Terry Doss
About Us
Terry Doss
CERP (Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner)
Co-Director and Chief Restoration Scientist
Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute
New Jersey Sport and Exposition Authority
Terry Doss, CERP, is a restoration ecologist who serves as Co-Director and Chief Restoration Scientist of MRRI. Over the past 35 years, Terry has served as a local leader in restoring the natural areas located within the urban wildlands of New York and New Jersey, with a primary expertise in managing coastal and wetland restoration projects using nature-based solutions to reduce flood risks while improving resiliency for coastal communities. Terry has nurtured projects from baseline assessment, through design and permitting, to the final construction and monitoring of these natural areas.
Terry’s first employer was the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, where she worked as a policy analyst for the Head Scientist at the National Ocean Service in Washington D.C. Upon moving to the NY-NJ area, Terry worked for private consulting companies restore wetlands and other habitats, and author a series of restoration planning documents. Terry’s first wetland restoration projects occurred in the Meadowlands, where she served as project manager for the restoration of 200 acres of wetlands on the Williams Transcontinental Gas Pipeline properties in Carlstadt.
For Biohabitats, the last private consulting firm where Terry worked before turning to public service, Terry led the NY-NJ Bioregion office for Biohabitats, a firm dedicated to restoring the earth and inspiring ecological stewardship. Her experiences while there included developing novel approaches to restore water quality within urban waterways, restoring native ecosystems and species including oysters and eelgrass, conducting water quality studies to monitor changes resulting from ecological restoration projects, and designing and constructing living shorelines along various Mid-Atlantic coastlines.
Since joining NJSEA, Terry’s primary focus has been on assisting the Authority with meeting their stated mandate to protect the delicate balance of nature. Working closely with MRRI staff, she developed a Strategic Plan for the Natural
Resources Group, a USEPA-approved Wetland Program Plan, and the NJSEA’s first Wildlife Action Plan. These documents now provide a living framework for the research and restoration goals undertaken daily by MRRI staff.
One of Terry’s goals for the MRRI staff has been increased collaboration and coordination with others organizations and groups that share the agency’s goal for protecting the delicate balance of nature. To further this goal, Terry regularly attends meetings with local, regional, state-wide, national and international groups and organizations and encourages staff to become involved as well to expand their knowledge and hone their technical skills.
Terry regularly works in the field with MRRI staff to monitor site conditions within the Meadowlands; assist with Diamondback Terrapin and avian surveys; map habitat and shorelines; build and restore nests and breeding areas; and undertake cutting edge efforts to naturally manage invasive species that threaten the diversity of the Meadowlands. Terry enjoys sharing her observations and lessons learned through her photographs and presentations. Terry’s vision for MRRI is to produce credible and salient science and information, to promote cost-effective resource management, and to pursue diverse funding sources for the future conservation and restoration of the NJSEA’s natural resources.
Terry received a BS in Agricultural Sciences in 1984, and later received a Master of Marine Policy in 1989, both from the University of Delaware. In 2003, Terry studied Earth Sciences as part of a PhD program at Lehigh University where her research focus was the fens of Alberta, Canada – studying soil carbon accumulation within peat cores taken across Western Canada.
In addition to sitting on the Board of Directors for the NY/NJ Baykeeper, where she serves as Vice Chair, Terry is actively involved with the following professional societies:
- Society of Wetland Scientists: Past president of the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, recipient of the President’s Award, and currently serving on the Board for the Restoration Section;
- Society for Ecological Restoration (SER): Board member for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter;
- Ecological Society of America; and,
- National Association of Wetland Managers
Terry frequently speaks at the annual conferences for these professional societies. She was certified by SER as an Ecological Restoration Practitioner in 2018 and has been leading efforts to train others on SER’s International Standards for the Practice of Ecological Restoration.
Terry Parker Doss, CERP
Co-Director of Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority
Over 30 years of experience managing coastal and wetland restoration projects, the focus of which has been on nature-based solutions to improve resiliency, heal damaged ecological processes, and create beneficial relationships between the land and all forms of life. Shares experiences and lessons learned through writing, photography and public speaking.
Education
Coursework towards a PhD, Earth & Environmental Science, Lehigh University, 2004
Master of Marine Policy, University of Delaware, 1989
Bachelor of Science, Agricultural Science/Natural Resource Economics, 1984
Professional Experience
Director of Natural Resources Management, NJSEA
Hackensack Meadowlands, NJ. November 2018 – present
Hudson River Bioregion Team Leader & Senior Ecologist, Biohabitats, Inc.
New York and New Jersey. January 2008 – November 2018
Manager of Ecological Restoration, The Louis Berger Group
Morristown, NJ. December 1997 – January 2008
Wetland Scientist and Environmental Planner, Konheim & Ketcham, Inc.
Brooklyn, NY. July 1990 – December 1997
Policy Analyst, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Admin.
Washington D.C. September 1998 – July 1990.
