and lakes from permitted industrial facilities in the United States. EPA will take comment, to help inform the most appropriate final standard, for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. For more information, click here.

W.Va. congressional delegation blasts D.C. Circuit decision

By Steve Davies – ESWR.com – April 25, 2013
“W.Va. members of Congress promise action against EPA” is the headline in the West Virginia Record, whose article noted that 80 percent of the state’s congressional delegation had posted press releases criticizing the D.C. Circuit’s decision that said EPA had the authority to partially revoke a permit for the Spruce Mine. (Only Jay Rockefeller appears not to have weighed in.) Rep. Nick “Joe” Rahall said he would “soon be reintroducing the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, legislation the House approved last year to prevent the EPA from using the guise of clean water as a means to disrupt coal mining as they have now done with respect to the Spruce Mine in Logan County, West Virginia.” For full story, click here.

Slow Start on Environment in Second Obama Term

By John M. Broder – The New York Times – April 24, 2013
Shortly after winning re-election in November, President Obama promised assertive leadership on climate change and energy. In his State of the Union address in February, he vowed that if the assembled lawmakers failed to pass broad climate legislation, he would act unilaterally. And yet in the ensuing months, little more has been heard from the president or his cabinet on the matter. For full story, click here.

Crop insurance indemnities nearly $17 billion in 2012

By Christorpher Doering – DesMoines Register – April 23, 2013
Crop insurance indemnities have risen to a record $17 billion for 2012 crop year, the U.S. Agriculture Department said in its latest report issued on Monday. The figure, which was up more than $700 million from the prior week, pushed the total for 2012 to $16.99 billion. The number is higher than 2011 when a series of natural disasters ranging from a freeze in Florida to drought in Texas prompted insurance companies to pay out a record $10.8 billion to farmers, short of the $12 billion they collected in premiums. For full blog post, click here.

EPA wants State Dept. to rework analysis of Keystone XL pipeline

By Lenny Bernstein and Juliet Eilperin – The Washington Post – April 22, 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency objected Monday to the State Department’s latest review of the Keystone XL oil pipeline, suggesting that more work must be done before the Obama administration can determine whether to approve the 1,179-mile northern leg of the project. The EPA recommended that State reassess the amount of greenhouse gas that would be emitted by the development of oil sands in Alberta, Canada, as a result of construction of the pipeline, which eventually could transport as much as 830,000 barrels of diluted bitumen crude to refineries in Texas. For full story, click here.

Good news, finally, on climate change

By Bonnie Erbe – PhillyBurbs – April 19, 2013
Late last year, the Global Carbon Project issued a report showing global emissions of carbon dioxide rose to record levels in 2011 and were on track to rise even higher in 2012. Carbon dioxide is produced most often by the burning of coal, the largest global source of energy used to generate electricity. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes glaciers and ice sheets to melt and warming oceans to expand. But a new study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the Scripps Institution for Oceanography, and Climate Central shows that by limiting four other pollutants that might be easier to control, scientists can make significant progress toward stemming rising sea levels. For full story, click here.

Report: Promise, Purpose, and Challenge: Putting the RESTORE Act into Context for the Communities and Ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico

Tulane Institute – April 8, 2013
The Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy has released a White Paper looking at how the RESTORE Act will work and its implications on the ecosystems and communities of the Gulf. The paper, “Promise, Purpose, and Challenge: Putting the RESTORE Act into Context for the Communities and Ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico”, is aimed at improving the public’s understanding about the Act and how it will work. For full blog post, click here. To read full report, click here.

Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Recognized with 2013 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award

Digital Journal Press Release – March 29, 2013 Sen. Debbie Stabenow (MI), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, was presented last Friday with the 2013 Wetland Conservation Achievement Award, one of Ducks Unlimited's highest honors. "Senator Stabenow led the Senate in passing a comprehensive, bipartisan farm bill in 2012 – one of the few major pieces of legislation passed by the Senate last year," said DU CEO Dale Hall. "The Senate version of the 2012 Farm Bill was a shining example of prioritizing the long-term conservation of wetlands and waterfowl habitat." For full Press Release, click here.

Chesapeake Bay Sees 20% Drop In Underwater Grasses

By Sabri Ben-Achour – WAMU 88.5 (Washington, D.C.) Radio – March 29, 2012
Underwater grasses in the Chesapeake Bay declined more than 20 percent last year, according to scientists. It was a blow to many fish as well as other species that need the grass to live or breed. Underwater grasses create meadows of sorts beneath the surface; those areas are where all kinds of creatures like crabs and striped bass live and breed. Last year, some 17,000 acres were wiped out.  To listen to story, click here.

STATE NEWS

NC: Jacobs Ladder Stream Restoration

Wright Contracting
Jacob’s Ladder is Phase I of a two part project contracted to Wright Contracting, LLC by KCI. The project consists of three reaches on rural farm land in Rowan County, NC. Approximately 20 Acres of the total 5389 linear feet of the project restoration will be planted with native vegetation and preserved and protected for future generations. For full project, click here.

TX: Texas Watersheds: Conservation News from Headwaters to Coast Newsletter (formerly Texas Wetland News)

Texas Parks & Wildlife
Texas Wetland News recently underwent a renovation into Texas Watersheds: Conservation News from Headwaters to Coast with expanded coverage of watershed and aquatic conservation activities. In order to conserve resources and in light of state budget constraints, the newsletter will now only be available in an online version. The Texas Watersheds newsletter is posted twice a year, generally in Spring and Fall. If you would like to receive email notification when a new newsletter is posted online, sign-up by going here. Then choose Texas Watersheds under "Special Interest E-Newsletters." For full story, click here.

FL: USA: Corps Denies Permit for Proposed SunWest County Park

Dredging Today – May 13, 2013
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has denied a Department of the Army permit application, requested by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, to construct a county park with boat access to the Gulf of Mexico. If constructed, the proposed project, called SunWest County Park, would have impacted nearly four acres of jurisdictional wetlands and nearly 29 acres of seagrass habitat. For full story, click here.

MI: Helen Taylor: In Michigan, we celebrate, and ignore, nature's rhythms of change

By Helen Taylor – Michigan Live – May 12, 2013
Our family tradition every summer is a special week amongst the magnificent dunes along Lake Michigan. The first thing we do when we arrive is run down to the lakeshore to the outlet where Lower Lake Herring connects to Lake Michigan, to see what Mother Nature has done since we were last there. It is always different and always beautiful. The size of the beach is sometimes double, sometimes half. Sometimes the outlet meanders along the shore before pouring into the big lake and other times it flows straight in. The dynamic nature of the system is anticipated, planned for and embraced. For full article, click here.

AK: State, ConocoPhillips, ASRC join legal fight for NPR-A drilling

By Wesley Loy – Anchorage Daily News – May 11, 2013
Quite a legal battle is shaping up over the expansion of oil and gas development into Alaska's western North Slope frontier. The conflict centers on a planned project known as Colville Delta 5. ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. has a federal permit to build and operate the CD-5 drill site inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Seven residents of Nuiqsut, a predominantly Inupiat Eskimo village a few miles southeast of CD-5, are suing in Anchorage federal court to invalidate the permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in December 2011. For full story, click here.

MT: CSKT works to restore Has Sandhill Cranes wetland

By Kindra McQuillan –  Missoulian – May 9, 2013
There’s a place between Hot Springs and the Little Bitterroot River, on the Flathead Indian Reservation, called “Has Sandhill Cranes.” Ten years ago, it had no sandhill cranes. Water from the river, which had once fed a wetland of native birds and amphibians, was channeled into deep, straight irrigation ditches. Cattle trampled native grasses and shrubs, and birds flew elsewhere. Some, like the trumpeter swan, were long gone anyway, due to over-hunting. And the frog with the intricate, haloed spots and grinding croak – the northern leopard frog – had disappeared from the reservation altogether, designated as “extirpated” since about 1980. Today, a wide wetland of native rushes and sedges again spreads across Has Sandhill Cranes. Trumpeter swans fly overhead, as do ducks, marsh wrens, red-winged blackbirds, yellow-headed blackbirds, soras, bitterns, Virginia rails, coots, curlews, pied billed grieves, and of course, sandhill cranes. There’s a racket of warbles and screeches and croaks. For full story, click here.

