Vol. 25 No. 6 November/December 2015

In this IssueASWM’s Christmas List

Association News

Wetland Recipes and Holiday Messages from ASWM Staff and Board Members

Recent Webinars

Recent ASWM Blogs

ASWM’s Annual 12 Days of Christmas List

Twelve Christmas presents for the Wetland Enthusiasts of All Ages including unique items that are probably

not on your list – but could be!

Christmas is approaching and it’s time to go shopping for your favorite wetland devotee. Or maybe your loved ones are asking you what you want for Christmas. The wetland elves have combed the country in search of 12 special gifts sure to please. There is something here for every pocketbook and wetland lovers of all ages. Some of the items are offered by Amazon - be sure to login under Amazon Smile to support ASWM. See page 7 for more information.

12 The Original MuckBoots Adult Wetland Boot -- $139.95 - $169.91

Muck Boots Wetland Boot is the boot for that avid fisherman, camper or hunter. It is durable, warm and 100% waterproof. With a 16.5” height and a stretch-fit top line binding the elements will stay out and the warmth will stay in. The Wetland WET-998K boot is an extreme boot for extreme conditions.

A must-have for hunters, birdwatchers, or anyone whose works takes them outdoors, the Wetland Boot from MuckBoots is designed specifically for keeping feet dry and comfortable in the field. 100-percent waterproof from the toe to the top of the boot shaft, these unisex boots have durable, natural rubber uppers and a heavy duty, traction outer sole that can handle snow and mud. Superior comfort is achieved with a breathable, “Airmesh” lining, a CR flex-foam bootie, instep protector, and insulation that will keep your feet cool to over 70 degrees Fahrenheit and warm to sub-freezing temperatures.

To order, visit Amazon.

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11 Coffee Gift Basket -- $44.99 This Gift Basket by Danita Delimont is great for any occasion. This

elegantly presented gift box comes with a 15oz mug, a biscotti cookie, 5 blends of gourmet coffee and includes a BONUS set of 4 soft coasters. Coffee selection includes French Vanilla, Kenya AA, Decaf Colombian Supremo, Chocolate and Italian Roast Espresso, sure to please a variety of coffee connoisseurs. All packaged in our signature 9” x 9” x 4” black box.

To order, visit Amazon.

10 Color Me Green CD These songs are truly brilliant because they not only have strong

appeal for kids, but are a delight for adults as well. Not always the case with “children’s music.” The album’s collection offers a wide range of songs from clever and funny to sweetly sad, and delivers a strong environmental message without being preachy. These songs inspire kids to get involved in action to take care of the earth. -- Review by C. Falwell

Purchase from iTunes for $9.99 or as an MPE album from Amazon for $8.99.

9 Save the Swamp Beulah Frog Wetland conservation Jumbo Tote Bag -- $23.40

Who said you can’t take it with you? You can take just about everything with you in this Jumbo Tote. It holds groceries, books, kids’ toys, beach stuff, you name it. Made from 100% cotton, it has a squared off bottom and extra long natural web handles. 20”w x14.5”h x4.5”d.

To order, visit Zazzle.

8 Outdoor Tabletop Rain Gauge -- $24.94 The Cattail Rain Gauge is a functional rain gauge with a traditional

decorative look that is perfect for decorating your garden or patio. The glass rain gauge vial / tube (udometer) is easy to read and measures up to 7 inches of rainfall. The rain gauge vial is designed with a flat bottom, providing more accurate rainfall measurements.

To order, visit Amazon.

November/December 2015 3

7 Wetland Critters Coloring Book -- $13.99 Coloring and patterning are relaxing, meditative activities that encourage self-

expression, sending you on a creative adventure. In other words coloring is not just for children any more.

Earthart International Garden Critters Coloring Book. The perfect book for adult coloring! Use watercolors, felt pens, color pencils or crayons. This book contains fifteen detailed designs printed on 80# watercolor paper.

To order, visit Etsy.com.

6 Wetlands CD by Tab Benoit -- $9.99 Swampy and funky are words you don’t want to hear describing your

basement, but when applied to a musician of Tab Benoit’s caliber, they offer high praise indeed. On Wetlands, Benoit pays tribute to the many varieties of blues from his home state of Louisiana: the bayou boogie of “Down in the Swamp,” the zydeco soul of Boozoo Chavis’s “Dog Hill,” the down-home acoustic blues of “Georgia,” and the New Orleans beat of “Let Love Take Control.” He really knows how to make six strings grumble, growl, shriek, and sing. --Review by Michael Simmons

To order, visit Amazon.

