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January 2017
In this Issue:
The NPS Training and Resource Center's Winter/Spring 2017 Training Schedule contains a number of courses to provide training to the state's contractors, municipal employees, and others.
For those individuals who are looking to obtain DEP certification in erosion control practices, twelve programs in Basic and Advanced Erosion and Sediment Control practices will be offered at locations throughout the state. Most municipalities are now requiring contractors working in the shoreland zone to be certified if they are involved with soil disturbance activity, making certification pretty much a pre-requisite if you are doing excavation work in the state.
For contractors in need of re-certification credits who would like to attend a live class, and others who are interested in learning more about identifying and protecting freshwater wetlands, the Center will be offering half-day field sessions throughout the state in June. The sessions are designed to assist in identifying areas of wetland types that traditionally have been difficult to recognize such as forested wetlands and wet meadows. This program will also provide instruction on how to protect these wetland resources from eroded soil that will hamper their function. Four course sessions will be held in the state to make them accessible to members of the construction community and municipal officials. Since dates and venues have not been finalized at this time, please check the training schedule webpage in mid-April for that information as well as registration instructions.
Basic and Advanced Erosion and Sediment Control
Registration Fee: Varies per sponsor
Strong, Town Office, January 19, 2017
To register, contact: Rosetta White at 778-4279
Waldoboro, Cooperative Extension Office, February 9, 2017
To register, contact: Hildy Ellis at 596-2040
Kennebunkport, Fire Station Training Room, February 15, 2017
To register, contact: Lisa Harmon at 967-1605
Newport, Recreation Center, February 22, 2017
To register, contact: Al Tempesta at 368-3264
Augusta, AGC Maine, March 13, 2017
To register, contact: Andrea White at 622-4741
Greenwood, Town Office, March 16, 2017
To register, contact: Joelle Corey Whitman at 875-2773 or 743-6651
Saco, City Hall, March 30, 2017
To register, contact: Melissa Brandt at 324-0888 ext. 214 or 459-6914
Whitneyville, Community Center, April 5, 2017
To register, contact: Nate Pennell at 255-4659
Rangeley, Town Office, April 12, 2017
To register, contact: Robert Folsom at 864-3326
Ellsworth, City Hall, April 19, 2017
To register, contact: Lori Roberts at 667-4910
Bridgton, Lakes Science Center, April 25, 2017
To register, contact: Colin Holme at 647-8580
Augusta, AGC Maine, April 26, 2017
To register, contact: Andrea White at 622-4741
Wetland Identification and Protection
June 2017 Cumberland County
June 2017 Central Maine
June 2017 Penobscot County
June 2017 Aroostook County
 The Nonpoint Source Training and Resource Center's Fall 2016 Training Season provided a course in erosion and sediment control practices in the Portland area. Participants included excavation contractors, municipal officials, consultants and landscapers. A total of 17 individuals attended the program.
For individuals certified in erosion and sediment control practices who were in need of re-certification credits, the Center held four continuing education courses throughout the state. The topic of these programs was Shoreline Stabilization. A total of 118 participants attended these classes. This course is also available on-line for re-certification purposes.
With regard to CD-ROM and on-line courses offerd for re-certification, a total of 68 individuals renewed their certification using these programs.
The Center would again like to thank the sponsors, instructors, advisory committee members, and NEIWPCC/JETCC for their assistance in making this another successful training season.
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 In the past, the "grace period" for certified individuals to obtain credits for re-certification was two years. This was to provide ample opportunity for them to attend a training course which were generally only offered in the Fall and Winter. Most certification and licensing programs offer a much shorter "grace period" to obtain continuing education credit. The Center has developed 3 on-line courses and one CD-Rom course for use in re-certification that are available year round. For these reasons, we have decided to shorten the "grace period" to six months from the date of the expiration of certification which is consistent with other licensing and certification programs. What this means is that starting on December 31, 2016 you will now have until June 30th of the following year after expiration of your certification, to obtain the necessary re-certification credits. If you do not obtain credits by that time you will be removed from the list and must again go through the certification process to be re-instated.
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As of this writing, we still have more than 700 individuals who have not received continuing education credit to maintain their certification in erosion and sediment control practices. This means that their certification has expired or will expire on December 31, 2016. With the current statutory requirement for contractors needing to be certified in order to work in the shoreland zone, this may pose a problem for those attempting to obtain municipal shoreland zoning permits. Code Enforcement officers may not issue permits to individuals whose certification has expired, which could lead to project loss or delay. In addition, as stated above, if you do not re-certify by June 30, 2017, your certification will expire and you will need to repeat the certification process by re-taking the 8 hour course and having to complete a site evaluation by the Department
If you are a certified individual, we urge you to check your certificate or I.D. card to make sure your certification is up-to-date. If it has expired, please make an effort to get a continuing education class completed this winter. You can complete this on-line using your choice of one of three courses available on the DEP Web site.
After you successfully complete the online course, print and forward the certificate along with $55 payable to NEIWPCC/JETCC, P.O. Box 487, Scarborough, ME 04070.
Or you can order one of the courses on CD-ROM by contacting NEIWPCC/JETCC at: 253-8020. The cost for the CD-ROM is $60. If you prefer to go to a class, you can attend any erosion control related class offered by the Department (see training schedule webpage) or other entity. The important thing is that you get this done before the start of the construction season so that you won't run into any permitting problems. If you have any questions on re-certification, please contact the Center at 215-9237.
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