OH: Ohio EPA Issues Draft Wetlands Rules

Contact: Linda Fee Oros –Ohio EPA News Release – May 3, 2013
Ohio EPA is seeking public comments on a draft rule affecting water quality standards for wetlands. Public comments on the draft rule are sought through May 17, 2013. Water quality standards protect Ohio’s lakes, rivers, streams and other surface waters from pollution. This rulemaking addresses protections put in place for wetlands, setting up water quality criteria for the Director of Ohio EPA to consider when determining whether a lowering of water quality in wetlands would be allowed and what mitigations would be appropriate for water quality impacts. For full news release, click here.

MN: Aquatic plant removal may require permits

Minnesota DNR News Release – May 2, 2013
Lakeshore property owners are reminded that removal of aquatic plants from Minnesota lakes may require a permit from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).  For full news release, click here.

FL: Our take: River wreckers?

Orlando Sentinel Editorial – May 2, 2013
A bill up for consideration in the Senate today includes a provision that would strip Orange County of its authority to protect wetlands in Wedgefield, a low-lying community near the Econ. If the provision becomes law, Wedgefield's Ranger Drainage District would be permitted to destroy wetlands to divert runoff into the river. For full story, click here.

NY: To Protect Great Lakes From Ballast Water Invaders National Wildlife Federation Asks For Restraining Order

By Jordan Lubetkin – National Wildlife Federation – May 2, 2013 The National Wildlife Federation is asking a federal judge to stop the EPA from implementing a rule that would prohibit the State of New York from strengthening protections against non-native species introduced by ballast water discharges. For full story, click here.

ME: Maine cos. prep for rise in climate change planning

By Matt Dodge – Mainebiz – April 30, 2013
When J.T. Lockman discusses his company's software, which determines the cost of mitigating potential damage from sea level rise, he inevitably comes across a small but vocal few who dispute whether global warming is a cause of more frequent coastal storms.  In those cases, Lockman, vice president of Scarborough-based Catalysis Adaptation Partners, employs what he calls "the burglar analogy." For full story, click here.

IN: Sam Pierce cited for wetland violations

By Seth Slabaugh – The Star Press – April 29, 2013 – Video
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management claims local car dealer Sam Pierce illegally filled in wetlands during the clearing of a woods south of Yorktown. The agency takes destruction of wetlands seriously, because they are home to threatened and endangered plants and animals; rest stops for migratory birds; provide areas for hunting, fishing, bird watching and wildlife photography; soak up flood waters and filter sediment and nutrients. IDEM issued Pierce an informal violation letter on March 1 after conducting two inspections, both based on complaints. The letter indicates Pierce and his contractor continued to destroy wetlands after being warned against doing so. For full story and video, click here.

AK: New study finds Alaska wetlands shrinking

By Jerry Shedlock – Alaska Dispatch – April 28, 2013
A team of geoscientists based out of Texas have added to the growing number of studies pointing to a warming Arctic climate. Using newly available remote-sensing technology, scientists at the Southwest Research Institute found the Ahnewetut Wetlands in Kobuk Valley National Park, located in Nouthwest Alaska, have experienced an accelerated loss of surface water over the past 30 years. For full story, click here.

IN: Constructed IN wetland system wins national honor, saves $26M

WaterWorld – April 26, 2013
The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) announced that it selected Bernardin Lochmueller & Associates' (BLA) wetlandtreatment system in Washington, Ind., for a 2013 Engineering Excellence Honor Award. ACEC, the leading engineering trade association, evaluated 146 submissions and selected the Washington project as one of 24 to recognize nationally. For full story, click here.

MO: Town under siege by river seeks buyout

By Jim Salter – Yahoo! News – April 25, 2013
For 40 years, Shirley Moss has lived in the same home in a tiny southeast Missouri town, but as the sandbags piled up yet again, she didn't hesitate when asked if she would take a government buyout. "In a New York minute," Moss said from her double-wide mobile home in Dutchtown, which sits in a Mississippi River bottom. "I'm 75 years old — I can't fight this." Flooding has become a fact of life for many quiet towns like Dutchtown, where 100 or so residents live unprotected against the worst the water has to offer. Fed by days of drenching downpours, the Mississippi is again chugging at high levels, raising new fears that days of sandbagging won't suffice against the rush. For full story, click here.

NE: Bill calls for study of how climate change might affect Nebraska agriculture

By Brent Martin – Nebraska Radio Network – April 25, 2013
An assessment on how climate change might affect Nebraska agriculture would be conducted under a bill moving forward in the legislature. LB 583 advances, though some lawmakers cast doubt on whether man-made activities have spurred climate change. Sen. Scott Price of Bellevue tells colleagues there’s no doubt the climate is changing. For full story, click here.

WA: Bureaucrat Destroys Wetlands in Order to Save Them

By Jon Gabriel – Freedom Works Blog – April 25, 2013
Joe Remenar found the ideal spot to retire. After a long career in law enforcement, he bought three and a half acres near Blaine, Wash., which included a nice home and a little room to enjoy nature. In January, he decided to build a small shed near the pond but first contacted Whatcom County's Planning and Development Services to make sure everything was up to code. "I wanted to do the right thing," Remenar said, but ended up creating nothing but problems for himself. Whatcom County Senior Planner Lyn Morgan-Hill surprised Remenar with the information that his property had been designated a wetland. Not only was the shed disapproved, Joe had to fill-in the pond and hire an official wetlands consultant to tell him exactly how to do it. For full blog post, click here.

AZ: A Water Bank Helps Revive Colorado Delta Willows and Wetlands

By Sasndra Postel – National Geographic News Watch – April 23, 2013
The water trust pays fair market value for the water rights and then uses the water to restore wetlands and riparian forests in the delta. The transactions appear to create a win-win for all parties. Farmers Play an Important Role. Of the roughly 12,000 farmers in the Mexicali Valley, most have small farms of less than 50 acres (20 hectares), according to Yamilette Carrillo, a post-doctoral student at the University of Arizona and consultant to Pronatura, who has interviewed more than 500 farmers in the region. For full article, click here.

FL: Environmental groups enlist Bob Graham to help stop bills

By Craig Pittman – Tampa bay Times – April 23, 2013
A pair of bills now steamrolling through the Florida House and Senate have drawn such strong objections from environmental groups that former Sen. Bob Graham flew to Tallahassee this week to lobby against them. The two bills — HB 999 sponsored by Rep. Jimmy Patronis and SB 1684 by Sen. Thad Altman — are packed with provisions relating to sugar company leases in the Everglades, making it easier to wipe out wetlands and limiting the power of water districts to control pumping. For full story, click here.

IA: New waterfowl biologist: Habitat should be top priority

By Tim Ackarman – Globegazette – April 21, 2013
Department of Natural Resources Waterfowl Biologist Orrin Jones traveled almost as far as the ducks he studies to arrive in North Iowa. Jones grew up in Connecticut hunting ducks on the salt marshes of Long Island Sound, an experience that greatly impacted his future. “In high school I decided to be a waterfowl biologist,” Jones said. After obtaining a degree in wildlife ecology from the University of New Hampshire, Jones worked briefly for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before doing his graduate work at the University of Delaware, where he studied black ducks.  Whether on the highly urbanized landscape of the East Coast or the highly cultivated landscape of the Midwest, protecting and improving habitat is the key to ensuring the future of waterfowl and other wildlife species, Jones believes. “Habitat should be our top priority,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to working on.”  For full story, click here.