5 Cattails and Dragonflies Note Cards -- $19.99Keep in touch with friends and family with these unique and

custom note cards. Cards measure 4.25” x 5.5”. Includes 20 cards and 20 white envelopes. Available in your choice of paper finish: matte or glossy. High quality, chlorine and acid free paper consisting of 30% post consumer waste and 50% total recycled fiber.

To order, visit Cafepress.com.

4 Nature Tracks Kit -- $14.93Preserve the evidence of your discoveries along the trail with this

footprint tracking kit. The animal track casting kit includes a plaster, stir stick and paper molding strip needed to capture prints as you discover them. The laminated animal track guide cards will help you identify the track ‘owners’ and the included water bottle will help keep you hydrated as you hike further into the wilderness. All of this fits nicely inside the small backpack making this kit perfect for day hikes.

To order, visit Scientificsonline.com.

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3 Swamp Milkweed Seed Balls for Fall Planting (Asclepias incarnata)-- $20.00

Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is a host plant for the Monarch butterfly that is native to much of the US. It produces abundant clusters of small vivid pink blooms mid-summer. It is a long-lived perennial.

Monarch populations are dwindling because Milkweed plants are being destroyed by large agriculture and popular landscaping practices. You can help the Monarch by including this stately plant in your garden.

Milkweed seeds germinate in the spring, sometimes quite hesitantly. The first year growth has no flowers and is primarily below ground as the plant develops

a deep, robust root system. Plants in appropriate soil with proper light may bloom the second year. Third year plants can be quite impressive, producing abundant delightfully smelling blooms. To order, visit Amazon.

2 Dragonflies Puzzle-- $20.15Brighten any day with a trio of brightly colored dragonflies in blue, yellow

and pink by Carol S Designs. Made of sturdy cardboard and mounted on chipboard, this puzzles is printed in vivid and full color. For hours of puzzle enjoyment, give a dragonfly puzzle as a gift today!

To order, visit Zazzle.com.

1 ASWM Individual Membership and hat -- $70.00If you haven’t renewed your membership, please celebrate the holidays with

us by doing so or treat a fellow wetlander to all the great benefits of membership. We are very grateful to you for your past support. We hope that you value your membership and are looking forward to more interesting newsletter articles, reports, webinars, and weekly updates in 2016. Your membership dues support our work to educate and support wetland conservation, protection and management. Please help us and join ASWM for another year. Wetland fashion gurus (you know who you are!) know that no field visit to a wetland is complete without the official Association of State Wetland Mangers hat. Made of 100% cotton with the ASWM logo, this hat is the perfect complement to your waders/binocular/field pack dress combo. It even provides protection against sun, light rain and regurgitating waterfowl (although if you are planning to visit a cormorant rookery you are going to need a lot more protection).

To order via PayPal, click here. To order via check or credit card, click here.

Please note: This article was written for your enjoyment and in celebration of the holiday season. ASWM is not affiliated with nor does the organization benefit from the sale of any of the items listed above except for the hat and membership which are purchased directly from ASWM.

November/December 2015 5

Association News By Jeanne Christie, Executive Director, ASWM

When fall arrives, so does hunting season. Since I go running with our dog in the woods nearly every day, I keep track of the times of the year I might happen across a person with a gun, especially during deer hunting season when hunters frequent the same areas I do. Navia, our dog and I both wear hunter’s orange and avoid running toward the places on one of our regular routes where a strange truck on the side of the road indicates there is likely a hunter ahead. I’m not particularly concerned a hunter might shoot at one of us by mistake. But Navia and I know where all the deer hang out nearby and I’ve no real wish to inadvertently drive a deer toward a loaded gun.

My husband has been hunting (unsuccessfully) at a place down the highway a bit, but he had to forego his early morning stakeouts when I went on a trip recently to walk the dog in my stead. One chilly, frost-studded morning he took her down to the field by the outlet of Sebago Lake. As he walked out of the woods he lifted his head and saw a magnificent eight-point buck standing in profile watching him calmly. He later told me the deer was so beautiful he’s not sure he’d have been able to shoot if he’d had a gun in his hand. I know what he means.

