Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed 24-48 business hours before the date of the webinar.
Please log into the webinar 10-15 minutes before start time.


Thursday, December 3, 2026
8:30 am – 4:00 pm CT (includes breaks)


Agenda:

Wetland Science
Presented by Mitchel Strain, CPSS, PWS

  • Defining wetlands and identifying different types
    • Wetland soils and vegetation
    • Wetland hydrology
  • Environmental services provided by wetlands

Wetland History in the United States
Presented by Susan-Marie Stedman

  • Indigenous and colonial use of wetlands
  • Agricultural conversion of wetlands
  • Development and wetlands
  • Federal wetland conservation
  • State wetlands initiatives
  • Current (and future?) wetland trends

Break

Wetland Mitigation: Objectives and Processes
Presented by Nichoel Church, PWS

  • Purpose of wetland mitigation
  • Wetland mitigation mechanisms
    • Wetland restoration
    • Wetland enhancement
    • Wetland preservation
  • Mitigation options

Lunch

Wetland Mitigation Banking
Presented by Kae Hovater

  • Wetland mitigation banking process
  • Service areas and sponsors
  • Regulatory compliance

State In-Lieu Fee Programs
Presented by Chelsea Keefer, MS

  • State In-Lieu fee program overviews
  • In-lieu fee mitigation projects
  • Funding for restoration projects
  • Mitigation by purchasing in-lieu credits

Break

Permittee Responsible Mitigation
Presented by Heather Bobich, PWS

  • Parameters of acceptable projects
  • Draft compensation site plan
  • Submittal requirements
  • Conservation easement

 

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 10 or higher, macOS 11 or higher, Linux, Google Chrome OS

Web Browser: 
Google Chrome (most recent 3 versions) 
Microsoft Edge (most recent 3 versions)

Internet connection: 1 Mbps or better

Hardware: 2GB of RAM (minimum), 4GB or more of RAM (recommended)

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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

APA/AICP - American Planning Association/American Institute of Certified Planners
6.5 | CM

Floodplain Managers
6.5 ASFPM CECs

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.

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).

While this course is designed to qualify for credit in all states, licensing boards have final authority with respect to acceptance of credits. We recommend reviewing the rules of your licensing board(s) before undertaking any continuing education activities.

On-Demand Credits

The credits listed above apply only to the live webinar. This course in an on-demand format may not qualify for the same credit in some states. Please refer to specific board rules to determine if an asynchronous, on-demand course is appropriate. The following credits will be included in the on-demand format:

  • 6.5 HSW LUs (AIA)
  • 6.5 HSW PDHs (LA CES)

Speakers

Heather Bobich, PWS

Environmental Scientist with Davey Resource Group, Inc.

Ms. Bobich, supervises a talented team of ecologists and biologists based out of Davey Resource Group, Inc.’s, Indiana offices. She is a professional wetland scientist, is proficient with NEPA work and projects, and has been trained by the Ohio Department of Transportation in Ecological Surveys and Waterways Permitting. In addition to managing a large portfolio of diverse and complex projects, Ms. Bobich also generates pricing and proposals for a wide range of consulting and restoration projects. She works on field investigations, wetland and stream permitting, restoration and mitigation design, native landscape design, best management practice plans, construction oversight, violation resolution and facilitation, and client and agency coordination. She holds an undergraduate degree from the SPEA program at Indiana University and a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Ball State University.

Nichoel Church, PWS

Environmental Scientist with Snyder & Associates, Inc.

Ms. Church, is an environmental scientist with Snyder & Associates. She has over 14 years of professional environmental experience. Before she started her career as an environmental scientist at Snyder & Associates, she worked for the US Army Corps of Engineers in Rock Island, Jacksonville, and Omaha Districts after graduating from Iowa State University in 2009. Her area of expertise focuses on wetland delineations, stream assessments, Section 404 permitting, and wetland and stream mitigation banking documentation

Kae Hovater

EcoCredit Marketing

Kae Hovater is the President and founder of EcoCredit Marketing. With over 16 years of direct experience in mitigation banking, she leads EcoCredit Marketing with a unique blend of business expertise and regulatory insight. Ms. Hovater has overseen more than 60 market studies and facilitated credit transactions totaling over $200 million. She has served as President of the Florida Association of Mitigation Bankers and is widely recognized as a leader in the industry.  