AK: First step for wetlands: Legislature authorizes administration to investigate state permitting primacy

By Alan Bailey – Petroleum News – April 21, 2013
Among a series of bills passed during the closing hours of the Alaska legislative session came an act authorizing the state administration to seek state primacy for wetlands permitting currently carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The permitting in question, called “404 permitting” after the section of the Clean Water Act that mandates its use, applies to any activity that involves the dredge and fill of materials into the waters of the United States. Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency oversees the operation of this permitting program, the Corps of Engineers has been administering the program in Alaska. For full story, click here.

VA: Oyster farming down to a science

By Tamara Dietrich – Daily Press – April 21, 2013
On the scenic shores of Mobjack Bay in Gloucester County, oysters are being farmed by the millions. John Vigliotta owns one of the largest caged-oyster companies in the state, taking oysters from microscopic eggs to 3-inch cage-grown market beauties in the space of a year or two. Typically, oysters can take up to three years to reach market size. For full story, click here.

MI: Lessons from the flood: What community leaders say they learned from last week's high waters

By Jim Harger – Michigan Live – April 21, 2013
As the Grand River rolled unimpeded towards near-record flood heights last week, West Michigan residents were reminded that the tranquil waterway they’ve embraced as a backdrop for wedding photos, picnics and outdoor concerts also can be a ruthless threat to life and property. For full story, click here.

IL: Chicago River Flooding: 'This Never Had to Happen'

By Patty Wetli – DNAinfo Chicago – April 20, 2013
As Albany Park and North Park residents mopped up after the second "100-year" flood in five years, containing the Chicago River — which overflowed its banks and overwhelmed their neighborhoods — was top of mind. "This never had to happen," said Kevin Krstovich, a resident of the 5000 block of North Monticello Avenue, who still had two feet of water in his basement on Friday, though he'd managed to rescue his electronics and power tools. Mother Nature may be unpredictable, Krstovich argued, but previous flooding in 2008 gave government officials ample warning about the danger the river posed to residents. For full story, click here.

NY: Permit to build on Staten Island tidal wetlands issued, but groups still protesting

By Mark D. Stein – Staten Island Advance – April 20, 2013
Despite being approved by the state and city, a handful of local organizations have come together to try and prevent a Mansion Avenue property from having three residential structures built on it. Protectors of Pine Oak Woods, the Great Kills Yacht Club, and the Natural Resources Protective Association (NRPA) are working together, hoping to convince the state to withdraw a wetland permit that allows for construction of three new homes near Great Kills Harbor. "No houses in Great Kills Harbor!" is the slogan of the new coalition formed to fight against construction on the tidal wetlands. For full story, click here.

FL: Florida Sues BP On Third Anniversary Of Gulf Oil Spill (PHOTOS)

By James L. Rosica – Huffington Post – April 20, 2013
The state of Florida filed a lawsuit Saturday against oil company BP and cement contractor Halliburton over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, becoming the fourth state to seek damages for the 2010 disaster. The suit, among other things, faults BP for not changing the batteries on the rig's blowout preventer. Halliburton was blamed for installing faulty cement barriers that were supposed to gird the well against oil pressure. For full story, click here.

IL: Missing Illinois' Lost Wetlands

By Jack Darin – The Huffington Post Chicago Blog – April 19, 2013
The massive storm system that has waterlogged Illinois reminds us how much we miss a piece of Illinois' natural heritage that has been largely destroyed -- our wetlands. For full blog post, click here.

KY: Kentucky to develop water pollution plan to curb 'dead zone'

By James Bruggers – The Courier-Journal – April 19, 2013
Kentucky’s top environmental regulator on Thursday said his agency was drafting a statewide plan to control pollution that causes algae blooms around the state and contributes to an oxygen-depleted “dead zone” as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. Called a “nutrient management plan” because it would target nitrogen and phosphorous, Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Len Peters said a draft could be made public in late spring or summer. For full story, click here.

AK: Sensing study quantifies permafrost degradation in Arctic Alaskan wetlands

Science Codex – April 18, 2013
A team of geoscientists from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) using newly available remote-sensing technology has achieved unprecedented detail in quantifying subtle, long-period changes in the water levels of shallow lakes and ponds in hard-to-reach Arctic wetlands. Analysis comparing time-lapsed, high-resolution satellite imagery of the Ahnewetut Wetlands in Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska, revealed an accelerated loss of surface water in shallow thaw lakes and ponds over a recent 27-year period compared to the preceding 27-year timespan. Those periods generally coincide with a well-known cooling and warming cycle known as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, whose period is about five decades. For full story, click here.

KS: Climate change deniers strike out – even in energy-rich Kansas

By Kevin Knobloch –Christian Science Monitor – April 18, 2013
Despite the evident risks of climate change – from sea-level rise and coastal flooding to crippling drought – Congress has been slow to respond. Fortunately, states have given us reason for optimism by taking the lead on reducing heat-trapping emissions from fossil fuels. California, for instance, just launched its cap-and-trade system for reducing global warming pollution. The program was passed under a Republican governor and is being implemented by a Democratic one. The state also has the country’s most ambitious renewable electricity standard, which requires utilities to provide 33 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. For full story, click here.

DE: Protecting tidal wetlands: Scientists study tidal flow, sediment movement in salt marsh

By Karen B. Roberts – Phys.org – April 18, 2013
According to a 2007 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global sea level is expected to increase one half meter or more over the next century. Along the Mid-Atlantic coast of the United States, relative sea-level rise is about two times higher than the global rise. In Delaware, nearly 371,000 acres of contiguous tidal wetlands surround the Delaware Bay. Studies indicate that the proportion of wetlands that were degraded increased from 25 percent in 1984 to an alarming 54 percent in 1993. Three University of Delaware scientists are studying tidal water flow and sediment movement in a Kent County salt marsh to better understand changes to the marsh ecosystem due to a rising sea level. For full story, click here.

LA: MSU explores Louisiana's shrinking coastline

Clinton News – April 18, 2013  Louisiana is shrinking. According to new information from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 25-35 square miles of land off the coast of Louisiana disappears into the water every year.Mississippi State University environmental economist Daniel Petrolia understands how important the disappearing wetlands are to commercial fisheries, storm surge protection and wildlife. “Louisiana has about 40 percent of the nation’s wetlands, with about 90 percent of the nation’s losses, sort of the epicenter of wetland loss,” Petrolia said. “Wetlands provide a variety of benefits, and so when these wetlands go, so do these benefits.” For full story, click here.

MI: DEQ dropped from farm flooding suit

By Dennis Pelham – Lenconnect.com – April 16, 2013
A complaint against the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality over flooding of a farm on Sandy Beach Road near Devils Lake is being withdrawn, an attorney for the farm owners said at a hearing Monday in Lenawee County Circuit Court. The hearing was for a DEQ motion to dismiss the complaint by property owners Leonard and Sharon Gust. Their attorneys had asked Judge Timothy P. Pickard to order the DEQ to issue a permit to drain the property without the normal review process and permit fee.

An agreement was reached three weeks ago with the Lenawee County Road Commission to handle the DEQ permit process, said Adrian attorney John Koselka. He said at Monday’s hearing the road commission has submitted a permit application and he agreed to withdraw the complaint while waiting for a decision by the DEQ. For full story, click here.

WA: Changing Course: Why protecting floodplains is good for people and wildlife

By Dan Siemann – National Wildlife Federation – March 28, 2013
Home to over four million people and a rich diversity of fish and wildlife, Puget Sound is the economic and ecological hub of Washington State. Although quality of life continues to attract people to the region, important indicators suggest our current development path may not be sustainable. The health of Puget Sound’s ecosystem is under threat, iconic salmon and orca populations are a fraction of their previous levels, and the region is increasingly devastated by costly floods. Loss of floodplains plays a key role in all of this. For full article, click here. To download report: Changing Course: Why protecting floodplains is good for people and wildlife, click here.

