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INDEX:

---EDITOR'S NOTE--

---EDITOR'S CHOICE---

·	Corps Issues New Regulatory Guidance Letter on Jurisdictional Determinations (JDs)
·	FGDC Draft Wetlands Mapping Standard
·	EPA Enforcement Is Faulted
·	Understanding the Clean Water Act: An Online Course
·	Ducks Unlimited addresses Illinois Flooding
·	Additional stories on flooding and wetlands

---NATIONAL NEWS---

·	2008 Waterfowl Survey Shows Ducks Breeding Farther North, Bypassing Dry Prairies
·	Wetlands Expert in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region Wins Prestigious National EPA Award

---LEGISLATIVE NEWS---

·	House Dems Plan Oil & Gas Drilling Vote
·	New Farm Bill Improves and Maintains Conservation Programs
·	Chesapeake Bay farm bill spending work begins

---STATE NEWS---  

·	FL: EPA Says Fort Meade Mine Would Hurt Peace River
·	FL: Duda fights wetlands decision
·	OR: Farm groups appeal wetlands bank proposal
·	CA: Wetlands possible pollution solution
·	RI: RI official admits wetlands violation
·	VA: Hearing on Indigo Dunes development postponed
·	FL: Canal weir to help return Alligator Alley acreage to wetlands
·	WA: Foresight helps county's wetlands rules hold up
·	ME: Maine Seeks Pre-Approval for Wetlands Destruction – Mitigation
·	VA: Amphibian populations dropping in Edmonton's wetlands
·	FL: Home Built on Wetlands
·	NV: Restoring the Wetlands One Block at a Time
·	IL: Back in the flow: Hundreds of acres of bottomland near Sparland revert to wetlands
·	MN: Taking a closer look at bluebills
·	MD: Wetlands Permits Pave Way For Shore Broadband Project
·	PA: Great Lakes Compact Passes PA, Prepares to Head to Congress
·	MN: Landowners: Sign up for wetland restoration program by July 18
·	MD: New laws focus on domestic partners, protecting wetlands
·	PA: Bald eagles thriving throughout Pennsylvania
·	FL: Crist announces huge Everglades land deal
·	MD: Follow the Silt
·	WI: Margaret Krome: Protect wetlands to cut flooding

---RESOURCES AND PUBLICATIONS---

·	The Effect of River Pulsing on Sedimentation and Nutrients in Created Riparian Wetlands
·	Michigan Coastal News
·	NWF’s Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Habitat/Wetlands Initiative: A Progress Report and Call…
·	National Wetlands Newsletter Examines Compensatory Mitigation Rule

---POTPOURRI---

·	First-ever "Frog Fence" to Benefit Oregon Amphibian
·	Saving the shoreline, one parcel at a time
·	Kids sail, dredge up bay's future
·	Clean Water State Revolving Fund -- What's in it for Watersheds?
·	New Campaign For Wetlands Protection And Restoration

---JOB OPENINGS---

·	Regulatory Scientist
·	Biologist for Waterbird Ecology Research
·	Hydrologist, Assistant Professor
·	Wildlife/Fisheries Biologist Supervisor (Aquatic Nongame Supervisor)
·	Wetlands Scientist/Ecologist (Added 7/17/08)

---STUDENT JOBS ---

---MEETINGS AND TRAINING---

·	River Course 335: Management of Invasive and Exotic Vegetation in Riparian Areas
·	NAFSMA Annual Meeting (Flood & Stormwater Management)
·	Summer Workshops Help Applicants Compete For Watershed Education Grants
·	Introduction to Land and Water Engineering
·	Low Impact Development Workshop
·	Bird Conservation Alliance (BCA) Fall Meeting
·	Northeast 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,

