The Swamp School

Southeast Regional Supplement Wetland Training

Regional Supplements to the US Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual, which provides guidance for delineating wetlands that may be subject to regulatory jurisdiction under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act or Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, have been published. The development of these Regional Supplements is part of a nationwide effort to address regional wetland characteristics and improve the accuracy and efficiency of wetland delineation procedures. Most of the Southeast is divided into two regions:

1) Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain;

and

2) Eastern Mountains and Piedmont.

The supplement for the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain has been implemented. Therefore, as described in the USACE Public Notice, this supplement must be used for wetland delineations. The supplement for the Eastern Mountains and Piedmont has entered the one-year interim period. The document is available for 90-day public comment period, and then it will used for an interim term of one year prior to finalization. The one-year period will be effective 10/9/2010.

The training includes a 2 day field and classroom workshop. In the classroom we will present the specific refinements to the 1987 Wetlands Delineation Manual. Both manuals present changes to the analysis of soils, vegetation and hydrology. The focus of the discussion will be to highlight the changes as well as discuss potential ramifications of adding new wetland indicators. Many of the public comments focus on the implication that sites might be called wetlands under the new Manuals that may not have been identified using just the 1987 Manual.

During the field portion of the class we will complete several data points using the new Regional Supplement data forms. This will include both the 5 stratum and 4 stratum vegetation forms. Two sets of sites will be utilized to focus on Coastal Plain and Piedmont environmental conditions. On all sites the 1987 Manual will also be utilized to compare and highlight any changes in analysis. We will also identify strategies to present to the Corps if a site meets the Regional Supplement wetland criteria, but not the 1987 Manual criteria.

Prerequisites

It is highly recommended that students attend one of our full week wetland delineation classes prior to attending this class. The online or classroom option are both ideal for this purpose. It is possible for a student to attend this class without this training, but many of the topics may prove confusing without this training. Experienced wetland delineators would also benefit from this class as we will be presenting the latest scientific innovations and policy related to the identification and delineation of wetlands.

Continuing Education

The Swamp School’s classes have been approved for various types of Continuing Education credits including:

Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS)
Engineers
Surveyors
Landscape Architects
Real Estate
Forestry

If you need verification of CE credits, please contact our office at 1-877-479-2673.

Next Class:

Date: October 20-21, 2010

Location: Raleigh, North Carolina

Tuition: $250

To sign up for this class please click below.