Society of Wetland Scientists

What Society of Wetland Scientists does

The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional scientific society founded in 1980 by Richard Macomber of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, headquartered in McLean, Virginia. It operates as the leading international membership organization dedicated exclusively to wetland science, serving 3,000+ members in 60+ countries across government agencies, academia, NGOs, and private consulting. SWS's core activities span research, education, conservation, preservation, restoration, and management of wetlands, organized through a federated structure of 15 regional chapters and 11 special-interest sections.

SWS's core products and platform consist of a members-only online community portal powered by YourMembership (providing member directory, job board, discussion forums, and webinar archive), peer-reviewed publications (Wetlands journal, first published 1981 as a quarterly; Wetland Science and Practice quarterly), bundled journal access to Wetlands Ecology and Management and Estuaries and Coasts, the SWS Professional Certification Program (PWS and WPIT) administered through the separate SWS PCP entity, a monthly webinar series with quarterly public access, student research grants, the SWaMMP multicultural mentoring program, the HumMentor mentorship program, FREE Educational Modules, Wetland Interviews video series, and the Wetlands of Distinction national awareness initiative. Annual meetings and 15 regional chapter events serve as the principal in-person touchpoints.

SWS's business model is subscription-dues-driven: regular membership is tiered by income at $75–$176/year, with $30 student, $10 developing country, emeritus, household, and lifetime ($2,000 one-time or four $500 installments) tiers. Revenue is supplemented by separate certification fees (PWS/WPIT), annual meeting registration, $30/year print journal add-on, webinar sponsorship ($1,000/year, capped at five sponsors), advertising in newsletters and WSP, job board postings, and tax-deductible donations. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led: acquisition and retention run through annual meetings, regional chapter events, monthly webinars, student grants, the certification pathway, and a network of 15 chapters and 11 sections. Membership leadership is volunteer-based, with a small 3-person paid staff (Executive Director Marla Stelk, Chief Staff Executive Amy Lotz CAE, Senior Coordinator Justin McCarthy) and an elected Executive Board.

Name

Society of Wetland Scientists

Legal name

Society of Wetland Scientists

Website

https://sws.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Society of Wetland Scientists is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific society founded in 1980, serving 3,000+ members in 60+ countries across government, academia, NGOs, and consulting through peer-reviewed journals, the PWS/WPIT professional certification program, annual meetings, webinars, mentoring, and 15 regional chapters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation (BPAGAGAA), Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Ecological Restoration Planning & Monitoring (Habitat, Wetland, Stream) (EUAHAHAF), Wetlands & Waters of the U.S. Delineation / Riparian Assessments (EUAHAHAC)

Keywords

• Wetland science
• Professional certification
• Scientific publishing
• Membership society
• Environmental conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues paid on a calendar-year basis. Tiered by income for regular members ($75–$176/year), with student ($30), developing country ($10), emeritus (75% of regular), household (70% of first member), and lifetime (single payment $2,000 or 4 installments of $500) tiers. Each membership includes one chapter; additional chapters and sections are $10 each.
2. Certification Fees (SWS PCP): PWS and WPIT application and maintenance dues billed separately from SWS membership dues. Managed through the Wetland Certifications SWS PCP program.
3. Print Journal Add-on: Members can add print edition of Wetlands journal for $30 per year covering six issues, in addition to full electronic access.
4. Annual Meeting Registration: Discounted registration at SWS Annual Meetings is a member benefit. Registration fees are charged for the national conference and chapter-level meetings.
5. Advertising & Sponsorship: Advertising opportunities on the website, in monthly newsletters, and in Wetland Science and Practice (WSP). Webinar Series Sponsorship at $1,000/year with recognition at 11+ webinars, limited to five sponsors per subscription year.
6. Job Board Postings: Members can post on the SWS Job Board. Non-members are also welcome to post positions on the SWS LinkedIn group.
7. Donations & Endowment: SWS is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Donations support wetland science advancement, education outreach, student support, and professional development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) is a 501(c)(3) international professional scientific society providing membership, peer-reviewed publications (Wetlands journal, Wetland Science and Practice), professional certification (PWS/WPIT), annual meetings, monthly webinars, student research grants, and community networking through 15 regional chapters and 11 special-interest sections serving wetland scientists, managers, and policymakers worldwide.

