New York and Northeast Workshop
Wetlands and Water Resources (Watershed) Management

November 3-4, 1998
Sheraton Saratoga Springs Hotel and Conference Center
Saratoga Springs, New York

Sponsored By:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II

Hosted By:
Institute for Wetland Science and Public Policy
Association of State Wetland Managers
New York State Wetlands Forum, Inc.
Capital District Regional Planning Commission
Land Trust of the Saratoga Region
Saratoga County Water Quality Committee
Saratoga County Soil and Water Conservation District
Saratoga County Environmental Management Council
U.S.D.A. Natural Resources Conservation Service
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Adirondack Park Agency

Other Cooperating Parties:
Hudson River Environmental Society
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
SUNY Syracuse College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Workshop Goals:

• Facilitate communication between local governments, federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, consultants, landowners, developers, and others working with wetlands and watershed management in New York and the Northeast.
• Provide "how-to" training and guidance to communities, agencies, nonprofits, and others with regard to wetland and watershed management including specific techniques and approaches.
• Improve communication and reduce the gap between wetland/floodplain management and water resources development/watershed management.

Workshop Coordinators: Dr. Jon Kusler, Institute for Wetland Science and Public Policy, Association of State Wetland Managers; Jennifer Brady-Connor, Association of State Wetland Managers

Agenda

(Note: there may be some changes. Most but not all speakers were confirmed as of 10/20/98.)

Day 1, November 3

7a.m.-7p.m. Registration.

9a.m.-9:15a.m. Welcome. George Hodgson, Saratoga County Environmental Management Council

9:15a.m.-9:30a.m. Introductions. Everyone attending will identify himself or herself.

9:30a.m.-10:00a.m. Local Wetlands and Water Resources Management: Solving and Preventing Problems. Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers

10:00a.m.-10:30a.m. Wetland and Floodplain Buffers and the Protection of Water Quality in Lakes and Streams. Rebecca Schneider, Cornell University

10:30a.m.-10:45a.m. Coffee Break

10:45a.m.-12:00p.m. A Local County's (Saratoga) Water Resource and Wetland Challenges. Panel: George Hodgson, Saratoga County Environmental Management Council; John Hamilton, Saratoga County Soil and Water Conservation District

12:00p.m.-1:15p.m. Lunch and Discussion Tables (optional). Tables will address, from various perspectives, the overall question: "How can protection and restoration of wetlands and related ecosystems be used to achieve water resources/watershed management objectives?" Other discussion tables may be added.

• Saratoga County: Existing Efforts of Water and Resource Planning (George Hodgson, Saratoga Co. Environ. Mgmt. Council)
• Wetland Outreach and Education (Jennifer Brady-Connor, Association of State Wetland Managers)
• Wetland Assessment (Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers)
• Water Quality Standards for Wetlands (Tom Snow, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation)
• NYS Wetland Regulatory Program (Pat Riexinger, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation)
• Wetland Mapping (Ralph Tiner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
• Hudson River Issues and Initiatives (Steve Wilson, Hudson River Environmental Society)
• GIS as a Planning Tool (John Whitney, Natural Resources Conservation Service)

1:15p.m.-1:30p.m. Summary of Table Discussions. Moderators present recommendations from each discussion table.

1:30p.m.-3:15p.m. Plenary Session: Overview of Tools for Watershed Management Planning.

• Watershed and Wetland Planning in New York State. Nan Stolzenburg, Association of State Wetland Managers
• Wetlands and River Corridor Planning Using NWI Maps. Ralph Tiner, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Clean Water Action Plan: Future Directions. Daniel Montella, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Rick Swenson, Natural Resource Conservation Service

3:15p.m.-3:30p.m. Coffee Break

3:30p.m.-5:00p.m. Simultaneous Workshops. All will address the overall question: "How can protection and restoration of wetlands and related ecosystems be used to achieve water resources/watershed management objectives?"

Session 1: Linking Wetlands to Water Quality.

• Biocriteria for Rivers and Wetlands. Tom Snow, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Streamsides and Lakeshores: The "Stepsisters" in Water Quality Management. Rebecca Schneider, Cornell University
• A Case Study of Atrazine and Nutrient Concentration Changes through a Stream and Wetland Prior to Reaching Lake Champlain. Larry Goehring, Cornell University

Session 2: Education and Outreach. Moderator: Barbara Beall, LA Group

• Curricula for All Ages: Project WET and Aquatic Project WILD. Frank Knight, NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation
• Preparing A Wetland Curriculum: A Case Study. Tannesa Hartwig, AmeriCorps
• Floating Classroom on Lake George. Joseph LaPierre, Lake George Association
• Wetlands Outreach Efforts in Monroe County, New York. Todd Stevenson, Monroe County Health Department

Session 3 (In exhibit area): GIS as a Wetland and Watershed Planning Tool.

