Mark Cable Rains, Ph.D. is a wetland scientist/fluvial geomorphologist/hydrologist specializing in the development and application of HGM nationally and in the application of scientific principles to riverine and wetland ecosystem assessment, management, and restoration.   Dr. Rains has worked on several projects since joining DMEC in 1998, including the Calleguas Creek Watershed Wetland Restoration Plan, bank stabilization and flood/erosion assessment projects on San Antonio Creek (Ventura County), floodplain mitigation and monitoring plan on the Ventura River for the Ojai Valley Sanitary District, and an evaluation of grading plans on Southern Steelhead riverine habitat on the Ventura River.

Dr. Rains worked with Dr. Jeffrey Mount at UC Davis on the development of a biophysical model relating fluvial processes, groundwater hydrology, and plant community composition and structure in riverine ecosystems in arid and semi-arid physiographic regions.   Previous research at the University of Washington focused on the relationships between plant distributions, hydrology, and large woody debris in beaver pond wetlands, and the determination of flooding and sediment burial tolerances of common urban wetland plant species.   Dr. Rains has conducted wetlands research with the Smithsonian Institution where he studied user consistency of the Hydrogeomorphic Approach to Functional Assessment.   He has also studied revegetation processes in tree fall gaps in tropical montane cloud forests at the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in Monteverde, Costa Rica.   Dr. Rains previously worked for L.C. Lee & Associates, Inc. (LCLA) and the National Wetland Science Training Cooperative (NWSTC), where he served as a Technical Assistant, an Associate, and a Senior Associate, specializing in wetland delineation; ecosystem functional assessment; regulatory assistance; ecosystem restoration design, implementation, and monitoring; and training.

Dr. Rains earned a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from the UC San Diego in 1990, a M.S. in Wetland and Urban Ecosystem Ecology from the University of Washington in 1994, and Ph.D. in Hydrologic Sciences from UC Davis.   Dr. Rains is a member of the NWSTC team that has developed and implemented HGM nationwide.   He participated in the development of the national template from which all regional HGM guidebooks are modeled, and has developed and implemented HGM regionally in California, Washington, Alaska, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, Virginia, and the Northern Prairie States.   Dr. Rains teaches courses in HGM and frequently is an invited participant at workshops and symposia dedicated to understanding and improving HGM products and processes.   Dr. Rains is an active member of the Society of Wetland Scientists, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Northwest Scientific Association, and the Xi Sigma Pi National Honors Society of Foresters.

Dr. Rains first joined DMEC in August 1998.   He is currently a professor at the University of South Florida, working with DMEC as an associate.