|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||
|
||
(Last updated on 3/19/10.) |
||
| Hot Topics in Wetland Science | ||
| ~New~ Vernal Pool Training & Monitoring Events |
||
Wetlands Mapping Standard |
||
| Widlife-Friendly Stream and Undercrossing Research | ||
| Wetlands & Climate Change | ||
| Return to top. | ||
| ASWM Forthcoming Publications | |
| ASWM Electronic Publications for Review and Comment | |
| List of electronic ASWM publications that are currently in draft for review and comment or soon to be available. CLICK HERE | |
| Return to top. |
| Publications | |
| Added 3/1/10 Prairie Fen Wetlands Guide The Michigan Natural Features Inventory and Michigan State University Extension put together the 106-page guide. It includes photos and illustrations of prairie fens and describes noteworthy plants and animals found in them. Fens are biologically diverse habitats within depressions in the hills of the southern Lower Peninsula. They are dominated by sedges and grasses and form the headwaters of many lakes and streams. The guidebook discusses ecology and conservation of fens and shows where to visit them. Copies are available for $10 from the Michigan Natural Features Inventory. To order a copy of this guide, go to: http://web4.msue.msu.edu/mnfi/ |
|
| Recommendations for a National Wetlands and Climate Change Initiative ASWM has posted Recommendations for a National Wetlands and Climate Change Initiativebased on Wetlands 2008: Wetlands and Global Climate Change, held on September 16-18, 2008 in Portland, Oregon. |
|
| New Field Guide to Dragonflies and Damselflies of New Jersey Authors: Allen E. Barlow, Jim Bangma and David Golden. Developed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection's Division of Fish and Wildlife. It features detailed characteristics of 182 species, 334 full-color photos, when and where to find each species, and which species are endangered, threatened or historic, and even how to photograph them. For a related press release, go to: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/cape_may/article_77d1bb41-b1c3-531a-a5a2-70972c3d3113.html To order the guide, visit: http://www.conservewildlifenj.org/support/cwf/publications.html |
|
| New Wetland Plant Guide The Swamp School has announced a new Wetland Plant Guide. It is a very useful field guide to wetland plants and their USFWS wetland indicators. To download a free copy, visit: http://swampschool.org/ |
|
| New Stormwater Research Report Available “Flow Control and Water Quality Treatment Performance of a Residential Low Impact Development Pilot Project in Western Washington.” This report documents the results from one of the first low impact development (LID) monitoring efforts in the Puget Sound region. It is one of a few projects nationally to evaluate the performance of LID practices when integrated into a residential stormwater management system. LID practices used in the project design include bioretention swales, permeable concrete, compost amended soils, and surface flow dispersion. |
|
Special Issue Fish & Wildlife News – Migratory Birds Report Documents the Risks of Giant Invasive Snakes in the U.S. Bates, B.C., Z.W. Kundzewicz, S. Wu and J.P. Palutikof, Eds. 2008 |
|
| Conservation Tactics to Help Fish and Wildlife Thrive Featured in New Bibliography |
|
By Marcia Wood – USDA News – January 5, 2009 |
|
Restoring wetlands not so costly, Univ. of Alberta study |
|
| New Wisconsin Land Use & Wetlands Guide The Wisconsin Wetlands Association just has put out a new piece, Land Use and Wetlands: A Local Decision Makers' Guide to Wetland Conservation. This is a helpful guide providing information on explaining wetlands to the public. It also has a great deal of information that land-use decision makers in local governments/municipalities and counties will find useful. To view the guide, visit: http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/localgovs.htm For landowner guides from other states, visit: http://www.aswm.org/fwp/consultant/index.htm#guides |
|
| Gulf Restoration Network Releases "Clean Up Your Act!" Report The Gulf Restoration Network, a long time Clean Water Network member, recently released a report entitled, "Clean Up Your Act!" The report gives grades to each of the five Gulf states based on how they incorporate various important sections of the Clean Water Act in their state rules. Overall scores were very low, with the average being a D+. The scores range from a C- to an F, which indicates that the Gulf states are not living up to their obligations under the Clean Water Act. Failure by the Gulf states to address these issues and use the Clean Water Act to its full extent leaves many waters unprotected and vulnerable to pollution and other abuses. To read the report, go to: http://healthygulf.org/images/stories/pdfs/reports/healthy_waters/gulf_states_report_ card_2009.pdf |
|
| Return to top. |
| News | |
Beavers: The Engineers of the Forest By Jennifer Weeks – Smithsonian Magazine – March 16, 2010 |
|