WA: Wetland 'bank' near Long Beach certified to operate

Contacts: Curt Hart and Patricia Graesser – WA State Department of Ecology – March 18, 2013
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Pacific County have certified the operation of a wetland mitigation bank on 76 acres of privately owned land north of the city of Long Beach in Pacific County. LBMB of Longview, the company that will build and operate the bank, will permanently protect the bank site through a conservation easement. Wetland mitigation banking creates an economic incentive for restoring, creating, enhancing and preserving wetlands. Wetland mitigation banks are an important strategy for engaging the private sector and power of the marketplace to sustain Washington’s remaining wetlands. While there are about 12 other banks operating across the state, the Long Beach bank is the first to be formally certified under both state and federal rules in Pacific County. For full story, click here.

WI: Critics rip mining bill's provision allowing firms to create replacement wetlands

By Ron Seeley – LaCrosse Tribune – February 25, 2013
Waste material from a 4 1/2-mile-long open-pit iron mine would cover up to 40 percent of a 3,300-acre site in northern Wisconsin that is now home to wetlands and trout streams, a mining company official said. How Gogebic Taconite, which wants to build the mine in the Penokee Range, handles that waste and how it plans to protect the area's water-rich ecosystem is at the heart of the debate over the controversial GOP bill that speeds up mine permitting and exempts the mining company from some environmental rules. For full story, click here.

WI: WWA Announces 2013-17 Strategic Plan

Wisconsin Wetlands Association – January 2013
Wisconsin Wetlands is pleased to present our 2013-17 Strategic Plan. This plan was developed by WWA's Board of Directors and staff with facilitation and drafting assistance provided by Laura Hewitt. WWA thanks its members, partners, and others who provided important input used in the development of this plan. The plan presents a focused, deliberate approach to helping Wisconsin's citizens, communities, and decision-makers protect and care for the wonderful wetland resources of this great state. To view Plan, click here.

WI: Science enlisted to see where turtles dare to roam

By Gena Kittner – LaCrosse Tribune – May 31, 2011
There’s a lot riding on the back of Bobbi, the teenage turtle captured in the Pheasant Branch Conservancy this spring and released there Thursday. Bobbi is one of three Blanding’s turtles with a radio transmitter fitted to its shell so biologists can track the turtles’ movements, understand more about their habitat needs and learn how to keep them safe. The transmitters, glued to a female and two male turtles with a nontoxic epoxy, were purchased with a $980 grant through the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. The tracking is an extension of surveys conducted for the past three years by volunteers who documented and mapped sightings of Blanding’s turtles in Middleton wetland areas known as frequent hangouts for the turtle listed as threatened in Wisconsin. For full story, click here.

RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS

New Tool Available for Accessing Data on Climate and Health

CSO Weekly Report Issue 13.12 – May 10, 2013
On May 9, theObama Administration’s interagency US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) launched a new online tool designed to accelerate research relating to climate change and human health—the Metadata Access Tool for Climate and Health, or “MATCH.”  The Administration announcements made today include an Executive Order signed by the President declaring that information is a valuable national resource and strategic asset, and a new government-wide Open Data Policy requiring that data generated by the government be made available in open, machine-readable formats. According to the Council on Environmental Quality blog, the move “will make troves of previously inaccessible or unmanageable data more readily available to entrepreneurs, researchers, and others who can use open data as fuel for innovation, businesses and new services and tools.”

New Report: Habitat Restoration Yields Long-term Benefits to Fisheries

Restore America’s Estuaries Press Release – May 6, 2013
Restoring and expanding coastal and estuarine habitat leads to increases in fish populations, which have a positive impact on the communities and the industries that depend on thriving and sustainable fisheries. A report released today by Restore America's Estuaries (RAE) and the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) and co-authored with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) - More Habitat Means More Fish - makes a powerful case that investing in our nation's coastlines and estuaries leads to healthy habitat and strong fisheries, which has a positive impact on the businesses and industries, both recreational and commercial, that need healthy fisheries to survive and thrive. For full Press Release, click here. To download report, click here.

CSU's Colorado Natural Heritage Program Releases New Field Guide to Colorado's Wetland Plants

Contact: Jenifer Dimas – Colorado State University News – May 2, 2013
The Colorado Natural Heritage Program, a research unit in Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources, has just released the “Field Guide to Colorado’s Wetland Plants: Identification, Ecology and Conservation.” Although only about 2 percent of Colorado is made up of wetlands, they support almost 90 percent of Colorado’s ecosystems and wildlife, making wetlands an overlooked but valuable natural resource.

The field guide contains detailed descriptions, photos, and professional illustrations of more than 600 wetland plants as well as information regarding the wildlife species that are dependent on them. In addition to providing identification information, this guide contains information on wetland indicator status, classification, conservation status, rarity, and ecology, for a comprehensive field guide perfect for wetland ecologists, amateur botanists, or anyone who enjoys learning about Colorado’s plants and ecosystems. To read full press release, click here. To download the Plant Field Guide, click here.

State Constraints: State-Imposed Limitations on the Authority of Agencies to Regulate Waters Beyond the Scope of the Federal Clean Water Act

Environmental Law Institute – May 2013
Environmental Law Institute (ELI) has released a 50-state study identifying laws that can limit the ability of state agencies to protect wetlands, streams, and other water resources more broadly than federal law. The study finds that over two-thirds of all U.S. states have versions of these “stringency” and property rights laws. To download report, click here. For one page overview, click here.

Water quality index for ag runoff streamlined

By Spencer Miller – Ag Professional – April 26, 2013
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has developed a new web-based tool to help producers easily calculate the quality of water flowing off their fields. It’s called the Water Quality Index for Agricultural Runoff, or WQIag for short, and this is how it works: Producers input variables about their field, such as slope, soil characteristics, nutrient and pest management, tillage practices, and, finally, conservation practices. Then, as NRCS National Water Quality and Quantity team leader Shaun McKinney explains, “The WQIag takes the complex scientific information of these variables and synthesizes them into a single number." For full story, click here.

USDA Develops Phosphorus Management Tool

Environmental Leader – April 22, 2013
A tool developed by USDA scientists can help agribusiness model phosphorus loss in runoff and determine ways to reduce these losses. The Phosphorus Index was originally a simple management tool developed to gauge the risk of phosphorus losses from agricultural fields. The original index has since been modified by individual states to incorporate local variations in soils, climate, management and water quality goals. This resulted in widely different state-by-state phosphorus indices that were sometimes defined more by political boundaries than by watersheds or other regional variations. For full story, click here.

Climate Change Responsible for Global Vegetation Change

By Alex Kirby – Kitsap Sun – April 17, 2013
The amount of vegetation in the world, and the way it is spread across the planet, has changed significantly in the last three decades, researchers say. They attribute more than half the changes they detected to the effects of the warming climate, with people responsible for only around a third. Surprisingly, perhaps, they are at a loss to attribute about 10 percent of the changes unequivocally to either the climate or us. For full story, click here.

Surface waters and wetlands inventory coming soon!

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Often referred to as Version 2.0 of the National Wetlands Inventory, the Surface Waters and Wetlands Inventory provides more inclusive geospatial data of all wetlands and surface water features. This national geospatial data product will contribute substantially to improved modeling of flow and water movement in surface water basins, channels, and wetlands. For more information, click here. For the Surface Waters and Wetlands Product Summary, click here.

