Agenda

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Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.

Log into Webinar
8:30 – 9:00 am CDT
Morning Session
9:00 – 11:45 am CDT
Break
11:45 am – 12:15 pm CDT
Afternoon Session
12:15 – 4:00 pm CDT

 

Agenda
Wetlands Science and Identification                                                                  S. Varnado / N. Wever 
Defining wetlands
Evolving understanding of the value of wetlands
Identifying wetlands
• Presence of wetland vegetation
• Identification of wetland soils
• Importance of underlying wetland hydrology

Understanding Federal Wetlands Laws and Enforcement                                           B . Schroeder
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

Permitting of Impacts to Waters of the United States                                                                   A. Der
Determining limits of Waters of the United States
• Wetlands
Determining extent of jurisdictional impact
Application review process
Coordinating with state and local governments
Mitigation

Wetlands Law in Practice: Cases and Case Studies                                                                 T. Bakner
Cases interpreting federal wetlands law

Wetland Mitigation Banking                                                                                                       V. Colangelo
Wetland mitigation banking under Clean Water Act Section 404
Benefits and drawbacks
Who can create a bank
Components of mitigation banks
• Bank site
• Bank instrument
• Interagency review team
• Service area
Determining the value of the bank

 

 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.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

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Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)

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Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled

Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps       Hardware: 2GB RAM or more

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Credits

Professional Engineers
6.0 PDHs

Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours
6.0 AIA LU|HSW

Landscape Architects
6.0 HSW CE Hours
6.0 LA CES HSW PDHs

Land Surveyors
6.0 PDHs
6.0 Florida CE Credits
(TN Pending Approval;
No Credit Offered in DE,
MO, or NJ)

Certified Planners
CM|6

Floodplain Managers
6.0 CECs

 

Continuing Education Credit Information
This webinar is open to the public and offers 6.0 PDHs to professional engineers, 6.0 HSW continuing education hours to licensed architects, and 6.0 HSW continuing education hours to landscape architects in all states that allow this learning method. Please refer to specific state rules to determine eligibility.

The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 LU|HSW (Sponsor No. J885). Only full participation is reportable to the AIA/CES.
HalfMoon Education is an approved continuing education sponsor for engineers in Florida (Provider No. 0004647), Indiana (License No. CE21700059), Maryland, New Jersey (Approval No. 24GP00000700) and North Carolina (S-0130). HalfMoon Education is deemed an approved continuing education sponsor for New York engineers and architects via its registration with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System (Regulations of the Commissioner §68.14(i)(2) and §69.6(i)(2)). Other states do not preapprove continuing education providers or courses.

The Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System has approved this course for 6.0 HSW PDHs. Only full participation is reportable to the LA CES.

This webinar offers 6.0 PDHs to land surveyors in most states, including Florida and New York. Land surveyor course approval is currently pending in Tennessee. HalfMoon Education is not seeking approval for land surveyors licensed in Delaware, Missouri or New Jersey.

HalfMoon Education is an approved CM Provider with the American Planning Association. This course is registered for CM | 6 for Certified Planners.

This webinar has been approved by the Association of State Floodplain Managers for 6.0 CECs for floodplain managers.

Visit this course listing at www.halfmoonseminars.org for updates on pending credits.

Completion certificates will be awarded to participants who complete this event and earn a passing score (80%) on the quiz that follows the presentation (multiple attempts allowed).

Speakers

Terresa M. Bakner

Terresa M. Bakner is a partner at Whiteman Osterman & Hanna, LLP, in Albany, NY. She represents clients in permitting, administrative and enforcement proceedings before State and federal agencies, such as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Department of Public Service, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and OSHA, among others. Ms. Bakner assists in obtaining land use approvals for commercial, industrial, residential and energy projects and represents clients in projects involving brownfield redevelopment, wetlands laws and regulations, protection of endangered species and critical habitats, and the preservation of archaeological and historic resources. Ms. Bakner is a past chair of the Environmental Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. Ms. Bakner routinely lectures on wetlands regulations, the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act, and other land use and development topics, including RLUIPA, for organizations such as the New York Planning Federation and the New York State Association of Towns.

Victoria K. Bruce

CEO of The Mitigation Banking Group, Inc.

