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

Identifying Wetlands
S. Bush

    Presence of wetland vegetation
   Identification of wetland soils
   Importance of underlying wetland hydrology
   Unique situations

Understanding Federal and Pennsylvania 
Wetlands Laws and Enforcement
S. Bush

   The Federal Clean Water Act
   Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act
   Clean Streams Law and Dam Safety and Encroachment Act
   Implementing/enforcing agencies
   U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
   U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
   U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Functions & Values
M. Dennis

   Flood storage, pollution control, erosion control, and wildlife habitat
   Carbon storage and nutrient trading potential
   Educational, recreational and social value of wetlands.
   Functional assessment methodologies (PA DEP Level 2 RAP)

Wetlands Permitting Process
P. DeAngelo

   Project planning, project description, and needs
   Wetland delineation and jurisdictional determinations (JDs)
   The economics of wetland permitting
   Section 404 b(1) alternatives analysis (avoidance, minimization & compensation)
   Section 404 and Section 401 WQC permitting
   PA DEP Chapter 105 waivers, general permits and standard permits
   USACE Section 404 NWP, PA SPGP #5 and individual permits
   The role of T&E species and cultural resources
   Wetland and stream mitigation
   Appeal processes

Wetland Preservation, Restoration, and Creation
T. Johnston Jr.

   2008 Wetland Mitigation Rule
   Wetland banking, in lieu fee programs, and permittee responsible
   Wetland preservation and conservation easements
   Wetland banking agreements and the IRT process
   Status of PA DEP in lieu fee program
   PA DEP mitigation guidelines
   Preservation and enhancement as compensatory mitigation
   Wetland restoration and creation
   Mitigation site selection and planning
   Post-construction monitoring and long term management

Credits

Attorneys
     6.5 Pennsylvania CLE Hours

Professional Engineers
     6.5 PDHs

Architects
     6.5 HSW Continuing Ed. Hours
     6.5 AIA HSW Learning Units

Landscape Architects
     6.5 Clock Hours
     6.5 LA CES HSW PDHs

Floodplain Managers
     6.5 ASFPM CECs

Continuing Education Credit Information

This seminar is open to the public. It has been approved by the Pennsylvania CLE Board for 6.5 CLE hours for attorneys.

Professional engineers can earn 6.5 PDHs for completing this seminar. Educators and courses are not subject to preapproval in Pennsylvania.

The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW PDHs. That approval qualifies this activity for 6.5 clock hours for Pennsylvania landscape architects. Full attendance is required for LA/CES reporting.

This seminar offers 6.5 HSW continuing education hours to Pennsylvania architects. It is approved by the American Institute of Architects for 6.5 HSW Learning Units (Sponsor No. J885). Full attendance is required for AIA/CES reporting.

The Association of State Floodplain Managers has approved this seminar for 6.5 CECs.

Attendance will be monitored and attendance certificates will be available after the seminar for most individuals who complete the entire event. Attendance certificates not available at the seminar will be mailed to participants within fifteen business days.

Speakers

Scott E. Bush

Senior Ecologist/Wetland Scientist – GHD Services, Inc.

Scott Bush, Senior Ecologist/Wetland Scientist – GHD Services, Inc.
Mr. Bush is senior ecologist with a broad background in ecological studies and over 29 years of experience as a consultant working for the private, non-profit, and public sectors. Mr. Bush is recognized expert in the identification, classification and delineation of wetlands and is proficient in analysis. He is certified as a professional wetland scientist by the Society of Wetland Scientists. Mr. Bush regularly works on projects requiring federal and state wetland/ecological permitting and is familiar with the applicable state and federal regulations and permitting requirements. He has extensive experience in the design and implementation of ecological field studies related to habitat assessments and presence/absence investigations for a variety of rare, threatened, or endangered flora and fauna. 

Paul J. Deangelo

Paul DeAngelo, Vice President of Environmental Services – Skelly and Loy, Inc.
For 30 years, Mr. DeAngelo has been performing professional ecological services for environmental assessments in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and for United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section 404 and PA DEP Chapter 105 permit authorizations. The focus of his career has been on aquatic ecosystems, wetland delineations, wetland mitigation designs, terrestrial resources, and 404-105 permit authorizations. Mr. DeAngelo oversees technical aspects of wetland and aquatic resource projects and has served as project manager and/or principal investigat or on more than 300 projects throughout Pennsylvania and the eastern United States. He has provided expert testimony regarding aquatic assessments and water quality in testifying before the Environmental Hearing Board. He earned his MS degree in Environmental Pollution Control from Penn State University in 2005 and his BS degree in Biology from Millersville University in 1991. 

Megan Dennis

Skelly and Loy, Inc.

Biologist & Permits Coordinator – Skelly and Loy, Inc.
Ms. Dennis coordinates all 404 and 105 permit applications prepared at Skelly and Loy’s Harrisburg Office. For the past five years Ms. Dennis has personally prepared and submitted more than 200 permits including Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) General Permits, PA DEP and United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Joint Permits, Individual Permits, Small Projects Permits, Nationwide Permits and Emergency Permits. These permits have been submitted on behalf of state governments, private companies, and private individuals for various transportation, commercial, and residential projects. Ms. Dennis coordinates the permitting group at Skelly and Loy which routinely submits two to three permit applications/modifications per week. She earned her BS degree in Biology from Wilson College in 2011.

Thomas Johnston

Skelly and Loy, Inc.

Vice President of Corporate Development – Skelly and Loy, Inc.
As vice president at Skelly and Loy, Mr. Johnston is responsible for the coordination of company-wide ecological and regulatory services, and he is responsible for the professional development of technical staff. Over the past 33 years, he has been involved in a wide variety of projects ranging from wetlands investigation to aquatic sampling to terrestrial habitat modeling. Mr. Johnston is involved in all facets of biological projects including field data collection, data analysis, report generation, and project management. He has managed more than 200 projects that have included both specific wetland studies and general environmental assessments for a variety of government, utility, and private clients, including major 404 permit application and NEPA environmental impact statements. He has also provide expert testimony before the U. S. Federal Court, Commonwealth Court, Common Pleas Courts and the PA Environmental Hearing Board. He earned his BS degree in Biology from Shippensburg State College in 1983.