• New York State Library and GIS. Sharon Oskam, New York State Public Library
• Using GIS in Local Planning and Wetlands Management. John Banta, Adirondack Park Agency
• Local Tax Map Data for Your Town in Saratoga County. Rick Weber, LA Group
• Stormwater and Floodplain Modeling. Howard Pike, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

5:00p.m.-7:00p.m. Poster Session, Displays, Mixer, Cash Bar, and GIS Demonstration.

Day 2, November 4

8:30a.m.-8:45a.m. A Summary of Workshop Sessions from Day 1. A session "reporter" from each of the workshops will present 4-7 of the major recommendations to utilizing wetlands to achieve water resources/watershed management goals.

8:45a.m.-10:15a.m. Plenary Session. Examples of Local Wetlands and Watershed Management Planning.

• Wappingers Creek Watershed Land Use Study. Barbara Kendall, Dutchess Co. Environmental Management Council
• The Great Swamp Initiative. Dan Siemann, The Nature Conservancy
• The Niagara Frontier Wetland Management Effort. John Whitney, Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Lake Champlain Management Plan. Sandra LeBarron, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

10:15a.m.-10:30a.m. Coffee Break

10:30a.m.-12:00p.m. Simultaneous Workshops. All will address the overall question "How can protection and restoration of wetlands and related ecosystems be used to achieve water resources/watershed management objectives? "

Session 4: Wetlands and Stormwater Management.

• Effects of an Artificial Wetland on Temperature and Chemical Quality of Stormwater from a Residential Development in Monroe County, New York. William Coon, U.S. Geological Survey
• Managing Stormwater Runoff and Improving Runoff Water Quality through Existing and Created Wetlands. Barbara Reuter, The Environmental Collaborative
• NYSDEC Stormwater Management Program. William Morton, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation

Session 5: Wetland Restoration.

• Identifying Restoration Sites and Restoration Strategies. Betsy Blair, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Wetland Restoration in the Context of Watershed Functions. Peter Black, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
• Basic "How-To" for Habitat Restoration. Vic Pyle, Save the Sound
• Stream and Wetland Restoration in New York. Carl Schwartz, Tom Jasikoff, and David Tilton, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Session 6: Protecting Your Local Drinking Water. Moderator: Beth Gelber

• New York State Source Water Protection Program. New York State Department of Health
• New York City Source Water Protection Plan. New York City Department of Environmental Protection
• Wellhead Protection: An Intermunicipal Effort. Paul Buzash, Schenectady County Planning Department

12:00p.m.-1:15p.m. Lunch Discussion Tables (optional). Tables will address, from various perspectives, the overall question: "How can protection and restoration of wetlands and related ecosystems be used to achieve water resources/watershed management objectives?" Other discussion tables may be added.

• USDA Farm Bill Programs (Steve Machovec, Natural Resources Conservation Service)
• Biocriteria for Rivers and Wetlands (Tom Snow, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation)
• GIS as a Planning Tool (John Banta, Adirondack Park Agency)
• Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Regulatory Program (John Connell, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
• Wetland Restoration (Peter Black, State University of NY College of Environmental Science and Forestry)
• Wetland Assessment (Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers)
• Saratoga County: Future Efforts in Wetlands/Water Resource Planning (Robert Kirker, Sar. Co. Water Quality Committee )
• New York State Wetlands Forum, Inc. Board of Governors Meeting.

1:15p.m.-1:30p.m. Summary of Table Discussions. Moderators present recommendations from each discussion table.

1:30p.m.-3:00p.m. Simultaneous Workshops. All will address the overall question: "How can protection and restoration of wetlands and related ecosystems be used to achieve water resources/watershed management objectives?"

Session 7: Addressing Your Local Water Quality Issues: Saratoga County

• A Multi-Faceted Approach for Watershed Protection at the Local Level. Olga Paidoussis, Town of Clifton Park, Saratoga Co.
• .Robert Stokes, Town of Greenfield, Saratoga County
• Ernest Martin, Village of Stillwater, Saratoga County

Session 8: Land Use Tools for Wetlands and Watershed Management Workshop. Nan Stolzenburg, and Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers

• Overview of techniques available
• Legal issues
• Ordinance provisions

Session 9: Pulling it All Together. Moderator:

• Unified Watershed Assessments. Phil DeGaetano, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Managing Rivers and Streams in a Watershed Context. Doug Shepard, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Farm Bill Programs and Wetland/Watershed Management. Steve Machovec, Natural Resources Conservation Service

3:00p.m.-3:15p.m. Coffee Break

3:15p.m.-5:00p.m. Pulling It All Together

• The Role of Restoration. Peter Black, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry (15 min)
• Future Directions for Saratoga County (30 min)
  • George Hodgson, Saratoga County Environmental Management Council (others to be designated)
• Future Directions: Conclusions and Recommendations (30 min)
  • Fran Sheehan, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
  • Ken Jones, Green Mountain Institute for Environmental Democracy
  • Barbara Beall, New York State Wetlands Forum
• Closing Remarks. Jon Kusler, Association of State Wetland Managers