WRA Staff Spotlight: World Wetlands Day

February 2nd is World Wetlands Day! This year’s theme is “Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future.” To help celebrate, we are fortunate to have two of WRA’s wetland experts share their insight and experience working in wetland habitats throughout their careers and provide advice for the next generation of wetland enthusiasts.

Rei Scampavia, PhD, Biologist

Tell us about your background and what inspired you to work in wetland habitats.

Rei: I have an undergraduate degree in biology, with a focus on botany. After graduating, I spent two years conducting botanical surveys for the U.S. Forest Service on the Stanislaus National Forest, including weeklong excursions surveying for fen habitat at higher elevations. As a consultant, I have been conducting wetland and aquatic resource delineations and California Rapid Assessment Method (CRAM) assessments for more than six years, mostly in the Bay Area. I also have a recovery permit to survey for protected vernal pool branchiopods, tiny shrimplike crustaceans that live in vernal pools primarily in grassland habitats.

My fascination with native California plants and invertebrates has led me to my love of wetlands. California is a hotspot of endemic biodiversity, in large part due to the special relationships that have evolved in unique, sometimes ephemeral, microhabitats. For example, vernal pools host not only a number of rare flowering plants that have evolved to tolerate different periods and quantities of saturation, but also native mining bees that specialize on these vernal pool host plants.

What brings you hope for the future of our wetlands and why?

Rei: Between grad school and my consulting career, I spent some time working at an education nonprofit, developing and implementing nature-based STEM curricula for schools in the Bay Area. One of the classes I taught to elementary school children involved sampling and identification of aquatic macroinvertebrates, as indicators of water quality and habitat health. The students were always so excited to discover that environments they may have overlooked before are actually teeming with life. If we can instill a love and appreciation of wetland and aquatic habitats in the next generation, I believe they can grow up to become wetland advocates.

Tell us about your favorite wetland species. 

Rei: Once you see them dancing and somersaulting about, it’s hard not to fall in love with the delicate vernal pool fairy shrimp. They are active for only a few weeks while their habitats are inundated, but their cysts can survive the hot and dry California summers, or even a trip into the cold vacuum of outer space. Seeing specimens preserved in the lab don’t do justice to how beautiful and vibrant they look during their short lives in the water.

What does WRA’s Vision, “Cultivating a sustainable future where people and the environment thrive” mean to you?

Rei: The future of people and the environment are completely intertwined with each other. This means finding creative, science-based solutions so that people and the environment can benefit together, and not one at the expense of the other.

Jennifer Gagnon, Regulatory Permitting Specialist

Tell us about your background and how you became involved in wetland habitat conservation.

Jennifer: I have always wanted to work in the environmental field and am passionate about water resources. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Geography with a Concentration in Resource Management and obtained a Master’s degree at the University of San Francisco where I concentrated my studies in wetland and restoration ecology. I studied suspended sediment concentrations in a natural tidal marsh habitat in San Pablo Bay for my Master’s thesis. I became particularly interested in wetlands when I was an intern at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and was inspired by the environmental protections the habitat was provided. The 40-hour wetland delineation professional training was essential to prepare me to work with wetlands for permitting and restoration purposes prior to my work as a State employee and environmental consulting.

Describe the importance of wetlands and why we should work together to conserve and protect them.

Jennifer: Wetlands provide many ecological services to humans, wildlife, and the environment. They can improve water quality by removing excess nutrients and can absorb pollutants. Wildlife use wetlands as their habitat, refuge, and nursery. Wetlands can also assist with flood control/protection and can serve as buffers against rising sea levels. They also provide ample recreational opportunities for people. Conserving and protecting these habitats is essential because they have been greatly impacted by human development and fragmentation.

What piece of advice would you give to the next generation of wetland professionals?

Jennifer:

• Ask a lot of questions! Wetland science is something that you mostly learn from practice and by doing. 
• It can require a lot of fieldwork, and as you can imagine, it can get pretty messy! I always bring extra towels/clothes, and have learned that shovels and tape measures can and do break at the most inconvenient times. 
• You cannot get too much data, but you can get too little – finding the balance between the two is key.

What is your favorite wetlands species and why?

Jennifer: My favorite wetland species is the snowy egret (Egretta thula). I love how majestic they are and their unique plumage always makes me smile when I see it on display.

To learn more about World Wetlands Day and how you can make a difference, visit the official website.

To learn more about WRA, how we Make a Positive Lasting Impression™, and opportunities to join our team, visit our Culture and Careers page.

Our experts are ready to support your wetland work! Connect on LinkedIn (Rei Scampavia and Jennifer Gagnon) or send us a message on our Contact page!