Federal Wetlands Science, Law and Compliance Post-Sackett
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Streamable MP4/PDF
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Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.
Friday, December 19, 2025
9:00 am – 4:30 pm CST
Agenda:
Wetlands Science
Presented by Larissa Herrera, PWS
- Defining wetlands
- Evolving understanding of the value of wetlands
- From wetlands destruction to wetlands preservation
- How wetlands are identified/delineated
Understanding Federal Wetlands Laws and Enforcement
Presented by Patrick Redmond and Jesse Miles
- The Federal Clean Water Act
- National Food Security Act of 1985
- Implementing/enforcing agencies
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- State natural resources/environmental departments
- Proposed EPA actions to limit wetland protections
- Wetland Regulation Post-Sackett
Wetland Preservation, Restoration, Creation and Enhancement
Presented by Dakota Hunter, PWS, TN-QHP
- Understanding the importance of wetlands
- Flood storage and conveyance
- Pollution control and carbon storage
- Erosion control
- Wildlife habitat
- Recreation
- Wetland preservation strategies and techniques
- Wetland restoration
- Preference for onsite and in-kind restoration
- Hydrological considerations
- Restoration techniques
- Wetland creation: methods, benefits and drawbacks
- Wetland enhancement: purposes and techniques
Wetlands Law in Practice: Cases and Case Studies
Presented by Austin T. Scarborough
- Cases interpreting the scope of the Clean Water Act and defining “Waters of the U.S.”
- Cases interpreting federal wetlands law
- Case studies of wetlands destruction and preservation
Ethics Issues in Wetland Preservation and Development
Presented by Michael Macalus
- Acting in the best interest of the public on wetlands issues
- Finding alternatives to wetlands destruction
- Including wetland preservation in development plans
- Convincing clients to preserve and restore wetlands
Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.
Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.
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Windows 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS
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Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions)
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Credits
Engineers
6.5 PDHs
Architects
6.5 HSW CE Hours
AIA - American Institute of Architects
6.5 HSW LUs
Landscape Architects
6.5 HSW CE Hours
LACES - Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System
6.5 HSW PDHs
Attorneys
6.5 CLE Hours (Including 1.0 Ethics CLE Hour - CA, CT, FL, NY, PA, VT)
Floodplain Managers
6.5 ASFPM CECs
APA/AICP - American Planning Association/American Institute of Certified Planners
6.5 CM
Continuing Education Information
This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.5 PDHs for professional engineers, 6.5 HSW continuing education hours for licensed architects, and 6.5 HSW continuing education hours for landscape architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider License No: CEA362), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, and New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00049300). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers, architects and landscape architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (AIA/CES) and the Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System (LA/CES). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.
The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW LUs (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.5 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES.
HalfMoon Education is an approved Multiple Activity Provider with the State Bar of California (No. 8370); this program offers 6.5 CLE hours to California attorneys. This webinar has been approved by the Florida Bar for basic-level 6.5 general CLE credits and 1.0 ethics CLE credit. This approval qualifies the webinar for CLE credit in Connecticut. HalfMoon Education is an approved CLE provider with the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania’s Continuing Legal Education Board (No. 1613); this webinar offers 6.5 CLE hours, including 1.0 ethics CLE hour, to Pennsylvania attorneys. HalfMoon Education is an accredited CLE sponsor in Vermont.
The Association of State Floodplain Managers has approved this course for 6.5 CECs for floodplain managers.
HalfMoon Education is an approved CM Provider with the American Planning Association. This course is registered for CM | 6.5 for Certified Planners.
Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed).
*On-Demand Credits*
The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and may not qualify for the same credits; please consult your licensing board(s) to ensure that a structured, asynchronous learning format is appropriate. The following pre-approvals may be available for the on-demand format upon request:
6.5 HSW LUs (AIA)
6.5 HSW PDHs (LA CES)
Speakers
Larissa Herrera
Senior Biologist with Holland EngineeringMs. Herrera is an aquatic biologist with over eight years of experience in natural resource assessment, including wetland delineations, environmental permitting, stream assessments, mussel/macroinvertebrate surveys and identification, and threatened and endangered species surveys. She graduated with a B.S. degree in Biology and Program in the Environment (PitE) from the University of Michigan and an M.S. degree in Water Resource Science from the University of Minnesota Duluth. Ms. Herrera recently moved back to the mitten to work for Holland Engineering’s Environmental Group. She holds a USFWS permit to survey and handle federally listed mussel species. Her favorite mussels are the spectaclecase and snuffbox.