Ms. Bruce has over 19 years of sales and marketing experience serving Florida’s mitigation banking credit industry. Her vast background in the wetland mitigation and habitat conservation banks industry has designated her as one of Florida’s most sought-after mitigation bank sales brokers. Mrs. Bruce is passionate about partnering with mitigation bankers, environmental consultants and developers to aid in the mitigation process. She is responsible for developing and implementing strategies and forecasts that support existing relationships with industry partners and promote future growth for the industry.

Andrew Der

Executive Principal of Andrew T. Der & Associates, LLC

As a regionally-recognized water resources practitioner and leader for 32 years, Mr. Der provides regulatory and scientific expertise for public and private sector clients, with a commitment to equitable and sustainable solutions to complex projects while specializing in creative linkages between ecology and engineering. Mr. Der has been in private consulting practice since 2001, first as an associate and director of Environmental Services for two civil engineering firms, then, since 2013, principal of his own consulting firm, Andrew T. Der & Associates, LLC. He previously completed 17 years of service with the Maryland Department of the Environment as a manager successfully leading major new initiatives to regulate and restore Chesapeake Bay water resources. His specialties include water resource permitting, compliance, assessment, Clean Water Act, wetland and waterway compliance, NPDES, TMDL, and stormwater management. Mr. Der is an appointed industry representative of the U. S. EPA. He is a member of the Chesapeake Bay Program Executive Council Citizens Advisory Committee, Maryland Patuxent River Commission, and Montgomery County, Maryland Executive’s Water Quality Advisory Commission.

Brianna Schroeder

Ms. Schroeder focuses her legal practice on litigating complex environmental matters, drafting contracts for agribusinesses and farms, and assisting agricultural clients with regulatory compliance and land use issues. Her experience ranges from defending dairy farms against nuisance suits to negotiating solar leases and advising farmers on wetlands compliance. Ms. Schroeder has also litigated environmental insurance coverage, environmental liability, county zoning, and other complex litigation matters throughout Illinois and Indiana, representing a wide variety of clients from large corporations to municipalities to private individuals.

Spencer D. Varnado

Ecologist and Wetlands Scientist at Geosyntec Consultants

Spencer D. Varnado, over 14 years of professional experience in the areas of environmental compliance, permitting, and biological investigations. His areas of expertise include environmental and biological assessments, surveys and mapping; jurisdictional wetland delineations and determinations; regulatory permitting and compliance monitoring with various state and federal agencies; wetland mitigation plan development and implementation; wetland and wildlife management plans; and wetland value assessments. Mr. Varnado’s typical projects include linear pipeline and electrical transmission construction and maintenance, residential and commercial developments, sand and gravel mining, petrochemical facility compliance, due diligence, and habitat restoration projects.

Nathan Weaver

Nathan Weaver is a senior staff scientist in Geosyntec’s Greenville, South Carolina office. His primary practice areas include wetland and stream delineations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) permitting, threatened and endangered species habitat surveys, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) consultations, and state and local permitting. He has completed USACE wetland delineation training with the Wetland Training Institute and is a Certified Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control Inspector.

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

Delivery Method: Live Online

Course Description: This six-hour course examines federal wetlands science, law, and enforcement, as well as wetland identification, permitting processes and impacts, mitigation of impact, and wetland mitigation banking.

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objective 1:
Learners will be able to reference and discuss federal wetlands laws and be able to identify implementing and enforcement entities.

Learning Objective 2:
Learners will be able to define and identify wetlands by their soils, plants, and water.

Learning Objective 3:
Learners will be able to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of mitigation banks and understand the different components, including bank site, instruments, and service area.

Learning Objective 4:
Learners will be able to navigate the rules and regulations that design, construction and environmental professionals encounter when participating in wetland mitigation banking.

Learning Objective 5:
Learners will be able to consider the importance and benefits of the underlying wetland hydrology for humans and the environment.

LUs: 6.0                                                                                              LU Type: LU|HSWs.

Prerequisites: Experience with site development

Advance Preparation: None

Program Level: Intermediate

Course Expiration Date: 04/07/2025

Complaint Resolution Policy:

Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to tcase@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.