| Aquatic 'Dead Zones' Contributing to Climate Change U.S. News & Science – March 15, 2010 The increased frequency and intensity of oxygen-deprived "dead zones" along the world's coasts can negatively impact environmental conditions in far more than just local waters. In the March 12 edition of the journal Science, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science oceanographer Dr. Lou Codispoti explains that the increased amount of nitrous oxide (N2O) produced in low-oxygen (hypoxic) waters can elevate concentrations in the atmosphere, further exacerbating the impacts of global warming and contributing to ozone "holes" that cause an increase in our exposure to harmful UV radiation. http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/03/15/aquatic-dead-zones-contributing-to-climate-change.html |
|
| More Warming Worries: Methane from the Arctic By Michael Lemonick – Time – March 4, 2010 A string of 'gates over the past few months — Climategate, Himalayagate, among others — have landed some hard punches on the politics of climate change science. They haven't laid a glove on the science itself, however. Humans are pumping out planet-warming greenhouse gases at a prodigious rate, and the planet is warming. That's no coincidence. For full story, go to: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1969767,00.html?xid=rss-topstories Read more: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1969767,00.html?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz0iSWgOKfK |
|
| Climate changes 'behind shifts in wetland birds' BBC News – February 19, 2010 |
|
| Ramsar Secretariat and World Bank to Collaborate on Climate Change Projects in Wetlands Climate-L.org – February 16, 2010 Anada Tiéga, Ramsar Secretary General, and Hartwig Schafer, Acting Vice President, Sustainable Development Network, World Bank, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that aims to “establish a framework of cooperation between Ramsar and the World Bank in exchange of technical expertise and capacity building related to the development and implementation of climate change projects in wetlands in the context of the World Bank-financed climate change portfolio.” For full story, go to: http://climate-l.org/2010/03/01/ramsar-secretariat-and-world-bank-to-collaborate-on-climate-change-projects-in-wetlands/ |
|
| Warming Climate Drives Wetland Loss, Will Affect Ducks Environmental Protection Online – February 9, 2010 The loss of wetlands in the prairie pothole region of central North America due to a warmer and drier climate will negatively affect millions of waterfowl that depend on the region for food, shelter and raising young, according to research published in the journal BioScience. For full article, go to: http://eponline.com/articles/2010/02/09/warming-climate-drives-wetland-loss- will-affect-ducks.aspx |
|
| From North Texas to Florida, a high-pitched voice is strangely missing from the chatter of wintering birds. The rusty blackbird, a winter visitor to Dallas-Fort Worth, has suffered one of North America's steepest and least understood declines. Since 1970, scientists say, its numbers have plunged 85 percent to 99 percent. For full story, go to: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-rustybirds_07met.ART0.Central.Edition1.4bf64e9.html | |
| The Allure – and Elusiveness – of Mangrove Forests as Carbon Sinks By Steve Zwick – Ecosystem Marketplace – February 7, 2010 It’s hard to imagine a more valuable ecosystem than a mangrove forest. These rugged coastal woods protect the shoreline from both sudden storms and gradual erosion; they provide shelter for young fish, breeding grounds for shrimp, and wood for local villagers – all of which are the fruits of clearly delineable ecosystem services, each which has a clear line to who benefits the most. This should, in theory, make it easy to entice those who benefit into paying for the ecosystem services that mangroves generate. Tourism operators and fishers, for example, could both pay mangrove guardians for the upkeep of coral reefs; fishers could pay for the nurturing of their prey; and anyone along the shore could pay to keep the sea at bay and prevent their houses from falling into the sea. For full story, go to: http://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/pages/dynamic/article.page.php?page_id= 7441§ion=news_articles&eod=1 |
|
| Global warming encourages tree growth but dries up wetlands, studies show By Graham Land – Green Fudge (blog) – February 6, 2010 Longer growing seasons and higher concentrations of CO2 may encourage faster growth rates in trees, according to a 22-year scientific study of mixed hardwoods in the eastern United States. During the study average temperatures increased by 0.3 degrees while the growing season was extended by 7.8 days. Furthermore, the CO2 concentration in the forest air went up 12%. For full story, go to: http://www.greenfudge.org/2010/02/06/ global-warming-encourages-tree-growth-but-dries-up-wetlands-studies-show/ For related story, go to: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gx7ez72M9ZAo22uNSaVhYECGNKag |
|
| The Source Water, Climate & Carbon Connection By G. Tracy Mehan III, Dr. Chi Ho Sham, Charles Hernick & Jane Obbagy Source water protection, an analogue to watershed management, is a concept promoted by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), which required states to assess all waters used as sources of public drinking water for human consumption. http://www.wwdmag.com/The-Source-Water-Climate-Carbon-Connection-article11236 |
