Description
Assess, protect, and restore wetland and aquatic resources to maximize ecological function while supporting responsible land and water use. Conduct wetland delineations, functional assessments, and monitoring; develop restoration and mitigation plans; and guide projects to meet regulatory and conservation goals. Advise landowners and agencies and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wetland regulations.
- • Implement wetland management and restoration techniques, such as hydrologic reconnection, grading, native plantings, buffers, and bioengineering.
- • Advise landowners, developers, or agencies on wetland avoidance, minimization, and compensatory mitigation strategies.
- • Monitor restoration or mitigation projects during and after construction for compliance with plans and permits.
- • Visit sites with hydrologic, erosion, or sedimentation issues to diagnose causes and recommend solutions.
- • Develop and maintain working relationships with resource agencies, conservation districts, tribes, and municipalities.
- • Apply wetland ecology, hydrology, soil science, and botany to meet conservation and compliance objectives.
- • Use GIS and remote sensing to map wetlands, buffers, waters, and impact areas to support permitting and design.
- • Prepare design specifications for wetland restoration features using survey data, guidance, and engineering manuals.
- • Participate on interdisciplinary teams to plan habitat improvements, floodplain reconnection, and water quality projects.
- • Facilitate coordination or mediation among agencies and landowners on wetland boundaries, impacts, and mitigation.
- • Revisit sites to verify success criteria, vegetation establishment, and hydrologic performance.
- • Respond to questions on wetland jurisdiction and permitting under Clean Water Act Sections 404/401 and local rules.
- • Prepare cost estimates and budgets for delineation, monitoring, and restoration or mitigation alternatives.
- • Provide training and technical guidance on wetland identification, assessment, and protection practices.
- • Analyze hydrology, vegetation, soils, and water quality data to guide adaptive management.
- • Coordinate technical, financial, or administrative assistance programs supporting wetland conservation.
- • Identify or recommend integrated invasive species management strategies for wetlands.
- • Review and provide technical recommendations on wetland restoration easements and mitigation banking proposals.
- • Conduct wetland delineations per U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manuals and regional supplements.
- • Manage field crews and project schedules, ensuring safety, data quality, and timely deliverables.
- • Develop mitigation and restoration plans and calculate compensatory mitigation credits.
- • Conduct compliance audits of permitted wetland impacts and mitigation sites.
- • Develop water level management plans using hydrologic models, stage data, and evapotranspiration estimates.
- • Review or comment on watershed, stormwater, or comprehensive plans affecting wetlands.
- • Design and conduct functional assessments (e.g., HGM, CRAM), floristic quality, or wildlife use studies.
- • Enter field data into databases and decision tools and manage QA/QC and reporting.
- • Compile and interpret biological and soil data to classify wetlands (e.g., Cowardin, LLWW) and inform design.
- • Review annual monitoring reports for mitigation sites or conservation districts for compliance.
- • Review grant proposals and make funding recommendations for wetland conservation and restoration.
- • Develop wetland and stream maps, jurisdictional determinations, and other mapping products.
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This site includes information from O*NET by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. Career Clutch has modified some of this information for student readability. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Last reviewed: Jan 2026
