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Course Details
Course Name: Introduction to Wetland Identification
Course Code: EH0102WA24
Date of Most Recent Offering: September 28 & 29, 2023
Course Overview
Virtually all activities conducted in and around wetlands are regulated – from excavating underground storage tanks to soil compaction for paving a driveway or patio to pruning of overgrown vegetation – and violators are subject to hefty penalties and fines from the NJDEP.
Knowing if a wetland is on your property or a site on which you work is incredibly important! But how do you determine if a wetland is present?
Why not educate yourself? Take our online class to get the basic tools you need to identify a wetland’s presence. Once you make a determination, you will know if you need to go further and hire an environmental professional to evaluate the site and assist you with the permit process.
In this course, a nationally recognized wetlands expert will review the skills you need to identify freshwater wetlands and their boundaries and introduce you to wetland plant identification and soil recognition. You will learn:
- Why Wetlands Are Important
- How They Differ
- What Indicators Are Used for Wetland Identification
- About the Current Regulations in New Jersey
You’ll also find out how to access and use government maps in order to identify wetlands on your property, on lands you may be interested in purchasing, or on properties on which you conduct environmental, landscaping, or other site development or remediation work. You’ll even get you a simple introduction to the practice of wetland delineation (the technical skill of determining a wetlands precise boundaries) – all in two half-day sessions!
NOTE: For those interested in advancing their wetland knowledge, this course will provide the essential background material needed for further study in the step-by-step regulatory and delineation techniques covered in the Methodology for Delineating Wetlands course.
Featured Topics
- Wetland Definitions and Concepts
- Wetland Functions and Values
- Introduction to Wetland Regulations
- Wetland Hydrology Indicators
- Wetland Vegetation – Hydrophytic Plant Indicators
- Wetland Soils – Soil Colors, Hydric Soil Indicators
- Wetland Types – Wetland Classification, Wetland Maps
- Review of Wetland Plant Characteristics
Who Should Attend?
This class is a great source of information for anyone who wants to learn how to identify a wetland’s presence. Past participants have included:
- Developers
- Ecologists
- Environmental Consultants
- Environmental Scientists
- Geologists
- GIS Analysts
- Industrial Hygienists
- Landscape Architects
- Landscape Designers
- Permitting Specialists
- Project Planners
- Registered Environmental Health Specialists
- Township Engineers
- Wetland Scientists
Required Textbook
The required course textbook is included in your registration fee – a $40 value!
In Search of Swampland: A Wetland Sourcebook and Field Guide (Second Edition) [ISBN 9780813536811], Ralph W. Tiner
Meet Your Instructor
Ralph Tiner, M.S., M.P.A., SWS Fellow
Ralph Tiner has more than 40 years of practical experience in wetland delineation and is a nationally recognized authority in the field. He recently retired from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service where he directed wetland mapping in the Northeast United States as part of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). He is a nationally recognized expert on wetland delineation and has been actively involved in improving wetland delineation techniques for decades. In addition, he was compiler and principal author of the Federal Interagency Wetland Delineation Manual, which was published in 1989 and is the standard for identifying and delineating wetlands in New Jersey.
Read More About Ralph Tiner
Ralph has written extensively on the subject of wetlands and is the author of several field guides including: Field Guide to Non-tidal Wetland Identification, Maine Wetlands and Their Boundaries, A Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Northeastern United States, and In Search of Swampland, as well as an update of the Wetland Indicators book entitled Wetland Indicators: A Guide to Wetland Formation, Identification, Delineation, Classification, and Mapping. His most recent books are: Tidal Wetlands Primer: An Introduction to Their Ecology, Natural History, Status, and Conservation and Remote Sensing of Wetlands: Applications and Advances (for which he is senior editor and authored several chapters).
In addition to writing about wetlands, he has been teaching wetland identification and delineation courses through the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education Office since the mid-1980s.
Student Reviews
“Please thank Ralph Tiner for me. He gave the most informative, concise, and entertaining online presentation I’ve seen since COVID made everything go online.”
“Dr. Tiner is a rock star! The span of his knowledge, from soils to vegetation and regulations, is unparalleled. His expertise and generosity to share his understanding/experiences is a major draw for anyone interested in learning about wetlands.”
[On instructor Ralph Tiner]: “Ralph is the dude! Entertaining and excellent teacher. Ralph has a deep knowledge of wetlands and much more (is a joy to listen to).”
Continuing Education Credits
The most recent offering of Introduction to Wetland Identification was approved for 0.7 Rutgers CEUs (7 contact hours), as well as the following credits from professional organizations. We will reapply for similar credits the next time the course runs, but we cannot guarantee credit approval for future offerings.
New Jersey
NJ Certified Public Works Managers (CPWM): 3 Technical and 3 Management CEUs
NJ Health Officers and Registered Environmental Health Specialists (HO/REHS): Rutgers University, NJAES, Office of Continuing Professional Education has been approved by the New Jersey Department of Health as a provider of NJ Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hours (CEs). Participants who complete this education program will be awarded 7.0 NJ Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hours (CEs).
NJ Landscape Architects: Pending
NJ Professional Engineers: 6 Continuing Professional Competency (CPC) Credits
New York
NY Landscape Architects: 4.0 hr CL; 2.5 hr EA
NY Land Surveyors: 6 Hours
NY Professional Engineers: 6 PDHs
National
Society of American Foresters: 8.0 Category I CFEs
The Wildlife Society: Pending
Technology Requirements
Email Requirement
Photo ID Requirement
Cancellations and SubstitutionsAttention U.S. Veterans
This course is approved by the New Jersey State Approving Agency for Veterans Training for educational benefits through the GI Bill®. Learn more.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about Introduction to Wetland Identification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Program Coordinator: Suzanne Hills
848-932-7234
suzanne.hills@rutgers.edu
For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.
