Resources for environmental consultants.
Master complex environmental topics, keep pace with regulatory updates, and discover best practices in wetland science, soil science, and environmental permitting.
NWI at 50: the impact and future of wetlands data
Half a century in, the National Wetlands Inventory is the bedrock layer for nearly every aquatic resources project. What comes next?
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Identifying drained and filled wetlands
A field-ready guide to recognising drained and filled wetlands, and documenting them defensibly under the post-Sackett rules.
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GeoJSON, Shapefile, or GeoDatabase: choosing the right GIS export
When to ship which file format to the client GIS team, with the gotchas we've learned across 10,000+ projects.
Read post →Understanding hydrological zones for wetland delineation
From upland edge to deepwater, a refresher on the hydrology gradient that anchors every defensible delineation.
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Best practices for site photos
Geolocated photos win permits. A practical photo SOP your whole field crew can follow on day one.
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Does your data sheet need every hydric soil indicator?
Guest scientist Adam Gailey on which indicators carry the most weight, and which you can safely skip on a tight day.
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What's new in the 2024 USACE wetland determination forms
Side-by-side breakdown of every change in the 2024 form revision, with notes on field workflow impact.
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The Seasonal Splendors of Vernal Pools
Learn how to identify vernal pools, the unique ephemeral wetlands critical for amphibians and biodiversity, using field indicators for wetland delineations.
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Spring Fieldwork Checklist
Spring field season is here! Use Ecobot's quick fieldwork checklist to prep your gear, technology, and safety essentials before heading outdoors.
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5 efficiency tools for environmental assessments
The small process changes that compound, checklists, templates, and integrations that save half a day a week.
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Quick-Start Guide to OHWM Assessments
Learn how to complete accurate Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) assessments using Ecobot's simple step-by-step guide and the USACE form.
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Ordinary High Water Mark: A Proxy for Regulatory Certainty?
The National Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) form offers a clear, standardized environmental assessment across regions and states. Under current EPA standards, if a wetland has an outlet with an identifiable OHWM, it is likely to qualify as jurisdictional.
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How to Protect Wetlands Post-Sackett
White House CEQ Chair Brenda Mallory emphasizes state action on wetland protection amid increasing losses and federal regulatory gaps following Sackett v. EPA. Learn about the Biden administration's proposed strategies for wetland restoration and mitigation.
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Top Takeaways from the 2024 NAWM Annual Meeting
Missed the 2024 NAWM Annual Meeting? Catch Ecobot's top insights on post-Sackett wetland protection strategies, jurisdictional changes in the Arid West, and the surprising role of beavers in restoration.
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A Year After Sackett v. EPA: Insights from D.C.-Based Environmental Lawyer Fred Wagner
One year post-Sackett v. EPA, environmental attorney Fred Wagner shares insights on regulatory uncertainty, future litigation, state-led wetland protections, and shifting enforcement trends. Discover the impacts for agencies, businesses, and landowners navigating the new WOTUS landscape.
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Sackett v. EPA: One Year Later
One year after Sackett v. EPA narrowed federal wetland protections, explore local impacts and innovative solutions from states, agencies, and legal experts. Discover adaptive strategies, ongoing litigation, and the future of water policy in our interactive StoryMap.
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Understanding Gley Soil
What is Gley Soil? Learn what causes gley soil, how to identify common characteristics of gley soil, and how to record gley soil using the Munsell Color System.
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Takeaways from the USFWS 2019 Wetlands Status and Trends Report
According to the USFWS 2019 Wetlands Status and Trends Report, U.S. wetlands shrank by 221,000 acres between 2009-2019, accelerating habitat loss and biodiversity threats. Explore key findings, consequences, and how data-driven strategies using tools like Ecobot can support wetland conservation and sustainable development.
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Integrated Data & Analysis Tools for Climate-Resilient Infrastructure
Discover how integrated data and GIS analysis tools from Ecobot, Esri, and HNTB support climate-resilient infrastructure projects. Watch the webinar, explore key insights from industry experts, and learn to enhance environmental permitting efficiency.
