Members receive weekly issues of Insider’s Edition and bimonthly issues of Wetland News per year. If you are a member already, you may read the latest issue of Insider’s Edition and Wetland News (NAWM’s membership newsletter) by logging in to your Members' Portal. NAWM membership benefits information.
NAWM is looking for photos of our members working in the field—whether inside or outside, regulation or restoration, monitoring & assessment—or mapping & management of wetland resources. We would like to feature photos of wetland professionals doing a wide range of activities in the field of wetland science, policy and management. Please email these photos to Laura at laura@nawm.org for use on the NAWM website and/or in our membership newsletter, Wetland News.
The NAWM membership includes state, tribal, federal, and local wetland managers, regulators, researchers, field scientists, academics, private consultants, and more. These wetlanders work across the United States in a wide variety of wetlands and related aquatic resources. To celebrate the important work that NAWM members are doing, each month NAWM shines the Member Spotlight on one member to learn more about the good work they are doing to protect and restore our wetland resources, how they came to work in wetlands, and how being a member of the Association benefits their work. If you would like to nominate a member for a future Member Spotlight, please reach out to Portia Osborne, NAWM Executive Director, at portia@nawm.org. View Member Spotlight Archive.
Jillian Olsen
Jillian Olsen is the founder and owner of Cherry Ridge Consulting LLC.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Teaching others the science of wetlands – I am pretty passionate about wetlands in general, so any time I have the opportunity to educate others on their importance, I do! Whether they want to hear it or not, lol.
What is one of your biggest professional accomplishments?
Starting my own company to get back to the core of what I love about environmental consulting – having the ability to make a difference in how we approach projects to function with nature, rather than try to engineer a way to overcome it.
What is your favorite type of wetland? Why?
I love an Eastern hemlock and red maple swamp. The peacefulness and uniqueness of the landscape within these wetlands draws me in every time. I could spend all day just listening to nature there. They are also amazing for raptor sightings, which when you love Cooper’s hawks like me, that is an added bonus! They are still present in the Pocono Plateau where we do a lot of our work, and we are starting to see eastern hemlock saplings take hold following areas of devastation from wooly adelgid.
How did you end up working in wetlands?
I give credit to my love of aquatic ecology to one of my undergrad professors, Dr. Frank Kuserk. From there, I was hired by an environmental consulting firm that completed quite a bit of work in the water resource development industry. My role in that space was to assist in evaluating surface water and wetland interactions against the proposed groundwater withdrawals to ensure the projects did not present any adverse impacts to the surface waters and wetlands. It became a unique niche that I still work in today.
What advice do you have for someone interested in getting started in wetlands work?
Take the time to explore different internships or volunteer opportunities that will expose you to the various work conditions, types of projects, and varied careers in wetland science. There are so many ways a background in biology, ecology, environmental science, can be applied to a career in wetland science. I had the opportunity to do several field studies as an undergraduate, mostly in stream ecology. I also interned with The Nature Conservancy, completing invasive species mitigations and teaching summer courses to children on local wildlife and their habitats. If you are in a remote area where perhaps internship opportunities are limited, reach out to NAWM or SWS and find a local wetland scientist in your area to shadow.
How long have you been a member of NAWM? How have you participated in NAWM?
At least 4 years, I believe. I have attended webinars and my employee has completed the hydric soils training series to enhance her knowledge.
What is your favorite benefit of being a member of NAWM?
The access to unique webinars that showcase challenges others are facing in wetlands throughout the country.
If you would like to nominate a member for a future Member Spotlight, please reach out to Portia Osborne, NAWM Executive Director, at portia@nawm.org.
View Member Spotlight Archive.