Name of Class:          Advanced Wetland Delineation (Chapter 5 of the NC/NE USACE Regional Supplement)

 

Dates:                         September 25-26, 2019

 

Location:                   Outdoor Discovery Center, Holland, Michigan

                                   

Time(s):                     8:30am to 5:00pm

 

Instructors:               Todd Losee (Niswander Environmental), Keto Gyekis (MDEQ), Michael Pennington (MDEQ)

 

Cost:                           $200 (MWA members), $250 (non-members)

 

Accommodations:     Attendees are responsible for their own meals and accommodations; packing a lunch each day is recommended, however, local fast food options (including subway) are also available.

Course Materials:     All class attendees should bring a write-in-the-rain notebook, pencil, plant identification books, hydric soils manual and copy of the Regional Supplement for the Northcentral and Northeast Region.

 

Class Description: Two day class focusing on Chapter 5 Difficult Wetland Situations of the USACE Regional Supplement for the Northcentral and Northeast Region.  Participants will learn how to use the manual to identify problem area wetlands that lack one of more wetland indicators.  Instruction will be through classroom lectures and in-depth field investigations.  Participants will be organized into small groups to delineate a variety of natural and disturbed wetlands in the Holland area.  There will also be discuss on regulatory status of wetlands and implications of the adoption of the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) definition.  This is an advanced class and participants should have experience delineating wetlands and using the Regional Supplement.

Instructor Bios:

Todd Losee – Todd has over 20 years of experience delineating wetlands while working in the public and private sectors.  Todd served on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Supplement Development Committees for both the Midwest and Northeast Northcentral Supplements.  Prior to his current job as a private wetland consultant, Todd served as the state’s expert in wetland identification and managed the DEQ’s Wetland Identification Program and the development of the Michigan Rapid Assessment Method for wetlands (MiRAM).  He has served as an expert witness in administrative, criminal and civil wetland court cases; and he has completed hundreds of wetland delineations particularly at some of the most technically difficult and controversial sites.

 

Michael Pennington Michael is the Wetland Mitigation Specialist for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Water Resources Division.   Michael serves as the program administrator for DEQ’s Wetland Mitigation Banking program and provides assistance to staff on complex wetland mitigation issues.  Michael also provides wetland education and training and he plays a pivotal role for the division by providing technical and regulatory guidance for the best protection and management of the state’s wetland resources.  Before working for the DEQ, Michael managed MDOT’s Wetland Mitigation and Wetland Banking Programs for 14 years.

 

Keto Gyekis – Keto manages the Wetland Identification Program for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).  He travels throughout the state, from urban centers in southern Michigan to the western end of the Upper Peninsula, conducting wetland delineations and inspecting consultants’ delineations.  He conducts wetland jurisdictional determinations for the DEQ and assists staff with the wetland permit application review process and enforcement issues.  Prior to DEQ, Keto had worked as a field ecologist for a consulting firm, delineating wetlands throughout Michigan and in three other states.  He has maintained certification as a Professional Wetland Scientist.  Keto was a co-developer of the Michigan Rapid Assessment Method for wetlands and has led several trainings on wetland function and values and wetland delineation.

 

Class Cancellation Notification

Five (5) days prior to the start of class, participants will be notified of a cancellation.  The MWA Treasurer will refund participants 100% of the received class fee.

 

Cancellation Policy for Attendees

  • Any attendee can transfer, at any time, their spot in the class to another person with no financial penalty
  • Cancellation prior to 14 days of the class is eligible for 100% refund of class fees
  • Cancellation from 1-13 days of the class is eligible for 50% refund of class fees
  • Cancellation within 1 day of start of the class (including during the class) is not eligible for any refund (0%); however, the spot may be transferred to another person

Bookings

Bookings are closed for this event.