NEWS OF INTEREST
Updated March 17, 2010

WI: Wetlands bill targets construction conflicts

By Paul Snyder – Daily Reporter – March 11, 2010
Disputes between the state and builders over construction projects near wetlands have prompted a lawmaker’s attempt to force better communication between the sides. State Rep. Garey Bies, R-Sister Bay, has introduced a bill requiring the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provide information about wetlands to landowners, builders and local governments that issue building permits. The bill would establish a $50 fee a landowner can pay for a DNR wetlands map of the property and a $300 fee for a DNR employee to visit a property and mark off wetlands. http://dailyreporter.com/blog/2010/03/11/bill-aims-to-boost-wetland-information-for-developers-landowners/

FUTURE ASWM WORKSHOPS AND SYMPOSIA

The SLAMM 6 model now supports time-varying feedbacks to the vertical accretion of wetlands. Feedbacks based on wetland elevations, distance to channel, and salinity may be specified along with a time-variable turbidity factor. The salinity module has been rewritten and improved but remains fairly simple. The SLAMM 6 graphical interface has been significantly redesigned including OpenGL 3D mapping. Wetland elevation-range parameters have been brought into the model interface and the model is considerably more flexible in this regard. Elevation and salinity by land-cover statistics are automatically produced. SLAMM 6 includes a command-line mode to support externally driven sensitivity and uncertainty analyses. For more information about this release, and how to obtain the model, please visit the following site:
http://warrenpinnacle.com/SLAMMFORUM/index.php?topic=55.0
For questions and comments about the SLAMM model please utilize the SLAMM Forum .
Link to the Technical Documentation.
http://warrenpinnacle.com/prof/SLAMM6/SLAMM6_Technical_Documentation.pdf

The report offers model language that could be incorporated into in-lieu fee program instruments being developed by state agencies and non-profit organizations and was designed to comply with the 2008 Compensatory Mitigation Rule.  It was developed using the best available information and uses examples from the approved and draft in-lieu fee instruments that were available as of December 2009. The model language should not, however, be seen as a prescriptive approach to the development of in-lieu fee program instruments. The model language offered does not represent official guidance from federal agencies, nor does it eliminate the necessity of working closely with the appropriate Corps district and Interagency Review Team to seek approval for an in-lieu fee program. The report can be downloaded for free here: http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11390

By Leah Hoenen – Cape Gazette – January 31, 2010
Sussex County is losing wetlands, and damage to wetlands is, in part, responsible for devastating flooding across the county. Environmental officials say remaining wetlands must be protected and rehabilitated. The Delaware Wetlands Conference opened to stark news that standing water inundates the county as wetlands disappear, and predictions of more of the same. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara said devastation from recent flooding is a wake-up call. “This will be the new normal with climate change,” he said. Building in wetlands areas, as well as wetlands loss, has contributed to area flooding, he said. “We have people’s attention now because people are looking for solutions.” Dave Fowler, Region V board director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, said his group’s mission is to mitigate losses and suffering caused by flooding. “Floods are natural, disasters are usually man-made. A lot of our development is in the way,” said Fowler. http://www.capegazette.com/storiescurrent/201001/wetlands_flood29.html