Field Trips & Workshops

Field Trips and Workshops Listed Below!

Field Trips

Full- and half-day field trips will take place on Tuesday, July 15. Registration will be limited and additional fees may occur.

Achieving Ecological Outcomes in an Urban Headwater: The Broad Meadow Brook Restoration Project (Half Day)

Hosted by Tom Lautzenheiser from Mass Audubon

Length: Half Day (8:00am-12:30pm)
Includes: Transportation, Water, Snacks
Additional Fee: $150 per person
Max Capacity is 20

Attire: Participants should wear comfortable shoes for walking approximately 1.5 miles on level surfaces; pack sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunscreen) as some areas have minimal shade; bring insect repellent; and be aware that poison ivy grows close to the walking trails.

The Broad Meadow Brook Restoration Project is a partnership between the Massachusetts Audubon Society, City of Worcester, MA Division of Ecological Restoration, and Blackstone Watershed Collaborative. The project focuses on an approximately 40-acre, highly degraded wetland system within an urban watershed, embedded within Environmental Justice communities. The project's goal is to achieve a dynamic, diverse, and self-sustaining stream and wetland ecosystem that provides a full suite of ecosystem services, accessible for the benefit and enjoyment of neighbors, residents, and visitors. Currently in the design and engineering phase, the project includes many challenges and complexities typical of urban watersheds. In this field trip, we will explore sections of the project site to demonstrate important project components and constraints. The planned walk route is almost entirely level and even, on a gravel surface, for an approximately 1.5-mile out-and-back hike. The majority of this route is wheelchair accessible.

 

Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park (Half Day)

Hosted by Amanda Babson and Kevin Rice from the National Park Service

Length: Half Day (1:15pm - 5:00pm)
Includes: Transportation, Water, Snacks
Attire: TBD
Additional Fee: $150 per person
Max Capacity is 25

Visit three of the sites of Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park that tell the story of the American Industrial Revolution. Old Slater Mill tells the story of the river's role in industrial and labor history. At Blackstone River State Park, we'll visit the Blackstone Canal and Ashton Mill Village. At Elizabeth Webbing Mill, we'll visit a site where efforts to facilitate fish passage are currently underway. We'll discuss the cleanup of the river, climate adaptation planning and issues related to fish passage around the historic dam and small scale hydro permitting.

Up Close with the Narrow River: A Guided Kayak Trip (Full Day)

Hosted by Dr. Catie Alves from Save The Bay and Dr. Veronica Berounsky from the Narrow River Preservation Association

Length: Full Day (9:00am - 5:00pm)
Includes: Transportation, Water, Lunch
Additional Fee: $200 per person
Max Capacity is 20
Attire: Please wear layered, weather-appropriate clothing and sandals or water shoes. You may want to bring a towel and wear a swim suit, as there might be opportunities for swimming along the paddle route. Please bring sunscreen, a water bottle, waterproof camera, waterproof binoculars, and a change of dry clothes in a bag (to be left on the bus during tour).  Bathrooms are available at the dropoff location but not generally available on the river.

The Narrow River (Pettaquamscutt Estuary) in southern Rhode Island is an ecological delight with a variety of ecosystems along its 9 km length. Ranging from deep anoxic basins in the northern end to shallow tidal deltas in the southern end, with marsh restoration work, stormwater best management practices (BMPs), non-point sources, and endangered birds and flowers in between, there is plenty to see via kayak. This trip will begin at a local outfitter, Narrow River Kayaks, where we will get outfitted with kayaks, life jackets, and an opportunity to use the restroom facilities. We will listen to a brief overview of the trip and some background about the restoration work by scientists working in this section of the estuary. Then we’ll get into our kayaks and paddle a few kilometers upriver with scientist-guides who will discuss ecological issues along the way and point out pipes, BMPs, etc.  We will come ashore at a river location to eat lunch (provided)  and use restrooms. Following lunch, we’ll get back into our boats and kayak north, concluding our tour in the Upper Pond of the estuary where last November an overturn of the anoxic water happened, an unusual event (but not abnormal). Participants will have an opportunity to change and use the restrooms prior to bus departure at 4 pm. The group will return to the conference venue by 5 pm. The kayak trip will be approximately 4 miles.

Note: This will be an intermediate-level kayak paddle so please consider your physical capabilities prior to registration. Most of the trip we will be paddling upriver with the tide.

Wetland Restoration of Former Cranberry Bogs in Southeastern Massachusetts (Full Day)

Hosted by Stephen Lecco from GZA
This trip will include three dropoff stops

• Stuart Bogs
• Mill Brook Bogs
• Mattapoisett Bogs

Length: Full Day (9:00am - 4:00pm)
Includes: Transportation, Water, Lunch
Additional Fee: $200 per person
Max Capacity is 29
Attire: TBD

The Buzzards Bay Coalition, Massachusetts Cranberry Bog Restoration Program and GZA will guide participations through three wetland restoration projects within former cranberry bogs in southeastern, MA to learn about the technical challenges and the federal, state, regional, non-profit and private industry partnerships needed to bring these projects to completion.  We will provide an overview of Cranberry Bog Restoration in Massachusetts by visiting projects in different phases of restoration: Planning & Design (Stuart Bogs: a headwater bog system retired in 2019), Construction (Mill Brook Bogs: a cranberry farm retired in 2012), and Completed (Mattapoisett Bogs: a former bog complex restored in fall 2024).