New Study: A Warming World Will Further Intensify Extreme Precipitation Events

Ocean News & Technology – April 14, 2013
According to a newly-published NOAA-led study in Geophysical Research Letters, as the globe warms from rising atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, more moisture in a warmer atmosphere will make the most extreme precipitation events more intense. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from the North Carolina State University’s Cooperative Institute for Climate and Satellites-North Carolina (CICS-NC), NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), the Desert Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and ERT, Inc., reports that the extra moisture due to a warmer atmosphere dominates all other factors and leads to notable increases in the most intense precipitation rates. For full article, click here. The study, Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and Climate Change, can be viewed online.

Hydrologic Monitoring of Wetland: Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources: Supplemental Guidance

MN Board of Water & Soil Resources – March 2013
This is a new guidance document on wetland hydrologic monitoring. Its purpose is to give some practical guidance based on our years of collective experience at the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR). This guidance is meant to supplement existing publications of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers and Natural Resources Conservation Service. For full guidance, click here.

EPA Report: Emerging Technologies for Wastewater Treatment

EPA – March 2013
This technology guide, Emerging Technologies for Wastewater Treatment and In-Plant Wet Weather Management, informs municipal wastewater utility owners and operators, local governments, engineers, and planners about new wastewater treatment and in-plant wet weather management technologies.  The document includes technical and cost information to assist users in considering using more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective wastewater treatment and in-plant wet weather management technologies.  The document updates a 2008 publication of the same name and provides information on four categories of technology development: research stage, emerging, innovative, and adaptive use. To download report, click here.

The State of Adaptation in the United States: An Overview

EcoAdapt – 2013
This report is a comprehensive and highly informative synthesis of the challenges, current activities and future opportunities to adapt to climate change.  The report includes extensive discussion on examples of societal responses to climate change in planning and management of the built environment (communities), agriculture and natural resources. These examples include regulatory measures, management strategies and information sharing.  It specifically addresses adaptation opportunities and available tools available to for agriculture, communities and natural resources. For more information and to download full report, click here.

WETLAND SCIENCE

Saving the delta is a pipe dream sans sediment diversion projects

By Len Bahr, PhD – LACOASTPOST Blog – May 13, 2013
Last week the concentration of atmospheric CO2 reached 400 ppm, more than at any time in human history. This is the legacy of a century of accelerating combustion of fossil carbon, which has triggered dramatic changes in a climate pattern that had been extraordinarily stable for eleven millennia. The world ocean is warming, expanding and becoming more acidic, with very serious coastal consequences. Unfortunately, high levels of atmospheric CO2 will persist for decades, even were global emissions to drop precipitously. For full blog post, click here.

Climate change shifts migrating birds' wintering ground

By Victoria Gill – BBC News – May 10, 2013
Three species of migratory duck have shifted their wintering grounds northward in response to increasing temperatures, say scientists. The birds - the tufted duck, goosander and goldeneye - are common in Britain and Ireland during northern Europe's winter. But their numbers in these countries have shrunk in the last 30 years. According to the findings, published in the journal Global Change Biology, many now stop short on their annual journey. Gathering and analyzing data from the three-decade-long International Waterbird Census, the researchers found many birds were staying closer to their summer breeding grounds all year round. For full story, click here.

CA: California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) Version 6.1 Available

California CRAM – April 2013
The California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) is a standardized, cost-effective tool for assessing the health of wetlands and riparian habitats. CRAM software guides users through assessments that take less than one-half field day to complete. CRAM is applicable to all wetland types. It is designed for assessing ambient conditions within watersheds, regions, and throughout the State. It can also be used to assess the performance of compensatory mitigation projects and restoration projects.  Version 6.1 of the CRAM method has been released. To view CRAM, click here.

Bay’s smallmouth bass under siege, report says

By Darryl Fears – The Washington Post – April 25, 2013
Smallmouth bass that draw hundreds of millions of dollars to the Chesapeake Bay region for sport fishing are sick, and many look too awful to ever mount as a trophy.  A report released Thursday by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says the fish, particularly those in the lower Susquehanna River, have been struck by a perfect storm of pollution, parasites, disease and endocrine disruptors that are changing the sex of males.  The catch rates of adult bass fell 80 percent between 2001 and 2005 in some areas of the Susquehanna River, the report said, citing a study by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. For full story, click here.

The Role of Conservation Programs in Drought Risk Adaptation

By Steve Wallander, Marce Ailery, Daniel Hellerstein, and Michael S. Hand – Economic Research Service USDA – April 2013
This report evaluates the extent to which farms facing higher levels of drought risk are more likely to participate in conservation programs, and finds a strong link between drought risk and program participation. Economic Research Report No. (ERR-148) 75 pp, April 2013. To download full report, click here.

EPA Region 5 - Wetlands Supplement: Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning

EPA Region 5 – February 2013
The purpose of this Supplement is to encourage the inclusion of proactive wetland management into watershed plans because wetlands play an integral role in the healthy functioning of the watershed. This Supplement promotes using a watershed approach that not only protects existing freshwater wetlands but also maximizes opportunities to use restored, enhanced, and created freshwater wetlands to address watershed problems such as habitat loss, hydrological alteration, and water quality impairments. The primary audiences for the Supplement are members and staff of watershed organizations and local/state agencies.  This document is a Supplement to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)Watershed Planning Handbook which can be found here. To download Supplement, click here.

POTPOURRI

Costs of the Effects of Extreme Weather will continue to Increase, according to Report

CSO Weekly Report Issue 13.12 – May 10, 2013
U.S. economic losses from extreme weather could at least double by 2050, according to an Oak Ridge National Laboratory analysis published this month in the online edition of the journal Global Environmental Change. The study attempted to quantify what population growth and continued development might mean for future losses, independent of any changes in the frequency or intensity of severe weather events associated with climate change. It used county level data about population and wealth to plot each county's socioeconomic exposure through time. Then it used the historical data to generate predictions of exposure until 2054. The conclusion was that losses from extreme events are increasing across the U.S., even without accounting for the potential effects of climate change. The report is described on the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Website and more information can be found here.

Low water is high time for planting Great Lakes beaches

By Leslie Mertz – Great Lakes Echo – May 1, 2013
What makes a pretty Great Lakes shoreline? As lake levels drop and grasses and other plants sprout on once plant-free beaches, ecologists are encouraging waterfront property owners to see the splendor in that greenery. “It’s important to try to get people to change their minds and see just how beautiful and wonderful native vegetation can be,” said Jennifer Gelb, restoration ecologist for the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, a nonprofit organization that serves four counties in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula. For full story, click here.

Green Infrastructure Boosts Property Values

By Lisa Kaiser – Express Milwaukee – April 30, 2013
New UWM study indicates that stormwater management features have economic benefits.Preliminary results conducted by a UW-Milwaukee researcher show that “green infrastructure”has boosted property values in Milwaukee. According to researcher Kate Madison, a policy analyst for the UW-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development, green features added to developments in the Menomonee Valley, the Pabst Brewery site and the Lincoln Creek area have reaped financial benefits for those properties as well as local taxing authorities. The green infrastructure features Madison studied were those that manage stormwater runoff, such as greenways, rain gardens, wetlands, bioretention facilities, porous pavement and other landscaping elements. For full story, click here.

The government is spending way more on disaster relief than anybody thought

By Brad Plumer – The Washington Post Blog – April 29, 2013
Hurricanes, floods and droughts are putting an increasingly large strain on the federal budget. A new report out Monday from the Center for American Progress finds that Congress spent at least $136 billion on disaster relief between 2011 and 2013. That works out to $400 per household per year. And those costs could rise in the years ahead — particularly if climate change leads to more frequent extreme weather. For full blog post, click here.

Conservatives’ grand opportunity on energy (opinion)

By Bob Inglis – Politico –  April 25, 2013
A recent poll from George Mason and Yale finds that only 35 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents agree with the GOP platform on climate change. Now, to be sure, no respondent in that poll could have quoted the platform language on climate change. But it’s not likely that those Republican respondents could have misunderstood us. They’ve heard the GOP pounding climate science and climate scientists, and apparently they disagree with that approach. The same poll found that 60 percent of Republicans think that America should take steps to address climate change. That’s not 60 percent of the general population; that’s 60 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents. For full story, click here.