This holiday season I have many things to be thankful for and not least among them is my gratitude for the ability to experience the beauty and wonder of the natural world. I am also privileged to be able to work in a job that allows me to support efforts to try to protect and secure that wonder for future generations. I give thanks for the people like you who work to achieve that common goal.

Thank you and may you have a joyous holiday!

Comment Period for National Wetland Condition Assessment Report Extended to January 6, 2015On Thursday, November 5, 2015 EPA published a Federal Register notice announcing a 30 day public comment period for the draft report, National Wetland Condition Assessment (NWCA) 2011: A Collaborative Survey of the Nation’s Wetlands. The Federal Register Notice and link to the report can be found here. And the report: The National Wetland Condition Assessment Draft for Public Review and Comment can be found here.

EPA is extending the comment period for the NWCA 2011 draft report. Initially, the comment period was scheduled to close on December 7, 2015. It will be extended an additional 30 days and will now close on January 6, 2016. The announcement of the extension in the Federal Register can be found here. The docket to provide comments can be accessed here.

Identification of Ongoing or New Wetland Mapping Projects Requested The Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) National Wetlands Inventory Team (NWI) are requesting your assistance in identifying new wetland mapping projects either planned or underway. To ensure that the wetlands data to be added will meet Federal Wetland Mapping Standards and the Quality Assurance/Quality Control requirements, NWI staff would like to touch base with third parties undertaking wetland mapping projects early in the process. Below are links to review the projects that have already been identified.

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ASWM completed a wetland mapping outreach effort in 2013. You can find the link to ASWM’s state by state descriptions of the 2013 status of wetland mapping coverage, including new projects underway or planned, here. The FWS ‘Wetland Mapping Projects Mapper’ is now available on the right hand side of the Wetlands Mapper homepage. Here you can find the link to an online mapper showing recently accepted wetland mapping projects and known active wetland mapping projects identified by NWI here. If you are aware of wetland mapping projects that have been completed recently or that are currently underway, and that are not identified in either of these datasets, please provide the name, e-mail address and phone number of the person(s) carrying out the project by replying to Marla Stelk at marla@aswm.org and cc’ing NWI. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Marla Stelk at (207) 892-3399 or by contacting Jane Harner (NWI) at (608) 238-9333 x114.

Managing Change – Wetland Protection and Restoration in an Era of Changing Water and Energy Demands, March 29-31, 2016

The ASWM Annual State/Tribal/Federal Coordination Meeting web page is up and can be found here. We are working on the agenda and plan to have a draft agenda posted later this month. This meeting is by invitation only to ASWM members and other invitees so you will not find the link to the web page on ASWM’s website. The purpose of this annual meeting is to provide information to support state and tribal wetland program managers, federal agencies and other wetland professionals as they respond to challenges in the coming year. Long-term protection of wetland resources requires sound science, smart policies, and application of ecosystem principles. Presentations and discussions during the three day workshop will integrate wetland science, law, and policy.

Please Renew Your Membership with ASWM for 2016If you haven’t already taken time to do so, please renew your membership with ASWM for 2016. We have switched to a new electronic membership renewal system with the goal of providing members with a simpler, faster renewal process. If you would like to also receive a request to renew your membership through the mail, please let us know by contacting Laura Burchill at laura@aswm.org or (207) 892-3399 and we will send you a letter. To renew electronically please visit our membership page.

Looking ahead to 2016With the holidays upon us the new year is not far behind. ASWM has an ambitious agenda in place for 2016. We will continue to hold webinars on wetland restoration, wetland mapping and anticipate that the ASWM members’ webinars for 2016 will cover opportunities to apply sound science to state and federal wetland programs. We will be working on a national agenda for improving wetland restoration performance, launching a new project to evaluate and prioritize training needs of state wetland program managers as well as wetland professionals. ASWM will provide information about the Clean Water Rule, the proposed new nationwide permit rule and other national regulation and policy actions of importance to our members. In addition ASWM will be exploring opportunities to support beaver reintroduction into the montane west and better understand silviculture practices in the southeast and gulf coast that sustain forested wetlands. New conversations are underway with potential partners on the impact of energy-related projects on wetlands and other aquatic resources as well as opportunities to work with people living in high hazard areas to leverage wetlands restoration and protection to protect communities. We hope you will be part of these and other national discussions important to the conservation, restoration and protection of the Nation’s wetlands.

