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Virtual: American Wetlands Series

Wetland Regulations & The Clean Water Act

May is American Wetlands Month! Jodie Murray Burns, from Cattails Environmental, will review environmental regulations, the Clean Water Act, and current "Waters of the U.S." policy.

American Wetlands Month is a time when the EPA and our partner federal, state, tribal, local, non-profit and private sector organizations celebrate the vital importance of wetlands to our Nation’s ecological, economic, and social health. Wetlands help improve water quality and supply, reduce flooding and provide critical habitat for plants, fish and wildlife.

A brief historical review of the federal Clean Water Act, development and promulgation of the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule and its relationship to the Clean Water Act, along with a comparison of the current administration’s proposal to redefine "Waters of the U.S.", a.k.a. WOTUS. Information will be shared showing the relevancy of this topic to civil engineers, developers, landowners and the general public. 
This presentation will be from the perspective of a private environmental consultant who works in the arena of the Clean Water Act, assisting clients with federal permits and associated environmental regulations.

Jodie Murray Burns is the owner of Cattails Environmental, LLC - an environmental consulting firm that assists clients in meeting federal and state environmental laws by performing wetland delineations, CWA 401/404 permitting activities, mitigation services, endangered species surveys, and stream-related work. She is an Arkansas native who has 12+ years of environmental consulting experience and two Master’s degrees who works primarily in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas with occasional forays into Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Mrs. Burns enjoys giving presentations on the complexities of the Clean Water Act, implementation of any current definitions of Waters of the U.S. and convoluted court cases that influence those issues. She is an active member of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS), currently serving as the President-Elect of an eight-state regional chapter (South Central Chapter) and co-chair of the SWS Webinar Series Committee who plans and provides monthly webinars to an international audience. Residing in Bentonville, AR, with her husband of nearly 28 years, along with four sons, two cats, and a dog, Mrs. Burns’ top two hobbies are gardening and quilting.

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