Swamp Stomp
Volume 14, Issue 46
The last extensive update of the National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) occurred in 2012. Recently the NWPL’s national panel released an online questionnaire to ensure that the list remains current. The aim of the questionnaire is to designate those plant species possessing wetland ratings that may need revision, as well as those species that need examining either for inclusion or exclusion from the list.
All four of the federal agencies who collaborate on the NWPL—the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service—have already received the questionnaire, which is set to be announced by numerous institutions, including the Society of Wetland Scientists and the Association of State Wetland Managers.
Any agency, institution, or individual interested in submitting information regarding one or more plant species possessing a wetland rating that may be in need of further review must complete the questionnaire prior to the January 31, 2015 deadline. In order to properly complete the questionnaire, the respondent must identify the species in question, the wetland region(s) and/or sub-region(s) in which the species’ wetland rating may need review, the species’ current wetland rating, and the proposed wetland rating change. Documents providing information in support of the proposed change must also be submitted with the questionnaire. Appropriate documents that provide supporting evidence include but are not limited to literature citations, regional floras, herbaria records, and personal observations. Additionally, the respondent needs to summarize his rationale for requesting a wetland rating be changed based on the evidence he provides in the questionnaire.
Once all questionnaires have been received, a list will be created of all the wetland ratings that are deemed necessary for review, as well as those species that have been suggested either to receive a wetland rating, or to have their wetland rating removed. The NWPL panel will then evaluate those species compiled from the questionnaire based upon the submitted documentation, available literature, and the panel member’s own experience. All decisions made regarding proposed changes to wetland ratings will be left to the panel member’s discretion.
The results of the questionnaire and NWPL’s evaluations will be posted on the NWPL website, and any changes to wetland ratings will be included in the 2015 NWPL update.
The NWPL provides an example of a completed questionnaire for an individual plant species, as well as a link to the questionnaire at their website: http://wetland_plants.usace.army.mil/.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding either the questionnaire or the process for rating wetland plants, please contact Robert Lichvar of the U.S. Corps of Engineers at 603.646.4657 or email NWPL@usace.army.mil.
It is important to follow the process of updating the NWPL closely, because any changes to wetland species may affect delineations, as was demonstrated in my previous article regarding the wetland rating of the Japanese Honeysuckle.