VAWS will be voting on the Secretary, Treasurer, and two new members-at-large during the short business meeting. Reappointment of Member-At-Large Donovan Ward will also take place. How to be nominated or nominate someone else:  By March 12, members may submit written nominations to the Board of Directors on behalf of themselves or other qualified candidates with the consent of the nominee, signed by at least 5 members of good standing, for upcoming vacancies.

All Day In-person Event Presenter Biographies-coming soon

• 8:00-8:45 am: Registration/Networking/Breakfast of pastries and fresh fruit, coffee

• 8:45-9:00 Welcome and Introduction

• 9:00-9:30: Opening Remarks/ Keynote speaker: David Mears

• 9:30-10:30: Patrick Hurley (Memphremagog Watershed Assoc.)  Recent Stream & Wetland Restoration Projects in the Memphremagog Basin:  The Memphremagog Basin is a binational watershed in northern Vermont & southern Quebec with a familiar foe – excess phosphorus loading from the landscape resulting in harmful algal blooms in receiving waters. In recent years, the Association has worked to reduce phosphorus loading and restore aquatic habitat by designing & implementing stream & wetland restoration projects throughout the basin. Patrick Hurley will present case studies on a slew of projects that range from gravel treatment wetlands and forest road obliteration to alluvial fan reconstruction and low-tech, process-based stream restoration. Mr. Hurley will go beyond sharing novel practices and restoration strategies by providing a comparative analysis of phosphorus reduction values, costs, co-benefits, permitting constraints, design challenges, and adaptive management needs.

• 10:30-10:45: BREAK

• 10:45-11:15: Isabel Bowman (Windham County Natural Resources Conservation District) Small, Sandy, and Significant An overview of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) funded project that assessed small wetlands on agricultural land in the Upper Connecticut River Valley. Small (under 20 acre) wetland restoration projects can mitigate significant nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agricultural practices. With a potential nitrogen TMDL for the Upper Connecticut River, there has been an interest in identifying successful ways to reach out to producers about wetland restoration. The presentation includes a summary of the project overall, challenges faced, and potential funding sources identified through the process. Conservation Districts along the Upper Connecticut River identified small wetlands near agricultural fields, reached out to producers, assessed the health of these wetlands, and created restoration plans. Three wetland restoration plans and their upcoming implementation will be highlighted.

• 11:15-Noon: Mary Beth Poli (Ducks Unlimited) The Ducks Unlimited Vermont In Lieu Fee (ILF) Program  The Ducks Unlimited Vermont In Lieu Fee (ILF) Program covers the entire State of Vermont and is broken into 4 watersheds: the Richelieu (Lake Champlain), Upper Hudson (Battenkill, Walloomsac), Connecticut River, and St. Francois (Memphremagog). The ILF program provides a mitigation option for wetland permitting (State and/or Army Corps) to compensate for unavoidable wetland impacts. DU uses the ILF funds from several different permits within a watershed to develop wetland and stream restoration sites that restore a variety of functions and values including water quality, floodplain storage, and fish and wildlife habitat.  In 2025, DU completed the 7th year of post-construction monitoring and adaptive management at the Three Mile Bridge site and completed earthwork at the Willoughby Lake Road site. Several additional sites are in the planning phase, with earthwork and tree and shrub plantings planned for 2026, 2027 and beyond at DU sites in Rutland and Bennington County. In addition to project updates, DU will discuss lessons learned over the last few years from the design, construction, monitoring, and adaptive management phases of several projects in Vermont and New York. DU will highlight partnerships with The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the State of Vermont Fish & Wildlife Dept, and more. The presentation will also include an overview of the credit purchase process for those who do not use the program regularly.

• 12:00-1:00 Mexican Themed Lunch and networking

• 1:00-1:30: Adrian Pierce and Allison Slaney (VHB): Management Considerations Based on Long-Term Monitoring of Phragmites australis and Lythrum salicaria throughout Vermont   VHB will describe monitoring efforts completed to support Vermont Wetland Permit (VWP) Condition J compliance for numerous Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) projects. Based on observations over 9 years at over 20 project locations, hand-pulling methods to mechanically remove common reed (Phragmites australis, “PHAU”) and purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria, “LYSA”) do not result in eradication or even long-lasting decreases in the aerial extent of these non-native invasive species (NNIS) within impacted portions of Class II wetlands or their associated buffers. This presentation will describe the potential  factors affecting the efficacy of hand-pull methodology including PHAU and LYSA population size and pre- existence of the species in or surrounding the monitoring area. We will also highlight projects for which VTrans  plans to pilot alternative non-herbicidal methods of management to combat PHAU and LYSA in the 2026  growing season, with a particular focus on larger populations of each species that cannot be feasibly hand- pulled. These methods include spring beetle release to combat large populations of LYSA, mechanical shading  (via tarps) over large populations of PHAU, and utilization of pollinator seed mixes.