Swimming in the lake on a near-daily basis has been the highlight of my summer so far. When I was a kid, I spent parts of every summer with my grandparents on Little Sebago Lake. I’d drag a green metal chair into the depths of the water and use it as a diving block for one-woman synchronized swimming acrobatics. My brother and I invented an underwater language (basically squealing in an attempt to mimic dolphin calls) while we searched for bright orange toy clam shells, each containing a different colored pearl with various point values. We hung out under the dock, relying on a small air pocket between the wood and the water, and darted out like sunfish when the snapping turtle cornered us. Our grandfather took us in the old Blue Fin 9 horsepower motor boat on great adventures. Now that I’m in my thirties, I’m finally allowed to take the motor boat out by myself, a right-of-passage I must have missed in my teens. This will be the first time I’ve ever manned a motorboat solo. I’ll let you know how it goes. Recently there has been a lot of media attention on flooding events throughout the U.S..  ASWM has created a webpage on wetlands & floodplains with related news, publications and links at: http://www.aswm.org/science/floodplains/index.htm Thanks to all who contributed to this issue. For those of you with fins like mine, happy swimming! Leah Stetson Editor, Wetland Breaking News

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EDITOR'S CHOICE

Corps Issues New Regulatory Guidance Letter on Jurisdictional Determinations (JDs)

The Corps issued a Regulatory Guidance Letter on June 26, 2008 on Clean Water Act jurisdictional determinations. This Regulatory Guidance Letter (RGL) explains the differences between these two types of JDs and provides guidance on when an approved JD is required and when a landowner, permit applicant, or other “affected party” can decline to request and obtain an approved JD and elect to use a preliminary JD instead. For a direct link to this regulatory guidance letter, go to: http://www.usace.army.mil/cw/cecwo/reg/rgls/rgl08-02.pdf

FGDC Draft Wetlands Mapping Standard

Federal Geographic Data Committee - July 2008 The FGDC Wetland Subcommittee and Wetland Mapping Standard Workgroup has posted the draft wetlands mapping standard. The objective of the standard is to support the accurate mapping and classification of wetlands while ensuring mechanisms for their revision and update as directed under OMB Circular A-16 (revised). The Wetlands Mapping Standard is designed to direct the current and future digital mapping of wetlands. For a direct link to this draft, go to: http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/projects/FGDC-standards-projects/wetlands-mapping/FINAL%20-%20FGDC%20Draft%20Wetland%20Mapping%20Standard%20July%202008.pdf

EPA Enforcement Is Faulted

By Juliet Eilperin – Washington Post – July 8, 2008 An official administration guidance document on wetlands policy is undermining enforcement of the Clean Water Act, said a March 4 memo written by the Environmental Protection Agency's chief enforcement officer. The memo by Granta Y. Nakayama, EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, was obtained by the advocacy group Greenpeace and released yesterday by two House Democratic committee chairmen. It highlights the confusion that has afflicted federal wetlands protections since a 2006 Supreme Court decision. For the full article, go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/07/AR2008070702418.html?hpid=moreheadlines For another story on the same topic, go to: http://www.startribune.com/politics/national/congress/24045069.html?location_refer=Local% 20+%20Metro

Understanding the Clean Water Act: An Online Course

River Network is proud to announce the resurrection of the online course, Understanding the Clean Water Act. Users can now explore the course at: www.cleanwateract.org. The course is a companion to the book, The Clean Water Act Owner's Manual. Course content will help users isolate specific water quality problems, identify possible solutions, develop and leverage existing programs and build effective outreach tools. The course is appropriate for staff, interns, volunteers and board members interested in learning more about the force of the Clean Water Act and related tools. Even Clean Water Act old-timers will likely find something to ponder in the local stories, digging deeper and resources sections.  If you train staff or volunteers on the Act, you’ll also find some special training tools to help you get your points across. For questions or to share your thoughts on this course, contact Merritt Frey at mfrey@rivernetwork.org.

Ducks Unlimited addresses Illinois Flooding

Randolph County Herald Tribune – July 10, 2008 In the weeks that follow a flooding event, authorities are providing immediate assistance to those suffering from the disaster, but they are also looking for answers to help provide residents with better protection in the future. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita revealed how essential wetlands in coastal areas can be to reducing the impact of flooding. The recent flooding throughout the Midwest has made it evident that more wetlands throughout America’s Heartland could be beneficial as well. For full story, go to: http://www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com/full.php?sid=10602