Dakota Hunter, PWS
Senior Wetland Scientist at Copperhead in Paint Lick, KYMr. Hunter currently leads the wetland and botany service with Copperhead Environmental Consulting and manages the company’s satellite office located in Staunton, Virginia. He began his career in 2015 working as a wetland scientist and wildlife biologist, and has since accrued extensive experience leading wetland delineations, conducting surveys for federal and state listed flora and fauna species and providing maintenance and monitoring services for wetland restoration projects. He completed Master’s level research at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA studying correlations between invasive plant prevalence, environmental factors, and native plant assemblages on wetland mitigation banks. He has worked as a wetland and stream mitigation manager and has led field surveys on large-scale energy projects, roadway expansions, commercial real estate, and federal land improvement projects. Mr. Hunter has developed and implemented botanical inventories and related research, invasive species management, and mitigation monitoring plans across Appalachia, the mid-Atlantic, and the southeastern United States. He was certified as a Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS) in 2023 by the Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program, and as a Qualified Hydrologic Professional (QHP) by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Michael Macalus
Environmental Technician at WHM Solutions LLCMr. Macalus is an Environmental Technician that performs multiple services for Environmental Permitting and Wetland and Watercourse Delineations. Throughout his career he has performed habitat, vegetation, and wildlife surveys throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Maine. He specializes in aquatic ecology and has a passion for the conservation and preservation of the aquatic resources that affect us every day.
Jesse Miles
Attorney with Beveridge & DiamondMr. Miles is an attorney with Beveridge & Diamond. He advises clients ranging from individuals to FORTUNE® 500 companies on federal and state litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and regulatory compliance, with a focus on endangered and protected species. Building on years of broad litigation experience, Mr. Miles focuses his practice on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and other federal and state environmental laws. He also advises clients in complex regulatory matters, including ESA compliance, Clean Water Act permitting, and carbon capture and sequestration. Before law school, he was a published biologist, studying the effects of insecticides on wetland ecosystems and the effects of mineral transport on amphibian populations. He applied these skills working for the U.S. Geological Survey and as a researcher at Purdue University. Today, he bridges the gap between science and law, bringing subject matter fluency in both fields to his practice. Mr. Miles regularly lectures on environmental law at universities across the country, including the University of Wisconsin, SUNY Binghamton, New Mexico State University, and the University of Texas El Paso.
Patrick Redmond
Of Counsel with Beveridge & DiamondMr. Redmond is Of Counsel with Beveridge & Diamond. Prior to joining B&D, he served as an Attorney-Advisor for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the General Counsel’s Natural Resources and Environment Division in Washington, DC, where he advised and represented USDA and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in numerous public lands management, real property, water rights, hydropower, and other program implementation and litigation matters. He has assisted in legislative and regulatory drafting and advised the agency on a number of issues related to land management, hydropower, carbon stewardship, wetlands mitigation, and land and water conservation. In this role, he served as USDA’s lead attorney on efforts to achieve a national framework for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers siting of wetlands mitigation projects on U.S. Forest Service Lands. Mr. Redmond additionally served as the lead attorney for USDA and USFS in prominent national litigation and negotiations. In private practice, he also served as outside counsel and water counsel for state political subdivisions in prominent multiagency federal, state, tribal and local resource management and infrastructure efforts, including negotiating and litigating ESA and NEPA compliance for large water diversion projects such as on the Colorado River and Middle Rio Grande.
Austin Scarborough
Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP in Albany, NYMr. Scarborough is an associate in the environmental and land use practice group at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP in Albany. Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP is the largest law firm in the capital region and has been recognized numerous times for the firm’s experience in the environmental and land use legal field. Mr. Scarborough graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and received his Juris Doctor from Vermont Law School, where he concentrated his studies on environmental, energy, and regulatory law.
AIA Info
AIA Provider Statement:
HalfMoon Education Inc. is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number J885. All registered AIA/CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider of learning program may be sent to AIA/CES (cesupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).
This learning program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.
AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA/CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.
Course Title: Federal Wetlands Science, Law and Compliance Post-Sackett
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This 6.5-hour course examines federal wetlands science, law, and enforcement in light of the ruling in the Supreme Court the case of Sackett v. EPA, which narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act by changing how “waters of the United States” are classified. The course will also focus on wetland identification, preservation, restoration, creation, enhancement, benefits, and ethical issues related to wetland development.
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to define wetlands, describe how wetlands are identified, reference federal wetlands laws and identify implementing and enforcement entities.
Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to review strategies and techniques for wetland preservation, restoration and enhancement, and discuss the methods, benefits and drawbacks to wetland creation.
Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to discuss onsite and in-kind restoration techniques and the related hydrological considerations.
Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to discuss ethical issues related to wetland preservation and development such as acting in the best interest of the public and finding alternatives to wetlands destruction, such as preservation in development plans and convincing clients to preserve and restore wetlands.
LUs: 6.5
LU Type: LU|HSWs
Prerequisites: Experience with site development
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 04/25/2027
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to fchapman@halfmoonseminars.org or by calling (715) 835-5900. A HalfMoon Education representative will respond within 72 hours to resolve the complaint, which will include, but not limited to, access to another CE activity at no or reduced cost or a full or partial refund. Each instance will be resolved on a case-by-case situation.
6.5 Knowledge Points
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