MPT Montana Wetland Field Evaluation Form and Instructions July I, 1996 



Consequently, MDT proposed to revise the 1994 MDT wetland evaluation form to be used in the interim, 

 starting with the 1996 field season. 



METHODS 



The 1994 form was distributed to and comments solicited from over 90 members of the Montana 

 Wetland Council that were most likely to be familiar with the form. Comments were solicited from 

 private consultants and numerous agencies/entities including the COE, USFWS, FWP, Environmental 

 Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Highways Administration (FHWA), Montana Department of 

 Environmental Quality (DEQ), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), MDT, University of 

 Montana, University of North Dakota, Montana Wetland and Riparian Association (MWRA), the U.S. 

 Forest Service (USPS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Montana Natural Heritage Program 

 (MNHP), and Montana Native American Tribes. 



Meetings to discuss possible and proposed revisions were conducted with MDT biologists, the 

 University of Montana, the MWRA, the USPS, private consultants, and the MDT Interagency Wetlands 

 Group which includes representatives of the USFWS, EPA, COE, DEQ, FWP, NRCS, MDT, and 

 FHWA. The form was revised based upon comments received, meeting results, and literature review. 



Primary literature sources referenced during the course of the revision included Oregon Freshwater 

 Wetland Assessment Methodology (Roth et al. 1 993), Minnesota Routine Assessment Method for 

 Evaluating Wetland Functions (Minnesota Interagency Wetland Group 1996), Draft Hydrogeomorphic 

 Assessment of Herbaceous Depressional Wetlands (Hauer and Cook 1996a), Draft Hydrogeomorphic 

 Assessment of Riverine Wetlands (Hauer and Cook 1996b), An Approach for Assessing Wetland 

 Fimctions Using Hydrogeomorphic Classification, Reference Wetlands, and Functional Indicies (Smith 

 et al. 1995), Wetland Evaluation Technique (Adamus et al. 1991), the Highway Methodology Workbook 

 (COE 1995), Washington State Wetlands Rating System for Eastern Washington (Washington State 

 Department of Ecology [WDE] 1991), and Washington State Wetlands Rating System - Western 

 Washington (WDE 1993). A draft revised form and instructions were distributed to MDT and the 

 remaining members of the MDT Interagency Group; the final form was revised per comments received 

 during the final review. 



DISCUSSION AND FORM INSTRUCTIONS 



The 1994 form was substantially revised as a result of the review and objectives stated above. A copy of 

 the four-page 1996 Montana Wetland Field Evaluation Form is provided in Appendix A. This section of 

 the report provides discussion and instructions for completing each of the fields on the form. 



The COE Regulatory Division must consider impacts to wetland functions and values when evaluating a 

 Section 404 permit application. Functions are self-sustaining properties of a wetland ecosystem that 

 exist in the absence of society, and relate to ecological significance without regard to subjective human 

 values (COE 1995). Groundwater discharge is an example of a wetland fiinction. Values are benefits 

 that derive from either one or more functions and the physical characteristics associated with a wetland 

 (COE 1995). The value of a given wetland function, or combination of functions, is based on human 

 judgement of the worth, merit, importance, or quality attributed to those functions. 



