The Wetlands Advisory Group (WAG) is a committee of Southern California wetland resource managers. This group is an iteration of the County Task Forces, with representatives from all 5 counties in the WRP region, who were selected based on their unique knowledge of local wetlands.
The WAG was created so that a representative subset of end-users of the updated Regional Strategy can provide input on Regional Strategy products as they are being developed, to ensure that these products are practical and useful for planning restoration projects.
The updated Regional Strategy will include decision-making tools to guide wetland professionals in the design and implementation of their projects, so that individual restoration projects simultaneously benefit the larger, regional Southern California coastal wetland landscape.
By engaging the WAG, WMG, and SAP through this iterative process, the WRP aims to translate the best available science into feasible resource management practices and wetland protection strategies.
Specifically, the WAG provides feedback on draft products developed by the Wetland Managers Group, the Science Advisory Panel, and WRP staff, to help these groups understand the types of information that are necessary for designing and implementing local restoration projects.
Wetland Advisory Group Members
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Johnathan Applebaum (San Diego Canyonlands)
Brian Collins (USFWS Refuges)
Justin Gamble (City of Oceanside)
Doug Gibson (Nature Collective, formerly San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy)
Mike Hastings (Los Penasquitos Lagoon Foundation)
Chris Nordby (Nordby Biological)
Chris Peregrin (California State Parks)
Jim Peugh (San Diego Audubon)
Chris Redfern (San Diego Audubon)
ORANGE COUNTY
Ed Almanza (Laguna Ocean Foundation)
Dennis Baker (Orange Coast River Park)
Vic Leipzig (Amigos de Bolsa Chica)
George Sutherland (Trout Unlimited)
Matt Yurko (Coastal Commission/ Upper Newport Bay)
Dick Zembal (Orange County Water District)
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
David Cannon (Everest Consultants)
Rosi Dagit (Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains)
Stacie Smith (NOAA)
Chris Webb (Moffat & Nichol)
Karina Johnston (Santa Monica Bay Restoration Foundation)
VENTURA COUNTY
Derek Poultney (Ventura Hillsides Conservancy)
Laura Riege (The Nature Conservancy)
Valerie Vartanian (Mugu Lagoon, NBVC)
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
Tom Dudley (UCSB MSI)
Mauricio Gomez (South Coast Habitat Restoration)
David Hubbard (Coastal Restoration Consultants)
Adam Lambert (UCSB)
Ken Owen (Channel Islands Restoration)
Lisa Stratton (UCSB CCBER)
Bob Thiel (Santa Barbara County, Retired WRP support staff/SCC)
George Thomson (City of Santa Barbara)
Kevin O’Connor (Central Coast Wetlands Group – MLML)
CHANNEL ISLANDS
John Mack