Well the winter finally came to an end, spring has sprung and summer is rapidly approaching! The MAC IECA board has been busy putting together the 17^th Annual Conference and it is looking like it will be one of our most diverse and informative conferences ever with a special musical guest!

Jason Beeler has been leading up planning our 17^th Annual Conference which will be held in Front Royal, Virginia from September 21 – 24,  2010.  As many of you know the hot topic for this conference will be the EPA’s guidelines on NTU’s in stormwater runoff. With the new regulations, maintaining compliance will surely create unique challenges for the industry.  Stay posted to future newsletters and our website http://www.macieca.org/ for the latest information about the conference.

As always, we will be kicking off the conference with a friendly game of golf.  This year’s tournament is at the Blue Ridge Shadows Golf Club, which is immediately adjacent to the Holiday Inn and Suites. The golf tournament offers participants an excellent opportunity to network with professionals involved in all aspects of the erosion and sediment control and stormwater management fields. There will be numerous prizes offered at the door as well as at specific holes at this beautiful but challenging 18 hole course.  If your calendar and budget allow, I would highly recommend playing in the golf tournament! Dan Fisk is heading up the golf committee so if you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to contact him at dfisk@wetlandstudies.com.

One of the additions to the conference this year is an all day bus tour to visit two stream projects in the Northern Virginia area. The first stop will be at Cleremont Farm located in Upperville, Virginia. Cleremont is a 1,650 acre black angus cattle farm that has fenced cattle out off over 4.5 miles of steams, in coordination with the CRP program. Cleremont has also worked closely with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District (LSWCD) to provide alternate watering sources on the property. The second stop of the day will be at The Northern Virginia Stream Restoration Bank which is located in Reston, Virginia. The Northern Virginia Stream Restoration Bank is an ongoing 14 mile urban stream restoration project being built by Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc. Attendees will be able to see the restored streams at different stages of succession as well as observe active stream restoration and stabilization as well as learn what are the main causes of the degradation of urban streams.

As in years past the CPESC, CPSWQ and CESSWI review courses and exams are all being made available to attendees. This year we will also be offering the CISEC review course and exam. You must be pre-approved by the Certification Committee before you will be allowed to sit for any of the exams. If you wish to take the CPESC, CPSWQ, or CESSWI you can get information on the application process at www.envirocert.org and the information on the application process for the CISEC exam can be found at www.cisecinc.org . Now is the time to get your applications filed out and submitted if you wish to sit for the any of the exams!

For the latest information on the conference schedule, course and exhibitor registration, and sponsorship please go to http://www.macieca.org/ . If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at (703) 679-5631 or by e-mail at rvanhouten@wetlandstudies.com or Jason Beeler at jbeeler@wetlandstudies.com.

Cheers!
Roy