Georgia Wetlands Law and Compliance
DISCLAIMER
Before undertaking any on-demand effort, you should review the rules of your licensing/certifying entity.
It’s your responsibility to determine whether this on-demand course meets your continuing education requirements.
You must take and pass a quiz to receive credit. You can take the quiz as many times as needed and there is no time limit on the quiz.
Once the quiz is completed, you will be asked to download your certificate.
**Any on-demand programs that qualify for AIA or LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
**AIA credit is not available in USB format.
Streamable MP4/PDF
You will receive an automated email letting you know when your On-Demand package is available approximately 3 business days after the date of the live event or the date of your order, whichever is later. This email will contain links to the video recording, materials, and program quiz.
To track your purchase, you will need to create an account on the website using the email address used for your registration.
For AIA requirements only, the on-demand recording will have occasional question prompts that will not allow the video to progress unless they are answered, and you will not be able to skip forward while watching the video.
Please note, if you attempt to resume watching the video on a separate device, your progress will not be saved.
Click the link which appears at the end of the video to be taken to the course quiz.
You will have unlimited access to the on-demand video recording, and it will never expire.
**Any streamable on-demand programs that qualify for AIA or LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
USB MP4/PDF
HalfMoon will mail these materials via USPS.
USB orders ship approximately 3 business days after the program takes place or after the order is placed, whichever date is later. Please allow an additional 7-10 business days for shipping.
The link to the quiz will be available in a PDF in your USB drive marked QUIZ.
HalfMoon will contact you and issue a full refund if the product you ordered is not available. However, refunds will not be issued if completion certificates are requested.
Please contact HalfMoon Education if you have any questions during the process of taking this course. (715) 835-5900 or qchapman@halfmoonseminars.org
**Any USB on-demand programs that qualify for LACES credit will require an additional 2 business weeks for processing.
**AIA credit is not available in USB format.
Agenda
Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before start time.
Log into Webinar
8:00 – 8:30 am EDT
Morning Session
8:30 – 11:45 am EDT
Break
11:45 am – 12:45 pm EDT
Afternoon Session
12:45 – 5:00 pm EDT
Identifying Wetlands T. Greco
Presence of wetland vegetation
Identification of wetland soils
Importance of underlying wetland hydrology
Understanding Federal and State Wetlands B. Sapp
Laws and Enforcement A. Sowatzka
Clean Water Act of 1972: structure and history
CWA regulations:
• Navigable Waters Protection Rule – April 21, 2020
• Reissuance of Nationwide Permits – September 15, 2020
• Clean Water Act Section 401 Certification Rule – July 13, 2020
• Florida’s Request to Assume Administration of a
Clean Water Act Section 404 Program – September 16, 2020
State laws and regulations
Enforcement of wetlands laws
Wetlands Permitting Process T. Greco
Wetlands determinations and delineations
Determining applicability of regulations
Wetland permitting and certification processes
• Notice provisions
• Review process
• Mitigation/compensation requirements
Appeals process
Special situations: exceptional value wetlands
Wetland Preservation, Restoration, S. Miller
Creation and Enhancement
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
Ethical Issues in Wetland Preservation and Development S. Miller
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.
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.
GoToWebinar App requirements:
Windows 7 – 10 or Mac OSX Mavericks (10.9) – macOS Catalina (10.15)
Web Browser:
The two most recent version of the following browsers:
Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled
Internet connection: Minimum of 1Mbps Hardware: 2GB RAM or more
For more information, visit the Support section at www.gotowebinar.com
Credits
Professional Engineers
7.0 PDHs
Architects
7.0 HSW CE Hours
7.0 AIA LU|HSW (AIA credits only available for attending live Webinar)
Landscape Architects
7.0 HSW CE Hours
7.0 LA CES HSW PDHs (LA CES credits only available for attending live Webinar)
Floodplain Managers
7.0 ASFPM CECs
Continuing Education Credit Information
This webinar offers 7.0 PDHs to professional engineers and 7.0 HSW continuing
education hours to architects licensed in Georgia. It offers 7.0 HSW continuing
education hours to landscape architects licensed in Georgia.
This course has been approved by the American Institute of Architects Continuing
Education System for 7.0 LU|HSW (Sponsor No. J885) and the Landscape
Architect Continuing Education System for 7.0 HSW PDHs. Only full participation
is reportable to the AIA/CES and LA CES.
