2015 WPA MINI COURSES COURSE #1: WETLAND HYDROLOGY

2015 WPA MINI COURSES COURSE #1:

WETLAND HYDROLOGY

Topic: Wetland Hydrology 

When: Saturday, May 30, 2015 

Time: 9:30 AM – 12:00 Noon

Where: Crosby Farm Regional Park, 2595 Crosby Farm Road, St. Paul, MN 55116. See attached map for details. There is ample parking. Meet at the picnic shelter near the parking lot. There are restrooms at the picnic shelter. See the website at www.mnwetlandprofessionals.org under the Contact page for a photo of the WPA board members, some of whom will be at the course.

Cost: $10 for Current Members of the Wetland Professionals Association $15 for Nonmembers
(Join the WPA for just $30 and receive the member price on all fieldtrips!)
Please bring a check or exact change cash. Guide: Jeff Olson (CWD), Senior Scientist, SEH, Inc.

Agenda: 
9:10-9:30am     Registration, Payment and Conversation
9:30-11:45am   Tour of Various Sites and Hands-On Training 

11:45-12:00pm Q&A and Discussion

In Detail:

1.  We'll do a group scavenger hunt checklist to observe as many primary and secondary indicators of wetland hydrology as possible at multiple locations. 
2.  We'll learn the basics of recording locations with both flags and a sub-meter capable Trimble Geo XH GPS unit.

3.  We'll do mock delineations of boundaries of several wetland types including floodplain, forest, and shallow marsh.
4.  We'll auger soil samples and describe soils, hydrology indicators, and vegetation.

WDCP Credits: 2.5 Direct Credits

Coordinators: Jeff Olson and Alison Hruby

For more information, contact Jeff at 612-598-4254 or jolson@sehinc.com or
contact Alison at 651-230-6486 or a_hruby@yahoo.com Directions: See attached map for a more detailed route.


Next Event: Watch for an announcement regarding the July Mini Course which will emphasize Vegetation, and the September Mini Course, which will emphasize Soils.

Items for Attendees to Bring:	What Instructors Will Bring:
Hat	Soil augers / probes
Sunglasses	Munsell soil color book
Water	Nat’l List of Wetland Plant Species
Snack Bar(s)	Delineation Forms
Bug Spray	Hydric Soil Indicators
Clipboard/Pen or Pencil	Pin flags
Notebook/Pen or Pencil	GPS Unit(s)
Gloves	Tape Measure
Payment for Class

***In the event of severe weather (lightening) the class may be delayed or canceled. We will try to notify you in advance via our Facebook page if the event will be cancelled as a result of severe weather. If you have any questions on the morning of the class call Jeff or Alison for confirmation, otherwise the class will take place rain or shine.

May Job Postings

The following openings were forwarded to our newsletter editor, Natasha DeVoe:

1. Wetland/habitat full time scientist and summer intern job postings, SRF (link: http://www.srfconsulting.com/careers/openings/.
2. Blue Earth County Environmental Health Specialist, open through 5/18 (link:http://www.blueearthcountymn.gov/index.aspx?NID=184.)
3. BWSR Board Conservationist position in Rochester or Mankato (link:http://www.bwsr.state.mn.us/careers/index.html.)

If you know of any wetland-related job postings, please let us know!

Sedge Meadows, Bogs and Swamps: Field Trip to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve

Sedge Meadows, Bogs and Swamps: Field Trip to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve
Steve Eggers

On Saturday June 28th, a group of 13 composed of MNNPS and MN Wetland Professionals Association members explored some of the wetland jewels at CCESR, which is located in Anoka and Isanti Counties and the Anoka Sand Plain. Dire forecasts of thunderstorms and heavy rain had been made starting the two days leading up to that Saturday, but during the field trip the weather was pleasant with alternating periods of sun and clouds.