Does Climate Change Worry You? How About Insurance To Cover Its Consequences?

By Terry Anderson & Dino Falaschetti – Forbes – April 25, 2013
With private investment in green energy down 34 percent between 2011 and 2012, proponents of subsidies for R&D struggle to make their case. For example, former Secretary of State George Shultz recently defended subsidies as a necessary “insurance policy” against the catastrophic consequences of climate change. For full story, click here.

Researchers advocate a simple, affordable and accurate technology to identify threats from sea-level rise

Nanowerk News – April 25, 2013
A team of researchers led by Associate Professor Edward L. Webb of the National University of Singapore (NUS) is calling for the global adoption of a method to identify areas that are vulnerable to sea-level rise. The method, which utilizes a simple, low-cost tool, is financially and technically accessible to every country with coastal wet­lands. The team seeks to establish a network to coordinate the standardisation and management of the data, as well as to provide a platform for collaboration. The findings were first published in the journal Nature Climate Change on 25 April 2013 ("A global standard for monitoring coastal wetland vulnerability to accelerated sea-level rise"). For full story, click here.

ASFPM Recommendations on 2012 NFIP Reform flood insurance affordability issues (3/2013)

Association of State Floodplain Managers – April 24, 2013
ASFPM supports many of the provisions of the 2012 NFIP Reform bill, otherwise known as Biggert-Waters 2012, usually shortened to BW-12. A centerpiece of this reform bill was to make the NFIP more financially sound. At the time the bill passed (May 2012) and was signed (7-6-12), the NFIP was over $17 billion in debt to the US Treasury (taxpayer), with little chance the program could ever repay that debt (now, the program is $23 billion in debt to the Treasury , [expected to go to $25 billion as a result of Sandy]). As such, Congress looked closely at why the program was in debt and what could be changed to improve it. The changes include many provisions for significant increases in flood insurance premiums to move them toward full risk rates and other measures to improve the financial soundness of the NFIP. ASFPM supports fiscal soundness for the NFIP.

What the legislation did not address is the effects of the changes on policyholders and the affordability of flood insurance policies for those that truly cannot afford the increases. While there was a study included in BW-12 to examine affordability issues; it had no implementation mechanism. There are now a number of bills being proposed that would roll back the premiums or lengthen the time policyholders would have to move to full risk premium rates. This paper discusses BW-12, the need for a financially sound NFIP, and the options to address the affordability issue for lower income people who may not be able to afford the rate increases or for those who may need time to adjust to the premium increases. To download report, click here.

Growing Number of Countries Factoring Nature's Value into Economic Decisions

The World Bank – April 22, 2013
Forests are often described as the "lungs of the Earth," but oxygen generation is just one function they perform in their complex relationship with the atmosphere and people. They also help regulate air quality, soak up rainwater and recycle it, prevent soil erosion, and maintain the climate by storing large quantities of carbon. Despite this multi-tasking, the value of forests is only measured in a country’s national accounts by the timber and fuel they provide. The total contribution of forests to other sectors of the economy is either invisible or undervalued. For full story, click here.

Environmental Law Institute Recognizes Seven National Wetlands Award Winners

Environmental Law Institute Press Release – April 16, 2013
The Environmental Law Institute announced today the recipients of the prestigious National Wetland Awards—individual stewards from across the country who have been recognized for their exceptional and innovative contributions to wetlands conservation. “I congratulate the extraordinary individuals selected for the National Wetlands Awards for demonstrating how citizens and communities can—and do—make a difference,” stated ELI President John Cruden. “With our partners from the five leading federal agencies, we look forward to an awards ceremony that showcases the remarkable contributions they have made to a healthy and productive environment.” The 2013 National Wetlands Awards recipients will be honored at a ceremony on May 9, 2013 at the U.S. Botanic Garden starting at 6 pm. The public is invited to attend (click here to RSVP). For full press release, click here.

The Ecology of Pooh

By Liam Heneghan – aeon Magazine – March 5, 2013
When Winnie-the-Pooh got stuck in the doorway of Rabbit’s home after feasting on large amounts of honey, he was assisted by a great and very strange chain of being. In Ernest H Shepard’s illustration, Christopher Robin can be seen tugging on the wedged bear, followed by four rabbits, a stoat, a mouse, Piglet, three more mice, and a hedgehog. Yet another mouse scampers to join the effort. A beetle is landing behind the mouse, and aloft are two more beetles, a dragonfly and, finally, a butterfly. In Disney’s animated film, made four decades — and a hemisphere — away, the chain is foreshortened and adapted to a New World audience. For full article, click here.

Coastal Blue Carbon Workshop Helps Coastal Managers

Restore America's Estuaries – March 2013
Coastal blue carbon refers to the greenhouse gas benefits of tidal wetlands, including salt marsh, seagrass, and mangroves. These ecosystems are highly proficient at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in wetland soils. Recognition of the greenhouse gas benefits of protecting and restoring coastal marine ecosystems can increase the scale and pace of restoration.

In March, RAE's Steve Emmett-Mattox, along with Dr. Steve Crooks, led a workshop for coastal managers to explore how to apply blue carbon concepts in their estuaries to achieve restoration goals.  The workshop, hosted by Waquoit Bay, MA, National Estuarine Research Reserve and funded by the NERRS Science Collaborative, built on RAE's work over the past few years to develop blue carbon policies and tools.  The workshop explored the current science of blue carbon, carbon markets and market-based tools for establishing greenhouse gas offsets, and non-market blue carbon strategies. Participants and the leaders benefitted from several in-depth discussions.

Based on the information presented and participant feedback, RAE is now developing a template for coastal managers that will help identify blue carbon opportunities. The template will be shared through www.estuaries.org.  We hope to offer this workshop in other regions soon.

For more information about RAE's Coastal Blue Carbon Initiative, contact Steve Emmett-Mattox, RAE's Senior Director of Strategic Planning and Programs, at   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . For more information, click here.

For more information and the application, click here or contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

How's My Waterway App Now Has New Features

EPA
EPA's app and website, How's My Waterway, helps you find information on the condition of your local waterways, what's being done to protect and restore those waterways, and what you can do to help.  And now, How's My Waterway lets people find out even more about their local waterways. The new features include search results color-coded by condition, local information on watersheds, a watershed locator tool, and options to look up dischargers regulated by permits and individual runoff control projects for a specific waterway. To view the app, click here.

What is i-Tree?

i-Tree Tools
i-Tree is a state-of-the-art, peer-reviewed software suite from the USDA Forest Service that provides urban forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools. The i-Tree Tools help communities of all sizes to strengthen their urban forest management and advocacy efforts by quantifying the structure of community trees and the environmental services that trees provide. To read more, click here.

Floodplains By Design

The Nature Conservancy
The goal of Floodplains by Design is to ensure floodplains are used and managed in ways that enable them to provide these valuable services, while maintaining or even improving flood protection. Floodplains – or relatively flat areas that border a river and are prone to flooding – are some of the most valuable places on Earth, both for people and wildlife. Fertile soils deposited by rivers make these areas extremely productive for agriculture. Floodplain forests and marshes are among the richest habitats for wildlife, both in terms of diversity and numbers. Within these areas, species like fish and waterfowl thrive, benefiting important commercial and recreational industries, too. A new Floodplains by Design video illustrates ways of harnessing these ecosystems for humans and wildlife.  For more information, click here.

