Editor's Note

Editor's Choice

National News

Legislative News

State News

Resources/ Publications

Potpourri

Job Openings

Student Jobs

Meetings/ Training

ASWM Calendar

Printable PDF

INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	ASWM Joins Society of Wetland Scientists for its Annual State/Tribal/Federal Coordination Mtg
·	MS: Appeals court upholds convictions in Miss. wetlands case
·	Putting A Price On Riparian Corridors As Water Treatment Facilities
·	Washington State Sea Levels Could Rise Considerably By End of Century
·	A Green Day for Bush
·	Added 2/25/08 Calling All Wetland Specialists - Seeking Information on Growing Season

---NATIONAL NEWS---

·	NRCS announces sign-up deadline for WRP
·	Sec. Kempthome Announces Proposal to Remove Brown Pelican from Endangered Species List
·	Groups Sue to Block Alaska Oil Drilling Plan
·	Conservation efforts get mixed support

---LEGISLATIVE NEWS---

·	President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request to Include Funding for Water Programs

---STATE NEWS---  

·	OR: Look up in the trees, not at a book
·	MI: Saginaw Bay doesn't have an algae problem, DEQ says
·	PA: Innovative Water Operation Solves Problem
·	NY: Saltwater Marsh Islands of Jamaica Bay Could Disappear Within Five Years
·	IL: N. Aurora pays ComEd to bury lines near wetlands
·	NH: Environment New Hampshire Urges Protective Wetlands Laws
·	CT: Env. report confirms pond is safe; SW Inland Wetlands panel gives OK for buy
·	IN: Editorial: 'Dead zone' should enliven discussion of farm runoff
·	SD: Farmers' federal money at risk in wetlands fight
·	FL: Ambitious team is restoring Virginia Key
·	DE: Horseshoe crabs, red knots in peril
·	IA: Iowa Lawmakers Introduce Surface Water Protection Act
·	ME: Cash key to defending wetlands
·	DC: CBF wants state to toughen shoreline protection law
·	FL: Opinion - No: Impacts to wildlife, wetlands too damaging
·	IL: Herons in Chicago Wetlands Survive Exposure to Banned Toxics
·	HI: Coluccio Construction Co. and Castle Family LLC fined for Oahu wetlands violations
·	KY: Wildlife expert says restoration helps habitats
·	ME: Eight endangered sea turtles arrive at UNE's Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center
·	MA: Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program Seeks Rare Species Grant Proposals
·	NY: The Environment: Public backs wetlands law

---RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS---

·	Farm Bill 2007: Three New Reports on Conservation Programs
·	Smart Watershed Benchmarking Tool
·	Washington Dept. of Ecology invites public comments on 2008 water quality assessment
·	Gulf of Maine Council/NOAA Habitat Restoration Partnership Final Report
·	Vegetation Classification and Mapping of New River Gorge National River, West Virginia

---POTPOURRI---

·	Fed Dollars for the Birds
·	New storm water monitoring sites added to interactive map
·	Write On! Wetland Challenge 2008

---JOB OPENINGS---

·	Assistant Research Scientist, Stream Invertebrate Ecology, Grand Rapids, Minnesota
·	Two Wetland Permitting Positions with Environmental Services & Consulting (ES&C)
·	Conservation Policy Director
·	Water Quality Technician (2 positions)
·	Natural Resource & Wetland Scientists
·	Wake County Watershed Management Specialist

---STUDENT JOBS ---

---MEETINGS AND TRAINING---

·	MT Chapter of The Wildlife Society, Society for NW Vertebrate Biology, Partners, Joint Meeting
·	History of Wetland Drainage Workshop
·	Winter Woody Plant ID
·	Clean Water Compliance Bootcamp (Advanced Training for Water Professionals)
·	NW Science meeting Missoula MT
·	WOW! Wonders of Wetland
·	Vernal Pool Construction
·	Headwater Forum - IDEM Wetlands Program
·	Algae and Macroinvertebrate Identification Workshops
·	WI: Call for Papers: North American Crane Workshop
·	2008 Training Schedule for Wetland Professionals – Whitenton Group, Environmental Consulting & Training

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For a rolling calendar of meeting, conferences, and other events visit the ASWM calendar.