|
| Corn vs birds in Prairie Pothole region: a New Report on Ethanol Birding Community E-bulletin - February 2010 Government incentives boosting corn-based ethanol are accelerating the destruction of North America's Prairie Pothole region, a region where millions of birds find nesting habitat and shelter in the shallow wetlands and grasslands of the Northern Great Plains. This is according to a new study released by the National Wildlife Federation, with data gathered by University of Michigan researchers. The Northern Great Plains unique topography was formed 10,000 years ago when ice-age glaciers scouring the terrain left behind large indentations, today known as "prairie potholes." The Prairie Pothole study covers mainly Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, but the region actually extends as far west as northern Montana and also includes portions of Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. […] The study puts forth several solid recommendations, including reconsidering financial support for corn ethanol, special protections for grassland and wetland habitats, and strengthening of the Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The full 24-page study can be found here: www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/News-by-Topic/Wildlife/2010/~/media/ PDFs/Reports/Wildlife/01-13-10-Corn-Ethanol-Wildlife.ashx And it is summarized by NWF here: www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/Media-Center/Reports/Archive/2010/~/media/PDFs/ Wildlife/01-13-10-Corn-Ethanol-Wildlife.ashx |
|
| Methane Causes Vicious Cycle In Global Warming By Richard Harris – NPR – January 26, 2010 Carbon dioxide is the gas we most associate with global warming, but methane gas also plays an important role. For reasons that are not well understood, methane gas stopped increasing in the atmosphere in the 1990s. But now it appears to be once again on the rise. Scientists are trying to understand why — and what to do about it. Methane gas comes from all sorts of sources including wetlands, rice paddies, cow tummies, coal mines, garbage dumps and even termites. Drew Shindell, at NASA's Goddard Institute in New York, says, "It's gone up by 150 percent since the pre-industrial period. So that's an enormous increase. CO2, by contrast, has gone up by something like 30 percent." For full article, go to: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122638800&ft=1&f=1025 |
|
| New Ecosystem-based Management Roadmap Website ACZISC Coastal Update E-newsletter – January 2010 The EBM Roadmap website has been established to provide practical support for ecosystem-based management (EBM). It provides access to readings, case studies, methods, tools, and data to address the core elements of EBM: Nature's Services; Scientific Evidence; Geographic Scales; Ecological Linkages; Cumulative Impacts; Tradeoffs Among Human Activities; Adaptive Management; and a Network of People and Information. For more information, visit: http://www.ebmtools.org/roadmap.html. |
|
| NRC Opportunity for Research on Ecosystem Services in Estuaries A National Research Council (NRC) Senior Research Associateship is being offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development, Western Ecology Division, Pacific Coastal Ecology Branch in Newport, Oregon. The research topic area is: Cumulative effects of habitat alteration on ecosystem services in estuaries.For a description of the opportunity see: AC0209&RONum=B6574 For NRC/Research Associate Programs (RAP) information see: For U.S. EPA program information see: http://nrc58.nas.edu/RAPLab10/Opportunity/Program.aspx?LabCode=22&ReturnURL =%2fRAPLab10%2fOpportunity%2fPrograms.aspx%3fLabCode%3d22 |
|
| Selecting Mitigation Sites Using a Watershed Approach By Thomas Hruby, Kim Harper, Stephen Stanley – December 2009 - Washington Department of Ecology has released a new publication, “Selecting Mitigation Sites Using a Watershed Approach.” The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District (Corps), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 (EPA) (collectively the Agencies) prepared this guide on selecting mitigation sites for unavoidable wetland impacts. The Agencies encourage state, federal, and local decision-makers, as well as project applicants, to use this guide as one step in the process of making decisions on compensatory mitigation projects. The goals of this guide are to improve mitigation success and to better address the ecological priorities of Washington’s watersheds. For a direct link to the document, go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0906032.html |
|
| Information and Tools for Land Managers – New Resource at USDA Forest Service The Climate Change Resource Center (CCRC) is a reference website for resource managers and decision-makers who need information and tools to address climate change in planning and project implementation. To visit, go to: http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/ |