Happy Holidays!

Jeanne Christie

Executive Director

Renew your Membership Here

STATUS AND TRENDS REPORT ON STATE WETLAND PROGRAMS IN THE UNITED STATES

The Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) has released a new study of state-level wetland work in all fifty states. ASWM’s national study is designed to: 1) assess status and trends; 2) identify models and lessons learned; and 3) document information and program development needs. Information gathered for each state includes a focus on status of program activity, focusing on EPA’s Core Elements Framework. In addition to the report, a clickable map on ASWM’s Wetland Program Webpage allows users to access individual state summaries for each of the 50 states. ASWM documented specific information on the status of each state’s:

• Wetland regulation programs;

• Wetland monitoring and assessment activities;

• Voluntary wetland restoration programs and activities;

• Wetland water quality standards;

• Wetland program work in the areas of climate change or other adaptation efforts;

• Areas of wetland program integration with other specific state programs, and

• Unique education and outreach activities and models.

The final ASWM report, Status and Trends Report of State Wetland Programs in the United States, provides a comprehensive look at how states are implementing wetland programs. It includes state summary documents, comparative data analysis and maps, descriptive text on status and trends, and documentation of potential models. The report also includes a set of recommendations for supporting state wetland programs and links to additional information for states and tribes to use as a resource for developing their own programs. The Status and Trends report and state summaries reflect the state of state wetland programs in 2014.

November/December 2015 7

SUPPORT WETLANDS WITH AMAZON PURCHASESYou can help support wetlands with your Amazon purchases.

1. Go to smile.amazon.com2. Select Association of State Wetland Managers3. Start shopping

Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to ASWM — with no extra cost to you.

8 November/December 2015

Wetland Recipes for the Holidays and Messages from ASWM Staff and Board Members

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless duck breasts, cut into 8 pieces (1½ pounds)

1 onion, thinly sliced5 tablespoons butter½ cup all-purpose flour

Duck is one of my favorite game foods and the fact that wetlands provide essential habitat for them is no secret, so naturally I had to go in search of a holiday recipe that featured duck. I was pleasantly surprised to find a recipe that not only included duck, but also cranberries – a tasty wetland-grown delight. I suggest that to top this dish off, you serve

it along with some nutty wetland-grown wild rice and you’ll have a veritable wetland grown feast!

This recipe was found on Ducks Unlimited website and was submitted by Lenny Maiorano.

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch skillet.2. Stir in the onion, salt and pepper.3. Cook over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes or until the onion is caramelized.4. Remove from the heat and keep warm.5. Pound the duck with a meat mallet between sheets of plastic wrap to ¼ inch thick.6. Remove the plastic wrap and season the duck with salt and pepper.7. Sprinkle the flour over both sides of the duck.8. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and the olive oil in a large skillet until hot.9. Add the duck and cook until well browned on one side.10. Turn the duck and stir in the cranberries, wine and stock.11. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until sauce is reduced by one half and the duck is cooked through.12. Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl the pan until the butter is melted.13. Adjust the seasonings to taste.14. Serve topped with the caramelized onion.

½ dried cranberries¾ cup dry red wine½ cup chicken stock¼ cup olive oilSalt, freshly-ground pepper to taste

Duck Scaloppini with Dried Cranberries

Thank you for all that you do to protect and restore wetlands and for being a member of ASWM. Wishing you and your loved

ones a wonderful and joyful holiday season!

- Marla J. Stelk ASWM Policy Analyst

November/December 2015 9

Happy Holidays from Brenda Zollitsch, ASWM Policy Analyst

I invite you to celebrate the season in style with the little round red “Bog Beauties” of the holidays - CRANBERRIES. Cranberries were first used by Native Americans, who discovered the wild berry’s versatility as a food, fabric dye and healing agent. I share the following from the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers Association: The name “cranberry” derives from the Pilgrim name for the fruit, “craneberry”, so called because the small, pink blossoms that appear in the spring resemble the head and bill of a Sandhill crane. European settlers adopted the Native American uses for the fruit and found the berry a valuable bartering tool. American whalers and mariners carried cranberries on their voyages to prevent scurvy.