EDITOR'S NOTE

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Last weekend I tromped on snowshoe through a local land trust's preserve called Black Brook. We looked for New England cottontail but aside from a few snowshoe hare tracks and questionable scat, there was no sign of the elusive bunnies. Snow-covered beaver lodges lined the crisp brook that rippled through the preserve. All else was quiet. It was a warm, sunny day but even in the thick of the wooded preserve, I had to take my wool mittens off and stuff them in my coat pockets because it was so mild. It has since grown colder complete with eight inches of snow followed by a mini-ice storm and flooding. But it's a gorgeous Valentine's day. How we love the sun this time of year! We are improving Wetland Breaking News in response to your comments. Some readers have sent e-mails explaining that they did not receive parts one or two in the past.  The longer the e-newsletter, the more problematic it seemed. So I have structured it differently to solve that issue for readers. Now readers may click on the category headings, such as Editor's Choice, States News, or Jobs, and be directed to that section of the full newsletter on our website. This way the e-mail is shorter and less likely to cause a glitch on its way to your in-box. Thank you for all of the nice feedback. Special thanks to contributors of this issue: Tom Biebighauser, US Forest Service; Debbie Slobe, Playa Lakes Joint Venture; Ann Riley, San Francisco Bay Region Water Quality Control Board. Happy Valentine's Day! Leah Stetson Editor, Wetland Breaking News

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EDITOR'S CHOICE

ASWM Joins the Society of Wetland Scientists to Hold its Annual State/Tribal/Federal Coordination Meeting SWS 2008 Annual Conference: May 26-30, 2008 ASWM's Annual State/Federal Coordination Meeting: May 28-30, 2008 Wardman Park Hotel, Washington , DC ASWM's Annual State/Federal Coordination Meeting will be a special part of symposia at the Society of Wetland Scientists 2008 Annual Conference: Capitalizing on Wetlands scheduled for May 26-30 at the Wardman Park Hotel in Washington , DC . The ASWM symposia will include 9 sessions scheduled for Wednesday, May 28 through Friday, May 30th within the overall conference.  The state/federal coordination symposia will cover a variety of topics including federal wetland policy, the wetlands delineation manual supplements, the new wetland mapping standard, streamlining permitting and strengthening the states' role in implementing the Clean Water Act.  Use the following links to access more information: For conference information http://www.aswm.org/calendar/sws_aswm.htm Early Registration Deadline is February 29, 2008  To register, visit: http://www.sws.org/2008_meeting/registration.html Abstract Submission Deadline is February 29, 2008 Accommodations at the Wardman Park Hotel

MS: Appeals court upholds convictions in Miss. wetlands case

The Times-Picayune -- January 4, 2008 The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the convictions of a Mississippi coastal developer and two others for mail fraud and violations of the federal Clean Water Act. A federal jury in February 2005 convicted Robert J. Lucas Jr., of Lucedale, chief executive of Big Hill Acres Inc., and the two others of 41 charges, including conspiracy. Lucas; his daughter, Robbie Lucas Wrigley, an Ocean Springs real estate agent; and M.E. Thompson, a professional engineer from D'Iberville, were accused of selling lots in Vancleave in a wetlands area with unworkable septic systems. For full article, go to: http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/news-37/1202138672247520.xml&storylist=louisiana  For related stories, visit: http://www.gulflive.com/news/mississippipress/index.ssf?/base/news/1202210129185900.xml and for a direct link to the case, go to:

Putting A Price On Riparian Corridors As Water Treatment Facilities

By Ann L. Riley, Ph.D., Watershed and River Restoration Advisor, San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, Oakland, CA, Jan. 2008 -- The monetary value of natural riparian environments that provide water quality treatment functions by processing nutrients, storing sediment, moderating temperatures, and other services can be estimated by calculating the costs associated with the construction of brick and mortar water treatment plants built to achieve similar functions. For a direct link to this discussion paper, go to: http://www.aswm.org/putting_price_riparian_corridors_riley_21108.pdf

Washington State Sea Levels Could Rise Considerably By End of Century

By Vince Stricherz -- University of Washington News Release --January 17, 2008 Melting glaciers in Greenland and Antarctica, combined with other effects of global climate change, are likely to raise sea levels in parts of Western Washington by the end of this century, though geological forces will offset the rising water in some areas. A new report suggests a moderate scenario is for sea levels on the Washington Coast and in the Puget Sound Basin to rise an average of 6 inches by 2050 and 14 inches by 2100. The analysis, conducted by the Pacific Northwest Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington and the Washington State Department of Ecology, suggests that a worst-case scenario could raise sea levels in some places as much as 22 inches by 2050 and 50 inches -- more than 4 feet -- by 2100. For full press release, go to: http://uwnews.washington.edu/ni/article.asp?articleID=39136 For a direct link to the report, go to: http://www.cses.washington.edu/db/pdf/moteetalslr579.pdf

