NAWM Members
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.
Andrew MacKenzie
Andrew MacKenzie is an Environmental Specialist with Williams Forestry and Associates and a 2022 recipient of the Jon A. Kusler Student Scholarship Award.
Tell us about your background and current job. How did you end up working in wetlands?
I found myself working in wetlands while assisting multiple graduate students at West Virginia University. Those experiences ranged from biological monitoring in riparian wetlands, to hiking through Allegheny National Forest in search of wood turtles, to briefly “playing” with alligators and venomous snakes in Texas. Through those field seasons, I became drawn to the critters that call wetlands home and developed a deep appreciation for the complexity of these systems. That passion ultimately led me to pursue a master’s degree studying the impacts of riparian wetland restoration pre-, during-, and post-construction.
In graduate school, I became deeply involved in the restoration process, which ultimately revealed my true passion: improving landscapes for the species I had grown to admire. I’ll never forget planting the final tree on one project, walking up the adjacent hill, and realizing I was part of something that would benefit the ecosystem in countless ways for generations to come.
Today, I serve as an Environmental Specialist with Williams Forestry and Associates. I oversee projects from initial planning and implementation to maintenance and research efforts. My favorite part of the job is simple—climbing to the highest point on a completed site and reliving that same feeling of purpose and impact.
What is your favorite NAWM memory?
During graduate school, I was introduced to the National Association of Wetland Managers. My first memory of NAWM was standing in the pouring rain at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting talking with Marla Stelk. She encouraged me to apply for the Jon Kusler Scholarship. A few months later, I was honored to learn that I had received the scholarship, which allowed me to attend the annual meeting at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. There, I met wetland professionals whose mentorship and support proved invaluable during my time in graduate school.
What advice do you have for someone interested in getting started in wetlands work?
My advice for anyone interested in wetlands work is straightforward: take every opportunity. If I hadn’t accepted my graduate position, I may never have discovered my purpose.
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.