MEETINGS

Online Wetland Design Class

May 13-July 26, 2013. The University of Louisville will hold an Online Wetland Design Class (CEE-694-50-4135) which will show you how to design and build naturally appearing and functioning wetlands.  The detailed lessons explain the critical importance of wetlands, how they were drained, factors affecting site selection for restoration, techniques for construction, and how failed wetlands can be repaired.  The class focuses on demonstrating practical, low cost, and highly effective practices for restoring wetlands that will require little, if any maintenance.  Examples from across North America show how wetlands can be built to provide habitat for rare animals and plants, treat storm water, recharge groundwater, and control flooding.  Independent projects and assignments encourage students to investigate wetlands outdoors. Open to U of L students and those who would like to take the class but are not interested in pursuing a degree at the University of Louisville. Please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for a syllabus.

Webinar: The Economics of Green Infrastructure: Strategies for Flood Mitigation

May 21, 2013. The Ohio State University will hold a webinar on the Economics of Green Infrastructure: Strategies for Flood Mitigation on May 21, 2013 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. EST.As the climate continues to change, it is predicted that the Great Lakes region will see an increase in severe rain events which is likely to cause increased flooding in local communities. Understanding the cost of these flooding events, and how to help lessen and even prevent them, is a critical need for Great Lakes communities. This webinar will provide information about how economic information can be used to help communities understand and make more informed decisions about reducing the impacts of flooding; how green infrastructure can be an important tool to help reduce flooding; and case studies from three pilot areas in the Great Lakes: Green Bay, WI, Duluth, MN, and Toledo, OH. For more information and to register, click here.

Michigan Port Collaborative Spring Summit 2013

May 22, 2013. The Michigan Port Collaborative will hold their Spring Summit 2013 at the Radisson Hotel in Lansing, Michigan. Some topics include Managing Extreme Great Lakes Water Levels: Dredging and Beyond, Growing Great Lakes Shipping in Michigan, Environmental and Social Impacts of the Great Lake, Marine Transportation Industry, and New Tools for Healthy Working Waterfronts. For more information, click here. To download agenda, click here.

Webinar on Coastal Wetlands Restoration

May 30, 2013. Join EPA and NOAA for a webinar on Coastal Wetlands Restoration: Policy, Practice, People from 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m. EST. as they highlight current restoration practices and needs in our nation’s coastal wetlands. They will first discuss the Coastal Wetland Reviews completed by EPA and NOAA to identify stressors to coastal wetlands and successful strategies currently being used to protect and restore them. Representatives from Bayou Rebirth will then showcase how thousands of volunteers have worked to plant grasses and trees at wetland sites while learning about the plight of the Louisiana coastal system, and discovering fun and engagement with ecosystem restoration. Becoming advocates for Louisiana’s coast, volunteers become rooted in their experience that environmental restoration can achieve multiple benefits, including personal growth. Bayou Rebirth maintains wetland plant nurseries in sites around the urban area and facilitates a wetlands education program for local students focused on growing out plants for restoration. Bayou Rebirth recently began installing rain gardens and is also currently developing a retail native plant nursery that will engage the public in environmental stewardship in their backyards. To register, click here.

NCCWSC Climate Change Science Management Webinar Series

May 30, 2013. The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center is partnering with the National Conservation Training Center to offer the "NCCWSC Climate Change Science and Management Webinar Series" to highlight NCCWSC sponsored science projects related to climate change impacts and adaptation. This webinar series was developed to inform scientists, land managers, and the general public about potential and predicted climate change impacts on fish and wildlife and to help guide resource management decisions across the United States. Instructions for joining the webinars will be provided in advance on the corresponding pages (see below). Video recordings with closed captioning are made available approximately 1-2 weeks after each presentation. The first webinar on Impacts of Climate Change and Melting Glaciers on Coastal Ecosystems in the Nearshore Waters of the Gulf of Alaska will be held on May 30, 2013 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. Other webinars in this series will include Mammals Take On The Rapture Hypothesis, Jacob's Ladder, And Other Notions Of Doom, Gloom, And Predictable Uniform Change In High Elevation Ecosystems In The Sierra Nevada Range Part 1 which will be held on June 11, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. Easter; Can Camouflage Keep up with Climate Change? Connecting Downscaled Climate Models to Adaptation for a Key Forest Species to be held on July 9, 2013 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern; and Modeling and Projecting the Influence of Climate Change on Texas Surface Waters and their Aquatic Biotic Communities will be held on July 30, 2013 at 3;30 p.m. Eastern. For more information on this webinar series, click here.

Ecosystems for Water and Energy Conference

June 10-12, 2013. The American Ecological Engineering Society will hold their 13th Annual Meeting on Ecosystems for Water and Energy in East Lansing, Michigan. As the complexities of the problems affecting world growth and sustainability are uncovered, it is becoming increasingly clear that it is impossible to consider water or energy in isolation from each other. It takes energy to treat polluted waters and producing and transferring energy frequently requires a clean source of water. More researchers and engineers are exploring and even implementing ecologically-engineered solutions that concurrently address both water and energy problems. For example, biomass production for bioenergy has the potential to either improve of degrade water quality – depending on agricultural practices. Anaerobic digestion has the potential to be combined with ecosystems, such as treatment wetlands and algal ponds, to both produce clean energy and reclaim wastewaters. For more information, click here.

Wetland Restoration and Creation Workshop

June 11-12, 2013. Wetland Restoration and Creation Workshop will be held at the Mormon Lake Ranger Station in Flagstaff, Arizona. This hands-on workshop is designed for individuals interested in learning how to use practical, low cost techniques for building and restoring and creating wetlands. You’ll learn how to select the best locations for building wetlands, test soils, lay out proposed wetlands, choose construction techniques, work with heavy equipment operators, and establish native plants. They will complete a wetland restoration project and visit multiple wetland discussion sites during the Workshop. For more information, click here.

Shale Gas Development Impacts on Biodiversity: A workshop for professionals

June 14, 2013. The Hudsonia will hold Shale Gas Development Impacts on Biodiversity: A workshop for professionals from 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York This is a workshop for professionals involved with siting, assessment, regulation, research, and monitoring of shale gas development and high-volume horizontal hydraulic fracturing, including consultants, researchers, college and graduate students, university and high school faculty, environmental professionals, agency regulators, policy-makers, preserve and park managers, ecological restorationists, and others. For more information, click here.

Coastal Climate Adaptation & Resilience Workshop

June 19, 2013. The Coastal Climate Adaptation & Resilience Workshop will be held from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Owens Community College Toledo Area Campus in Perrysburg, Ohio. The workshop is for planners and professionals addressing land use, public health, stormwater, watersheds, economic development, emergency preparedness, sustainability, agriculture, ports and natural resources. Learn how communities and habitat managers are adapting to a changing climate in the Western Lake Erie Basin and beyond. Learn communication and education techniques to support individual and community climate action and take advantage of the opportunity to network with other communities and organizations. For more information, click here.

Mass Audubon Wetland Restoration Workshop

June 25-26, 2013. Mass Audubon will hold A Hands-On Wetland Restoration Workshop for Professionals in Barnstable, Massachusetts. This hands-on workshop is designed for individuals interested in learning how to use practical, low cost techniques for restoring naturally appearing and functioning wetlands. Participants will see how wetland projects can be planned in land trust properties and other private conserved lands, public land, and even on school grounds to benefit plants, animals, and people. Through direct participation in an actual wetland restoration project at Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary, attendees will discover how to identify degraded wetlands suitable for restoration, test soils, choose construction techniques, work with heavy equipment operators, and establish native plants. Also, through a series of presentations, participants will learn about active management projects involving rare wetland species including Mass Audubon’s Eastern Spadefoot Toad Restoration Project on Cape Cod. Field trips to proposed and existing wetland restoration project sites are included. For more information, click here.

Wetland Plant Camp, PA

July 16-17, 2013. Swamp School will hold a two-day field workshop on Wetland Plants at the beautiful Pocono Environmental Education Center located in the heart of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. This location is ideal to get up to speed on north and eastern Pennsylvania vegetative communities. For more information, click here.

