Pacific Northwest Chapter

Idaho, Oregon, Washington

PNW SWS issues RFP for WebMaster

The Pacific Northwest Chapter of SWS is a non-profit educational/scientific organization dedicated to wetland and aquatic resources serving a membership of over 500 individuals and professionals located in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The PNW Chapter is an affiliate of the International SWS. The primary goal of PNW-SWS's Web site redesign is to provide better usability for our members and the public in terms of accessibility, interactivity, and navigation.

HTML

WORD

Corps 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is developing regional supplements to the Corps 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual, used in the Clean Water Act Section 404 program. Currently, a supplement is being drafted for the Arid West (dry lands west of the Continental Divide). The National Review Team for the manual regionalization effort, consisting of representatives from the Corps, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, is seeking qualified individuals to form a peer-review committee. The committee would be responsible for evaluating the reliability and scientific validity of the draft supplement for the Arid West.

The National Advisory Team, in accordance with Office of Management and Budget information quality guidelines, will choose a committee chairperson and make recommendations regarding committee member selections. Selections will be made by the committee chairperson and will be based on expertise, independence, and the absence of conflicts of interest. No Corps of Engineers employees or individuals involved in developing or reviewing earlier drafts of the documents can serve on the peer-review committee. The peer-review committee will draft a single report with original committee member comments without interpretation. The peer-review committee will have 60 days from receipt of the draft document to submit their report to Corps headquarters (Washington, DC) following receipt of the draft supplement.

This peer-review process must be transparent. The final peer-review report and regional work group response will be made available to the public and will become part of the administrative record for any related actions by the Corps.

Resumes should be submitted to Ms. Katherine Trott at Corps headquarters at Katherine.l.trott@ usace.army.mil no later than Friday, July 29, 2005 and should include information on areas of wetland expertise, and geographic and length of experience in wetland delineation. There is no funding available to committee members for this effort. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Trott at (202) 761-5542.

Western Wetland Conference

We are pleased to announce that the SWS Rocky Mt. Chapter is cosponsoring the upcoming Western Wetland Conference to be held in Denver this fall. Although the RM Chapter is cosponsoring this conference, it is a western wetlands conference that includes all or parts of your respective chapters.

This should be an exciting wetlands conference with wide ranging topics. The conference is divided into three themes but within each there is room for talks on almost any wetland topic. Call for Speakers.

The synopsis for this conference is below and full details are attached and on their website:

http://www.mtwatercourse.org/wwc/index.htm

PNW SWS Needs Your HELP!

Source: Vanessa Howard (503-725-9076) and Mark Sytsma (503-725-3833)Center
for Lakes and Reservoirs

Year-long Study of West Coast Invasive Plant Species Begins This Week Beachgoers asked to look for released drift cards
(Portland, Ore.) September 29, 2004 In order to better understand the potential for spread of invasive cordgrasses among west coast estuaries and bays, Portland State University scientists in the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs are beginning a study of ocean currents to identify coastal locations at high-risk for Spartina (cordgrass) invasion. Beginning today and then each month for the next year, 200 bright yellow drift cards will be released at the mouths of three estuaries. Willapa Bay in Washington, and Humboldt Bay and San Francisco Bay in California.

The releases will be done on an outgoing tide with the help of cooperators at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the US Fish & Wildlife Service Arcata Office and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. These estuaries have significant populations of one or more Spartina species and are potential sources of seeds or plant fragments.

The biodegradable wooden drift cards will float on the water surface and be carried by the ocean currents, behaving much as seeds or plant fragments would. The cards, made of lightweight plywood and painted with non-toxic paint, are designed to persist for only a few months in the harsh conditions of the ocean.

Observant beachgoers who find the cards should contact The Spartina Watch Project at Portland State to report where and when the cards are found. Each card has a unique identification number, a toll-free phone number and an email address for reporting purposes.

Spartina, commonly known as cordgrasses, are exotic, invasive plants in estuaries of the west coast of North America. Spartina was originally brought to the west coast for erosion control, and unintentionally in the ballast water of ships and in oyster packing material. Over the past few decades, however, scientists have recognized the threats posed by these rapidly spreading plants. Cordgrasses clog flood channels displace native vegetation, significantly raise mudflat elevation, and degrade habitat of Dungeness crab, shorebirds and migratory waterfowl by trapping sediments in their dense stems and root-mats.

With a focus on early detection and rapid response to invasive Spartina species, Portland State scientists hope that this study will help identify areas at high risk for invasion. While large-scale populations of Spartina exist in both Washington and California, only one small population is known to currently exist within Oregon' s borders. That population, located on the Siuslaw River near Florence, Oregon, is actively being treated.

The study is being funded by the San Francisco Estuary Institute (part of the Non-Chemical Alternatives Project of the Aquatic Pesticides Monitoring Program), Oregon Department of Agriculture and Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife.

To report a drift card finding, contact The Spartina Watch Program with the card number, date found and exact location at 503-725-9767, toll-free at 1-800-880-6568 or email spartinawatch@pdx.edu.

Photos of Spartina may be viewed at www.pdx.edu/media/s/p/Spartina1.jpg and www.pdx.edu/media/s/p/SpartinaNemahRiver.gif. The Spartina Dispersal Study
Card may be viewed at www.pdx.edu/media/s/p/SpartinaCard.pdf.

Ralph Garono, Web Site Manager