ASWM:Reconciling Assessment Workshop

Workshop Director: Jon Kusler, Associate Director, Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM)

Goals: The principal workshop goal is to build integrated state, tribal, and local federal government stream, riverine wetland, riparian area, and floodplain protection and restoration capabilities. More specific goals include:

·	Help workshop participants understand assessment and monitoring approaches now available for streams, wetlands, floodplains, and riparian areas and how such approaches can be cooperatively applied on a watershed basis.

·	Help workshop participants develop new, integrated assessment and monitoring approaches, watershed plans and policies.

·	Help attendees apply "on the ground", integrated protection and restoration policies.

·	Identify future directions for integrated assessment, monitoring, and implementation applying watershed-based approaches.

Need for Workshop: Over a period of years, ASWM and other organizations have conducted research efforts and held workshops, symposia, and training sessions focusing upon restoration of riverine wetlands. ASWM and other organizations have also conducted other projects and training workshops focusing upon restoration of rivers and streams riparian zones and floodplains. Although individually useful, these efforts have been relatively narrow in scope. They have not addressed the hydrologic and ecological interrelationships between rivers and streams, riverine wetlands, riparian areas, and floodplains.

Integrated protection and restoration of rivers and streams and their associated wetlands, riparian areas and floodplains is needed for many reasons:

	River corridor functions such as flood and conveyance, pollution control, stormwater management, source water supply protection, fishery restoration, and wildlife protection and restoration are provided by stream corridors as a whole, not simply stream, riverine wetland, riparian area or floodplain portions.

	Efforts to achieve government agency "performance standards" such as "no net loss" of wetland functions and values must consider functional interrelationships.

	Monitoring and assessment approaches which consider only a portion of river corridors provide inaccurate assessments of functions and values.

	Cost effective and multiobjective restoration for watershed management, pollution control including the use of TMDL's, "source water protection", the establishment of stream setbacks and buffers, the establishment of greenways, and the application of "Smart Growth" principles must be multidisciplinary and integrated.

There are many important questions to be answered in applying integrated approaches on a watershed basis. For example, how can monitoring and assessment approaches for riverine wetlands, streams, floodplains, and riparian areas be reconciled and best be applied in combination? How are competing goals to be resolved on a watershed and site-specific basis? How can wetland, stream, riparian area, and floodplain restoration efforts be integrated with source water protection, stormwater management, TMDL's, point source pollution control, Farm Bill Programs, floodplain management and broader watershed and land management efforts?

This "advanced" workshop will bring together experts in riverine wetland, stream, floodplain, and riparian area management to tap their collective expertise and identify productive future directions. It will help build consensus concerning the use of various integrated or collaborative approaches.

Audience: This workshop is for a technical audience interested in integration of wetland and related ecosystems assessment and management. This will be an audience interested in cutting across disciplines and areas of technical expertise. We have selected speakers who can contribute to the overall dialogue concerning wetland, stream restoration, riparian area, or floodplain restoration including federal, state, tribal, and local agency staff (stream, wetland, riparian area, floodplain, land management, and watershed management), environmental not for profit organization staff, watershed councils, land trusts and academic staff and students.

Cooperating Parties:

·	U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
·	USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
·	National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
·	University of Massachuestts
·	Association of State Floodplain Managers
·	Coastal States Organization
·	International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
·	Society of Wetland Scientists
·	Society for Ecological Restoration - New England Chapter
·	States

Background Materials: A collection of materials including a CD Rom will be distributed to all attendees.

Agenda

Monday, November 14. 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m. Registration.

Day 1. Tuesday, November 15.

7:00a.m.-8:45a.m.	Registration continued. Exhibits may be set up.

8:45a.m.-9:05a.m.	Welcome and Introductions. Each participant will introduce himself or herself.