Cranberries are a unique fruit. They can only grow and survive under a very special combination of factors --- they require an acid peat soil, an adequate fresh water

supply, sand and a growing season that stretches from April to November, including a dormancy period in the winter months that provides an extended chilling period, necessary to mature fruiting buds. Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. Instead, they grow on vines in impermeable beds layered with sand, peat, gravel and clay. These beds, commonly known as “bogs,” were originally made by glacial deposits. Remarkably, under normal conditions, growers do not have to replant since an undamaged cranberry vine will survive indefinitely. Some vines in Massachusetts are more than 150 years old.

And so I share with you a very special cranberry recipe. This recipe is one of our family’s favorites and comes from a favorite childhood storybook we were read each holiday season as children. Published in 1971, the year after I was born, Cranberry Thanksgiving and Cranberry Christmas are both now classic children’s stories, providing tales about not judging guests by their appearance and extending hospitality to all. The following cranberry orange bread graces our family’s holiday table at both Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. It is one of my favorite holiday treats --- sweet and tart simultaneously, as well as moist and delicious. I hope you and yours will enjoy it too!

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour + cooling

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 1 egg 1 teaspoon grated orange peel 2 cups all-purpose flour teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and orange peel. Combine the dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture alternately with juice. Fold in cranberries and raisins. Pour into a greased 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pan.

2. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf (16 slices).

Nutritional Facts

1 serving (1 slice) equals 171 calories, 3 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 21 mg cholesterol, 246 mg sodium, 34 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein.

1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon baking soda ¾ cup orange juice 1 cup chopped fresh or

frozen cranberries 1 cup golden raisins

Cranberry Orange Bread Recipe

As the nights get long and the days get cold, the stars shine brighter and the warmth of friends and family near and far away remind me that I have so much to be thankful for. Even though the wetlands in my area

look frozen and dull on the outside; I know that they will team with life in a few months. As one year ends another begins. I wish you and those you

love have a wonderful Holiday Season!

-Jeanne Christie ASWM Executive Director

Wetland Recipes for the Holidays – What about those oaks?

Oaks produce acorns. There are some 450 species of oak worldwide and 30 in the U.S. that have been used for oil and food. Many oaks are found in wetlands around the country. Others are found in uplands. They all produce acorns. So when fall comes, there are acorns everywhere. It’s rare nowadays for people to harvest acorns to eat. But they could.

Back in high school I tried it. We were living in northern Minnesota and I decided I was going to make acorn muffins. I have no idea why. I can remember standing in the kitchen boiling shelled acorns in water to get rid of the bitter taste and then chopping them up and tossing them into the muffin batter. They weren’t bad – kind of nutty tasting.

It turns out that acorns are stuffed with nutrition and carbohydrates. A pound of shelled acorns provide 1,265 calories, 100 grams (3.5 ounces) has 500 calories and 30 grams of oil. The oil, by the way, sells for $20 a cup (8 oz.).

Raw acorns are bitter to taste and with a high tannin content, not very edible. Some species are much more bitter than others and generally water is used to leach out the tannins. One way to remove the bitterness is to grind up the acorns and soak them in water, changing the water (over a period of days or weeks) until the water runs clear. Boiling them is another method, but the hot acorns must be transferred into more boiling water until the water stays clear. Moving acorns from boiling to cold water can make the bitterness worse, not better.

After you remove the bitterness, there are lots of choices from roasting or drying or chopping and adding to breads, soups, stuffings, etc.

I’ve long since lost the recipe I used to make acorn muffins all those years ago, so I’m going to share one I found in the “Pointers from Pioneers” section of the Northern Cookbook by Eleanor Ellis. It’s for acorn soup.

Make in the fall when acorns are ripe. Grind the acorns between rocks. Fan the acorns with a fanning basket. The fine parts will stick to the basket. Put the fine meal in a wooden bin. Pour warm water over it three or four times to take out the bitter taste. Put the acorn meal and water in a cooking basket (made with roots). Drop in a very hot rock. Keep turning the rock with a wooden spoon. Sometimes one rock will cook the soup.

If you lack a fanning basket, cooking basket made with roots and very hot rocks, then you might prefer this recipe for acorn bread.