Professional Associations
NY/NJ Baykeeper
Board of Directors, 2012 – ongoing
Society of Wetland Scientist
Past-President Mid-Atlantic Chapter
Board of Directors
President’s Award – 2002
Co-Chair SWS Annual International Meeting – 2002 & 2008
Society of Ecological Restoration
NJ Chapter President, NJ Chapter Secretary, Mid-Atlantic Meeting Chair 2016
CERP Program Standards Committee
New Jersey Tidal Wetland Monitoring Network
Hudson Estuary Program Restoration Work Group
National Association of State Wetland Managers
Representative List of Project Experiences
Coastal Restoration
- Earle Naval Weapons Station Oyster Restoration and Living Shoreline, Leonardo NJ
- Fresh Creek Coastal Protection & Living Shoreline for Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, Brooklyn NY
- Kearny Point Living Shoreline Restoration, Kearny NJ
- Freshkills Park Tidal Wetland and Living Shoreline Restoration, Staten Island NY
- Jamaica Bay Oyster and Eelgrass Restoration Pilot Projects – NYC CSO-PlaNYC Green Infrastructure Initiative, Brooklyn & Queens NY
- Beach Nourishment Monitoring for Piping Plover and Seabeach Amaranth, Sea Bright, Monmouth, Keansburg and Asbury Park Beaches, NJ
- Dune Restoration and Endangered Species Monitoring for National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant, Monmouth Beach NJ
- Passaic River Blueway Trail Development, NJ
- Nereid Boat Club Living Shoreline Restoration, Rutherford NJ
- Woodbridge Creek Salt Marsh Restoration & Mitigation Design & Construction, Woodbridge NJ
- Lincoln Park Salt Marsh Design, Jersey City NJ
- Marsh Resources Meadowlands Mitigation Bank – Salt Marsh Restoration Design, Construction and Monitoring, Carlstadt NJ
- Gerritsen Creek – Salt Marsh Restoration Design, Brooklyn NY
- Randall’s Island Salt Marsh and Freshwater Wetland Restoration and Construction, NY
- Former Flushing Airport Salt Marsh Restoration Design, Queens NY
- Mill Creek Marsh Enhancement – Spartina alterniflora establishment and Repair of Berm Breach, Secaucus NJ
Coastal Studies
- Long Wharf Flood Protection Strategies, New Haven CT
- Oakwood Beach Wetland Mitigation Bank Feasibility Study for the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery, Staten Island NY
- Town of Orleans Floating Wetland Feasibility Study, Orleans MA
- Great Kills Harbor Evaluation of an Offshore Breakwater System, Staten Island NY
- Buffalo River Shoreline Restoration, Buffalo NY
- Jamaica Bay Ecological Watershed Atlas, Brooklyn & Queens NY
- Muskrat Cove – Bronx River Shoreline Stabilization, Bronx NY
- Berry’s Creek Study Area – Evaluation of Marsh Production, Function and Values, Hackensack Meadowlands NJ
- Lower Passaic River Restoration Sampling & Reconnaissance Study, NJ
- Harrier Meadows Hydrological and Ecological Assessment, North Arlington NJ
- Oritani Marsh Baseline Studies & Restoration Design, East Rutherford NJ
Upland Ecological Restoration
- Teaneck Creek Park Habitat Restoration, Teaneck NJ
- Wild Duck Pond Restoration, Ridgewood NJ
- Tibbetts Brook Combined Sewer Overflow Reduction and Daylighting in Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx NY
- Van Cortlandt Park Restoration and Flood Control, Bronx NY
- NYCDEP Green Infrastructure Research & Development, New York City NY
- Shore (Belt) Parkway Water Quality Best Management Facilities, Brooklyn NY
- New Jersey Highlands Critical Habitat Conservation & Management Plan, NJ
- Reconstruction and Naturalization of Indian Lake, Bronx NY
Wetland Delineation and Assessment
- Development of the Hydrogeomorphic Model for the Tidal Fringe Wetlands in the Hackensack Meadowlands District NJ
- On-Call Wetland Services for the NYC Department of Economic Development Corporation, New York City NY
- Wetland Delineations and Functional Assessment for NYSDOT regions 8 & 11, NY
- Belt Parkway System Drainage Improvements, Brooklyn & Queens NY
- Hutchinson River Parkway Infrastructures Improvement, Westchester County NY
Environmental Assessment
- Liberty State Park, Jersey City NJ
- BASF-Kearny Site, Kearny Township NJ
- Sea Girt National Guard Training Center, Sea Girt NJ
- Former EPEC Polymers Inc., Burlington NJ
- Teterboro Airport, Moonachie NJ
- Geotechnical & Biobenchmark Investigations for Multiple Sites, Hackensack Meadowlands NJ
Planning and Permitting
- Mariners and Arlington Marsh Master Plan, Staten Island NY
- Jamaica Bay Watershed Protection Plan, Brooklyn & Queens NY
- Meadowlands Comprehensive Restoration Implementation Plan, Hackensack Meadowlands NJ
- Meadowlands Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, Hackensack Meadowlands NJ
- NYC Marine Transfer Station Feasibility Study, NY
- NYC Long-Range Sludge Management Program, NY
- NYC Solid Waste Management Study, NY
Recent Professional Presentations
Society of Wetland Scientist, Baltimore MD. May 2019. Thirty Years of Protecting and Restoring the New Jersey Meadowlands.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve, NY. April 2019. Society for Ecological Restoration’s Introduction and Case Studies, International Standards for Ecological Restoration.
Ecological Society of America, New Orleans August 2018. Reconstructing degraded coastal ecosystems.
American Geophysical Union, New Orleans, December 2017. Living shoreline designs in urban systems: Examples from New York and Baltimore Harbors.
