Hotel Northampton, Northampton, MA, hosted the joint meeting of the National Wetland Managers’ (NAWM) Mid-Atlantic Wetlands Workgroup (MAWWG) and the New England Biological Assessment of Wetlands Workgroup (NEBAWWG) between November 12 and 14.
NAWM, a non-profit organization established in 1983, has been tirelessly promoting and enhancing protection and management of wetland resources. The organization’s goal is to encourage the application of sound science in wetland management and policy making that fosters the restoration and protection of wetlands and aquatic resources. NAWM’s regional meetings bring together wetland practitioners, both private and government, academics, and policy makers to facilitate private/public partnership to achieve these goals.
MRRI’s Co-Director, Teresa Doss, and Senior Environmental Scientist Dr. Ildiko C. Pechmann participated in the MAWWG-NEBAWWG joint meeting that endeavored to provide a three day platform for participants representing federal and state regulatory personnel and scientists from the Mid-Atlantic to discuss development and implementation of wetland monitoring strategies for the region. Activities included a field trip on Nov 12th to wetland restoration sites, such as the Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge in Hadley, MA and the Pine Grove restoration Site in Northampton, MA, the latter displaying successful strategies to restore a legacy golf course.
The two day meeting that followed saw wetland scientist of the region’s state and federal agencies and universities giving updates on the status and further challenges of their respective wetlands and aquatic resources. Talks displayed a wide array of best practices and suitable strategies for both fresh and tidal wetland restoration projects. Terry Doss presented on behalf of MRRI emphasizing novel remote sensing and wildlife monitoring techniques that have a potential to promote our understanding of the lower Hackensack Estuary.
