Full Course Description
During our three-day program, you will learn the techniques of successful wetland mitigation planning and construction used by the experts and recommended by the National Research Council and the US Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACOE).
Course Content
Origins of “Mitigation”:
Regulatory Standards (federal vs. state/local/regional)
Reasons for Failure:
Failure to implement/execute
Hydrology, vegetation, soils
Vandalism, herbivory, or drought
Important Basic Concepts:
Functions vs. values
HGM Approach
Hydrology and Water Sources:
Direct precipitation
Runoff and stream flows
Groundwater
Water Budget (understanding the hydrodynamics):
Hydrologic calculations
Site Selection and Vegetation:
Soils and site selection
Subgrade vs. substrate
Acquiring plants
Monitoring
You will visit a constructed wetland complex in central New Jersey to observe the “real world” application of classroom methods. Please dress for fieldwork on the third day. We recommend boots, a hat, raingear and insect repellent
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Instructor
Mallory N. Gilbert, MS, PWS, CPESC, is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSSc) with a Master’s Degree in Agronomy and Soils Physics and has more than 30 years of professional experience in wetland science. He has taught a wide variety of wetland courses, including wetland construction techniques, for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Forest Service.
Gary Pierce, Owner and Principal Scientist of Froghome Environmental LLC, has over 25 years experience in wetland construction and instruction and a Ph.D. in Botany. Known for his animated teaching style and somewhat bent sense of humor (he concluded his first Rutgers course with a fully-clothed dive into a constructed wetland and has been seen in with hand puppets), Gary has taught the U.S. Army Corps Engineer’s course in wetland construction and restoration for more than 20 years. Before founding Froghome Environmental, Gary was founder and Director of Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings, Michigan and in earlier careers founder and president of Southern Tier Consulting, which operates a wetland plant nursery, and associate professor at Niagara University.
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Evaluation Results
Participants' Ratings of the Course:
(tally of responses received)
| |
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Unsatisfactory |
| Please rate how well the program objectives were achieved |
26 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
| Rate the usefulness of the information for your career |
27 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
| Rate how well the course stimulated your interest in the topic area |
25 |
6 |
0 |
0 |
Participants' Responses to this question:
Would you Recommend this Program to an Associate?
Participants' Ratings of the Instructor in
Freshwater Wetland Construction & Wetland Construction Design:
(tally of responses received)
| |
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Unsatisfactory |
| Gary Pierce |
46 |
7 |
0 |
0 |
Comments About the Instructor
"Passionate about topic and gave great insight"
"Great job. Very easy to learn from."
"One of the best teachers I’ve encountered in the
Continuing Education Program"
"Really made us think. Great job!"
"Vast hands-on experience. Insights were most useful."
"Very knowledgeable. Motivating."
"Great skill in getting across important subject matter."
"Did more than just regurgitate information from a
book."
"Very entertaining and knowledgeable. Great use of
examples instead of just [using the] text."
"Great sense of humor and wealth of knowledge."
"Explanations were relevant and easy to follow."
"Taught the practical and book knowledge
necessary for wetland construction."
"Provided excellent technical information."
"Excellent job presenting material."
"Excellent instructor."
"Absolutely wonderful."
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Participants' Comments After Attending the Course:
- Improved my understanding of constructed wetlands
- All objectives were covered – and then some
- I am much more confident about wetland design
- Class was excellent
- This class was easy to understand and resolved my confusion of hydrographs
- I have a better understanding of how to determine if a site will work for constructing wetlands
- Answered all questions I had about design “do’s and don’ts”
- Good for reference and provided lots of good informative sources
- Abundance and wealth of information, thank you
- Topic of discussion and instructor kept my interest the entire session
- The examples/photos of case study wetlands
were impressive and concise
- Great course overall! I learned a great deal of
applicable techniques. Thanks!
- I already knew some info, but I gained much
more
- Good even for someone not used to working on
wetlands
Comments About Seeing Wetlands in the Field Work Component
- Great to be in the field to see the sites.
- Good example of how excess hydrology can be dealt with and demonstrates capability of an “artificial” wetland to revert to natural conditions.
- Interesting to compare the created wetlands to the reference wetlands. Sites were a good display of how even the trained eye can’t tell the difference from a created wetland and a natural one.
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Related Courses of Interest
Advanced Wetland Delineation
This 2-day field course provides up-to-date information on current wetland delineation practices, the use of additional indicators and problem situations.
Methodology for Delineating Wetlands
This 4-day course will introduce you to delineating wetlands by integrating the methods put forth by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Government, with trade secrets and state laws. This course is a pre-requisite for Advanced Wetland Delineation.
Vegetation Identification for Delineating Wetlands
Learn to identify more than 100 species of plants that help you determine wetland boundaries. This course is a pre-requisite for Methodology for Delineating Wetlands.
Wetland Construction Design
Learn the 9 different ways to build a wetland and how to calculate the quantity of water going into your water budget.
Wetland Delineation Certificate Series
The credential you need to assure customers and clients that you are a qualified wetland delineator.
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