In this course, we will define, explain and correctly use terms and concepts of basic hydrologic processes including evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, infiltration, ground-water flow and surface runoff. We will understand the hydrologic cycle and the ways that humans impact hydrology including erosion, sedimentation, and contamination. We will solve basic hydrologic problems to estimate the magnitude and frequency of hydrologic events. We will learn methods to measure flow and discharge rates. Examples will be included from real environmental problems. 

In this one-day session, attendees will gain an understanding of how to recognize situations that can lead to difficult interactions with co-workers and stakeholders, and how to navigate them with sensitivity and respect when they do arise. Through lecture and activities, participants will gain experience putting the strategies and techniques presented into practice, allowing them to immediately make use of the new skills. 

This course combines concepts and material from NWETC's Facilitation Skills for Environmental Professionals and Collaborative Negotiation Skills for Environmental Professionals. A basic agenda of the topics covered is:

Negotiation

1. How to get a group who is negotiating a compromise to re-direct the course of the negotiations when you are a team member and when you have special knowledge of a desired income.

2. How to identify and advocate for your own interests in a negotiation without bargaining from a fixed position (i.e., how to be a source of creative solution finding that can help a group move forward in your direction).

Facilitation

3. Meeting Leadership Skills - How to design and lead a meeting that maximizes the chance of producing a concrete and tangible deliverable (e.g., a decision, white paper, analysis, recommendation).

4. Meeting Participation Skills - How to lead from behind in a meeting (i.e., when you are a meeting participant, not leader, how to diplomatically re-direct the course of a meeting when it goes off track or is at risk of becoming unproductive).

Problem Management

5. How to manage problem behaviors in a negotiation or in a facilitation.

6. How to get closure and a definitive decision in a negotiation or meeting.

The objective of this 2-day course is to provide attendees with an overview of wetlands and wetlands management. 

The course will touch on the regulatory basis for the protection of wetlands in the United States, including a discussion of recent and attempted changes to wetland regulation.  In addition, there will be an overview of the methods used to delineate the boundaries of wetlands, as well as a summary of the various methods used to perform functional assessments.  Special focus will be given to the strategies and approaches to developing Nationwide and Individual Permits under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 regulation.  Additionally, there will be detailed discussions on the planning and execution of wetlands mitigation projects.

Course Testimonials:

**This course was presented as a live webinar in 2015 in six 2-hour sessions. **

Purchase includes 10 files:

• Audio/Video recording of six 2-hour sessions,
• Two course workbooks,
• Exercise packets for each part

Many people use Excel every day yet barely scratch the surface of what they can accomplish with this powerful program. 

In Part 1, users will learn to utilize Shortcuts, Functions, and Charts, and explore all of the hidden tools that are at their disposal.

After completing Part 1, participants will be able to:

• Understand intermediate to advanced uses of Microsoft Excel beyond the simple data table
• Feel comfortable exploring and using functions and recording macros
• Leverage charting, Sparklines, PivotTables and PivotCharts for data visualization and trend analysis
• Gain proficiency in using power shortcuts and recording macros that will save time.

In Part 2, the focus is on Analysis and Visual Basic Programming. Excel comes packaged with lots of tools specifically designed to speed up analysis and auditing tasks, yet many people never know how to use them, or that they even exist in the first place. During this section, users will learn how to incorporate these workhorse tools into their Excel repertoire.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• Install and use the Analysis Toolpak to perform common statistical analysis of their data.
• Perform auditing and data validation tasks to help clean messy data sets and provide reliable results
• Learn the basics of using the Visual Basic editor to create custom routines and automate tasks.

In this two-day course, the principles of statistics as applied to the analysis of environmental data will be discussed, with as little mathematical detail as possible. Examples will be drawn from environmental applications. These examples will demonstrate the results of different techniques, giving attendees a greater understanding of situations when each of the various techniques for environmental data analysis should be used.

Topics and techniques discussed will include:

• Statistical Principles & Probabilistic Data Models
• Sample Design
• Estimating Means, Medians & Variances& Other Parameters
• Dealing with Non-detects
• Fitting Data to Distributions
• Functions of Random Variables
• Statistical Intervals
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Tolerance Intervals
  • Prediction Intervals
    • Parametric Methods
    • Non-Parametric Methods
• Hypothesis testing
  • Parametric
  • Non-Parametric
  • Bootstrapping & Randomization
• Analysis of variance
• Linear regression
• Logistic regression
• Contingency tables
• Statistical graphics
• Multivariate methods

Preparing and evaluating Environmental Assessments (EAs)/Findings of No Significant Impact (FONSIs) and Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) is a complex task, and many agencies use contractors to prepare their NEPA Documents. But when those draft documents are submitted, agency staff must review and comment on them, attempting to ensure that the documents prepared by other agencies or their contractors have the necessary content.

This NEPA training course provides the tools needed to review and evaluate the content of NEPA documents, whether prepared by contractors, other agencies, or in-house. There will be a comprehensive introduction for those new to NEPA and a refresher for more experienced professionals. Materials are also relevant to writers of NEPA documents. Illustrative examples will come from excerpts of real-life EAs/FONSIs and EISs.