You can search the internet for information about how to process acorns and recipes for using them. Just think of the impression you’ll make when you serve them for the holidays. No matter how it turns out, no one will ever forget the first time they ate acorns!

Acorn BreadIngredients

2 cups acorn flour2 cups cattail or white flour3 teaspoons baking powder1/3 cup maple syrup or sugar 1 egg½ cup milk3 tablespoons olive

Directions

Combine ingredients. Bake in pan for 30 minutes or until done at 400°.

10 November/December 2015

Cranberry-Walnut Oatmeal Cookies (Vegan – Sugar Free & Gluten-Free)

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats (choose certified gluten-free oats if baking gluten-free)

1 cup dried cranberries (or dried fruit of choice)

1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

1½ cups bananas, mashed, very ripe (about 3 medium)1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.2. In a large bowl, combine the oats,

cranberries, and walnuts.3. In a medium bowl, combine the banana, oil,

vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda until well blended.

4. Add banana mixture to oat mixture, stirring to combine. Let stand 15 minutes.

5. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

6. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets.

7. Bake 14 to 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Let cool on sheets 1 minute.

8. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool completely.

9. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days (or freeze in airtight bags/containers).

Blueberry Bran Yogurt Muffins

Ingredients

1 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

¼ c. unsweetened orange juice

½ c. honey

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. plain fat-free yogurt

1 egg

3 c. bran flake cereal

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

1 tbsp. granulated sugar (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture.

2. Combine orange juice and next 5 ingredients. Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

3. Gently fold in bran flakes and blueberries.4. Line muffin pan with muffin cups and divide

batter among 12 cups. Sprinkle with sugar if desired.

5. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes 12 large muffins or 24 medium-small muffins.

Wishing you a peaceful and joyous holiday season. Hope you savor the wonderful delights for months to come!

-Sharon Weaver ASWM Webmaster

November/December 2015 11

Recipe found at food.com. Recipe found at SparkRecipes.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour2 teaspoons baking powder½ teaspoon salt4 teaspoons granulated sugar4 teaspoons shortening

Sauce

2½ cups blueberries¾ cup granulated sugar1 cup water

Directions

1. Heat blueberries, sugar, and water in pot. Boil gently until well blended and slightly cooked down. Simmer while making dumplings.

2. Mix ingredients for Doughboys adding enough water to mix.

3. Drop doughboys into pot and cover.

4. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes or longer if needed to cook the doughboys thoroughly.

5. Serve with cream.

Holidays are the best time to let go of all the negative things that have happened during the year. Release them and create room for new beginnings and growth opportunities.

Turn the year-end into a fresh start and have a terrific holiday season!

-Dawn Smith, ASWM Communications Specialist

Blueberry Fungy

Source: Fast & Free Recipes

At least once every summer my family and I venture into the Clayman Sanctuary in our hometown of Windham, Maine to pick blueberries. For the past several

years, there has been an abundance of berries and they are the high bush variety, so one would think the picking would be very easy. Well the Clayman Sanctuary is located in a swamp, so we have to put on our tall muck boots (much like the ones in ASWM’s Gift List on page 1) before heading out. I have never been to the Amazon jungle, but I imagine I am there, as I duck in and out of branches trying not to lose my footing and fall in the muck. It’s all worth the effort though when you taste the sweet berries. Here is a recipe we enjoy. I wish you peace and happiness this Holiday Season. -Laura Burchill ASWM Program Assistant

Nut Topping:½ cup finely chopped nuts½ cup brown sugar1 teaspoon ground ginger

Blueberry Coffee Cake

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 2-quart glass baking dish with nonstick oil.

2. Combine all cake ingredients except the blueberries. Using electric mixer, heat 30 seconds on low speed. Scrape bowl and beat 2 more minutes on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently.

3. Pour half of the batter into prepared baking dish. Spread half the blueberries over batter, then half of the nut topping. Repeat layers with remaining batter, blueberries and nut topping. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached flour½ cup sugar1 tablespoon baking powder½ teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon cinnamon3 tablespoons canola oil1½ cups lowfat buttermilk1 egg1 egg white2 cups blueberries

12 November/December 2015

Source: Best of Blueberries by Sherri Eldridge

As spring creeps slowly into our lives and the warming sun loosens winter’s icy grip on our streams and shorelines I am drawn to them to harvest a springtime meal of brook trout and fiddlehead ferns. It is a treat that only presents itself for a short time as April melts into May.

