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INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	Final Mitigation Rule
·	Survey Says Water Top Environmental Concern
·	Dangerous assumptions (climate change)
·	PLJV Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Playa Region
·	Senators push for bill to protect water quality
·	Wetlands 2008: Call for Papers Deadline Extended to May 15th
·	House and Senate Hearings on Clean Water Restoration Act

---NATIONAL NEWS---

·	Update to Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Guidelines
·	Study Examines Wetlands Programs in Each of the 50 States
·	Climate Change and Wetlands: Severe Storms
·	Ameriprise Financial Joins The Conservation Fund in Protecting Coastal Wetlands Outside New Orleans

---LEGISLATIVE NEWS---

·	Legislation Introduced to Conserve Rapidly Disappearing Migratory Birds
·	Snowe and Feinstein Want EPA to Release Finding That Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Public Health Threat
·	Legislation in the 110th Congress Related to Global Climate Change

---STATE NEWS---  

·	WA: Ecology fines Puget Sound Energy $366,000 for 2006 fuel spill
·	FL: Environmental groups challenge Mirasol permit
·	TX: Local laws would buoy federal wetlands rules
·	FL: Hatchet Creek proposal to be reviewed again
·	IN: Fort Wayne wetlands project adds 22 acres of forest
·	NY: Stressing education to reduce violations
·	NY: Woodstock reviews proposed new rules to protect streams, wetlands
·	HI: ‘Wetlands’ Talks In Samoa This Week
·	CO: Beaver in Land Conservation Creates Habitat, Wetlands
·	NJ: Planning for a Dismal future
·	WA: Ecology seeks public comment on water quality requirements for Avista dams
·	OH: OEPA invites public to information session and public hearing
·	NY: State judge strikes Milan land-use plan, laws
·	CA: California Waterfowl Granted $1M for Wetlands in San Jacinto and San Diego
·	DE: Ceremony Highlights “Thank You Delaware Bay” Campaign

---RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS---

·	Michigan Coastal News
·	Application of Watershed Ecological Risk Assessment Methods to Watershed Management

---POTPOURRI---

·	Loss of eelgrass threatens crabs
·	2008 Birds of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Series Set through November
·	'Big Night' part of vernal pool initiative
·	Wetlands warrior: Conservation organization creates post
·	Words crucial to saving wetlands

---JOB OPENINGS---

·	TMDL / Environmental Specialist Senior
·	Visiting Extension Outreach Associate - Water Resource Economist
·	Aquatic Stewardship Ecologist
·	Certified Wetland Scientist

---STUDENT JOBS ---

---MEETINGS AND TRAINING---

·	Planning and Development Strategies for Conserving Woodland Pool Wildlife
·	UNH Professional Development and Training
·	Coastal Stream/Wetland Restoration Implementation & Evaluation
·	Wetlands Delineation and Jurisdictional Determination: Post Rapanos-Carabell
·	NE Ohio Stormwater Conference
·	Legal Tools to Protect Coastal Environments Workshop
·	Summer Short Wetland Courses
·	AWRA’s Riparian Buffers & Ecosystems: Working at the Water's Edge
·	Floodplain Management Association Annual Conference  - Call for Abstracts
·	2008 Eastern Regional Wetland Restoration Institute

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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, Earth Day is April 22nd. There are oodles of opportunities around the country to get out in wetlands and celebrate Earth Day, whether searching for frogs in bogs, helping salamanders across roads or watching migratory birds. If you haven’t gone out for a “Big Night” yet, now is the time, at least for frogs and salamanders. Or just leave the windows open a crack and listen to the peepers do their spring thing. As for me, this means turning my sound machine—which has buttons for  waves, rain and peepers, off—so that I can hear the real deal. Uh-hem, this is what it’s like for a park ranger to move from Mount Desert Island to southern Maine…I had to get a sound machine. I miss the things that go bump, scratch and peep outside my windows at night. Now I share a small apartment with cats that destroy all of the papers on my desk—so I only wake up to crunching and ripping. Cats that go rip it. Not quite what I had in mind for “Big Night.” Many thanks to contributors to this edition: Barbara Beale, Chazen Companies; Bill Mitsch, Ohio State University; Roxanne Thomas, NOAA; Kim Cole, Delaware National Estuarine Reserach Reserve; Tom Biebighauser; US Forest Service; Jennie Duberstein, USFWS. Happy Earth Day!