|
Bogs, swamps and mires help keep 500 billion metric tons of carbon out of the atmosphere, so preserving peatlands is emerging as a new priority. For full article, go to: http://www.scientificamerican.com/ article.cfm?id=peat-and-repeat-rewetting-carbon-sinks&SID=mail&sc=emailfriend |
|
| Perennials, Wetland Plants Compared For Ability To Remove Harmful Nitrogen, Phosphorous Rapid population growth and urbanization have raised concerns over stormwater runoff contamination. Studies on watersheds indicate that excess nutrients, specifically nitrate–nitrogen and soluble reactive phosphorus are found in stormwater runoff in many new urban areas. These pollutants degrade water quality and have an impact on the downstream ecosystem by contributing to the growth and decomposition of oxygen-depleting microorganisms. For full story, go to: http://www.wateronline.com/article.mvc/Perennials-Wetland-Plants-Compared-For-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO |
|
America’s Hottest Species – Endangered Species Most Affected by Global Climate Change |
|
Fighting for Habitat |
|
| Six Years Later, Gender-Bending Fish in Our Water Supply Remain a Mystery By David A. Fahrenthold – Washington Post – November 24, 2009 What's the problem with the Potomac River -- and could whatever it is spell problems for those of us who drink its water? In 2003, scientists discovered something startling in the Potomac, from which at least 3 million Washington area residents get their drinking water: Male fish were growing eggs. But six years later, a government-led research effort still hasn't answered those two questions. Scientists say they still aren't sure which pollutants are altering the fish, or whether the discovery poses any threat to people's health. For full story, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112003717.html |
|
Secretary Salazar Removes Brown Pelican “At a time when so many species of wildlife are threatened, we once in a while have an opportunity to celebrate an amazing success story,” Salazar said. “Today is such a day. The brown pelican is back!” For full press release, go to: http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=E48D2BF8-CEFA-7C31- |
|
State Environmental Officials, the Town of Plymouth, and Conservation Community Celebrate Partnership to Restore Former Cranberry Bogs in Plymouth |
|
| Green light for dredging of Delaware By Thomas Fitzgerald – Philidelphia Inquierer – October 26, 2009 The Army Corps of Engineers has decided to allow dredging to deepen the shipping channel of the Delaware River despite objections from Delaware state officials, clearing the way for a project long sought to benefit ports in the Philadelphia region. Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant Army secretary for civil works, decided Friday to continue to rely on her predecessor's determination that a permit from Delaware was not needed to proceed, according to officials familiar with the issue. "It's a giant matter of jobs," said Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.), who took the lead in pushing for the decision with Gov. Rendell and Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.). "I think the merits are pretty plain, and there are no environmental downsides." For full story, go to: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20091026_Green_light_for_ dredging_of_Delaware.html |
|
| Intersex fish a problem in Potomac River watershed By Dan Neuland – Frederick News Post – October 25, 2009 As an outdoor writer, I am obligated to make every effort to keep sportsmen abreast of important local issues that affect wildlife and habitat. In recent years, there have been a number of fish health problems in the Potomac River watershed that are associated with changing water quality and habitat conditions. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Studies and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have been working together to learn more about these problems. One of the major findings was the presence of intersexual characteristics in smallmouth and largemouth bass in the Potomac River and its tributaries. In April, the USFS released the final report of a six-year study, titled "Assessment of Endocrine Disruption in Smallmouth Bass and Largemouth Bass in the Potomac River Watershed." For full story, go to: http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/art_life/display.htm?StoryID=96873 |
|
| U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Polar Bear Critical Habitat Contact Valerie Fellows – USFWS News Release – October 22, 2009 The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today announced a proposal to designate critical habitat for the polar bear, and will open a 60-day public comment period on the measure. The critical habitat proposal identifies habitat in three separate areas or units: barrier island habitat, sea ice habitat and terrestrial denning habitat. “This Administration is fully committed to the protection and recovery of the polar bear,” said Interior Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland. “Proposing critical habitat for this iconic species is one step in the right direction to help this species stave off extinction, recognizing that the greatest threat to the polar bear is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change. As we move forward with a comprehensive energy and climate strategy, we will continue to work to protect the polar bear and its fragile environment.” For more information, go to: http://alaska.fws.gov/fisheries/mmm/polarbear/issues.htm |