A Green Day for Bush

By Michael Grunwald -- TIME -- February 2, 2008 In a letter obtained by TIME, Bush's Environmental Protection Agency moved to block a $220 million Army Corps of Engineers flood-control project in the Mississippi Delta, laying the groundwork for the first EPA veto of an Army Corps project since 1990. And the project is arguably the most ecologically destructive Army Corps boondoggle on the books today, which is saying something. It would build the world's largest hydraulic pump to protect a sparsely populated area dominated by soybean fields from Yazoo River flooding, and it would drain or degrade enough wetlands to cover all five boroughs of New York City . Authorized by Congress 67 years ago, the so-called Yazoo Pump is a relic of an era when wetlands were considered wastelands. For full article, visit: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1709351,00.html

Added 2/25/08 Calling All Wetland Specialists - Seeking Information on Growing Season

Wetland ecologist Ralph Tiner (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) is compiling observations on start and finish of the "growing season" from across the country and your participation is invited. Growing season is used in wetland delineation to indicate the time of year when inundation and soil saturation have a critical effect on plants. Visible signs of the beginning of the growing season include bud break, greening up of vegetation (e.g., leaf or shoot emergence, leaf-out, and greening of evergreen leaves that were reddish in winter like cranberry, leatherleaf, and dewberries), first bloom, and opening of catkins. Signs of the end of the growing season include leaf drop in the fall and herbaceous plant die-back due to killing frost. Some plants flower (e.g., witch hazel asters, and goldenrods) or produce spores (e.g., clubmosses) in late fall and these observations are also requested. Observations for both wetland and upland plants are wanted. To participate please send your observations to: Ralph_Tiner@fws.gov. Please put "Growing Season Observations for _______ (specify area)" in the email subject block and for each observation, list the species, the observed feature, the observation date, general habitat (wetland or upland type), and site location (town, county, state). Your name and affiliation would also be appreciated for acknowledgment of contributors. This is planned as a multi-year investigation, so for regions where the growing season is year-round or has already commenced, fall observations would be welcomed this year and observations of both spring and fall reported for future years. Thanks to all who are willing to help!

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NATIONAL NEWS

NRCS announces sign-up deadline for WRP

Delta Farm Press -- February 11, 2008 Missouri landowners interested in participating in the Wetlands Reserve Program should apply by Feb. 22 to be eligible for the next round of funding, the Natural Resources Conservation Service announced. WRP is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to restore, enhance, and protect wetlands on their properties. NRCS provides technical and financial support to help landowners with their wetland restoration efforts. For full story, go to: http://deltafarmpress.com/legislative/wrp-signup-0211/  For an additional story on this (NE) go to: http://www.northplattebulletin.com/index.asp?show=news&action=readStory&storyID=13992&pageID=29

Secretary Kempthorne Announces Proposal to Remove the Brown Pelican from the Endangered Species Lis

Contact: Lois Grunwald -- USFWS News Release -- February 8, 2008 Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today celebrated the brown pelican's remarkable recovery from the brink of extinction by formally proposing to remove the remaining protected populations of the bird along the Gulf and Pacific coasts, and in the Caribbean, and Central and South America from protection under the Endangered Species Act. Kempthorne announced the proposal at the Louisiana Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge during a joint appearance with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal. For full news release, go to: http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=FA661261-E515-3852-985B4ABB3A4AEBB9

Groups Sue to Block Alaska Oil Drilling Plan

By Chris Baltimore --Reuters News Service -- February 4, 2008 The US Interior Department plans to lease about 30 million acres of land in the Chukchi Sea -- home to about 10 percent of the world's polar bear population -- on Feb. 6. Environmental groups including the National Audubon Society, Natural Resources Defense Council and Earthjustice filed suit in a federal court along with Alaska native groups to stop the lease sale -- which the federal government has put on a fast track for action. The Chukchi Sea is one of the few "frontier areas" where new oil and natural gas deposits can be found in North America, and could hold 15 billion barrels of oil, according to the Minerals Management Service, which oversees oil and gas leasing for the Interior Department. [...] This is the first time global warming has been a factor in arguing for "threatened" status for any species in the United States , and that makes the decision more complex. For full article, visit: http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/46747/story.htm