Leah Stetson Editor, Wetland Breaking News

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EDITOR'S CHOICE

Final Mitigation Rule

On March 31, 2008, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) issued revised regulations governing compensatory mitigation for authorized impacts to wetlands, streams, and other waters of the U.S. under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. These regulations are designed to improve the effectiveness of compensatory mitigation to replace lost aquatic resource functions and area, expand public participation in compensatory mitigation decision making, and increase the efficiency and predictability of the mitigation project review process. Links to the final rule and supporting materials can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/wetlandsmitigation/  For additional stories, go to:  http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iGPgQ5dK1Rrbav9CG9DqpQF3oqDgD8VOIS6O1  and http://www.commondreams.org/news2008/0331-06.htm

Survey Says Water Top Environmental Concern

When Americans are asked to rate their level of worry about each of 12 environmental concerns, their top four concerns relate to water quality, with pollution of drinking water the top overall concern. The poll results are available at:   http://www.gallup.com/poll/104932/Polluted-Drinking-Water-No-Concern-Before-Report.aspx

Dangerous assumptions (climate change)

By Roger Pielke, et. al. – Nature – April 3, 2008 How big is the energy challenge of climate change? The technological advances needed to stabilize carbon-dioxide emissions may be greater than we think, argue Roger Pielke Jr, Tom Wigley and Christopher Green. - The United Nations Climate Conference in Bali in 2007 set the world on a two-year path to negotiate a successor to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Yet not even the most rosy-eyed delegate could fail to recognize that stabilizing atmospheric carbon-dioxide concentrations is an enormous undertaking. Here we address the magnitude of the technological changes required to meet that challenge. We argue that the size of this technology challenge has been seriously underestimated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), diverting attention from policies that could directly stimulate technological innovation. For full article, visit: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7187/full/452531a.html

PLJV Assessing Impacts of Climate Change on Playa Region

Playa Lakes Joint Venture – April 2008 Newsletter In an effort to conserve birds now and into the future, the PLJV is conducting an assessment of the ongoing and predicted impacts of climate change on playas and other bird habitats in the region. The JV is working with Dr. John Matthews, Climate Adaptation Specialist for the World Wildlife Fund on the assessment, and a summary of Dr. Matthew's findings is now available as a Power Point presentation. For full article with link to the findings, go to: http://www.pljv.org/cms/latest-news#Story2

Senators push for bill to protect water quality

By Eric Niiler – Vermont Public Radio (VPR) – April 11, 2008 Vermont's senators are pushing for a bill that they say will ensure federal protection for water quality and biodiversity around Lake Champlain. Eric Niiler has the story. (Niiler) The bill is being debated in the Senate Environment Committee. It is designed to reverse two Supreme Court rulings that define the Clean Water Act as protecting only "navigable" waterways. That covers streams that flow year-round and their nearby wetlands. A federal study shows that about 17 percent of Vermont's wetlands are now left out of federal safeguards. For full story, go to: http://www.vpr.net/news_detail/80098/

Wetlands 2008 Call for Papers Extended to May 15

The Call for Papers for Wetlands 2008 has been extended to Thursday, May 15 2008. There was a great response to the initial call for papers. However, there is still some conference space available in the concurrent sessions for additional presentations and we have received requests for some additional time both to submit papers. Thank you to everyone who has submitted an abstract for Wetlands 2008; Wetlands and Global Climate Change. ASWM remains committed to making decisions on accepting or declining abstracts as close possible to the original May 16 date. Therefore, we encourage individuals who plan to submit abstracts to do so as soon as possible so that we can work toward meeting our original commitment.  The call for papers is posted at: http://www.aswm.org/calendar/wetlands2008/cfp_2008.htm

House and Senate Hearings Held on Clean Water Restoration Act

On April 16 the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on the Clean Water Restoration Act.  The committee received testimony from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, representatives of State and local governments, environmental, agricultural, and industry interests, legal practitioners, and other stakeholders on the Clean Water Restoration Act of 2007.  More information about the hearing including the live webcast, background paper and testimony is available at: http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=486 The live webcast and written testimony for the hearing on April 9, 2008 is available at http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID= 116d6ddd-802a-23ad-4f2f-4d329c912bb2

