Tom Bernthal retired from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as the Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Coordinator in 2019, where he led projects to develop the field-based Wisconsin Floristic Quality Assessment Method, partnered with The Nature Conservancy to develop “Wetlands by Design,” a GIS-based wetland ecosystem services assessment tool, and initiated the project resulting in Wisconsin’s Integrated Surface Water and Wetland Mapping Protocol. Currently he works as a volunteer on wetland inventory, restoration, and conservation projects with the Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy and The Prairie Enthusiasts. He also serves as a Master Naturalist Instructor and has assisted with other wetland training courses. As a member of Wisconsin’s Green Fire, he participates in the Public Trust and Wetlands Work Group, currently focusing on the implications for wetlands of the definition of “Waters of the United States” in Clean Water Act implementation.