1901 N. Roselle Rd. ⢠Suite 920 ⢠Schaumburg, IL 60195
Phone: (847) 885-7400 ⢠Fax: (847) 885-8393
www.wetlandcert.org
Dear Professional Wetland Scientist,
You have recently been notified of the need to renew your certification (certification renewal) as a
Professional Wetland Scientist. There have been a number of questions regarding the certification
renewal process, and the Program would like to take this opportunity to clarify the reasons for
certification renewal and the overall process and timeline.
First of all, many PWSs confuse maintenance fees with certification renewal. The confusion is
understandable, because the term "renewal", regrettably, has been used for both maintenance fees and
certification renewal. Maintenance fees are paid annually, and are submitted upon receipt of an annual
bill. These annual bills are normally sent out at the end of the calendar year, allowing you to be "in
good standing" for the following year. For example, maintenance fee notices were sent out in December
2006; if paid, members are considered in good standing for 2007. What does it mean to be "in good
standing"? Your name is maintained in the "Search for a Scientist" on-line Directory, and your fees are
considered paid up-to-date. If, for some reason, you did not receive your 2007 maintenance fee bill,
please contact our business office at our letterhead address. If you are also a member of SWS, please
remember that SWS and SWSPCP are separate organizations, with separate maintenance/membership
fees. We are working to offer combined payment for both organizations by the end of this year, but the
service is, unfortunately, not available at this time.
Certification renewal, in contrast, happens only once every five years. Section 26 of the Standing
Rules (http://www.wetlandcert.org/rules.html) states that in order to promote the maintenance of high
technical standards of PWS, SWS PCP, Inc. requires certification renewal at five-year intervals for
individuals being certified after June 1, 2001. That means that for all individuals originally certified
prior to June 1, 2001, a certification renewal process was originally intended to begin in 2006. However,
there were serious service problems associated with our management firm at the time, and we are unsure
PROFESSIONAL WETLAND SCIENTISTS
Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program
1901 N. Roselle Rd. ⢠Suite 920 ⢠Schaumburg, IL 60195
Phone: (847) 885-7400 ⢠Fax: (847) 885-8393
that complete notification of those requiring certification renewal occurred. Therefore, we have
extended the deadline for receipt of certification renewal applications to 31 December 2007 for ALL
certifications received prior to 31 December 2002. Our new management company has begun the
process of notifying those who need to certification renewal. They have broken the process into four
groups by certification number so as not to overload our Certification Renewal Committee. If your
number is between 101 and 600, you should have already received a notification letter and package. The
second, third, and fourth groups can expect their notice within the next 6 to 9 months. After this initial
certification renewal, the five-year renewal cycle will begin again, and your next certification renewal
will take place in 2012.
Why renew your certification? Quite simply, to remain recognized as a professional in the field of
wetland science. Why require certification renewal for our members? Quite simply to exhibit our
commitment to the maintenance of high standards for those practicing in our profession. In addition,
the program continues to increase the value of professional certification, as well as to provide new
services to our members. Please contact our business office if you have any additional questions about
annual maintenance fees, certification renewal, or other matters, and check the website for a new list of
Frequently Asked Questions. We are honored to serve you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Denise H. Wardrop, Ph.D.
SWSPCP President