|
| MD: Nutria Control Legislation Presented By Greg Latshaw – Delmarva Daily Times – October 22, 2009 Nutria are pudgy, semi-aquatic rodents who aren't native to Maryland but have made their presence known because of their appetite for wetland plants. On Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Frank M. Kratovil, D-1st-Md., and Rep. Charles Boustany, R-La., took aim at them by introducing the Nutria radication and Control Act of 2009. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to fund programs that coastal states are using to control nutria populations. For full story, go to: http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20091022/NEWS01/910220345/-1/newsfront2/ Nutria-control-legislation-presented |
|
| Salt Marsh Birds Threatened by Sea-Level Rise Surfbirds News - American Bird Conservancy – October 21, 2009 Species of marsh birds such as the Clapper Rail, Virginia Rail, Willet, Seaside Sparrow and Marsh Wren could experience 80% population declines in the Chesapeake Bay region if sea-levels rise by three to six feet by the year 2100. The analysis by the Center for Conservation Biology of the College of William and Mary found that sea-level rise will be particularly harmful to Black Rail and Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow that rely solely on irregularly flooded high marsh. The scientists’ simulation found that many of the known breeding sites of these species would be completely inundated by rising waters. For full story, go to: http://www.surfbirds.com/sbirdsnews/archives/2009/10/salt_marsh_bird.html |
|
| National Wetland Plant List |
|
| The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wetland Regulatory Program announces the release of its new website for updating the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL), a key component of its national wetland program. The NWPL, a cooperative effort of the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, lists the wetland ratings for plant species found throughout the U.S. and is used extensively in determining wetland boundaries, restoring wetlands, and conducting ecological research. The new web site will allow experts and interested parties to submit information and participate in the process of updating the NWPL. Of more general interest is the site’s wealth of information on nearly 10,000 U.S. plants, including distribution maps and photographs. Search capabilities for geographic, habitat, and other attributes allow users to follow their interests locally, regionally, or nationally for information on plant families, genera, and species. This is the first time that such a range of detailed botanical information has been gathered and made easily available to the public. The address is https://rsgis.crrel.usace.army.mil/apex/f?p=703. (Non-Corps users may need to accept a web certificate the first time they visit the site.) While the NWPL is being updated, only registered participants will have access to background information used in developing current wetland ratings. Later, when the site is published in the Federal Register as part of the updating process, all visitors will be able to obtain an automated password allowing them to view this information. |
| Archived News | ||
| Return to top. | ||
| LINKS OF INTEREST | |
EPA Launches TMDL Program Results Analysis Website |
|
| Washington Herp Atlas Now Complete and Online |
|
| Tiner, R.W. (compiler). 2002. Watershed-based Wetland Planning and Evaluation. A Collection of Papers from the Wetland Millennium Event (August 6-12, 2000; Québec City, Québec, Canada). Distributed by the Association of State Wetland Managers, Inc., Berne, NY. 141 pp. Available as a PDF file (WARNING: Large file: 6.36 mB) | |
| Isolated Wetlands Bibliography. Literature Citations and Links (where available.) Additional citations welcome. Please contact James Robb (5/8/01) | |
| Wetland Compensatory Mitigation Performance Literature Citations and Links. Does wetland compensatory mitigation work? We have put together this list of literature so that you may draw your own conclusions. Please let us know of any other studies related to this topic so that we may make this list as comprehensive as possible. (2/23/01) | |
 Wetlands and Global Climate Change Abstracts available from "Wetlands and Global Climate Change at Québec 2000 - Millennium Wetland Event", August 6 - 12, 2000, Québec City, Québec Canada. Invasive Species Expert Directory (select a state and find experts) http://nyis.info/ Smithsonian’s Online Encyclopedia of Life http://mwparc.org/products/fire/plain/ |
|
| Return to top. |
This webpage last updated
March 19, 2010.
Comments or suggestions may be directed to webmaster@aswm.org.
2
Basin Road
Windham, ME 04062
207-892-3399; Fax: 207-892-3089; aswm@aswm.org