National Roundtable on New Tools for Water Quality: Trading and Beyond

July 18, 2013. It’s been a decade since EPA’s Water Quality Trading Policy was established. Financial, regulatory and demographic challenges and opportunities underscore the need for innovative tools and market-based strategies. The U.S. Water Alliance’s Business Advisory Council will convene key policy makers, industry leaders, agriculture, environmental groups, and others to discuss practices and policies for advancing market-based solutions aimed at accelerating the cleanup up of impaired waters around the Nation on July 18 at the Hilton Netherland Plaza, Cincinnati, Ohio. The dialogue will highlight advances made in trading over the past decade, continuing concerns, and the future of trading based on growing needs, new technologies, developing standards, and greater transparency and accountability. Is it time for updating and improving a national water quality trading policy based on lessons to date? How do we find common ground on the best ways to accelerate the pace of environmental progress? Please join U.S. Water Alliance around a large and diverse table to share insights and explore opportunities for water’s future. Email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for more details.

Workshop: Common reed (Phragmites) ecology and management

July 25, 2013. The Hudsonia will hold a workshop on Common reed (Phragmites) ecology and management at Bard College Field Station in Annandale, New York. For more information, click here.

Workshop: Conservation of urban biodiversity

August 16, 2013. The Hudsonia will hold a workshop on Conservation of urban biodiversity, a location in northeastern New Jersey (TBA). For more information, click here.

Course: BC Wildlife Federation's Wetlands Institute

August 18-24, 2013. B.C. Wildlife Federation will hold Wetlands Institute in West Kootenays, British Columbia, Canada. An intensive 7-day field experience where stewardship coordinators, city planners, k-12 teachers, First Nations, government, NGOs, business leaders, university students and passionate community members come together to learn wetland conservation skills.  Participants develop action plans for their own community-based projects with the help of coordinators, resource specialists and educators.  At the Institute, you will: practice current field techniques to inventory vegetation, water, soil and wildlife; learn how to raise public awareness and influence conservation policies; gain hands-on experience in wetland restoration; and receive a certificate upon completion!  This course is FREE with optional catering and accommodations fees.  This is the ultimate stewardship opportunity!  For more information or to apply, contact Neil Fletcher, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; 1-888-881-2293 ext 232 (Toll Free in BC), or 1-604-882-9988, ext. 232 (Outside of BC).  For more information, click here.

2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

September 9-10, 2013. As called for in the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, the Governments of Canada and the United States will convene a Great Lakes Public Forum, with the International Joint Commission, to provide an opportunity to discuss and receive public comments on the state of the lakes and binational priorities for science and action; and to provide an opportunity for the International Joint Commission to discuss progress reporting. The Forum will be held as two sessions at the Hilton Milwaukee in conjunction with Great Lakes Week. The first session, September 9, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm, will address the state of the Great Lakes. The second session, September 10, 2:30 - 5:00 pm, will address binational priorities for science and action. Please mark your calendars. More information will be provided closer to the event. If you have any questions, please email the Great Lakes Executive Committee Secretariat of your respective country, United States This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Canada This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Stream Mechanics Workshop Series

Stream Mechanics will hold a series of three workshops that will be held in the San Antonio region in 2013 and 2014. Workshop 1: Background Science and Tools for Restoring Semi-Arid Streams will held on September 23-27, 2013 and is the first in the series that will provide the foundation needed for applying natural channel design concepts in a semi-arid environment.  The workshop includes classroom lectures and exercises, field exercises, and group discussion. The overall purpose of the workshop series is to provide stream restoration practitioners and reviewers with assessment and design tools needed in semi-arid environments. It will also provide practitioners with the skills needed to meet the requirements of the SARA stream restoration Standard Operating Procedures. For more information, click here. For information on the other workshops, click here.

2013 Susquehanna Water Science Forum, Call for Paper

October 7-8, 2013. The 2013 Susquehanna Water Science Forum will be held at the Radisson Hotel Harrisburg, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. The Forum will address the need to encourage, publicize and disseminate research to ensure that the best available scientific information is used to establish priorities and support sustainable water resource management in the Susquehanna River Basin. The Forum will bring together researchers and water resource managers to share current water resource research, prioritize research needs and better coordinate research activities in the Susquehanna River Basin. Public and private interests will focus on applied research in aquatic ecosystem management, providing a catalyst for continued coordination and development. Call for abstracts deadline is June 1, 2013. For more information, click here.

NHANRS Coastal Wetlands Conference - Call for Papers

October 18, 2013. The New Hampshire Association of Natural Resource Scientists (NHANRS) is pleased to invite you to present your coastal wetlands related oceanographic research results at their Coastal Wetlands Conference to be held at the Seacoast Science Center at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye, New Hampshire. Please consider presenting your research on a pertinent coastal wetlands topic that relates to aquaculture, fisheries, water quality, tidal action and land forms, sea level changes, impacts to and restoration of beaches, dunes, estuaries, salt marshes, flora and fauna or other topics. A program containing abstracts of speaker’s presentations will be produced for the conference.  NHANRS, a non-profit organization for New Hampshire certified soil, wetland, and wildlife scientists is hosting the event for our members and the larger scientific community. Please contact Susan at NHANRS at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 603-224-0401, or Bill Kuriger, Ph.D. at  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 1-800-292-0921, regarding this Call for Papers.

2013 Watershed Symposium, Missoula, MT

October 15-17, 2013. The 2013 Watershed Symposium sponsored by the Montana Watershed Coordination Council will be held in Missoula, MT. Tentative tracks include: growing your organization, contract management, watershed sciences, GIS technologies, technical writing, science messaging, effective networking and water law, policy and rights. For more information contact Kathryn Watson: symposium at 406-570-4261, Montana Watershed Coordination Council.

Nonpoint Source Monitoring Workshop

October 28-30, 2013. The 2013 National Nonpoint Source Monitoring Conference & Workshops: Working Together to Protect and Restore Our Water Resources will be held at the Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nonpoint Source (NPS) Monitoring Workshop is an important forum for sharing information and communicating ways to control and track NPS pollution at its source and in receiving waterbodies. The focus of the 21st Annual NPS Monitoring Workshop is holistic and inclusive approaches to assessing and solving problems in watersheds largely impacted by nonpoint sources of pollution. Integration of resources and skills from the private and public sectors will be emphasized, with a number of sessions devoted to bringing together individuals from a wide range of backgrounds including science, engineering, business, public policy, education, and community groups. Project examples from the Great Lakes Region will be coupled with specific technical and programmatic sessions to help individuals better understand the full range of resources and skills that can be pooled together to solve our Nation’s water quality problems at the local and watershed levels. For more information, click here.

JOBS

There are new jobs posted on the Wetland Jobs board. For the latest wetland jobs, click here.

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The Association of State Wetland Managers' Wetland Breaking News is a monthly e-newsletter. Wetland Breaking News is an edited compilation of wetland-related stories and announcements submitted by readers and gleaned from listservs, press releases and news sources from throughout the United States. WBN chronicles the legislative, national and state news relevant to wetland science and policy, wetland regulations and legal analysis of Supreme court cases from the past month; it also links to new publications and resources available to wetland professionals as well as events and training opportunities for those working in water resources and related fields. Wetland Breaking News has been published for over ten years and ASWM has been a think-tank and source for wetland science and policy news and discussion for 30 years.

The items presented in Wetland Breaking News do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or of the Association of State Wetland Managers. Send your news items, comments, corrections, or suggestions to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

"WETLAND BREAKING NEWS" Compiled and Edited by: Alan Grant, Editor; Laura Burchill and Sharon Weaver, Assistant Editors. Executive Director: Jeanne Christie.  Association of State Wetland Managers, 32 Tandberg Trail, Ste. 2A, Windham, ME 04062. Telephone: 207-892-3399 Fax: 207-892-3089