Hello VAWP Members and Other Interested Parties!

Please join the Virginia Association of Wetland Professionals (VAWP) for another FREE webinar this Wednesday, March 10, 2021 from 12-1pm. 

March 10th VAWP Webinar Access Link – WetCAT and State Waters Determinations ß WEBINAR LINK

Michelle Henicheck, Senior Wetland Ecologist with the Virginia Department of the Environment (DEQ) will present on:

WetCAT (Wetland Conditions Assessment Tool)

And

Dave Davis, DEQ Director of the Office of Wetlands and Stream Protection will present on:

State Waters Determinations

A bit about the Speakers and Presentations:

Michelle Henicheck is the Senior Wetland Ecologist with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality-Office of Wetlands & Stream Protection.  Since 2006, Michelle has worked collaborative with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS)-Center for Coastal Resources Management to develop and implement VDEQ’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program.  The centerpiece of this program is the development of an online, interactive tool to assess the current conditions of Virginia’s nontidal wetlands. Michelle manages VDEQ’s state wetland program development grants from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to further enhance and implement the Wetland Condition Assessment Tool (WetCAT). She helped co-author the publication “Virginia Wetland Condition Assessment Tool” by Havens et al that was included in the “Wetland and Stream Rapid Assessment Book” (2018). Michelle has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry and Wildlife Management (Biology minor) from Virginia Tech, and has pursued additional graduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.  While in college, she interned with the Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOTs) water quality section. After graduation, she spent six years as an environmental consultant with several small regional-based firms in the Richmond area before joining VDEQ in 2001. Michelle is a Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS).In her spare time, Michelle likes to spend time on the water with her family and friends.

Dave Davis is the Director of the Office of Wetlands & Stream Protection at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.  He is responsible for Virginia’s independent nontidal wetland regulatory program, non-regulatory wetland program, and surface water investigation and stream gauging programs.  He is the chief technical expert for DEQ on wetland and stream ecology issues; drafts regulations and guidance on State wetland policy; serves as a liaison with federal agencies regarding Clean Water Act Section 404/401 issues and Rivers and Harbors Act Section 10 issues; represents DEQ on wetland issues related to the multi-state Chesapeake Bay Restoration Agreement; and manages several federally-funded hydrology and wetland research grants.  Dave holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (Botany concentration and Music minor) from The College of William & Mary and a Master of Environmental Studies degree in Environmental Policy and Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).  Since 2012, Dave has served on the Certification Review Committee for Society of Wetland Scientists-Professional Certification Program.  He is the 2015 recipient of the National Wetlands Award in the State/Tribal/Local Program Development category, awarded by the Environmental Law Institute.  In his spare time, Dave plays bass trombone with the Richmond Philharmonic Orchestra and the Central Virginia Jazz Orchestra; tenor trombone and tuba with Die Elbe-Musikanten, a traditional Bavarian band; and freelances on tenor and bass trombone and tuba in the central Virginia area.

DEQ’s Office of Wetland and Stream Protection (OWSP), in collaboration with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), has developed a wetland monitoring and assessment protocol to provide an ongoing assessment of the status of the Commonwealth’s wetland resources. The assessment protocol consists of a three-tiered approach using comprehensive coverage of all mapped non-tidal wetlands to achieve a GIS based analysis of remotely sensed information. Scores of wetland types are based on the habitat and water quality stressors associated with surrounding land use types. DEQ is be able to measure the protection of our more vulnerable wetlands (i.e. isolated wetlands), by comparing the condition of wetland habitat and water quality parameters, as a function of the assessment scoring over time.

The statistically-validated tool measures wetland quality as a function of habitat and water quality parameters and enables better and consistent decisions regarding the Commonwealth’s wetland resource. The data collected from the assessment has been compiled into an online GIS-based wetland data viewer identified as the Wetland Condition Assessment Tool (WetCAT). One unique aspect of WetCAT is its online interactive user interface, which allows users to overlay data such as previously permitted impacts, impaired waters, parcel data, land use, wetland habitat condition, water quality condition, and run various geoprocessing tools to visualize cumulative impacts, downstream flow, and upgradient drainage areas. (http://cmap2.vims.edu/WetCAT/WetCAT_Viewer/WetCAT_VA_2D.html).

One of the advantages of WetCAT is a comprehensive assessment of secondary impacts to wetland resources arising from activities that do not directly impact wetlands. This information can guide policy discussions on general land use management, stormwater, and land use planning. Linking decisions in these areas to wetland policy will be essential to achieving Virginia’s statutory requirement of no net loss of wetland acreage and function, and aid local governments with planning tools at the local as well as watershed level. WetCAT has been upgraded to include a shoreline best management layer and a sea level rise layer for coastal counties. Providing the tidal marsh and shoreline information in conjunction with nontidal wetlands will allow managers to comprehensively assess wetland condition and potential cumulative impact, provide improved wetland inventories and baseline condition assessments, and increase inter and intra agency coordination. The intent is to continually provide spatially explicit guidance to local planners, the public, and regulators on land use conversions that are most likely to degrade or enhance a wetland’s functional capacity. Tutorials and curriculum on how to use WetCAT effectively have already been developed and are currently provided on WetCAT to date.

WetCAT was recognized by the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) as an outstanding state initiative that can serve as a model for other states. In addition, WetCAT received the Governor’s Technology Award in 2019.

This webinar will be hosted by Kimley Horn using Zoom. Thank you, Kimley Horn!

To join the webinar, please use the link below at the time of the scheduled event:

March 10th VAWP Webinar Access Link – WetCAT and State Waters Determinations ß WEBINAR LINK

If the above link is not working, please use the Zoom Webinar Access Link below:

Join from a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device:

    Please click this URL to join. https://kimley-horn.zoom.us/s/99488493672       https://kimley-horn.zoom.us/s/99488493672 

Or iPhone one-tap:

    +13017158592,,99488493672# US (Washington DC)

    +13126266799,,99488493672# US (Chicago)

Or join by phone:

    Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

        US: +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 929 205 6099  or +1 253 215 8782  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 669 900 6833  or 833 548 0276 (Toll Free) or 833 548 0282 (Toll Free) or 877 853 5257 (Toll Free) or 888 475 4499 (Toll Free)

    Webinar ID: 994 8849 3672

Please feel free to pass this along to other interested parties and we hope you all can make it!