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Munsell Soil Guide: Understand soil color more deeply with the free guide.
Understand the Munsell Color System with our visual guide on understanding hue, value, and chroma for accurate soil color identification. Download Ecobot's Munsell Soil Reference Guide and explore practical tools for wetland scientists on hydric soil assessments, gleyed colors, redox features, and soil texture analysis.
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Georgia Low Impact Solar Siting Tool (LISST) with Amy Gutierrez, The Nature Conservancy
Discover how The Nature Conservancy's Georgia LISST tool balances solar energy expansion and biodiversity protection, guiding developers toward low-impact solar sites. Learn about proactive solar siting, protecting habitats like the gopher tortoise's, and accelerating sustainable clean-energy transitions.
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Climate Tech 101 with Grace Donnelly of Climate Tech VC
Climate Tech VC's Grace Donnelly explores how venture capital investments reveal market confidence in climate solutions. Discover key trends, funding insights, and sectors poised for growth in the evolving climate tech landscape.
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Ecobot Surpasses Key Biodiversity Data Milestone
Ecobot Customers Have Generated More Than 100,000 Regulatory Reports; One Million Biodiversity Data Points
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The Future of WOTUS with Fred Wagner, Partner at Venable LLP
Environmental attorney Fred Wagner explains how the Sackett v. EPA ruling reshapes the long-standing Waters of the United States (WOTUS) debate. Explore implications for permitting, jurisdictional clarity, and future regulatory challenges under the Clean Water Act.
Read post →Ecobot is Now Available for Android-Powered Devices
Ecobot, the premier digital solution for mandator environmental assessments, today released a version of Ecobot Collector for Android.
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Digitized Environmental Permitting in Virginia, with Mike Roldband of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
Mike Rolband, Director of Virginia's DEQ, shares his vision for transforming environmental permitting through transparency and efficiency with the PEEP platform. Explore how streamlined digital processes are accelerating permit decisions and improving environmental outcomes.
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Making impactful environmental decisions, with EPICs Jessie Mahr
Jessie Mahr, EPIC's Director of Technology, explores how innovative technology and better data can transform wetland restoration and environmental decision-making. Learn about emerging tools like satellite imagery, acoustic monitoring, and eDNA shaping the future of conservation.
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The Impact of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Esri's Sunny Fleming breaks down the Infrastructure Bill (IIJA), highlighting key impacts on sustainability, resiliency, and equity. Explore how funding boosts environmental review, streamlines permitting processes, and provides new opportunities for communities and environmental professionals.
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Ecobot Announces Free Subscription Option
Ecobot launches free subscription option, widening access to digitized pre-construction environmental assessments.
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Ecobot is the trusted platform for natural resource identification.
Discover how Ecobot streamlines natural resource identification and wetland delineation workflows for government agencies like the EPA, USDA, and state DOTs. Learn about Ecobot's alignment to FedRAMP Moderate, security features, and easy implementation to boost field efficiency and regulatory compliance.
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A Guide to Wetland Delineations (FAQ)
Learn what wetland delineation is, why it's required, and how Ecobot simplifies fieldwork, reduces permitting delays, and cuts delineation timelines by up to 50%. Explore regulatory guidelines, assessment processes, cost factors, and the impacts of the Sackett v. EPA decision on wetland protection.
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USACEs Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) For Wetland Delineations
Learn how the USACE Antecedent Precipitation Tool (APT) supports accurate wetland delineation by providing site-specific climate data. Explore real-world examples, demonstrations, and insights from wetland experts on incorporating APT data into your jurisdictional reports.
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Land Use Clarity via Advanced Mapping
Discover how Ecobot and Esri's ArcGIS Field Maps integrate seamlessly to streamline wetland delineation workflows, enhance data accuracy, and boost team collaboration. Learn about real-time mapping, offline capabilities, and robust GIS features improving environmental fieldwork efficiency.