	Welcome to workshop. Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

9:05a.m.-10:35a.m.	Integrated Approaches: Looking to the Future

	¨cc	Rethinking Implementation Strategies. Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨xx	Why Integrated, Watershed Approaches Are Needed: An EPA Perspective. Matthew Schweisberg, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
	¨xx	Restoring Ecological Processes Through the Integration of Wetland and River Corridor Protection In Vermont. Mike Kline, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation River Management Program

10:35a.m.-11:00a.m.	Coffee

11:00a.m.-12:00p.m.	Integrated Assessment : Looking to the Future.

	bb¨	Assessing and Integrating River Analysis Models. James MacBroom and Roy Schiff, Milone & MacBroom, Inc.
	b¨	Reflections on Restoration in the NYC Watershed. Beth Reichheld, New York City Department of Environmental Protection

12:00p.m.-1:30p.m.	Lunch. Discussion tables.
	¨x	Waters of the U.S. After SWANCC. Moderator: Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨x	Integrated Approaches and Water Supply. Moderator: Beth Reichheld, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
	¨x	The National River Restoration Study. Moderator: Margaret Palmer, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science
	¨x	IBI's for Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, Floodplains. Moderator: Matthew Schweisberg, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
	¨x	IBI's for Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, Floodplains. Moderator: Amanda Davis, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
	¨x	Use of GIS Systems. Moderator: Hunt Durey, Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Wetlands Restoration Program
	¨x	Restoration and Post Disaster Response. Moderator: Edward Thomas, Michael Barker, Inc.
	¨x	Applying Assessment Techniques. Moderator: James MacBroom, Milone & MacBroom, Inc.
	¨x	Geomorphic-based Assessment and River Management. Moderator: Mike Kline, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation River Management Program
	¨x	The Future of Stream, Wetland and Floodplain Mapping. Moderator: Jeanne Christie, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨x	Other?

1:30p.m.-3:00p.m.	Integrated Approaches: Looking to the Future.

	¨x	Integrating River, Stream, and Wetland Biological Monitoring in Maine. Tom Danielson and Jeanne DiFranco, Maine Department of Environmental Protection
	¨x	Looking to the Future: Integrated Watershed Mapping and GIS. Jeanne Christie, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨x	Status and Trends in River Restoration in the U.S. Margaret Palmer, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science

3:00p.m.-3:25p.m.	Break

3:25p.m-3:55p.m.	Integrated Restoration, Smart Growth and Sustainable Cities. Wendi Goldsmith, The Bioengineering Group, Inc.

3:55p.m.-5:00p.m.	Northeast Update. Future Directions: Integrated Restoration on a Watershed Basis:

	(Panel: 15 minutes each)
	¨	Massachusetts: Future Directions in Coordinated and Integrated Restoration for State Programs. Bruce Carlisle, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management
	¨	Hurricanes Katrina & Rita – Using Mitigation to Rebuild a Safer Gulf Coast. Peter Richardson, Green International Affiliates, Inc.

5:00p.m.-5:30p.m.	(Exhibit Room). Relics and Rivers: Dismantling Dams in New England. Video presentation by Eric Hutchins, NOAA Restoration Center

5:15p.m.-6:30p.m.	Mixer; Poster Session

8:00p.m.-9:30p.m.	Legal Update

	¨	Identifying “Waters of the U.S. After SWANCC". Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨	An Update on Property Rights and the "Taking" Issue. Edward Thomas, Michael Barker, Inc.

Day 2. Wednesday, November 16.

8:30a.m.-10:00a.m.	Breakout Sessions, Set 1

	1a. Geomorphic-based Assessment and River Management. What are productive future directions for river and floodplain assessment? Moderator: Shayne Jaquith, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation

	¨	Vermont's Stream Geomorphic Assessment Program. Staci Pomeroy, Shannon Hill, and Alan Quackenbush, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation River Management Program
	¨	Vermont's New Program for Assessing, Mapping and Mitigating Fluvial Erosion Hazards. Tyrel Mack, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation River Management Program
	¨	Identifying and Prioritizing River Corridor Protection and Restoration on a Watershed Basis. Mike Kline, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation River Management Program

	1b. Estuarine Restoration. What are the special issues with estuarine restoration? How should these issues best be addressed in management programs? Moderator: Bruce Carlisle, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

	¨	Modifying Tidal Flow Restoration to Balance Long-term Salt Marsh Habitat Improvement with Severe Impacts to Breeding Sharp-tailed Sparrows: An Interim Report. Susan C. Adamowicz, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
	¨	Holly St. Landfill Cleanup and Whatcom Creek Estuary Restoration Project: Integrating Cleanup, Habitat Restoration, and Public Access. W. Christian Leuteritz, Anchor Environmental, LLC
	¨	First, Do No Harm: Restoring Tides to Diked and Impounded Coastal Floodplains in Massachusetts. Tim Smith, Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management