Bristol County Agricultural High School and Taunton River Wetlands (Half Day)

Hosted by Scott Smyers from the Association of Massachusetts Wetland Scientists

Length: Half Day (12:15pm - 5:00pm)
Includes: Transportation, Water, Snacks
Additional Fee: $150 per person
Max Capacity is 24
Attire: TBD

Join us for a tour of Bristol County Agricultural High School's state of the art facilities where students work on headstarting rare turtles, use drones for habitat analysis, conduct turtle trapping in the Taunton River, and study methods for raising freshwater fish and propagating coastal wetland plants. The teachers at this school have unique partnerships with professional consultants, academics, and state biologists. These partnerships match students with useful projects and experience and should serve as a model for career development in wetland related sciences.

Workshops

Dive into current topics and trends with our pre-conference workshops on Tuesday, July 15, where participants will dig deeper into areas of specialization, learn and apply new methodologies, and discover ideas that pique your curiousity during your time in Providence. 

Wetland Functional Assessment Workshop (Full Day)

Length: Full Day (8:00am - 5:00pm)
*The field session portion of this workshop will be held from 12:30-3:30pm at York Pond
Includes: Transportation, box lunch, drinks, and snacks
Addition Fee: $225 per person
Max capacity is 28
Attire: TBD

The workshop will provide an introduction to the New England Wetland Functional Assessment (NEWFA), a functional assessment method that is designed for use in all types of wetlands throughout New England.  The workshop will include application of both office and field methods, introducing participants to the practical applications of NEWFA.  The method is model-based, using fourteen different models, with over forty variables, to express and evaluate fourteen different functions falling within the physical aspects of hydrology, water quality, and biota support.  Each function receives a numerical score, or Functional Capacity Grade for the function.  Scores are not combined so that each individual function is assessed independently.  Workshop attendees will receive an introduction to the NEWFA structure and process and then be able to take a field site through the NEWFA pre-site, site, and post-site data collection and data processing procedures.  Finally, participants will go through the post-data collection processing to get a final assessment for one to several of the NEWFA functions.

How to Become a SWS Certified Professional Wetland Scientist (Half Day)

Length: Full Day (8:00am - 12:00pm)
No Additional Fee
Max capacity is 50
 

The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) established its Professional Certification Program (PCP) in the early 1990s. Currently the only international wetland certification program of its kind, the Program certifies Professional Wetland Scientists (PWS).  It has been a very successful initiative that supports thousands of wetland professionals who make tremendous contributions to wetland research, restoration, protection, education and innovative solutions to mitigate climate change.  Due to its reputation, there has been an increase in the demand for certification. To ensure the quality and integrity of the program are not compromised, the application process remains robust yet accessible to a diversity of wetland professionals from across the United States and around the world. The PCP has been making efforts to expand the program nationally and internationally and now has certified wetland professionals in Asia, Oceania, Europe, South America, and North America. The global outreach has developed a greater momentum in recent years and will continue to offer expanded opportunities and benefits for wetland professionals both in the U.S. and globally. This Workshop will cover: The current PCP Globalization and DEI initiatives and outreach;  and more specifically focus on the PCP Certification and application process and tutorials to interact with seasoned PWSs.  With SWS and PCP now expanding its horizon, and the opportunity for wetland scientists to find out more about becoming a Professional Wetland Scientist, this Workshop is a fantastic opportunity to sit down in small groups and tease out small but important challenges to becoming certified under the PCP.

Conversation on the Society of Wetland Scientists Strategic Plan Update (Half Day)

Length: Half Day (1:00pm - 4:00pm)
No Additional Fee
Max capacity is 90
 

The SWS Strategic Plan (SP) provides a high-level roadmap of major initiatives for the society over the next five years. Our current strategic plan is being updated with a goal of adopting it at the February 2026 Board of Directors Meeting. Our ad-hoc committee has been hard at work over the past six months developing an initial draft of the plan that lays out priorities for the society, the approach for achieving the objectives, and benchmarks for evaluating our progress. The SP should help chapters, sections, and committees develop their priorities in a way that supports the overall society’s objectives. For the SP to be successful, it must reflect a common vision of the membership and be relevant to the day-to-day actions of our members. This workshop is intended to present the draft SP and facilitate a conversation with members on the plan. The goal is to gain feedback and suggestions to help refine the plan and inform its further development between the annual meeting and winter Board of Directors Meeting. We hope you can join us for the conversation.

Horizons of the Natural Resource Job Market - Strategies for Striding into Wetland Work (Half Day)

Length: Half Day (1:00pm - 4:00pm)
Additional Fee: $15 per person
Max capacity is 90
 

The mission in the WiW Section is to support women’s roles in the wetland science community, and we feel that this symposium ties perfectly into the theme of “the future of our landscape”. Wetland research, restoration, management and understanding varies greatly across our ever- changing landscapes. Our hope for continued wetland protection while incorporating them into a sustainable future is dependent on supporting burgeoning wetland and natural scientists’ minds. However, navigating the job market in the natural sciences is tricky at best. We propose to offer a series of talks from people of varying backgrounds and experience levels speaking to their journey to work in the wetland science world and lessons learned along the way. The symposium will be coupled with a resume/cover letter workshop led by our WiW leadership and symposium speakers.