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NATIONAL NEWS

Update to Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program Guidelines

NOAA’s Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP) was established in 2002 to provide state and local governments with matching funds to permanently protect coastal and estuarine lands of ecological, conservation, recreational, historical or aesthetic significance.  Administration of CELCP is currently guided by the Final Guidelines for Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program, published in the Federal Register in 2003.  The Guidelines establish the eligibility, procedural, and programmatic requirements for the CELCP, including criteria for financial assistance, criteria and processes for developing state CELCP plans, selecting and nominating land conservation projects from states to a national competitive process, and the national project selection process.  After five years of implementing CELCP under these Guidelines, NOAA plans to clarify certain provisions and consider other changes.  In April, NOAA announced the Guidelines update in the Federal Register, inviting states, NGOs, and other interested parties to provide comments or suggestions for revision to the Guidelines within a 60-day comment period (73 Fed. Reg. 19, 193, April 4).  More information about CELCP and a copy of the Federal Register Notice are available at http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/land/celcp_indepth.html.  Comments are requested by June 9, 2008.

Study Examines Wetlands Programs in Each of the 50 States

Contact: Brett Kitchen – Environmental Law Institute / E-Wire Press Release – April 9, 2008 The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) announces the publication of State Wetland Protection: Status, Trends and Model Approaches. This report examines state-level efforts to protect wetland resources. Research for the report is based on a 50-state study conducted by the Environmental Law Institute with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The report examines seven core elements of all 50 states’ wetland programs (regulatory programs, water quality standards, monitoring and assessment, restoration, public-private partnerships, coordination, and education and outreach) and outlines model approaches. For full press release, go to: http://www.ewire.com/display.cfm/Wire_ID/4634  For direct link to the study, go to: http://www.elistore.org/reports_detail.asp?ID=11279

Climate Change and Wetlands: Severe Storms

By Suzanne Teller – Wetland Sights and Sounds – May 2008 Recent evidence reveals that increasing temperatures are not only altering precipitation patterns, they are also boosting storm intensity. Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the National Climatic Data Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration report that a warming climate is to blame for an increasing number of severe hurricanes in the Atlantic over the past 15 to 20 years. According to the Institute of Global Environment and Society, the United States has seen a much higher than normal occurrence of storms with large precipitation amounts since 1970. Additionally, an increasing amount of precipitation falling in the U.S. is coming from severe storms. For full article, go to: http://www.iwla.org/publications/enews/ss/volume4_issue5.htm

Ameriprise Financial Joins The Conservation Fund in Protecting Coastal Wetlands Outside New Orleans

Contact: Stacy Housman – Ameriprise Financial – April 2008 Ameriprise Financial recently announced a $200,000 grant to The Conservation Fund, designated to help protect more than 7,200 acres of cypress and tupelo wetlands in Louisiana. Located near the northwest shore of Lake Pontchartrain, this diverse waterfowl and shorebird habitat, adjacent to Joyce Wildlife Management Area, plays an important role in filtering runoff and absorbing floodwaters, making its preservation vital. “This grant provides the final piece of funding needed for a landmark conservation deal, which we expect to be completed this year,” said Ray Herndon, The Conservation Fund’s director of the lower Mississippi region. “We are thrilled to be one step closer to safeguarding this beautiful, natural storm surge buffer to portions of the greater New Orleans area.” For full press release, go to: http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080411005451&newsLang=en

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Legislation Introduced to Conserve Rapidly Disappearing Migratory Birds

Contact: Steve Holmer – American Bird Conservancy – April 14, 2008 Representatives Ron Kind (D-WI) and Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) have introduced legislation to fund efforts to help protect migratory birds.  The act, H.R. 5756, reauthorizes the existing Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), but at significantly higher levels, to meet the growing needs of our migrants, many of which are in rapid decline. For full press release, go to: http://www.abcbirds.org/newsandreports/releases/080414.html

Snowe and Feinstein Want EPA to Release Finding That Greenhouse Gas Emissions Are Public Health Threat