All ferns emerge with the classic fiddlehead shape as they begin to unfurl into mature plants but it is the Ostrich Fern that provides the flavor that reminds one of asparagus or artichokes, others tend to be rather bitter. You can identify them by a thin brown papery covering that must be removed before cooking. Harvest them while the heads are still tightly curled by pinching them off with about an inch or so of the stem intact. Only harvest a few heads from each plant so that several heads

remain allowing the plants to regenerate quickly next year.

Nothing compares with the sweet, clean taste of freshly caught brook trout and although I am a firm practitioner of catch and release fishing, nature will be quick to restock the two or three that I keep for a once-a-year meal.

Pair these together for a warming meal after a day in the field that typically ends with a bit of a chill in the bones and winter starts to become a distant memory.

- Collis Adams, ASWM Board Chair New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services PAN SEARED BROOK TROUT

Ingredients

Two or three fresh caught brook trout, cleaned and skinned (you can use other white fish but it just ain’t the same!)½ cup corn meal½ cup all-purpose flour1 teaspoon lemon pepper1 teaspoon saltDash of cayenne pepperOil for frying (lard is more traditional but …)

Directions

Place dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Rinse fish inside and out under cold running water and pat dry with a paper towel (this is important as you want the fish as dry as possible before frying). Coat fish on both sides and set aside. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat (cast iron is best but any frying pan will work). Add enough lard or oil to thinly cover the bottom of pan. Add the fish when the oil is hot (test with a small drop off water that should dance slightly on the oil). Cook about 2-3 minutes until it begins to brown and then flip over. Flip about every 3 minutes until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

The fish will have bones of course but if you use a fork and lightly “rake” the meat away from the bones beginning at the backbone and working towards the ribs you will remove most of the bones. A pair of tweezers will help to pick out any bones that remain … it is worth the effort!

FIDDLEHEAD GARLIC SAUCE OVER ANGLE HAIR PASTA

Ingredients

1-2 cups fiddleheads, cleaned of their papery coverings, rinsed, steamed 10-12 minutes, chilled in ice water, and then pat dry

1 pound angel hair pasta, cooked to directions

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon basil, roughly chopped

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon fresh shaved parmesan cheese

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil and butter until melted. Add garlic and cook only until fragrant, only one to two minutes. Add the fiddleheads and lemon juice and sauté for about two to three minutes more. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pour over pasta and garnish with basil, green onions, and cheese.

November/December 2015 13

Growing up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, I was exposed to some foods that are not necessarily on the typical American’s list of comfort foods. When I was growing up in the 1960s and early 1970s, seafood and wild game were still prepared using old recipes from the 19th and early 20th centuries. My maternal grandparents loved to eat stewed muskrat (or marsh rabbit, as it was locally known). They also liked boiled eel, but that’s a story for another time! Anyway, I have a very clear and vivid memory of tasting stewed muskrat for the first time when I was about 6 or 7 years old. If I were stranded alone on a deserted island, I honestly think I would eat the sole of my shoe before I could get muskrat past my lips again!! The meat is oily, with about a 7.5 YR 3/3 color – or as I call that color, “baby pooh-pooh brown” – and the smell – I don’t

have enough polite words to even describe the smell, but “putrefy” will get you in the ballpark.. For those brave or hungry souls, here’s a recipe I found online (just search for “recipe for stewed muskrat”):

I’ll just stick with more “civilized” foods like clam fritters, Brunswick stew and scrapple.

David L. Davis, ASWM Board (past chair) Virginia Department of Environmental Quality

Ingredients

1 muskrat, cut into 1” pieces [presumably, skinned and gutted…but I can’t be 100% certain]2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)3 medium cloves garlic, minced4 medium onions, diced finely3 medium shallots, diced finely3 potatoes, cubed

Stewed Muskrat

1 cup corn1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)¼ teaspoon black pepper¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper1 ¼ teaspoon thyme2 cups flour7 cups water16 oz cut or diced tomatoes

Directions

Add all ingredients except muskrat and tomato to a large covered pot, and heat the water to boiling. Reduce to simmer once it comes to a boil. While the pot is coming to a boil, mix the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Roll muskrat pieces in the mix, then brown in butter. Add the browned muskrat to the pot, cover, and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Add the tomatoes and simmer another hour.