Conservation efforts get mixed support

By Buster Wolfe -- Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal -- February 10, 2008 Supporting conservation efforts for North America's waterfowl has become a juggling act among private, public and government groups in recent years. In President Bush's 2009 budget proposal, conservation programs that help waterfowl gained mixed support ­- eliminating the Wetlands Reserve Program and continuing to fund the North American Wetlands Conservation Act. The Tupelo/Tombigbee River Ducks Unlimited Chapter is hoping to make a difference in waterfowl conservation with its annual fundraising project. The annual banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 21 at Summit . For the full article, go to: http://www.djournal.com/pages/story.asp?ID=265611&pub=1&div=News

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

President's Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request to Include Funding for Water Programs

WaterHeadlines -- EPA Office of Water -- February 4, 2008 The President's Fiscal Year 2009 budget request including for EPA's National Water Program was announced on February 4, 2008.  EPA's request for water programs is over $ 2.5 billion or 35 percent of the agency's overall budget, and will allow EPA, along with our state, tribal and local partners, to make continued progress in ensuring America's waters are clean, safe and secure.  This budget will help EPA to: - restore and maintain waters across the country through state and tribal Clean Water Act programs, - continue to improve the health of the country's major coastal ecosystems, and achieve a net increase of wetlands - increase the populations served by systems providing water that complies with drinking water standards, and - implement a total of five water security infrastructure pilots. For more information on the budget request: http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/budget/index.htm

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STATES NEWS

OR: Look up in the trees, not at a book

By Lee Williams -- Oregon City News -- February 13, 2008 On a recent Saturday morning, with these chilly elements working against him, the animated guide for Metro's winter bird-watching tour is anything but disheartened as he leads a group of five raincoated explorers along the trails of Smith and Bybee Wetlands Natural Area. "Twenty-five years ago, newspapers would come out to report when one bald eagle was spotted," Davis says, pointing across Bybee Lake to a bald eagles' nest wedged into the tops of leafless tree branches. For full article, visit: http://www.oregoncitynewsonline.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=120249657518401300

MI: Saginaw Bay doesn't have an algae problem, DEQ says

By Jeff Kart -- Bay City Times -- February 13, 2008 Does Saginaw Bay have an algae problem? "Yes" may seem like the obvious answer, with the mounds of dead algae, or muck, that's been washing up on shorelines with increasing intensity in recent years. Some of the muck has tested positive for traces of human sewage and cattle manure. State regulators formed a regional effort called the Saginaw Bay Coastal Initiative in 2006 to find ways to deal with muck and other stressors plaguing the bay. For full story, go to: http://blog.mlive.com/bctimes/2008/02/saginaw_bay_doesnt_have_an_algae_problem_deq_says.html  For draft state integrated report, visit: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3313-184170--,00.html which is accepting public comment through February 25, 2008.

PA: Innovative Water Operation Solves Problem

By Drew L. Wilson -- Water Online -- February 12, 2008 The city of Beaumont Texas was recently faced with the problem of preventing contamination of their raw water source while at the same time protecting the delicate environment of the wetlands that surround their water canal. City officials put on their creative, problem-solving hats and embraced offshore techniques to accomplish both objectives. The innovative operation is drawing attention from other parts of the country that have similar problems. Beaumont draws its raw water from the Neches River and transports it in a canal system to their treatment facility. For full article, go to: http://www.wateronline.com/content/news/article.asp?DocID=%7B7360D21F-4F6B-4B79-A704-DF88F9A33828%7D&Bucket=Supplier+News&VNETCOOKIE=NO

NY: Saltwater Marsh Islands of Jamaica Bay Could Disappear Within Five Years Threatening Shorebirds

Bird Conservation News -- February 12, 2008 Last summer, the Jamaica Bay Watershed Advisory Committee, a New York City body, and the National Park Service's Gateway National Recreation Area released a study showing that the rate of marsh island loss in Jamaica Bay was accelerating, and, if it continued at the rate recently measured at several of the islands, would result in almost all of the marsh islands disappearing within five years. Records show Jamaica Bay averaged a loss of 26 acres per year from the mid-1970s until the mid-1990s, but the loss increased to more than 40 acres each year by 1999. For a link to American Bird Conservancy's website, visit: http://www.abcbirds.org/  Visit Natural Resources Defense Council at www.nrdc.org, or Jamaica Bay Watershed Advisory Committee at http://nbii-nin.ciesin.columbia.edu/jamaicabay for more information on this story.