Our first stop was the south shore of Fish Lake and its adjacent expanse of sedge meadow. We observed aquatic vegetation including large-leaved pondweed (Potamogeton amplifolius), water shield (Brasenia schreberi), white and yellow water lilies (Nymphaea odorata and Nuphar variegata, respectively) and wild rice (Zizania palustris). Wire-grass sedge (Carex lasiocarpa) dominated the sedge meadow, which also included Canada blue-joint grass (Calamagrostis canadensis), tussock sedge (Carex stricta), mad-dog skullcap (Scutellaria galericulata) and invading cattails (Typha spp.). Along the sand ridge separating the sedge meadow and lake we found winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata) in full bloom. We walked back through an oak savanna, managed with prescribed burns, and were treated with a colorful white/yellow display of flowers of northern bedstraw (Galium boreale) and puccoon (Lithospermum carolinense). This is ideal habitat for red- headed woodpeckers, a species in decline, and as if on cue one did a fly-by. We stopped at two, small, isolated wetland basins within the savanna. The first was a seasonal basin dominated by long-scaled tussock sedge (Carex haydenii). Canada blue-joint grass and woolgrass (Scirpus cyperinus) were present as well. Barbara Delaney explained how the periodically exposed soil along the margins of these seasonal wetlands is prime habitat for some of the rare plant species of the Anoka Sand Plain. The second isolated wetland basin was very different floristically although it was only a stone’s throw away. It appeared to be more acidic as evidenced by the dominance of bog sedge (Carex oligosperma) and presence of leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) and royal fern (Osmunda spectabilis).

Next it was off to Cedar Bog Lake and an easy hike along a boardwalk through a high quality northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) swamp. Due to the wet spring, 2014 was one of the worst years in memory for mosquitoes just about anywhere in Minnesota, but they were inexplicably absent this day even in the dark confines of the cedar swamp. We did the yellow birch test – cut twigs have the scent and flavor of wintergreen – although I was reprimanded for breaking off too large a piece of a twig (no collecting allowed on CCESR without a permit). Halberd-leaved tearthumb (Persicaria arifolia) and poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix) were observed on the walk in. The boardwalk terminated at an open water pond fringed with water willow (Decodon verticillatus). We were struck by the silence as if it invited contemplation of glacial time.

Our last stop was another boardwalk – Beckman Lake Bog. High water levels had submerged most of the boardwalk so it was somewhat tricky navigating the bog. No one slipped and got into difficulty that I saw. Beckman Lake Bog is a floating mat with characteristic species of acid bogs. We observed the Sphagnum-moss mat and bog sedge, poor sedge (Carex magellanica), tawny cottongrass (Eriophorum virginicum), three-way sedge (Dulichium arundinaceum), bog buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata), pitcher plant (Sarracenia purpurea) and sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). A few small cranberries (Vaccinium oxycoccus) were in bloom – the flowers have flared-back petals like shooting stars. Other members of the heath family observed were leatherleaf, Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum) and bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia). This was the conclusion of the field trip and the timing could not have been better. Skies were darkening to the west and winds were starting to whip up. The forecasted thunderstorms were rolling in. 

Reprinted March 1, 2015 with permission from Steve Eggers.

WPA On Display: At Wisconsin's Wetland Science Conference

The Minnesota Wetland Professionals Association sponsored a display table at the 20th Anniversary Wetland Science Conference hosted by the Wisconsin Wetland Association.  Nick McCabe, WPA Secretary, attended the conference on behalf of the WPA.  The conference was attended by over 400 people and included scientists, regulators, managers, students, and others who gathered to share and discuss ideas regarding wetland science, management, restoration, and protection.  A great time was had by all.

Officers Look Forward to 2015

Who is on our board in 2015?

Officers look forward to 2015

Rob Bouta, President

Kjolhaug Environmental Service

RobB@kjolhaugenv.com

Rob is "Looking forward to transforming the WDCP and to some really great field trips."

Ethan Harvey, Vice President

Bay West

eharvey@baywest.com

Alison Hruby, Website Editor

Anderson Engineering of Minnesota

ahruby@ae-mn.com

Joe Dittrich, Audio/Visual Coordinator

ERM

jdittrich@emr-inc.com

Kristine Maurer, Treasurer

Westwood Professional Services

kristine.maurer@westwoodps.com

Kristine is "Looking forward to filing WPA taxes and focusing our financial objectives on affording informative field trips and forums.  (Also looking to practice my use of alliteration in 2015.)"

Nick McCabe, Secretary

I & S Group

nick.mccabe@is-grp.com

Jeff Olson, Member at Large

Short Elliot Hendrickson

jolson@sehinc.com

Questions from Membership

1.      What are your favorite tips and tricks for plant ID?

a.      Which are the look-alikes that give you the most problems?

b.      Which books do you recommend and why?

2.      Which methods have you found that work best for wetland mitigation and replacement and why?

3.      What could LGUs and SWCDs do that would make the application process go smoother?

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Photo courtesy of http://madsenenvironmental.com