Basic Wetland Delineation

Course Overview

This course satisfies the requirements for basic wetland delineation training as specified by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and certification programs in many states. Learn the technical guidelines for wetland delineations; field indicators of hydrophytic vegetation, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology; methods for making jurisdictional determinations and methods to apply in difficult situations.

Basic Wetland Delineation is offered as a hybrid course that includes online lectures followed by a 2-day field practicum. This course is 36 contact hours divided between lecture (20 hours) and fieldwork (16 hours). Please see dates and locations below.

All online lectures must be completed prior to attending chosen field practicum. Progress through online lectures at your own pace and review as many times as you wish for one year.

Successful completion of course requires completion of online/classroom lecture portion and participation in one in-person 16-contact-hour field session. Scroll down for dates, locations, and a more specific list of topics covered. Registration can be completed with payment via credit card, check, or purchase order.

Resources: Field Packing List | Sample Field Practicum Agenda | Printable Course Curriculum (forthcoming)

$1,275.00

36 contact hours

20 hours online + 16 hours in field

Unless otherwise noted, field sessions run from 8:00 am until 5:30 pm each day.

Cunningham, Knowles, Larson, Lokovic Gamber, Love, McArthur, McEldowney, Nigro, Rogers, Santulli, Scoles, Smith, Stringer, B Whited, M Whited

Learn more about your instructors

Recommended Plant Identification Courses (Optional)

While not a prerequisite, you will gain so much more in the BWD field session if you have spent some time honing your basic plant ID skills. Our Plants of the Wetland Boundary (PWB) online courses are designed for nonbotonists that want to improve their delineation skills. To help participants strengthen their plant identification skills and be better prepared for the field portion of the Basic Wetland Delineation (BWD) course, a discount is available for those who register for both the Plants of the Wetland Boundary and Basic Wetland Delineation courses in the same year.

To receive $100 off your registration for a regional PWB course when taking a BWD course in the same year, add both to your WTI cart and enter the following coupon code: “BWDPLANT100” upon checkout. You can take all three regions currently available for just $1,000! Learn about individual regional courses by clicking the buttons below, or click here to purchase our 3 region bundle (includes Northeast, North Central, Southeast). You can also browse all of our plant identification courses, including more in-depth topics here.

North Central Plants of the Wetland Boundary

Northeastern Plants of the Wetland Boundary

Southeastern Plants of the Wetland Boundary

Your Course Includes

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Pocket Guide to Hydric Soil Field Indicators

This field guide is based on the National Technical Committee on Hydric Soils’ Field Indicators of Hydric Soils in the United States.

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Downloadable Resources

Receive lecture slides for note-taking and essential electronic resources for ongoing reference.

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Certificate of Completion

You will receive a certificate of completion with instructional contact hours documented once you have completed all course requirements (i.e. all lectures and field sessions)

Frequently asked Questions

When does the course start and finish?

Once your registration is confirmed and payment is complete, you may begin the online lectures at any time. The online portion must be completed before the in-person field practicum. You will have access to the course content for one year from your start date.

Can I view lectures at my own pace?

Yes! You can view and review the lectures as often as you like for one year from the date you start the course.

Can I have face-to-face interaction with the Instructor?

You will have face-to-face interaction with your field practicum instructor to ensure you understand all the material as well as standard field practices. During the online componenet of the course, please contact the instructor via the discussion board or our direct messaging system from the member’s area.

Does this course count towards my certification program?

Your certificate of completion can be used to document instructional hours received in this topic. You should contact the specific certifying agency or association directly to find out how they will assess or credit this WTI course. Typically, our courses are accepted by all state and national certifying agencies and associations; however, you should confirm that with the specific certification program to which you are applying or renewing.

What if I need to cancel? Do you offer refunds?

Please click here to review our cancellation policy.

Do I need to take a field course in the state/region where I work?

The basic wetland delineation courses focus on data collection, field interpretations and wetland boundary determination. While plant identification and habitat discussions are informally part of the course, they aren’t the primary focus. In many situations, the instructor or other participants point out specific plants, but don’t have time to explain the particulars for the trees, shrubs, forbs, grasses and vines. If there isn’t a quick identification, then the class proceeds with noting the genus but not species. Thus, field sessions are not State-centric for plants or habitat.

Register for this course by selecting a field practicum location below. Registration includes online lectures, downloadable course materials, and your selected 2 day field course:

Dates	Locations	Register by Field Location
February 2 – 3, 2026	Orange County, CA	REGISTER
February 5 – 6, 2026	Orange County, CA	REGISTER
February 10 – 11, 2026	Ventura County, CA	REGISTER
February 23 – 24, 2026	San Diego, CA	REGISTER
March 19 – 20, 2026	Sacramento, CA	REGISTER
March 23 – 24, 2026	Houston, TX	REGISTER
March 25 – 26, 2026	Houston, TX	REGISTER
April 8 – 9, 2026	Sacramento, CA	REGISTER
April 27 – 28, 2026	Santa Rosa, CA	REGISTER
April 28 – 29, 2026	Richmond, VA	REGISTER
April 28 – 30	Richmond, VA	Get an extra day in the field plus additional online instruction.Click here to learn more.
May 6 – 7, 2026	Des Moines, IA	REGISTER
May 12 -13, 2026	Portage, WI	REGISTER
May 12 – 14, 2026	Portage, WI	Get an extra day in the field plus additional online instruction. Click here to learn more.
May 19 – 20, 2026	Twin Cities, MN	REGISTER
June 1 – 2, 2026	Anchorage, AK	REGISTER
June 22 – 23, 2026	Laramie, WY	REGISTER
June 30 – July 1, 2026	Bozeman, MT	REGISTER
August 3 – 4, 2026	Humboldt County, CA	REGISTER
August 17 – 18, 2026	Tacoma, WA	REGISTER
August 20 – 21, 2026	Marysville, WA	REGISTER
September 15 – 16, 2026	Portage, WI	REGISTER
September 15 – 16, 2026	Kalispell, MT	REGISTER
September 15 – 17, 2026	Kalispell, MT	Get an extra day in the field plus additional online instruction. Click here to learn more.
October 5 – 6, 2026	Manchester, NH	REGISTER
November 17 – 18, 2026	Charleston, SC	REGISTER