IL: N. Aurora pays ComEd to bury lines near wetlands

By Eric Schelkopf -- Kane County Chronicle -- February 12, 2008 Village officials will pay ComEd to bury its utility poles to avoid detracting from nearby wetlands. ComEd had planned to put up 19 poles along Orchard Gateway Boulevard, next to the North Aurora Towne Center on the village's west side. The poles would serve the development and meet future growth needs. Orchard Gateway is a business corridor. But the poles would have been next to a 100-acre-plus wetlands area. The wetlands are a tributary to Blackberry Creek. "It is the second largest wetland mitigation plan in the state," North Aurora Village Administrator Sue McLaughlin said. "We don't want to end up with another Route 31."; Village trustees Monday voted to pay ComEd $103,000 to bury the lines. The amount is the difference between what it would cost to put up 19 poles and burying them. For full article, go to: http://www.kcchronicle.com/articles/2008/02/12/news/local/doc47b14ba715e81447066699.txt

NH: Environment New Hampshire Urges Protective Wetlands Laws

ENS -- February 11, 2008 Environment New Hampshire, a nonprofit environmental organization, is calling for passage and implementation of two laws during the current legislative session that will provide strong protections for New Hampshire's waterways. The two bills seek to protect New Hampshire's wetlands from overdevelopment. SB 435 calls for an update to the permitting process for development in New Hampshire's wetlands and HB 1579-FN proposes a 75 foot setback requirement from wetlands for structures and septic systems. "Irresponsible development is threatening the health of many of our great waterways in New Hampshire," said Kathryn Fox, preservation associate for Environment New Hampshire. For full article, go to: http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/feb2008/2008-02-11-093.asp

CT: Env. report confirms pond is safe; SW Inland Wetlands panel gives OK for buy

By Matthew Engelhardt -- Journal Inquirer -- February 11, 2008 Following a favorable environmental report, the Inland Wetlands Commission has given its blessing for the town to acquire over 50 acres of open space at the Dzen Tree Farm, including a pond used for an annual fishing derby. For full article, go to: http://www.journalinquirer.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19283322&BRD=985&PAG=461&dept_id=569431&rfi=6

IN: Editorial: 'Dead zone' should enliven discussion of farm runoff

Editorial Staff -- Indianapolis Star -- February 11, 2008 Hoosiers were soberly reminded last week that increased farm production has steep environmental costs, and those costs do not respect state lines. A report from the U.S. Geological Survey gave Midwest farm runoff the bulk of blame for a "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico , where excess nutrients have caused a massive loss of shellfish and other sea creatures. The bad news was not essentially new. Devastation from lack of oxygen in the vital body of water has been noted since the mid-1980s, and agricultural waste has long been identified as a culprit. How big a culprit was not realized, however, until now. Indiana and eight other states contribute more than 75 percent of the nitrogen and phosphorus carried into the Gulf by the Mississippi River and its tributaries, the study says. For full editorial, go to: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008802110302

SD: Farmers' federal money at risk in wetlands fight

By Peter Harriman -- Argus Leader -- February 11, 2008 One of the largest recipients of federal farm payments in South Dakota is at risk of losing them. The so-called Swampbuster case is being watched closely by both friends and foes of Swampbuster, a controversial environmental law. It has some farmers and conservation advocates at odds over what really constitutes wetlands that should be off-limits to agricultural production. The outcome could signal whether small, seasonal wetlands get an aggressive new level of protection. Or will they fall prey to increased pressure by farmers to make a crop on every possible inch of ground as sky-high corn, soybean and wheat prices pull rent, fuel and fertilizer prices up with them? For full story, visit: http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/NEWS/802110323/1001

FL: Ambitious team is restoring Virginia Key

By Andres Viglucci -- Miami Herald -- February 10, 2008 Much of the thick jungle of invasive vegetation that long ago overtook Virginia Key's stunning oceanfront is suddenly gone, just like that, cleared away by the brute power of heavy earth-moving equipment. The demolition has revealed blue water and some unexpected natural treasures: clumps of leather ferns and soaring red mangroves rising from the raw sandy soil, improbable remnants of an ecosystem all but destroyed by years of human abuse and neglect.Now a gentler intervention aims to put back what had vanished from the spot. For full article, visit: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/414279.html

DE: Horseshoe crabs, red knots in peril