Wetland Law & Policy Workshop - 2024

1-Day workshop

Thursday, Nov. 21 - 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. (In person or Virtual)

Environmental Learning Center at Clackamas Community College, Oregon City Campus or Virtual (via Zoom)

Clackamas Community College, 0.65 CEU (6.5 PDH). Award of Completion will be provided.

This one-day workshop will provide a broad survey of Federal and State law and policy pertaining to wetlands and waterways, from historical beginnings to present day issues. It will provide insights into why we, as a nation, care about wetlands, and how that has been translated into law and policy. The primary audience is environmental professionals working in wetlands, aquatic resources, watershed management or related fields. Others who are active in environmental issues may also find the workshop informative.

Lunch is provided for in-person participants.

Phil Quarterman PWS (Emeritus)

Phil Quarterman has over 40 years of experience as a wetland scientist, working in local and state government and from 1995-2020 consulting with WHPacific, Inc. Since then he has continued to be active in part time consulting for Winterbrook Planning and volunteering with The Wetland Conservancy. He has worked on many types of projects delineating and assessing wetlands, obtaining state and federal permits, and crafting and implementing wetland mitigation plans. His fieldwork has taken him to diverse wetland types from alkaline wetlands in arid areas of Oregon and Nevada, to Oregon estuaries, to the tundra and boreal forests of Alaska. He has been teaching Society of Wetland Scientists certified classes on wetland delineation for the past ten years in locations in Oregon, Washington and Alaska.

• Explain the basic provisions of key federal and state laws protecting wetlands and waterways, and regulating activities within them.
• Explain the historical, political, and social/cultural underpinnings of wetland and waterway conservation.
• Explain basic concepts such as the Public Trust Doctrine, “navigability” and Oregon’s “paramount policy”.
• Describe the respective reach of Federal and State jurisdiction in regulating wetlands and waterways.
• Explain the most recent US Supreme Court decision on Federal jurisdiction over “waters of the US”.
• Approach wetland delineation, permitting and mitigation planning with greater confidence.

• Roman law and the Public Trust Doctrine relating to navigable waterways and interstate commerce
• Federal regulation under the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
• Clean Water Act of 1972
• Federal Executive Order 11990 of 1977—“No Net Loss of Wetlands”
• Federal jurisdiction over “waters of the US”
• Oregon Removal and Fill Law – the “paramount policy” for conserving wetland values, and state regulatory system
• Oregon’s vs. Federal distinction of “waters of the State”
• Oregon definition of navigable waterways
• Oregon definition of ownership of tidelands, rivers and lakes
• Wetland regulation in other states

• Standard - $225
• Student/AmeriCorps - $125
• Reduced Price - $160

If registering after November 19th for the In-person class, we will make every effort to provide lunch, but it may not be possible.

Reduced Pricing: We have a limited amount of funds available that can reduce the cost of your registration by 30% for those eligible. These dollars are for those with limited resources. If you are interested in applying, please select the "Apply for Reduced Pricing" ticket and we will follow up with you.

Cancellations are allowed up to 1-day prior to the start of class, however, refund amounts vary based on when you notify us of your cancellation.

• >30 days prior to event: Full refund, excluding Eventbrite fees

• 15-30 days prior to event: 75% refund

• 1-14 days prior to event: 50% refund

Please contact [email protected] if the cancellation is due to being COVID positive. In this case, we will happily provide a full refund, excluding Eventbrite fees.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Clackamas Community College Environmental Learning Center (ELC), 19600 Molalla Avenue, Oregon City, United States