These dates and locations are also offered as a 2-day Refresher Course for those who have had a full, basic wetland delineation course (at least 32 hours) from WTI or another provider. Click here to learn more.

What Our Participants Say….

“I expected to come away ready to confidently carry out wetland delineations on my own – I feel ready. Lots of great information and the ability to work through practice delineations with the appropriate amount of guidance and supervision.”

“The instructor knows the 1987 USACE Manual inside and out and is an expert in the field of wetland delineation. I would recommend this course to anyone wishing to expand their knowledge on the subject.”

“It was useful to be able to re-listen to slides as I progressed through the online course. That was a benefit compared to a live course. If I missed something or did not understand, I could “rewind.”

“As a novice in the world of hydric veg, soils, and hydrology, this course was a perfect introduction. The instructors provided all the foundational knowledge one needs to confidently begin conducting wetlands delineations.”

“This is a great course for beginners and also for people with some experience in delineating wetlands. I have done some delineations in the past, and taking this course brought a better understanding of some of the principles and indicators that will make delineation easier for me in the future.”

“Attending [this] course was a perfect fit for me as a mid-career full time professional. Serving a wide variety of private and public sector partners and clients at a conservation district, I felt like the breadth and depth provided by the instructors gave me greater confidence in navigating both the technical and policy driven aspects of wetland conservation.”

“This course is extremely helpful, especially for someone like me; freshly graduated and beginning my career. The course tied together a lot of things I’ve learned in school and the things I’ve been doing at my job, which is awesome for a synthesis understanding of everything. Now I have one more tool under my belt to not only improve my wages, but also boost my confidence when it comes to future job endeavors, both certification wise, and knowledge wise.”

“There is a ton of beneficial information in the course. The field course made the lectures much more clear and getting to practice what we learned in the field was extremely beneficial.”

Get Started Now

Select location above and click on “Register Now” to enroll.

Course Curriculum

Basic Wetland Delineation Online Lectures and Field Practicum focus on the application of the Regional Supplements and the portions of the 1987 Wetland Delineation Manual still valid as used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and numerous state governments. Specific lecture topics are listed below. Field practicum agendas include: safety briefing, instructor demonstration and use of data sheets, student characterization of data points and use of data sheets, and a variety of field exercises.

Course logistics – BWD (5 minutes)

10 minutes
Downloadable Resources

30 minutes

Discussion: Welcome and Introduce Yourself Here

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Discussion: I have questions or comments

…

Welcome to Basic Wetland Delineation (17 minutes)

22 minutes
Reading Assignment: “Classification and Types of Wetlands” (15 min)

15 minutes
Hydrology Fundamentals – Part 1 (46 minutes)

30 minutes
Reading Assignment: Chapter 1, Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Delineation Manual (1 hour)

60 minutes
Introduction to Wetlands, the 1987 Manual, and Regional Supplements (44 minutes)

44 minutes
Hydrology Fundamentals – Part 2 (19 minutes)

19 minutes
Reading Assignment: Chapter 4, Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Delineation Manual (15 minutes)

20 minutes
Hydrology Field Indicators Part 1 (39 minutes)

39 minutes
Hydrology Field Indicators Part 2 (36 minutes)

36 minutes
Hydrology in the Field demonstration (18 minutes)

18 minutes
Soil Surveys (35 minutes)

35 minutes
Soil Fundamentals (38 minutes)

38 minutes
Reading Assignment: Concept of a Hydric Soil (20 min)

15 minutes
Aspects of Soil Color (26 minutes)

27 minutes
Redoximorphic Features (12 minutes)

15 minutes
Reading Assignment: Chapter 3, Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Delineation Manual (20 minutes)

20 minutes
Hydric Soil Field Indicators (2 hours)

120 minutes
Soil Indicators in the Field demonstration (13 minutes)

13 minutes
Concept of a Hydrophyte (19 minutes)

30 minutes
Reading Assignment: Chapter 2, Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Delineation Manual (30 minutes)

30 minutes
Hydrophytic Vegetation Indicators (28 minutes)

28 minutes
Hydrophytic Vegetation Exercise Results

5 minutes
Technical Guidelines (13 minutes)

13 minutes
Methods (forthcoming)

48 minutes
Completing a Routine Data Form (24 minutes)

24 minutes

Basic Wetland Delineation Pre-Field Quiz

48 questions

Downloadable Resources P2

30 minutes

Discussion: I have questions or comments

…

Geographical Jurisdiction (52 minutes)

52 minutes
Problem Areas and Difficult Situations (1 hour, 36 minutes)

96 minutes
Problematic Soils (1 hour, 14 minutes)

74 minutes
Disturbed/Atypical situations (1 hour, 13 minutes)

73 minutes
Examples from the field – completing data forms (forthcoming)

30 minutes
Anatomy of a Wetland Delineation Report (forthcoming)

30 minutes