Volume 25, Number 10 ● July 6, 2017
In This Issue:
State Programmatic General Permit (SPGP) Update: Final 2017 SPGP Released
Arlington County RPA Map Updates
Harperella Surveys Help Avoid Costly Project Delays
Increased Reforestation Requirement in Annapolis
State Programmatic General Permit (SPGP) Update:
Final 2017 SPGP Released
On June 29, 2017, the Norfolk District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) announced the issuance of the 2017 State Program General Permit (17-SPGP-01), effective immediately. This permit supersedes and replaces all previous versions. The final 17-SPGP-01 did not include major changes since the draft 17-SPGP-01 was released on April 13, 2017. For a refresher on what has changed from the previous 12-SPGP-01, please see our April 18, 2017 Field Notes.
Arlington County RPA Map Updates
Arlington County is in the process of updating their Resource Protection Area (RPA) maps. The map is being updated in response to new information from the County’s Natural Resources Inventory in 2008 and from storm sewer mapping in 2014. The draft map is available on the Arlington County website; click here for a pdf.
Harperella Surveys Help Avoid Costly Project Delays
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) is preparing for another season of harperella (Ptilimnium nodosum) surveys. This small, endangered member of the carrot family lives along larger rocky creeks in Virginia and Maryland. The field survey "window" for harperella is open from July 1 to September 30. Schedule now and avoid critical delays in obtaining your wetlands permit or other federal actions that require Endangered Species Act compliance.
WSSI staff found this harperella specimen in 2014
Increased Reforestation Requirement in Annapolis
Typical reforestation area with protection signage
On March 27, 2017, the Annapolis City Council approved changes to the local Forest Conservation (FC) Ordinance, known as the “No Net Loss” provision because it requires additional reforestation for forest clearing activities associated with development projects. The changes, effective upon adoption, greatly increased the mitigation ratio for forest clearing. The Annapolis City Council acted to prevent canopy loss in the City of Annapolis and ultimately chose mitigation ratios that are now significantly more stringent than the State Forest Conservation Law with respect to reforestation and conservation thresholds.
Washington Youth Summit on the Environment Visits WSSI
The Washington Youth Summit on the Environment (WYSE) is an annual program which hosts 250 high school juniors and seniors from across the country at George Mason University for a week of hands-on experiences and seminars regarding the environment. As part of this year’s program and for the second year in a row, Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) hosted 40 of these future leaders at our Gainesville office on June 27. The students and staff were given a tour of our LEED Gold building – starting on the green roof and following the stormwater treatment throughout the building. Favorite parts of the tour included the pervious pavement demonstration, visiting the WSSI gym, and, of course, the dogs.
WYSE students learned about geo probes from Triad Engineering
WSSI Educates at 2017 Heron Fest
Seedlings and information at the WSSI/MAC-IECA table
Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. (WSSI) staff, many of whom are active in the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Erosion Control Association (MAC-IECA), provided a MAC-IECA Earth Day component at Kincora’s annual HeronFest. WSSI staff Dan Fisk, Lauren Shaffer, and Natasha Nahas educated festival goers about Kincora’s on-site wetland mitigation and stream restoration projects that WSSI designed and is actively monitoring.