Free Press Online – April 2008 In the face of EPA’s failure to comply with the Supreme Court’s mandate in Massachusetts v. EPA, issued one year ago, U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced legislation last week to set a deadline for EPA to complete an endangerment finding on the public health threat from greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would require action within 60 days of enactment. For full story, go to: http://www.freepressonline.com/features.cfm

Legislation in the 110th Congress Related to Global Climate Change

News from Pew Center on Global Climate Change Members of the 110th Congress (2007-2008) are introducing legislation related to global climate change at a faster pace than any previous Congress. As of March 2008, lawmakers had introduced more than 195 bills, resolutions, and amendments specifically addressing global climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—compared with the 106 pieces of relevant legislation the previous Congress submitted during its entire two-year (2005-2006) term. For more information, visit: http://www.pewclimate.org/what_s_being_done/in_the_congress/110thcongress.cfm

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STATES NEWS

WA: Ecology fines Puget Sound Energy $366,000 for 2006 fuel spill

Contact: Curt Hart – Washington Department of Ecology News Release – April 15, 2008 The Department of Ecology (Ecology) has levied a $366,000 fine against Puget Sound Energy (PSE) after an estimated 18,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled at a company backup electrical generating station near the Crystal Mountain ski area in Pierce County on Nov. 3, 2006. The November 2006 spill happened in mountainous terrain with rocky soil at the same time as record-setting rainfall and flooding. The geography and weather forced the spilled fuel down into the rocks further and faster than normal. Red-dyed diesel fuel entered nearby Silver Creek and adjacent wetlands that were below the generating station. The creek is an important salmon-bearing stream – and a tributary of the White River that flows into Puget Sound. The spill happened in an area of cultural significance to the Muckleshoot Tribe. For full news release, go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2008news/2008-089.html

FL: Environmental groups challenge Mirasol permit

By Andrea Stetson – News-Press – April 13, 2008 Five environmental organizations filed a federal lawsuit this past week challenging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' issuance of a permit for the Mirasol development permit in North Naples. The environmental groups say the planned residential and golf course community on 1,713 acres will destroy 645 acres of wetlands which are a foraging habitat for endangered woodstorks and part of an historic natural flowway of water. For full story, go to:  http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080413/NEWS0102/804130376/1075

TX: Local laws would buoy federal wetlands rules

By Leigh Jones – Galveston County Daily News – April 13, 2008 The laughing call of sea gulls echoed off the unusually placid surface of West Bay as five white pelicans jumped off their grassy resting place, startled by the sound of a boat motor. The shore’s wetland fringe looked almost deserted at first, but as the area’s feathered residents settled back down after their momentary disturbance, the grassy marsh began to teem with feeding, preening, prancing birds. In the distance, the human habitat of wood and concrete sprouted. Island birders have watched development advance quickly in recent years. Few wetlands remain untouched, and birders fear a future when wetlands are referred to only in the past tense. For full story, go to: http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?ewcd=183ba9e1891a6d20&-session=TheDailyNews:42F942510a15c000F5yyW32920A3

FL: Hatchet Creek proposal to be reviewed again

By Nathan Crabbe – Gainsville Sun – April 13, 2008 In October, the Gainesville City Commission put restrictions on the proposed Hatchet Creek development around Ironwood Golf Course that would have prevented construction in wetlands and places where passing aircraft are noisiest. Six months later, developer Rob Simensky is hoping commissioners have second thoughts. In a special commission meeting Wednesday, Simensky will ask for the restrictions to be rewritten to clear the way for up to 1,500 residences, a 400-bed assisted-living home and 2,000 square feet of retail and office space. For full story, go to: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20080413/NEWS/804130327/1018/news

IN: Fort Wayne wetlands project adds 22 acres of forest

WTHI News – April 12, 2008 A northeastern Indiana land trust has acquired another 22 acres of mature forested wetland to its expanding nature preserve. Officials with the Little River Wetlands Project said Friday that they had purchased a forested tract near Eagle Marsh on Fort Wayne's southwest side. The acquisition boosts the size of the preserve to 705 acres of wildlife habitat. The new tract will be added to seven acres acquired last year and will be called Eagle Marsh Woods. It contains ponds, marshy areas, prairie, and newly planted trees and shrubs. For full story, go to: http://www.wthitv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8157383&nav=menu593_2