Freshwater Wetland Construction Techniques

***Click here to be notified of the latest Wetlands Delineation and Wetlands Education Training Offerings

Cancelled: April 21 - 23, 2009
8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Next class is to be determined

This course is eligible for continuing education credits toward the Society of Wetland Scientists’ Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) Certificate Program.

A wetland construction project requires extensive knowledge and years of experience. Gain that knowledge and consult an expert who has the experience of successful and unsuccessful construction projects. You will have not only earned an education but also invaluable consulting time. Learn the techniques of successful wetland mitigation planning and construction recommended by the National Research Council and the US Army Corps of Engineers.

Instructors

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Similar Courses You May Be Interested in Taking

Fees:

Early Registration Fee

Multi-Person Registration Fee

Registration Fee

Location:

TBD

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Print out our Mail / Fax Registration Form and mail or fax it back to us. Our address and fax number can be found at the top of the form.

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Full Course Description

There are five basic steps in the process of developing a successful wetland construction plan:

PLANNING YOUR PROJECT
Before developing a wetland construction plan, you must have an understanding of the purpose of the wetland and the ultimate goals of the project. Your overall wetland plan must account for location, size, physiognomy, basic hydrologic regime and current/future land use. The proposed primary function must be specific, measurable and achievable – and structural elements must be able to support the function.

SELECTING YOUR CONSTRUCTION MODEL
You must select the proper model for construction to suit the project. They hydrogeomorphic model analyzes suitable water supply and landscape position, while the wetland construction model covers basic methodologies and water information requirements.

PREPARING YOUR WATER BUDGET AND HYDROGRAPH
Water inputs and outputs must be determined to prior to implementing your water budgeting efforts. Successful hydrograph preparation is reliant upon accurate data calculation/input and skilled graphing procedures.

DETERMINING PROPER VEGETATION
Vegetation adaptation, selection, and planting are keys to any successful wetland construction plan. You must verify the adaptive modes of plants for your hydrograph, and accurately match these plants with your project. You must locate plants which match native species assemblages and select the proper planting methods.

MANIPULATING SOIL
Subgrade soils must prove suitable for the hydrogeomorphic model you develop, and the soil texture can be manipulated for percolation. Substrate soils must prove suitable to support your vegetation selections – both in texture, as well as with nutrients.

A visit to a constructed wetland complex in central New Jersey will highlight the “real world” application of classroom methods. Please dress for fieldwork.

Instructor

Dr. 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 with hand puppets), Gary has taught the U.S. Army Corps Engineer’s course in wetland construction and restoration for 25 years. Before founding Froghome Environmental, Gary was founder and Director of Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Hastings, Michigan and, in earlier career, founder and president of Southern Tier Consulting, which operates a wetland plant nursery, and associate professor at Niagara University.

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?

Yes	15
No	0

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."

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.

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.