Product overview

The Society of Wetland Scientists operates a membership-based organization centered around its website platform (sws.org) which serves as a hub for member authentication, community engagement, event management, and resource access. The core offerings include peer-reviewed publications (Wetlands journal, Wetland Science and Practice, Wetlands Ecology and Management, Estuaries and Coasts), professional certification programs (PWS Professional Wetland Scientist and WPIT Wetland Professional in Training), educational programming (monthly webinars, FREE educational modules, Wetland Interviews), student support (research grants, SWaMMP multicultural mentoring, HumMentor program), annual meetings, a job board, and member networking through chapters, sections, and a member directory. The organization functions as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with over 3,000 members across more than 60 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SWS Individual Membership
• PWS Professional Wetland Scientist Certification
• WPIT Wetland Professional in Training Certification
• Wetlands Journal Subscription
• SWS Annual Meeting Registration
• SWS Webinar Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 3,000 members from more than 60 countries served
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS and NAWM collaborate to promote knowledgeable management, conservation, and research of wetlands. Partnership formalized through Memorandum of Understanding.
• Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS collaborates with CASS — first established in 2010 — to promote international aquatic ecosystem scientific study, education, and outreach, alongside American Fisheries Society (AFS), Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF), Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society (FMCS), International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), North American Lake Management Society (NALMS), Phycological Society of America (PSA), and Society for Freshwater Science (SFS).
• Ramsar Convention on WetlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS and Ramsar recognize wetlands' fundamental role in water regulation, biological diversity, ecosystem services, and human well-being. They develop collaborative programs for sustainable wetland and water resource conservation and management. SWS is also home to a Ramsar Section.
• Society of Ecological Restoration (SER)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS and SER partner for science-based conservation, management, education, research, and policy pertaining to wetland restoration. MoU-based partnership.
• Society of Wetland Scientists Professional Certification Program (SWS PCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS PCP shares the SWS mission and certifies wetland professionals who meet the highest standards for education, experience, and ethics. Vision is to be the globally recognized authority on certification of wetland professionals in protecting and managing wetland resources.
• South African Wetland Society (SAWS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSAWS is an Affiliated Society of SWS to encourage and enable interactions and joint events between the two societies and their members. SAWS members can join SWS at a restricted rate.
• Taijiang National Park (TNP), TaiwanminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS and Taijiang National Park agree to promote Taiwan wetland ecosystem scientific study, restoration, education, and outreach via cooperation and action.
• Taiwan Construction and Planning Agency (CPA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWS and Taiwan CPA agree to promote sustainability of Taiwanese wetlands through training, international conferences and workshops, and interdisciplinary exchanges of scientists and managers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ecological Society of America: ESA is a comparable professional scientific society serving ecologists and environmental scientists through journals, conferences, and certification. Like SWS, it operates a member-supported nonprofit model serving researchers, with a flagship journal (Ecology) and 501(c)(3) status.
• National Association of Wetland Managers: NAWM is a peer organization focused on wetland policy and management, with which SWS holds a formal MoU. NAWM and SWS share the same member base of wetland scientists, managers, and policymakers, and complement each other across science and policy domains.
• Society for Ecological Restoration: SER is a peer organization focused on ecological restoration including wetlands, with which SWS holds a formal MoU. Both operate as 501(c)(3) scientific societies with journals, certification programs, and global chapters serving overlapping constituencies.
• Society for Freshwater Science: SFS is a fellow member of the Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS) alongside SWS, serving freshwater scientists with journals, conferences, and certification. SFS shares SWS's freshwater ecology focus, member-supported nonprofit structure, and academic/practitioner audience.
• Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography: ASLO is a peer scientific society serving aquatic scientists through journals, meetings, and member benefits, and a fellow CASS member. It shares SWS's nonprofit scientific society structure and overlapping freshwater/estuarine research community.
• Wildlife Society: The Wildlife Society is a peer professional society for wildlife biologists and managers, with similar journal, conference, and certification offerings. SWS's Wildlife section and broader membership overlap with The Wildlife Society's audience of natural resource professionals in agencies, NGOs, and consulting.
• American Fisheries Society: AFS is a fellow CASS member and peer scientific society serving fisheries professionals. It shares SWS's nonprofit member-supported model, journals, certification programs, and overlapping federal/state agency and academic membership base.

Broad incumbents

• American Geophysical Union: AGU is a much larger scientific society serving Earth and space scientists. While broader in scope, it publishes wetland- and hydrology-relevant research, hosts annual meetings that overlap with SWS attendees, and represents the scaled-up model for scientific society membership and journal publishing.

Others

• The Nature Conservancy: TNC is a major conservation NGO partner of SWS, with overlapping interest in wetland conservation and restoration. While not a peer society, TNC represents an adjacent ecosystem participant whose members and projects frequently intersect with SWS's professional community.
• Ducks Unlimited: Ducks Unlimited is a wetland-focused conservation NGO that collaborates with SWS. While a nonprofit conservation organization rather than a scientific society, DU represents an aligned mission-driven entity that co-engages wetland scientists and shares the wetland conservation constituency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SWS_org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SocietyofWetlandScientists/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/NewEnglandSWS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/swsnewengland
• Instagraminstagram.com/sws_newengland

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society of Wetland Scientists