Serves 4-6

On behalf of all of us here at ASWM, we wish you a wonderful holiday

season. Stay safe. Stay warm. And keep

doing the wonderful work you do to protect and conserve wetlands!

14 November/December 2015

November/December 2015 15

Recently Recorded ASWM WebinarsThe Association of State Wetland Managers hosts and records 3-5 webinars

each month. Below are some recent presentations. For more information on future and past webinars, click here.

Climate-Smart Conservation for Wetlands – Dr. Bruce A. Stein, Senior Director, Climate Adaptation and Resilience with the National Wildlife Federation

Recording available soon

Solar Project Siting and Wetland Permitting: Part 2: Panel Discussion on State Wetland Permitting Considerations – Presenters included Lealdon Langley from Massachusetts DEP Wetland Program and Laura Lapierre from the Vermont DEC Wetland Program. Beth Alafat from US EPA Region 1 and

Cori Rose from the Army Corps of Engineers New England District provided both an issue overview and participated in the Question and Answer session with the state panelists at the end of the webinar.

View Recording Here. (login required)

NWI Standards & Dataset: A Cornerstone for Decision-Support – Mitch Bergeson, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; Andy Robertson, Saint Mary’s University; and Megan Lang, University of Maryland

Recording available soon

Members’ Wetland Webinars

Wetland Mapping Consortium Webinar Series

NFFA Webinar SeriesAn Introduction to the Marsh Adaptation Strategy Tool (MAST) – Dr. Samuel Merrill, GEI Consultants, Inc.

View Recording Here.

Improving Wetland Restoration Success ProjectNovel Ecosystems and Restorations – Dr. Joy Zedler, Professor of Botany and Aldo Leopold Chair of Restoration Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Dr. Marilyn Jordan, Former Senior Conservation Scientist, The Nature Conservancy on Long Island, NY

Recording available soon

Wetland Restoration in Urban and Highly Disturbed Landscapes – Tom Ries, President and Founder of Ecosphere Restoration Institute, Steven I. Apfelbaum, Principal Ecologist, Chairman, Applied Ecological Services, Inc. and Alexander J. Felson, PhD RLA, Assistant Professor, Yale University School of Architecture & School of Forestry and Environmental Studies

View Recording Here.

Many Thanks to Our Members & Donors

Thank you for renewing your membership and for your continued support of ASWM.

To renew your membership for 2016, please click here.

If you would like to make a tax-deductible end-of-year donation, please click here.

16 November/December 2015

Recent Posts from ASWM’s Blog

The Compleat Wetlander - By Jeanne Christie• Understanding the Impact on Compensatory Mitigation of the 2008 Rule• Wetland Report Card Available for Review

For Peat’s Sake - By Marla Stelk• Turkeys in Wetlands• New Federal Efforts Recognize our Interdependence with Nature

The Wetland Wanderer - By Brenda Zollitsch• It’s Like Pulling Teeth: Getting the Funds to Travel for Training• Chlorides, Wetlands and Winter Maintenance Best Practices• Release of ASWM’s Status and Trends Report on State Wetland Programs in the

United States

Guest Blog - Professor Kim Diana Connolly SUNY Buffalo Law School - Plot Twist: Sixth Circuit Stay of the Long-Awaited Clean Water Rule Makes a Potential “Happily Ever After” A Bit More Elusive

Board of Directors

Collis Adams Chair

Ken Murin Vice Chair

Mark Biddle Secretary/Treasurer

Denise Clearwater

Andrew May

Maryann McGraw

Doug Norris

Bill Ryan

ASWM Staff

Jeanne Christie Executive Director

Jon Kusler, Esq. PhD. Founder

Peg Bostwick Senior Policy Analyst

Brenda Zollitsch, PhD. Policy Analyst

Marla Stelk Policy Analyst

Dawn Smith Communication Specialist

Steve Palmer Bookkeeper

Sharon Weaver Webmaster

Laura Burchill Program Assistant

All wetland photos by Jeanne Christie

Copyright Association of State Wetland Managers, November/December 2015