HalfMoon Education has applied to the Association of State Floodplain Managers
for course approval, which is pending.
Completion certificates will be awarded to participants who complete this event,
respond to prompts, and earn a passing score (80%) on the quiz that follows the
presentation (multiple attempts allowed).
Speakers
Tony Greco PWS
Nutter & Associates, Inc., Athens, Georgia
Mr. Greco is a principal at Nutter & Associates and an aquatic ecologist and hydrologist focusing on wetland ecology, water quality assessment, watershed planning, water resource projects, and aquatic biology. Throughout his career, he has used geographic information systems (GIS), in conjunction with field and laboratory data collection, to support critical environmental assessments. Mr. Greco is an active member on the Technical Advisory Committee of the Georgia Environmental Restoration Association and is a certified Professional Wetland Scientist by the Society of Wetland Scientists.
Sean Miller
Mitigation Management, Atlanta and Athens, Georgia
Mr. Miller is an aquatic biologist and ecological restoration practitioner. He earned a B.S. degree in Environmental Science and an M.S. degree in Biology from Georgia College and State University. Mr. Miller has ten years of experience with aquatic resources assessments, surveys, and restoration in the Southeastern United States. He has completed all four levels of Dr. Dave Rosgen’s Natural Channel Design courses. He is currently the only Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner (CERP) in Georgia, and one of only 12 in the Southeast.
Bill Sapp
Senior Attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) in AtlantaBill Sapp focuses on protecting the swamps, tidal creeks, and salt marshes of the Georgia and Alabama coasts and leads SELC’s Georgia Coastal Initiative. He received his law degree from Harvard Law School and his Master of Law degree in Environmental Law from George Washington Law School (with highest honors). Before joining SELC, he served as an assistant regulatory attorney with the Chief Counsel’s office of the Army Corps in DC, clerked for Judge Edenfield in federal district court in Savannah, was an associate at Alston & Bird in Atlanta, and served as the lead wetlands attorney for Region 4 of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Adam G. Sowatzka
Adam G. Sowatzka Partner at King & Spalding in Atlanta, GA
Mr. Sowatzka is well known for his thorough grasp of environmental issues, gleaned from his experience as an EPA enforcement attorney, general counsel with an international manufacturing company, and lawyer with King & Spalding. With more than 22 years of experience as an environmental lawyer, he has litigated numerous cases in federal and state courts; represented companies in complex, high-stakes enforcement actions, and advocated before EPA and other regulatory agencies on dozens of rules, permits, and other administrative proceedings. Mr. Sowatzka has handled matters in all environmental media — from water, to air, to waste issues. He has particular expertise in handling matters involving emerging contaminants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”). He was the lead attorney in one of the first major regulatory matters involving PFAS contamination of a municipal wastewater treatment plant, including the investigation and characterization of a three-county area in Northern Alabama impacted by biosolids from the plant. Mr. Sowatzka has been recognized as a leading environmental lawyer by Chambers USA. He has also been named a Georgia Super Lawyer by Georgia Super Lawyers magazine.
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: Georgia Wetlands Law and Compliance
Delivery Method: Live Online
Course Description: This course examines wetland identification, law, permitting, preservation, restoration, creation, and enhancement. It also explores ethical issues in wetland preservation and development
Learning Objectives:
Learning Objective 1:
Learners will be able to identify wetlands by their unique vegetation and soils, and they will be able to explain the importance of underlying wetland hydrology.
Learning Objective 2:
Learners will be able to reference federal and state wetlands law and discuss compliance strategies and identify law enforcement authorities.
Learning Objective 3:
Learners will be able to describe the wetland permitting and certification processes and wetlands determinations and delineations.
Learning Objective 4:
Learners will be able to explain the importance of wetlands and how they can be preserved, restored, created, and enhanced as an element of a site development project.
Learning Objective 5:
Learners will be able to abide by ethical standards when encountering projects in or near wetlands, including acting in the interest of the public by finding alternatives to wetland destruction and including wetland preservation in development plans, and by convincing clients to preserve and restore wetlands.
LUs: 7.0 LU Type: LU|HSWs.
Prerequisites: Experience with site development
Advance Preparation: None
Program Level: Intermediate
Course Expiration Date: 01/27/2024
Complaint Resolution Policy:
Complaints regarding this course can be emailed to doug@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.