Chelsea Keefer

Restoration Biologist with the Stream + Wetlands Foundation

Ms. Keefer, MS has been a restoration biologist for the Stream + Wetlands Foundation (S+W) since June 2020, and she has eight years of experience working in the natural resources field. She is responsible for preparing and overseeing coordination of S+W’s mitigation project submittals to the Interagency Review Team. During her time at S+W, she has been instrumental in the submission and approval of over 20 in-lieu fee (ILF), mitigation bank, and permitee responsible projects. To date, the S+W ILF program is fully in compliance with all its advance credit sales obligations. Prior to joining the S+W team, Ms. Keefer worked for a northeast Ohio environmental consulting firm where she primarily worked on mitigation projects. She also worked at two different environmental test laboratories performing soil and water analyses using sophisticated equipment. During her formal education, she conducted a rigorous research study in native species revegetation and seed ecology. Ms. Keefer published her findings as the primary author of a peer reviewed research paper that appeared in the Journal of Rangeland Ecology and Management.

Susan-Marie Stedman

Wetland Scientist and Policy Analyst, Retired

With over 35 years of experience in wetlands with private industry and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service, Ms. Stedman has worked in a wide range of wetlands. As a wetland consultant working in New York and New Jersey she prepared permit applications, conducted environmental reviews, and designed compensatory mitigation projects. During her lengthy federal career she represented NOAA on the White House Wetlands Working Group, the Interagency Coastal Wetlands Working Group, and many other interagency cooperative efforts. As a wetland expert for NOAA she wrote regulations, policy, and guidance related to wetland conservation and compensatory mitigation, including the NOAA Mitigation Policy. In cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service she has co-authored three landmark reports on wetland loss trends in coastal watersheds.

LinkedIn

Mitchel R. Strain, CPSS, PWS

Smart Services, Inc., Newark, OH 

Mr. Strain has over 30 years of experience with all aspects of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance including preparation of environmental assessments (EA), environmental impact statements (EIS), categorical exclusions (CE) and other NEPA documentation, baseline biological assessments, and habitat evaluation procedure (HEP) analyses; threatened and endangered species surveys and critical habitat assessments; wetland and stream evaluations; cultural resource investigations; and vegetative community surveys. Mr. Strain’s particular expertise is in wetland science; including delineation, creation, and restoration of wetlands for mitigation and wildlife habitat; Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404 and 401 permitting; and design of constructed wetland treatment systems.

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:  Wetland Mitigation Law and Procedure

Delivery Method: Live Online 

Course Description: This 6.5-hour course explores wetland mitigation laws, requirements, options and procedures. The course begins with an explanation of wetland science, hydrology and environmental benefits and a summation of the history of wetlands in the United States, particularly their destruction and degradation. The course then dives deep into wetland mitigation laws and rules (Clean Water Act Section 404 and EPAs 2008 Rules) and compares mitigation options, including enhancement, restoration and creation. The course then explores wetland mitigation banking processes, state in-lieu fee programs, and permitting parameters and requirements.

Learning Objectives: 

Learning Objective 1: Learners will be able to identify and define wetlands by their soils and vegetation and explain the environmental services provided by wetlands.

Learning Objective 2: Learners will be able to analyze the Clean Water Act Section 404 requirements and the EPA’s 2008 expansion “including more comprehensive standards for compensatory mitigation.”

Learning Objective 3: Learners will be able to consider the benefits and consequences of enhancement, restoration, creation and preservation as strategies of compliance.

Learning Objective 4: Learners will be able to identify the parameters of permittable projects and discuss draft compensation site plans, submittal requirements and conservation easements.

LUs: 6.5

LU Type: LU|HSWs 

Prerequisites: None

Advance Preparation: None 

Program Level: Intermediate 

Course Expiration Date:  02/15/2027

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.