NEIWPCC coordinates New England Biological Assessment of Wetlands Workgroup (NEBAWWG) meetings and workshops on wetland assessment and monitoring tools.

Next Meeting

Not yet scheduled. Contact NEIWPCC for more information.

Past Meetings

Workgroup Meeting | May 2020

NY Wetland & Stream Assessment Webinar | Sept. 2019

  • View the recording
  • Conditional assessment and LiDAR-based mapping of wetlands in the New York City Water Supply Watershed
    Presented by: Laurie Machung

Abstract and Bio

The New York City (NYC) Water Supply System provides over 9 million people with approximately 1.1 billion gallons of safe drinking water daily, the vast majority of which is unfiltered.  The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is charged with the operation of this system and management of its nearly 2,000 square-mile watershed located north and west of the City and DEP’s Wetlands Program is one component of its multifaceted watershed approach. DEP is currently evaluating 15 years of reference wetland monitoring data to implement NY Natural Heritage Program’s wetland conditional assessment methodology in the NYC Watershed. DEP has also recently completed a pilot study that used LiDAR-derived data to improve wetland mapping and connectivity detection. Continued advancement of wetland assessment and mapping methodologies strengthens the implementation of numerous watershed management and protection programs.

Laurie Machung has been with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection since 1998 where she coordinates wetlands mapping, monitoring, and protection programs in the watershed for New York City’s water supply.  Previously, she was a wetland soil scientist for the Illinois Natural History Survey.  She received her Master’s degree from Penn State in 1994, studying soil properties of reference and created wetlands.

  • NYC Parks stream rapid assessment
    Presented by: Emily Stephan

Abstract and Bio

Less than 20% of historic streams that once existed in New York City remain, and those left experience degradation due to urbanization and associated stressors from increased stormwater discharge. NYC Parks manages about half of the City’s remaining wetlands and streams. In order to assess appropriate management strategies for these critical urban streams, NYC Parks developed a rapid stream assessment protocol designed to evaluate current conditions, causes of degradation, opportunities for restoration, and potential future impacts. Given limited time and resources, the framework presented allows for rapid assessment of large numbers of streams to better prioritize appropriate and effective restoration efforts.

Emily Stephan is a hydrologist with the NYC Parks Department. Prior to this role, she served as a civil engineer with a landscape architecture firm in Syracuse, NY. Emily holds a PhD in ecological engineering from SUNY-ESF, where her dissertation focused on water quality modeling and landscape denitrification processes.

  • The Culvert Connection: Ecology and Resiliency
    Presented by: Megan Lung

Abstract and Bio

Fish and many other organisms use rivers and streams as pathways to move between feeding, nursery and breeding grounds. Long stretches of connected stream habitat can be resilient to changes in climate and land use. Dams and many culverts are blocking those pathways and dramatically shrinking the habitat available. At the same time, dams and culverts that are too small affect hydrology, sediment transport, and water quality of streams, and cost money for towns and the state to replace and maintain. The Hudson River Estuary Watershed has more than 1600 dams, and likely more than 10,000 culverts. The Hudson River Estuary Program and many partners are working towards restoring free flowing tributaries to the Hudson River. Several projects are helping to prioritize which aquatic barriers are the most detrimental to our fish and human communities, so we can focus our limited resources at the most beneficial locations.

Megan Lung is an environmental analyst for the NYS DEC Hudson River Estuary Program and NEIWPCC where she coordinates the Culvert Prioritization Project. Megan holds a BS in ecology and evolutionary biology, and history from the University of Michigan.


Joint NEBAWWG/MAWWG Meeting | Cooperstown, NY | Nov. 2018

  • Click the photo below for a visual meeting summary (story map)

Conference Materials

Presentations & Links

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