Additional stories on flooding and wetlands

Additional articles on flooding & floodplains are available below, as well as at: http://www.aswm.org/science/floodplains/index.htm Mississippi River Reopens as Flooding Wanes http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49213/story.htm West Union culverts should alleviate seasonal flooding http://www.beavertonvalleytimes.com/news/story.php?story_id=121504831314870200 Costs and risks are escalating http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/news/editorialcommentary/story /b03f2fbb295ea9cb862574760000c2bf?OpenDocument Heavy Rains Again Soak Parts of Flooded US Midwest   http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/49045/story.htm The Floods: A Man-Made Disaster? http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1818040,00.html County purchases wetlands to stem floods http://collinsvilleherald.stltoday.com/articles/2008/06/26/news/sj2tn20080625-0625gcj- wetlands.ii1.txt   A human link to Midwest floods? http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/06/23/a- human-link-to-midwest-floods/   Altered terrain almost beckons disaster http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/20584544.html?location_refer= Motorsports  Iowa Flooding Could Be An Act of Man, Experts Say http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/ 2008/06/18/AR2008061803371html?wpisrc=newsletter

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NATIONAL NEWS

2008 Waterfowl Survey Shows Ducks Breeding Farther North, Bypassing Dry Prairies

Contact: Joshua Winchell – USFWS – July 11, 2008 The preliminary estimate of total ducks from the 2008 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey was just over 37 million, which is a nine percent decline from last year’s estimate, but still 11 percent greater than the 1955-2007 average. In the U.S. and Canadian prairies, population estimates of many species declined; while populations increased in the boreal forest to the north, likely reflecting in part those birds that overflew the prairies because of drier habitat conditions there. For full press release, http://www.fws.gov/news/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=1343A288-ED86-9F4C-104B27E863D65DCF

Wetlands Expert in EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Region Wins Prestigious National EPA Award

Contact: Donna Heron – EPA News Release – June 20, 2008 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented the Edward T. “Red” Heinen Wetlands Award to Wetlands Scientist Jeff Lapp, of Hilltown, Pa., at a joint national meeting of the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers in San Diego on May 19. The award, named after a highly respected leader from the formative years of EPA’s wetlands program, was established by Dave Davis, former director of EPA's Office of Wetlands Protection.  It is presented annually to the person in EPA's regional wetlands program who best exemplifies the high standards and personal dedication to wetlands protection that characterized Red’s years with EPA's wetlands program. It acknowledges those special people who are a source of inspiration to others in the program, and whose work and attitude best contribute to our environmental and public service goals. Lapp, who has worked at EPA for 19 years, plays an important role in the mid-Atlantic region. “Wetlands protection has become Jeff’s passion and the entire wetlands program relies on him for his expertise, his historical knowledge and the relationships he has developed with the Army Corp of Engineers and his wetlands counterparts with state agencies,” said Randy Pomponio, director of the regional Environmental Assessment and Innovation Division. For full press release, go to: http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/1B904CA728A37E018525746E004D2411

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LEGISLATIVE NEWS

House Dems Plan Oil & Gas Drilling Vote

ESA Policy News Update – July 14, 2008 House Democratic leaders are planning a vote this week on legislation to expedite oil leasing in Alaska. The House drilling plan would require annual lease sales in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 23-million-acre area in northern Alaska first set aside in the 1920s. The Interior Department has been conducting leased sales every two years in recent years in the area and there are currently more than 300 leases in the reserve. For full article, go to: http://www.esa.org/pao/policyNews/pn2008/07142008.php

New Farm Bill Improves and Maintains Conservation Programs

Playa Lakes Joint Venture – July 2008 National farm bill legislation can have broad implications for grassland and wetland birds and their habitat in the PLJV region. The result of the recently passed 2008 Farm Bill is no exception and impacts many conservation programs. The bill’s overall impact to bird conservation is generally positive, providing a slight increase of funding for several conservation programs while maintaining others. For full story, go to: http://www.pljv.org/cms/latest-news#Story2

Chesapeake Bay farm bill spending work begins

Washington Examiner – July 14, 2008 Farmers around the Chesapeake Bay will get more than a quarter of a billion dollars over the next five years to reduce pollution into the Chesapeake. But how exactly should that money be spent? Federal agriculture officials meet in Annapolis Monday to begin work on a spending plan for the roughly $372 million set aside to reduce nitrogen and pollution runoff from farms in the Chesapeake watershed. The money could go to pay farmers to plant pollution-reducing cover crops or to implement other practices to reduce pollution. Priority will go to farmers in watersheds where most pollution enters the bay -- the Potomac, Patuxent, Susquehanna and Shenandoah rivers. For map and story, go to: http://www.examiner.com/a-1486450~Chesapeake_Bay_farm_bill_spending_work_begins.html