	1c. Applying Assessment Methods. Moderator: Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

	¨	Successful Application of the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Restoration and Subsequent Monitoring of the Lower North Creek Ecosystem in Bothell, Washington. Douglas Partridge, Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc.
	¨	Integrated, Reference-Based Assessments of Riparian Ecosystems in Small Watersheds: A Case Study of Six Coastal Plain Watersheds in North Carolina. Richard Rheinhardt, East Carolina University
	¨	Creating an Internet Mapping Project for Biomonitoring Data. Beth Connors, Maine Department of Environmental Protection

10:00a.m. -10:30a.m.	Break

10:30a.m.-12:00p.m.	Breakout Sessions, Set 2


	2a. Identifying Restoration Sites. What approaches are available to identify restoration sites? Moderator: To be determined.

	¨	A Comprehensive and Straight-Forward Method for Identifying and Prioritizing Restoration Sites in Eagle Creek Watershed, IN. Lenore P. Tedesco, Indiana Universtiy~Purdue University, Center for Earth and Environmental Science
	¨	A Three Tiered, Nested Approach to Stream Barrier Inventory: Characterizing Barriers for Restoration Discussions in Tributaries of the Hudson River Estuary. Jesse Sayles, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
	¨	Habitat Restoration Inventory for the Royal River, Spruce Creek, and Kennebec River Estuary. Sarah Watts, Northern Ecological Associates, Inc.


	2b. Comprehensive Planning/Watershed Management. How can comprehensive planning and watershed management be used to better assess, protect and restore wetlands, streams, floodplains and riparian areas? Moderator: To be determined.

	¨	From Fish to Watershed Scale: Closing the Gap Between Instream Habitat Modeling and Watershed Scale Information Systems. Piotr Parasiewicz, University of Massachusetts Amherst
	¨	Protecting Wetlands Locally Through the Watershed Planning Process. Julie Tasillo, Center for Watershed Protection
	¨	Habitat Restoration Planning: Use of State Wildlife Strategies for Defining Wetland and Stream Restoration Needs. Tracey Tomajer, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation


	2c. The Future of Integrated Wetland, Riparian, and Floodplain Mapping. Where is wetland, riparian, and floodplain mapping and use of GIS systems going? Where should it be going? What are the opportunities for integrated approaches? Moderator: Jeanne Christie, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

	¨	Edward Thomas, Michael Baker, Inc.
	¨	Ralph Tiner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service


12:00p.m.-1:15p.m.	Lunch. Discussion Tables.


	¨	The Taking Issue. Moderator: Edward Thomas, Esq., Michael Barker, Inc.
	¨	Geomorphic-based Assessment. Creating a Northeast Coalition. Moderator: Mike Kline, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation River Management Program
	¨	Waters of the U.S. After SWANCC. Moderator: Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨	Integrated Approaches and Water Supply. Moderator: Beth Reichheld, New York City Department of Environmental Protection
	¨	Integrated Approaches and Floodplain/Stormwater Management. Moderator: Julie Tasillo, Center for Watershed Protection
	¨	The National River Restoration Study. Moderator: Jamie Carr, The Academy of Natural Sciences
	¨	IBI's for Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, Floodplains. Moderator: Matthew Schweisberg, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
	¨	IBI's for Wetlands, Streams, Riparian Areas, Floodplains. Moderator: Amanda Davis, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
	¨	Use of GIS Systems. Moderator: Hunt Durey, Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management Wetlands Restoration Program
	¨	Bioengineering. Moderator: Wendi Goldsmith, The Bioengineering Group, Inc.
	¨	River Corridors and Sustainable Cities. Moderator: Rudd Platt, University of Massachusetts
	¨	Society for Ecological Restoration - New England Chapter Lunch Table. Moderator: Aimlee Laderman, Society for Ecological Restoration - New England Chapter
	¨	Dam Removal. Moderator: James MacBroom, Milone & MacBroom, Inc.


