Wetlands Law and Compliance Seminar
DISCLAIMER
Before purchasing, review the rules of your licensing or certifying entity. It is your responsibility to confirm this course meets your CE requirements. See the credit tab on the course page for details.
What’s Included: Full webinar recording, written course materials, expert instruction, a mandatory quiz, and a certificate upon completion.
Deliverability Timeline: All courses are generally available within 1-2 weeks after the live presentation.
CE Credits: AIA and/or LA/CES accreditation is available by request for courses recorded prior to March 11, 2026. All courses after that date include those accreditations by default, if applicable. With these accreditations, our courses qualify for credit in nearly all states for engineers, surveyors, architects, and landscape architects.
Learn more about the on-demand format in our FAQ or contact us at (715) 835-5900 or customerservice@halfmoonseminars.org
Agenda
Registration: 8:00 – 8:30 am
Morning Session: 8:30 – 11:45 am
Lunch (On your own): 11:45 am – 12:45 pm
Afternoon Session: 12:45 – 4:30 pm
Understanding Federal and Virginia Wetlands Laws and Enforcement
The Federal Clean Water Act
Virginia Tidal Wetlands Act of 1972
Implementing/enforcing agencies
– U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
– U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
– Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Identifying Wetlands and Streams
Importance of wetlands
– Flood storage and conveyance
– Pollution control and carbon storage
– Erosion control
– Wildlife habitat
– Recreation
Wetlands determinations and delineations
Dominance of wetland vegetation
Identification of hydric (wetland) soils
Importance of underlying wetland hydrology
Disturbed sites, atypical situations, problem areas
Obtaining Wetland Permits and the Certification Process
Determining appropriate federal and state permits
– Permit types
Nationwide, general and individual Permits
Wetland permitting and certification processes
– Notice provisions
– Review process and typical timelines
– Consideration of ESA species, historic and/or cultural resources
– Mitigation/compensation requirements
Appeals process
Trends and Opportunities in Wetland Preservation,
Restoration, Creation and Enhancement
Mitigation banking and ecological capital development
– Water quality
– Environmental/mitigation credits
– Create new revenue streams
Wetland preservation strategies and techniques
Wetland creation and enhancement
– Hydrological considerations
– Restoration techniques
Stream restoration and enhancement
– Purposes
– Assessments and crediting
– Benefits and drawbacks
Credits
Professional Engineers
6.5 Continuing Ed. Hours
Architects
6.5 Continuing Ed. Hours (HSW)
6.5 AIA HSW Learning Units
Landscape Architects
6.5 Continuing Ed. Hours (HSW)
6.5 LA/CES HSW PDHs
Floodplain Managers
6.5 ASFPM CECs
Attorneys
6.5 Virginia CLE Hours
Continuing Education Credit Information
This seminar is open to the public and offers up to 6.5 continuing education hours to engineers, architects and landscape architects (HSW) in Virginia. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in Virginia.
This event has been approved by the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System for 6.5 HSW Learning Units (Sponsor No. J885) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System for 6.5 HSW PDHs. Only full attendance can be reported to AIA/CES and LA/CES.
The Association of State Floodplain Managers has approved this event for 6.5 CECs.
HalfMoon Education is an accredited CLE provider for Virginia attorneys. The Virginia MCLE Board has approved this program for 6.5 CLE credits.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire program. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.
Speakers
Karen Bennett
Attorney with Clark Hill in Washington, D.C.Ms. Bennett is a member in the firm’s Environment, Energy & Natural Resources practice group. She represents clients on environmental and administrative law matters, focusing primarily on permitting, compliance, litigation and legislative and regulatory policy under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Ms. Bennett has also guided clients through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) cost recovery actions and appeals. She is recognized as a skilled strategist, with expertise in obtaining federal approvals for complex projects that face multi-front regulatory hurdles and public scrutiny, with special emphasis on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Bennett was vice president for Environmental Affairs at the National Mining Association (NMA), the Washington, D.C.- based trade association that represents the coal and hardrock mining industry before Congress, the Administration, and regulatory agencies. Ms. Bennett earned her JD degree from the University of Denver, College of Law, where she was the editor of the Water Court Reporter, and is licensed to practice in the District of Columbia.
Avi M. Sareen
Avi M. Sareen, President/Principal, TNT Environmental, Inc.
Mr. Sareen is president and principal wetland scientist with TNT Environmental, Inc., a leading wetland and natural resource consulting firm in Northern Virginia. He is a Virginia certified professional wetland delineator, professional wetland scientist, certified arborist, and certified ecologist. Mr. Sareen’s firm is multi-disciplined, specializing in fields of wetland science, regulatory consulting, biology, ecology, botany, forest ecology and arboriculture. Mr. Sareen earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry and Ecology Concentration from Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University. He studied Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology at Frostburg State University.