Emphasis is on the FONSI in particular, but all findings in general; alternatives, both those included and those that may safely be left out; a workable approach to what are called “cumulative impacts”. All materials are modeled according to statutes, regulations, andwinning case law. A major theme is emphasis on using plain language.

Attendees will gain an immensely useful set of tools to answer the question frequently asked when draft documents are received: “Is this thing any good?” The answer will be “Yes”, if it looks like the statutes, regulations, and winning case law.

The instructor is Owen Schmidt, author of NEPA Models and Case Lists as well as a number of other NEPA-related publications, and the instructor for NWETC’s courses titled NEPA: Writing the Perfect EA/FONSI or EIS and Advanced NEPA.

*Reduced tuition is available to employees of Native American tribes, government agencies, nonprofits, students and NAEP members. You may register online or by calling the Northwest Environmental Training Center at (425) 270-3274.

Please wait to receive a course confirmation email, roughly one month prior to the class, before making any travel arrangements.

**Note - For every course we have implemented live stream remote attendance.  You will need a computer and an internet connection.  

If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact us via email or phone 425 270 3274.  

This 2 day course will provide attendees with a wide array of analytical techniques available to fingerprint a variety of contaminants and to address the basic questions involved in any environmental forensics study:

1. What is the contaminant(s)?

2. What is the source(s)?

3. When did the release occur?

4. Is the contaminant degrading?

In addition, there will be a discussion of why certain techniques are more appropriate than others, the problems that may be encountered when interpreting results, and what to do if there are no unique answers to some of the above questions. Examples will be provided from a variety of environmental forensic investigations involving a range of contaminants and different issues that have been encountered.

Attendees will learn the range of supporting methods used into order to prepare the strongest case possible when presenting findings.

The final topic will center around site remediation and how some of the techniques used in topics discussed above can also be used to monitor site cleanup, particularly those sites being remediated by natural attenuation.

This course is certified by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for 14 hours of continuing education credit.

In this one day class, you will learn how to get your audience to STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN, even if they don’t want to.  Whether you’re speaking to clients, employees, stakeholders or the media, you need to speak with authenticity, confidence and passion.  Even when there is mistrust and anger in the meeting room, the skills you learn in this course will help you gain the respect and attention of the group.  National Speakers Association member Michael Fraidenburg will teach you how to deliver your message using speaking models that are designed to persuade.

Benefits:  Environmental Professionals often need to make themselves heard above many other voices competing for attention. Knowledge and expertise is often not enough to show credibility, so adding persuasive speaking skills to your work will help you stand out as unique, and make your message stick. The person whose speech is the clearest and most sensible will define the way forward-make sure that person is you!

Learning Persuasive Speaking will help you:

• Convince listeners to act on your message, 
• Inspire groups to accept change, 
• Reply to challenging questions with tact, diplomacy, and effectiveness, 
• Know what to say and how to say it when just giving information is not enough, and 
• Be remembered for the right reasons after your presentation is over.

During the session we also touch on effective platform and non-verbal skills to establish and maintain your credibility as a speaker who has an important message worth listening to.  Through lecture, sharing of experiences, role plays, and demonstrations you will learn these techniques you can begin using right away. Come prepared to learn and practice how to create a persuasive presentation every time you speak.

See the Course Topics Section for more details.

**If this course has Remote Live Attendance -- USA as the location, it is a live stream remote course. You will need a computer and an internet connection. 

**If this course has a city and state as the location, we will be attempting to hold the course in-person at the listed location with course times listed in the host city's time zone; however, due to gathering restrictions and health concerns, NWETC reserves the right to convert this course to a live remote streaming course. If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact us via email or phone 425 270 3274. 

Note: Course image above is of the Berkeley Pitt in Butte Montana where the groundwater is exposed due to past mining operations from what is one of the largest superfund sites in the country. Photo Credit: Pamela Schultz

* Also, see our companion course "PFOS, PFAS, PFOA, and Emerging Contaminants". 

This two-day course includes an overview of key chemistry concepts associated with environmental contamination and provides a foundation for understanding contaminant fate and transport. The concepts discussed are essential for understanding soil and groundwater contamination along with the selection of appropriate remediation approaches.

The course begins with a review of basic chemistry concepts that are built upon as more complex topics are introduced. The first day includes a fundamental chemistry overview, covering chemical structure, properties, and reactions for metals and organic chemicals.  On the second day, characteristics of subsurface systems are discussed along with detailed descriptions of contaminant transport and degradation mechanisms.

A key goal of the class is for participants to become comfortable with the terminology and parameters used in environment chemistry and contaminant transport literature and studies. Concepts are illustrated using examples and historical context. For some examples, participants will use calculators. Spreadsheet models are provided to those interested in using simplified contaminant transport models. Major uncertainties and limitations of modeling approaches will also be discussed.