1:15p.m.-2:45p.m.	Breakout Sessions, Set 3

	3a. Restoration in Post Disaster Contexts; Hurricane Katrina and Beyond. Moderator: Rudd Platt, University of Massachusetts.

	¨	Wetland Restoration and Reducing Future Natural Hazard Losses. Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.
	¨	Post Disaster Recovery as Pre-Disaster Preparation. Edward Thomas, Michael Baker, Inc.
	¨	What Sustainable Redevelopment in Louisiana Could Look Like: Realizing Many Big Dreams. Wendi Goldsmith, The Bioengineering Group, Inc.

	3b. Dam Removal and Restoration. How can dam removal help restore wetlands, streams, floodplains and riparian areas? What sorts of planning and management procedures are needed? Moderator: James MacBroom, Milone & MacBroom, Inc.

	¨	Key Issues at Dam Removals. James MacBroom and Jeannie Armstrong Bonin, Milone & MacBroom, Inc.
	¨	Town Brook Dam Removals: The First Two in Massachusetts for Marine Fish. Eric Hutchins, NOAA Restoration Center
	¨	Dam Removal: A History of Decision Points. Laura Wildman, American Rivers

	3c. Use of GIS in Assessment. How can GIS systems be better utilized to protect and restore wetlands, streams, riparian areas and floodplains on an integrated basis? Moderator: Jamie Carr, The Academy of Natural Sciences

	¨	Use of Remote Sensing and GIS for Wetland, Riparian, and Watershed Assessment, Monitoring, and Restoration. Ralph Tiner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
	¨	GIS and Field Partnerships to Identify and Prioritize Wetland Restoration Sites on a Watershed Scale in the Adirondack Park. Ariel Diggory, New York State Adirondack Park Agency
	¨	Developing an ArcGIS: Geodatabase and GIS Toolset for NYC DEP's Stream Management Program. Brian O'Malley, PAR Government Systems Corporation and Phillip Eskeli, New York City Department of Environmental Protection Stream Management Program

2:45p.m.-3:05p.m.	Break

3:05p.m.-4:30p.m.	Breakout Sessions, Set 4

	4a. Wetland and Stream Restoration Case Studies. What experience has been gained in integrated restoration? What have we learned? Moderator: Jeanne Christie, Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc.

	¨	Clayplain Forest Restoration in the Hubbardton River Watershed, West Haven, Vermont. Mary Droege, The Nature Conservancy
	¨	Management of Phragmites at New England Wetland Restoration Sites. Michael Penko, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District
	¨	Girl Brook Watershed Assessment and Restoration, Hanover, New Hampshire. Mickey Marcus, New England Environmental, Inc.

	4b. River and Riparian Area Restoration. What are productive restoration approaches? What are problems which need to be avoided? Moderator: Frank Pendleton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

	¨	Brownway Restoration Project Case Study: Riparian Wetland, Natural Community, and Floodplain Restoration. Christopher E. Smith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
	¨	Restoration of a Channelized, Degraded Stream in Plainfield, Vermont. Lori Barg, Step by Step Community Environmental Solutions
	¨	An Intensive Study of Stream Restoration Projects in the State of Pennsylvania. Jamie Carr, The Academy of Natural Sciences

	4c. Biocriteria for Altered Wetland, Stream, Floodplain, and Riparian Systems. How can biocriteria be developed for altered systems? How can such criteria be best used? Moderator: Matthew Schweisberg, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

	¨	Fish Communities as Bioindicators of River System Alternation: The Development of Target Fish Communities and a Flow-Sensitive Index of Biotic Integrity in Massachusetts. Martha Mather, University of Massachusetts
	¨	An Integrated Biosocial Approach to Analyzing Environmental Conflicts Associated With Watershed Restoration in Massachusetts. Robert Muth, Department of Natural Resources Conservation, University of Massachusetts
	¨	Effectiveness of Indices of Biotic Integrity for Diagnosing Stream Health: Implications for a Stream Flow - Sensitive IBI. Joe Smith, Department of Natural Resources, University of Massachusetts


4:30p.m.-5:00p.m.	Implementation Strategies, Concluding Remarks

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Last updated on December 20, 2005.