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STATES NEWS

FL: EPA Says Fort Meade Mine Would Hurt Peace River

By Greg Martin – Polk County Democrat – July 12, 2008 The 10,885-acre South Fort Meade phosphate mine in Hardee County should not be approved because it would strip out wetlands and cause “significant adverse impacts” to the Peace River - an “aquatic resource of national importance,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In letters sent to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in July 2007 and August 2007, two EPA wetland permitting officials based in Atlanta leveled some heavy criticism of Mosaic Fertlizer's proposal to excavate the mine over the next 21 years. For full story, go to: http://www.polkcountydemocrat.com/articles/2008/07/12/news/ 01fmmine.txt

FL: Duda fights wetlands decision

By Jim Waymer – Florida Today – July 12, 2008 A. Duda & Sons Inc. appealed a judge's ruling that the company restore wetlands it destroyed years ago west of Viera. Duda, the family-owned agricultural company behind the development of Viera, filed its appeal this week with the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach. In June, an administrative law judge ruled that Duda must either restore a combined 2 square miles of wetlands it destroyed, apply for an "after-the-fact" permit for draining the ecologically essential lands, or some combination of the two. For full story, go to: http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080712/NEWS01 /807120318/1006

OR: Farm groups appeal wetlands bank proposal

By Cookson Beecher – Capital Press – July 11, 2008 A controversial wetlands mitigation project on nearly 400 acres of a former dairy farm in Skagit County, Wash., is being heard before the county's hearing examiner. The hearing, which began on July 9, was to run until July 11, and continue on July 18. The project would allow developers who destroy wetlands in the Skagit River watershed to buy credits in the wetland mitigation bank as compensation. Farm groups oppose the project, saying it threatens the county's critical base of farmland. For full story, go to: http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=618&ArticleID=42912 &TM=81792.48

CA: Wetlands possible pollution solution

By Ruth Roberts - Bethel Island Press – July 11, 2008 Testing on an experimental wetlands project – located at sewer plant number one in the southwest corner of Discovery Bay – is set to begin later this year. If successful, the project has the potential to create not only an eco-friendly alternative to removing pollutants from the town’s wastewater, but could serve as environmental model for future generations looking for surrogate solutions. For full story, go to: http://bethelislandpress.com/article.cfm?articleID=19982

RI: RI official admits wetlands violation

Providence Eye Witness News – July 11, 2008 Rhode Island's top environmental official says he broke the law when his agency cleared land at a Narragansett campground. Coastal authorities say the decision earlier this year caused damage that will take thousands of dollars to fix. W. Michael Sullivan, director of the Department of Environmental Management, said he didn't believe his agency needed a permit to clear eight acres of land at Fisherman's Memorial Campground. For full story, go to: http://www.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=8660114&nav=F2DO

VA: Hearing on Indigo Dunes development postponed

By Deirdre Fernandes – Virginian-Pilot – July 11, 2008 A state agency has deferred a hearing on Indigo Dunes, a proposed 1,063-home subdivision near the Chesapeake Bay. The state Water Control Board was scheduled to vote on the project at its meeting later this month. But officials from the Department of Environmental Quality want more time to review the project and public comments on it, said Sheri Kattan, a project manager for the state's water protection permit program. For full article, go to: http://hamptonroads.com/2008/07/hearing-indigo-dunes-development-postponed

FL: Canal weir to help return Alligator Alley acreage to wetlands

Naples Daily News – July 10, 2008 Thousands of acres of wetlands will be returned to a more natural state through a project requested by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and supported by the South Florida Water Management District. Construction of a water-control weir in the L-28 canal near Interstate 75 in Broward County will improve rainfall retention in the wetlands, re-hydrating about 8,000 acres within a triangular area bordered by I-75 and two canal levees, according to the water district. For full story, go to: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/jul/10/canal-weir-help-return-alligator-alley-acreage-wet/

WA: Foresight helps county's wetlands rules hold up