William S. Sipple

410-987-4083

bsip333@aol.com
EXPERIENCE
2003-Present: Principal of William S. Sipple Wetland & Environmental Training and Consulting (WSS). WSS is a small, private training and consulting company offering quality services directly to individuals, agencies, environmental groups, and businesses. The company was set up after the principal’s retirement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2003. He also independently teaches a number of wetland and plant identification courses for various institutions as indicated below.
Since its inception, WSS has conducted wetland delineations, floristic inventories, rare plant searches, stream assessments, and wildlife inventories.
2006: Senior Scientist and wetland specialist with The Louis Berger Group, Inc. (LBG) in Washington, DC. Projects included wetland delineations and rare plant searches. This was a part-time position since Mr. Sipple’s primary source of income is his own business (W. S. Sipple Wetland & Environmental Training & Consulting).
Mr. Sipple is no longer a part-time employee for LBG, but continues to receive contractual assignments from LBG on project by project bases, as with similar firms.
1979-2003: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC

Chief Ecologist, Wetland Division

• During his tenure at EPA, has been involved in most aspects of the 404 Wetland Regulatory Program (Clean Water Act). Some examples given below:

– Responsible for technical reviews of wetland permits elevated to Headquarters via Section 404(q) and (c) of the Clean Water Act.

– Participated on interagency technical teams conducting delineations and evaluations related to litigation; served as expert witness in Federal court.

– Served as technical contact with EPA’s wetland research plan.

– Served as QA/QC coordinator and Peer Review Coordinator.

• Has represented EPA on the National and Northeast Regional Wetland Plant Panels and on the National Technical Committee for Hydric Soils.

• Conducted wetland delineation, plant identification, and wetland ecology training for EPA and other government agencies.

• Authored EPA’s Wetland Delineation Manual and helped develop the 1989 Federal Manual for the Identification and Delineation of Jurisdictional Wetlands.

Natural Resources Planner, Tidal Wetland Program

• Performed wetland permit reviews and related environmental assessments.

• Conducted wetland delineations and evaluations related to litigation; served as expert witness in state court on wetland litigation.

• Collected vascular plant species distribution data for more than 600 sites in tidewater Maryland.

• Administered the Tidal Wetland Program from 1978 to 1979.

Instructor, Odyssey Program

• Taught Wetland Delineation, Wetland Plant Identification, and Wetlands of Chesapeake Bay session.
1994-Present: Institute for Wetland & Environmental Education & Research

Instructor

• Taught Plant ID: Wetlands and Their Borders; Regional Wildflower ID: Mid-Atlantic; Identification of Freshwater Wetland Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes; Identification of Winter Woody Plants; and Wetland Delineation.
1999-2007: Humboldt Field Research Institute

Instructor

• Taught Identification of Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes, Vascular Plant Identification: Wetland and Upland, and Identification of Composites: Asters, Goldenrods, and Related Species.
2000-Present: Wetland Studies and Solutions, Inc., Chantilly and Gainesville, VA

Instructor

Instructor

• Taught Wetland Field Botany, Identification and

Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes, and Winter Woody Plant ID

Instructor

Direct contractual teaching of Identification of Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes.
1994-1997: Northern Virginia Community College at Woodbridge

Instructor

• Taught Wetland Plant Identification; Grass, Sedge, and Rush Identification; and Wetland Delineation courses.

• Taught Wetland Ecology and Pond & Stream seminars.

Instructor

• Taught Wetland Ecology course and Wetland, Aquatic, and Dune Plant Identification course.
2003-Present: Towson University ,Towson, MD

Instructor

Wetland identification, classification, and delineation course in an Environmental Master Degree Program. Course taught every other year.
EDUCATION
• Glassboro State College, New Jersey: B.A., Biology

• University of Pennsylvania: M.S., Regional Planning

• University of Maryland: Plant Ecology, all but dissertation
INTERESTS
• Dedicated journal keeper, having compiled and privately printed fourteen volumes (3107 pages) of field observations and experiences covering 53 years.

• Other interests include rare and endangered vascular plant distributions; birding; reptiles and amphibians; general natural history; book collecting; antique bottles and postcards; Indian artifacts; dancing.

• Maryland Native Plant Society

• Natural History Society of Maryland
SELECT PUBLICATIONS
1976. The carpenter frog (Rana virgatipes) in Caroline County, Maryland. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 12 (4): 129130.

1978. An Atlas of Vascular Plant Species Distribution Maps for Tidewater Maryland. Dept. of Natural Resources, Water Resources Administration, Wetlands Permit Section. Wetland Publication No. 1. 280 pp.

1980. A unique wetland in Maryland. Castanea 45: 60-69.

1984. Uncommon wetlands in the Coastal Plain of Maryland. In: Norden, Forester, and Fenwick (editors), Threatened and endangered plants and animals of Maryland. p. 111-138. (With Wayne A. Klockner)

1989. Federal Manual for Identifying and Delineating Jurisdictional Wetlands. EPA, COE, USFWS, SCS (With Others).

1990. Exploring Maryland’s freshwater tidal wetlands. Atlantic Naturalist 40:2-18.

1991. Through the Eyes of a Young Naturalist. Gateway Press, Baltimore, MD. 204 pp.

1992. Jersey Journal: Outdoor and Natural History Observations and Experiences, 1955-1971. 341 pp.

1992. Time to move on. National wetlands newsletter 14(2): 4-6.

1993. A new site for the swamp pink (Helonias bullata) in Maryland. The Maryland Naturalist 37(3-4):24-27.

1994. A Natural History of the Pocomoke River Watershed With Special Reference to its Wetlands. Privately printed. 61 pp.

1995. Report of the Natural History and Nature Writing Workshop, June 19-21, 1994. 34 pp.

1999. Days Afield: Exploring Wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Gateway Press Publications, Baltimore, MD. 558 pp.

2001. Pine-barrens golden-heather (Cistaceae: Hudsonia ericoides L.): Range extension and a new woody plant for Maryland. The Maryland Naturalist 44(1):1-4.

1993-2009. Maryland Journal: Outdoor and Natural History Observations and Experiences. Fifteen volumes printed to date covering the years shown in parentheses: Volumes I (1971-1986), II (1987-1992), III (1993), IV (1994), V (1995-1996), VI (1997), VII (1998-1999), VIII (2000), IX (2001), X (2002), XI (2003), XII (2004), XIII (2005), XIV (2006), XV (2007), and XVI (2008). Total pages: 3281

2008. Note on box turtles (Terrepene c. carolina) aestivating along a marshy stream bank. Bulletin of the Maryland Herpetological Society 44(4): 135-136.

TECHNICAL PRESENTATIONS
• Has presented papers at numerous wetland technical symposia and workshops while working for the State of Maryland and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

• Has given talks for college classes and environmental organizations.