Wetland Restoration Workshop
March 10 @ 8:00 am - March 14 @ 5:00 pm
Registration is now open for the Wetlands Restoration Training Workshop!
What? A FREE two-day wetland restoration and construction course instructed by Tom Biebighauser of Wetland Restoration and Training LLC (https://wetlandrestorationandtraining.com/) with additional instruction from wetland scientists from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
Tom Biebighauser has traveled the world restoring wetlands in an ecologically sustainable and cost-effective manner. He has designed over 11,000 wetland and stream projects and has been on the ground supervising the restoration of over 3,000 wetlands and streams in 26 States, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico. Tom has written four books on restoration practices and instructs graduate-level restoration courses at two universities. You can view some of the wetlands he has built by visiting: https://wetlandrestorationandtraining.com/. John Utterback will be operating the large excavator needed to build the wetlands. John has over 20-years of experience constructing wetlands across Kentucky, New York, and Ohio with Tom Biebighauser. Check out Tom’s How to Build a Wetland video series! Thomas Biebighauser – YouTube.
Who? We welcome all federal, state, tribal, local, NGO partners and other conservation practitioners who work directly with private or public landowners. Workshop costs and registration fees are covered by a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) administered Chesapeake Bay Innovative Nutrient and Sediment Reduction Grant awarded to The Nature Conservancy with the goal of advancing voluntary wetland restoration practices in Virginia.
Through this course, we hope that attendees will gain an understanding of the history of wetland impacts, be able to identify potential opportunities for wetland creation, restoration, or enhancement, be able to explain the wetland project design and construction process to interested landowners, and will know of available funding programs and technical assistance providers so they can connect interested landowners to the resources they need.
Two course location/date options:
Central Virginia March 10-11, 2025
DWR Head Quarters Office Board Room 7870 Villa Park Dr. #400, Richmond, VA 23228 Field work – TBD (within 1 hour of Richmond)
Eastern Shore Virginia March 13-14, 2025 TNC Brownsville Preserve
11332 Brownsville Rd., Nassawadox, VA 23413 Field work onsite at the preserve
Topics covered in course:
Day 1 (9am – 5pm) – History of wetland impacts, site identification and desktop analysis, and field visits to drained lands and restored sites.
Day 2 (8am – 5pm) – Wetland restoration design, field data collection, and the hands-on construction of a small wetland.
Expectations:
- Space for this workshop is very limited. Please only register if you know you can attend the entire two-day session.
- Please bring your own lunch.
- Much of this course will be spent outside. Dress accordingly and plan to get dirty!
- Please bring a hardhat and high visibility clothing to wear the second day of the workshop during construction.
REGISTER HERE! ( https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/58bdabaad5e84c5b8e4ccf6111158c1c )
If you have questions, or are interested in attending but have any limitations (including PPE), please contact Kati Booth (kati.booth@tnc.org) or Ben Sagara (ben.sagara@dwr.virginia.gov).