The Swamp School

Wetland Delineation Training -- Online or Classroom -- NEW 2010 Rules

Accurate wetland delineations are a necessity for many types of land use projects. When you need to expand your business capabilities and hone your skills, this intensive combination of classroom and field training will teach you what you need to know and provide valuable hands-on delineation experience. This traditional 38-hour wetlands delineation class covers the current and proposed USACOE wetlands delineation methods as well as the recent Rapanos decision. This online version has been accepted as suitable training for the various States that require wetland delineation certification training.

An intensive combination of online classroom and field training, Swamp School is a hands-on way to learn all the necessary skills to perform wetland delineations.

Video Syllabus -- NEW

2010 Syllabus: 2010 Wetland Delineation Training Syllabus (199)

Course Agenda

• Introduction to wetlands and wetlands history
• Wetland Delineations Methods
  • US Army Corps of Engineers
  • Regional Supplements
  • Federal Manual (NJ)
• Wetland hydrology assessment
• Hydric soils studies
• Wetland vegetation identification
• The Rapanos decision

This class contains approximately 24 hours of lectures and activities. If you are taking this class online, it is highly recommended that you allow 3 to 4 weeks to complete the online material. Once you have finished with the classroom lectures and activities the field component can be started. The Swamp School offers the 2-day field class almost every month and in several States. Pick a date and location that fits your schedule and we will see you in the swamp!

Wetlands delineation training includes

• 24/7 Online access to your class
• 3.8 CEUs (Continuing Education Units)
• Certificate of Training

Field supplies required

• Soil auger
• Munsell soil color chart
• Plant ID guide
• Notebook

2010 Class Brochure

2010 Wetland Delineation Classroom Schedule *

• Tuition for South Carolina $950

• Class Dates:  November 8-12, 2010

* Classroom registration provided by North Carolina State University

The Home of Champions

The field class is held at Congaree National Park. You will learn to delineate wetlands in one of the oldest bottomland swamps in the United States.

The primary significance of Congaree National Park is demonstrated through its unique bottomland hardwood forest communities, the overall height of the forest canopy and associated number of national and state champion trees, as well as the presence of a well-preserved, biologically diverse, and dynamic river floodplain ecosystem.

Waters from the adjacent Congaree and Wateree Rivers periodically sweep through the Park’s floodplain, carrying nutrients and sediments that nourish and rejuvenate this unique ecosystem. Forested wetlands, oxbow lakes, slow moving creeks and sloughs provide ample habitat for fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, insects and other aquatic life. A variety of forest communities are also represented across the landscape, with dominant tree species ranging from upland pines along the elevated bluffs to bottomland species such as bald cypress and water tupelo within the floodplain.

27' Loblolly Pine - NPS

Until the latter half of the 1800s, there were more than 52 million acres of floodplain forests across the southeastern United States. In the area of what is now Congaree National Park, energized citizens like Harry Hampton began a successful campaign to protect their local lands from timber harvesting and exploitation in the 1960s. The enabling legislation that established Congaree National Park on October 18, 1976 (Public Law 94-545) specifically states the purpose of the park is “to preserve and protect for the education, inspiration, and enjoyment of present and future generations an outstanding example of a near-virgin, southern hardwood forest situated in the Congaree River floodplain in Richland County, South Carolina.” Today, Congaree National Park encompasses nearly 27,000 acres, including the largest intact expanse of old growth bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States.

Bald Cypress - NPS