• 1:30-2:00:Tim Freiday (Stantec) Breeding Birds of VT Wetlands Have you ever heard a sound in the marsh and wondered what it was? Or seen a brightly colored or intricately patterned bird while hiking in a wetland and wondered what it is? We will discuss some of the more commonly encountered bird species that breed in Vermont’s wetland habitats and discuss their habits and how to identify them. Tim will also touch upon how the Emerald Ash Borer is rapidly changing the physical structure of many wetlands and will share any recent research that may have looked at how this will affect birds breeding in those areas (blue-winged and golden-winged warbler). Additionally, warming winter temps may facilitate the northward march of the hemlock woolly adelgid and impact the myriad of species that use those forests and wetlands. There is lots to talk about!

• 2:00-2:30: Emily DeAlto (UVM Field Naturalist Program) An Ode to Joe’s Pond - Morrisville, VT  Joe’s Pond–Morrisville is a 26-acre parcel with nearly a quarter of which being peatlands. These peatlands are part of a large and ecologically significant wetland complex that also includes Morristown Bog and Valcour Bog. This is the first ecological assessment of this portion of the wetland complex, with a focus on understanding and sharing the story of the natural history and future conservation of its peatlands. This talk shares the emerging ten-thousand-year story of this wetland, and how I grew as a wetland ecologist while piecing it together. Through mapping of natural community types and analysis of peat cores and measurement the data provide a glimpse into how this peatland formed, how its hydrology and vegetation have changed and been changed by its evolution, how its development may differ from neighboring sites such as Molly Bog, and how local hydrology and beaver activity continue to shape the system today. I will also reflect on the educational and experiential value of wetlands with more than a thousand hours spent learning from it, a powerful model of place-based education, field skill development, and the reciprocal relationship between an ecologist and her landscape.

• 2:30-2:45: BREAK

•  2:45-3:30: Jeannine Russell (VTrans Environmental Section) Holding the Place of Spirit This presentation explores the relationship and importance of wetlands as an environmental factor in identifying locations of archaeological sensitivity and recorded archaeological sites. You will see a pattern in the geographic locations of recorded sites to significant wetlands and the roles wetlands play in the material culture found through excavation and studies. Wetlands play important roles in providing food, essential crafting and construction material, and medicine, as well as holding the spirit of place. I will illustrate how wetlands are intertwined within a Native American context as well as early Historic development focusing on a few of the plants and other characteristics of wetlands that were important to early inhabitants in the northeast. We will then zoom in even closer to look at one of the most important archaeological sites in Vermont located within the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge that was studied as part of the VT RT 78 VTrans project and get a glimpse into the material recovered from that site that highlights the relationship between the lengthy Pre-Contact human occupation within that significant wetland complex. I will conclude by emphasizing the benefit of cross-discipline training and a holistic approach to the resources around us including the importance of protection and sustainability for future generations.

• 3:30-4:00: Laura Lapierre (VT Wetlands Program) Regulatory Updates as They are Known Today The ever changing world of rules, regulations, and other updates. This will be a brief session on what is happening within the State Wetlands Program. Perhaps not all the answers will be provided,  but this presentation will recap on where we are in the Executive Order process, what's happening with aCT 121  and the 2:1 mitigation implementation process, updates on all the new mapping that has been happening, and other glimpses into Program development and support such as an introduction to the new BMP manual and its expected release.

• 4:00-5:00: VAWS Business meeting, GRATITUDE RAFFLE, and Closing Remarks: you must be present to win a raffle item.

• 5:00-6:00 pm: Happy Hour on-site

Raffle items will include a $100.00 VT Forest, Parks, and Rec gift card which can be used to reserve state park campsites! Hand crafted, painted art work, photography, beaded jewelery, whisk brooms,  books and even homegrown carnivorous plants are raffle items that have been provided this year so far!    PLEASE NOTE: VAWS logo winter hats will be on sale for $30.00 at the Conference.