Society of Wetland Scientists

Chapter Information:

The Central Chapter serves professionals, academics, and students interested in wetlands in Missouri and Kansas.
For information regarding how our Chapter is run, please read the Central Chapter Bylaws.

Chapter Objectives:

1) Operate solely and exclusively as a charitable and educational organization to foster conservation and understanding of wetlands.

2) Provide an independent forum for interchange of ideas and data developed within wetland science in the Central Region.

3) Develop and promote wetland science as a distinct discipline within the region.

4) Promote and evaluate the education, scientific, and technological development and advancement of all branches of wetland science and practice within the region.

5) Further the knowledge of wetland resources and encourage wetland protection, restoration, and stewardship within the region.

Officers

President	Sarah Soard, Burns & McDonnell
Vice President	Devin Wilson, Black & Veatch
Secretary	James Dutt, Shannon & Wilson
Treasurer	Matt Cosby, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Past President	Jim Valleroy, Terracon

Summaries of Past Meetings

2008 Annual Meeting

The 2008 annual chapter meeting took place on October 20th at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles County, Missouri. Speakers included representatives from the St. Louis and Kansas City Districts of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Missouri Department of Conservation, PSC Consulting, and Applied Ecological Services. Topics of discussion ranged from recent regulatory changes to storm water management to fen soils. A tour of some of the managed wetlands in the conservation area followed the presentations.

Click Here for the Meeting Agenda & Presentation Topics

2007 Annual Meeting

The 2007 chapter meeting was held at the Lake Lodge in Swope Park in Kansas City, Missouri on November 5th.
The Institute of Botanical Training provided an associated dormant season wetland plant identification class in Swope Park on November 6th.

Click Here for the Meeting Agenda & Presentation Topics

2006 Annual Meeting

The Society of Wetland Scientists Central Chapter hosted its 2006 Fall Meeting on October 16th at the new Missouri Department of Conservation Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area in northern St. Louis County, Missouri. The Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area is a 4,318 acre wetlands management area located at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.

The meeting included presentations by members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - St. Louis District, the Missouri Attorney General's Office, the Middle Missouri River Partnership, the University of Missouri, and the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Meeting Announcement PDF

The 2005 Fall Meeting was held on September 23rd, 2005 at the University of Missouri at Columbia in the Life Sciences Center. A series of speakers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - St. Louis District, Missouri Department of Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Show Me Clean Streams discussed topics of interest to those involved in wetlands.
Click here for the meeting program.

The 2004 Fall Meeting took place at the U.S. Geologic Survey's Conference Facility in Columbia, Missouri on September 23rd and 24th. The Chapter business meeting and elections were held on September 24th. Representatives from the Missouri Department of Conservation presented a series of talks on Stream Dynamics and Wetlands. Attendees of the workshop received a bound compilation of information and reference materials regarding the primary components of wetlands, hydrosystem connectivity and stream field dynamics.

The 2003 Fall Meeting was held at the Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge in Columbia, Missouri, on October 3rd & 4th, 2003. The Chapter business meeting and elections were held on October 3rd. A tour of Big Muddy National Wildlife Refuge research projects at Overton Bottoms was conducted by Maureen Gallagher, a refuge biologist, on October 4th.