Welcome to the SWS Website

Welcome to the web site of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), an international organization of about 3,500 members dedicated to fostering sound wetland science, education, and management. SWS is the society for wetland professionals. It puts at your fingertips the latest research, access to the smartest people in the wetlands business, and links to the most interesting developments. Explore our site and see for yourself.

SWS News and Current Events

Rapanos Fined and Ordered to Create Wetlands 1/5/09

[New York Times] John Rapanos and others settled with regulators on a case that rose to the Supreme Court over the interpretation of 'navigable waters'. They agreed to pay a $150,000 penalty and construct 100 acres of wetlands and buffer areas. Another 134 acres will be preserved in Midland County. [NY Times Article]

Attend 2009 European Chapter Meeting 22-24 May! 1/5/09

The 4th Annual Meeting of the European Chapter of the Society of Wetland Scientists will be held in Erkner, Germany (near Berlin). Wetland restoration will be a focus of the meeting. [Visit Website]

Asian Wetlands -- Hotspots of Undiscovered Species 12/18/08

[Yahoo] Wetlands and rainforests along the Mekong River are home to >1,000 new species discovered in the past decade. Finds include a spider as big as a dinner plate, a rat thought to have become extinct 11 million years ago, and a cyanide-laced, shocking pink millipede. [Read Yahoo Post]

Student Travel Awards Applications Due Dec 17 12/16/08

Application Deadline December 17 - Awards for travel to the Jun 22-26, 2009 SWS meeting are available to undergraduate students from underrepresented groups. Spring 2009 graduates are eligible. Download the application or contact Dr. Frank P. Day (fday@odu.edu).

Supreme Court Rejects DOJ Wetlands Request 12/8/08

[From AIBS] The United States Supreme Court declined a request from the Justice Department to clarify the Court's Rapanos decision as it relates to a current case involving McWane, Inc., an Alabama manufacturer. The central issue is whether a stream polluted by the defendant qualifies for protection under the Clean Water Act. Lower courts have differed in their interpretation of the Rapanos ruling.

The task of clearly defining regulated waterways may now fall at the feet of the 111th Congress. Senator Russell Feingold(D- WI) and Representative James Oberstar (D-MN) plan to introduce legislation that restores wetland protections lost due to the Supreme Court's ruling. SWS submitted a statement in support of a similar bill last year [read letter].

On 3 December, the EPA and the Department of the Army announced they are issuing a revised guidance that "...will enable the agencies to make clear, consistent, and predictable jurisdictional determinations within the scope of the Clean Water Act," said John Paul Woodley Jr., Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works.

Nominations for Outstanding SWS Members Due Mar 1 12/8/08

Help SWS recognize excellence in wetland science, management or policy by nominating a member for an award. Packages are due 1 Mar 2009 (but earlier is better!). See the awards website for more info. We need your nominations for:

International Fellow: an internationally outstanding wetland scientist, usually from outside of the United States.

Merit: specific accomplishments in wetland science, management, policy or education.

Lifetime Achievement: in honor of a distinguished career in wetland science or its application.

Fellow: the highest recognition of SWS membership. Download application package.

National Wetland Awards Nominations Extended 12/7/08

The deadline for 2009 National Wetlands Awards nominations has been extended to January 15th. The National Wetlands Awards Program recognizes extraordinary individual achievement in six categories. Visit the Environmental Law Institute award website for more information.