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Geospatial WOTUS Project Management Made Easy
Explore how Ecobot and ArcGIS Field Maps streamline wetland delineation workflows, from efficient data collection in the field to seamless QA/QC at the office. Discover insights from industry experts on tightening project timelines, automating data entry, and improving collaboration.
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Wonderful Workflows Addressing 21st Century WOTUS Woes
Discover state-of-the-art geospatial tools transforming wetland fieldwork, including ArcGIS Pro, Ecobot, GNSS technology, and IPaC. Learn from experts how digital data collection boosts accuracy, efficiency, and decision-making for Waters of the United States (WOTUS) compliance.
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Kelp Forest Monitoring & Remote Sensing
Explore the ecological importance of kelp forests with insights from the KelpRes project in Galway, Ireland. Learn how innovative remote sensing, genetic studies, and long-term monitoring efforts enhance coastal resilience and inform sustainable management practices.
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Pitfalls of Ping Pong WOTUS Policy
Explore the evolving Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulations, including the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR), litigation, and the implications for environmental consultants and regulators. Gain expert insights into historical context, legal challenges, and future directions of water policy.
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Florida 404 Assumption: Policy & Practice
Explore Florida's assumption of the Clean Water Act's Section 404 permitting program, including policy details, permitting challenges, agency jurisdiction, and expert insights on navigating Florida's wetland regulatory landscape.
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How USFWSs IPaC Streamlines Environmental Review and Permitting
Discover how the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's IPaC software streamlines Section 7 environmental reviews and permitting, offering efficiency, consistency, and transparency for agencies, consultants, and environmental professionals.
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Habitat Conservation Planning BMPs
Explore Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) with expert insights from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and environmental consultants. Learn best practices, key factors for successful HCPs, low-effect procedures, and how prediction modeling streamlines permitting and conservation efforts.
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Challenges & Successes of State 404 Assumption
Discover insights from Michigan and New Jersey on their experiences assuming Clean Water Act Section 404 permitting. Experts discuss best practices, challenges, regulatory differences, and key resources for states considering assumption of wetland protection programs.
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Future of Wetland Mitigation Banking
Explore the state of wetland mitigation banking through expert insights on policy changes, technology integration, and ecological restoration case studies. Learn how mitigation banks balance environmental conservation with economic growth amidst evolving regulations.
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Updates and Future of NWI & NWCA
Discover the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and National Wetlands Condition Assessment (NWCA), their differences, use cases, recent updates, funding challenges, and how they influence conservation policy, infrastructure planning, and sustainable wetland management.
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The 2020 NWPL Update is Live in Ecobot
The USACE 2020 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) has been finalized and is now available inside Ecobot version 3.4.
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The Real Impact of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule
The Navigable Waters Protection Rule has undermined critical regulations of fresh water in the US and further slowed the environmental permitting process.
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NWPL Update is Live
The USACE 2018 National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) has been finalized and is now available inside Ecobot.
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Ecobot Version 2: Map Wetlands Inside of Ecobot
Learn how to use Ecobot to delineate wetland cell boundaries right inside of Ecobot, and instantly generate ArcGIS-ready shapefiles of your project.
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The Only Constant is Change: Upcoming Revisions to the National Wetlands Plant List
There are 20 species and 37 regional ratings that may change on the next version of the NWPL.
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Impacts of Proposed Revisions to WOTUS Rules
The reduction of WOTUS by the Trump administration will be environmentally and economically devastating for the entire nation.
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Ecobot Resources: Covering Technology, Policy, and News for the Environmental Industry
Ecobot publications, created to help foster a greater sense of community and conversation around wetland delineations and water.
Read post →More posts being migrated.
We're moving the rest of the legacy archive, Sackett analysis, OHWM guides, WOTUS history, and product release notes, into this site. New posts publish here first.