NEW ASWM PUBLICATIONS
(Please click on title of publication to view in PDF format.)

Reconciling Wetlands Assessment Techniques.  By Jon Kusler, Ph.D.  This paper has been prepared to stimulate thinking.  It is a background paper for an ASWM project concerning the reconciliation of wetland assessment techniques, and it has been used for discussion in several conferences. The overall goals of the project and paper are (1) to help federal, state and local agencies prepare guidance on the use of specific wetland assessment techniques, particularly for regulatory purposes, and (2) to facilitate longer term development of multi-objective assessment techniques which incorporate the promising features of existing techniques and avoid their weaknesses.

 

Wetland Assessment for Regulatory Purposes: Report Series by Jon A. Kusler, Esq., Ph.D. (Please click on title to view in PDF format. Please submit comments or suggestions to Jon Kusler by February 5, 2004 to the address below.)

Final Report 1: Assessing Functions and Values.  Jon Kusler, Ph.D. Draft Final Report 1 focuses on the assessment of wetland functions and values for regulatory purposes.  It examines, in greater depth, regulatory needs for assessing functions and values and discusses assessment techniques and methods in light of those needs. This report considers why assessment of functions and values is so difficult and strategies for dealing with problems and limitations.  It addresses why there is so much confusion concerning assessment methods and suggests how this confusion might be reduced.  It examines lessons learned in assessing functions and values and makes recommendations for future efforts.

Final Report 2: Wetland Assessment in the Courts.  Jon Kusler, Ph.D.  Draft Final Report 2 focuses more specifically on legal (Constitutional, statutory, administrative regulation, or ordinance) requirements.  This report is based upon an extensive analysis of wetland, floodplain, and other resource case law.

Final Report 3: Integrating Wetland Assessment into Regulatory Permitting.  Jon Kusler, Ph.D. Draft Final Report 3 proposes a five-step wetland regulatory assessment process reflecting the analysis and recommendations contained in the earlier two reports. The report is not a “cookbook.”  Rather, it suggests processes and factors that regulatory agencies should consider in establishing their own assessment methods, consistent with the five overall steps.  This report contains many appendices and other materials.

 

A Guide for Local Governments: Wetlands and Watershed Management.  By Jon Kusler, Ph.D. et al.  This guidebook has been written to help local governments integrate water resources management and wetland ecosystem protection efforts.  The guidebook has been written for engineers, biologists, botanists, planners, not for profit staff, legislators and others. It makes recommendations for integrating wetlands into broad watershed management efforts and more specific water programs including floodplain management, stormwater management, source water protection, point source pollution control, and nonpoint source pollution control programs.  Case study examples are provided from throughout the Nation.