United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
June 2009
etland So
Objectives
Facilitate the development
and implementation of
wetland monitoring and
assessment programs within
Region 3 states
Promote state reporting on the
quality of wetland resources
Facilitate the integration of
wetlands into traditional water
quality programs
Strengthen partnerships within
Region 3 (states, feds,
National Estuary Programs) to
leverage opportunities for
water quality improvements
through wetland protection or
restoration projects
Coastal America Coordination
- Facilitating MARIT-South to
capitalize on the existing and
established partnerships
within the Region's National
Estuary Programs and the
Chesapeake Bay Program
Office to effectively manage
ecosystem restoration through
the Corporate Wetland
Restoration Partnerships
Provide technical assistance
to federal, state or local
governments in the
development and/or
implementation of watershed
based restoration/
improvement plans
Build states capacity for
wetland monitoring and
assessment through technical
and financial assistance
Effective coordination with
OWOW grant initiatives to
increase Region 3 influence in
grants program, ensuring
greatest yield to Region 3
states
Efficient and effective
administration of grants and
coordination with states and
other grantees
Office of Monitoring and Assessment
Environmental Assessment & Innovation Division
EPA Region 3, Philadelphia, PA
Wetland Monitoring and Assessment
Consistent, thorough, and timely state wetland monitoring and assess-
ment programs are a critical tool for states and tribes to better manage
and protect wetland resources. They allow states and tribes to estab-
lish a baseline in wetlands extent, condition and function, detect change,
and characterize trends over time. Monitoring and assessment plays an
important role in the other core elements of wetlands programs.
Watershed / Wetland Restoration and Mitigation
A critical need exists to restore lost or degraded wetlands and water-
sheds for water quality, habitat, flood control and other purposes. EPA
has limited direct funding for wetlands protection and restoration. Wet-
lands restoration actions that are encouraged and supported through
partnerships are greater in scope. They are important at the federal
(especially with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S Department of
Commerce, and U.S. Department of Interior), state, and local levels, as
well as with the private sector and NGOs. By encouraging and support-
ing the restoration efforts of others, EPA can leverage much more resto-
ration than through direct financial support alone. Supporting and foster-
ing strategic wetlands program-wide partnerships is critical to the suc-
cess of the national wetlands program.
Wetland Program Development Grants and Agreements
EPA seeks to build the capacity of all levels of government, particularly
states, to develop and implement effective, comprehensive programs for
wetland protection and management. Region 3's Wetland Program De-
velopment Grants provide States, local governments, interstate agen-
cies, and State Universities an opportunity to carry out projects that de-
velop and refine comprehensive wetland programs.
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Office of Monitoring & Assessment
nmental Assessment & Innovation Di
Region 3, Philadelphia
Legacy Sediment Restoration
Wetland & Stream Restoration
Technica Grant Review
^— "*-^^^, mid-atlantic
wetland workgroup \2B2l
The Mid-Atlantic Wetlands Workgroup (MAWWG) is currently funded through
a Wetland Program Development Grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency Region 3 to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection. The workgroup is administered by staff from the Pennsylvania
State University Cooperative Wetland Center. MAWWG consists of
participants representing federal and state regulatory personnel and scientists
from the following states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Meetings/
workshops are held twice a year with development and implementation of
wetland monitoring strategies for the mid-Atlantic region as a broad goal.
Census of all NWI mapped
wetlands
Stratified random selection of
wetlands for site stressor
checklist 5ite visit
Direct measurement of
ecological services
U.S. EPA's National
Wetlands Monitoring
Workgroup has endorsed
the concept of a Level 1, 2,
3 approach to wetland
monitoring. Level 1,
"landscape assessment,"
relies on coarse,
landscape scale inventory
information, typically
gathered through remote
sensing and preferably
stored in, or convertible to,
a geographic information
system (CIS) format. Level
2 is "rapid assessment" at
the specific wetland site scale, using relatively simple, rapid protocols. Level 2
assessment protocols are to be validated by and calibrated to Level 3
assessments. Level 3 is "intensive site assessment," and uses intensive
research-derived, multi-metric indices such as Hydrogeomorphic Approach
(HGM) or Indices of Biologic Integrity (IBI).
Partnerships
MAWWG
Partnership for the
Delaware Estuary
Coastal America
EPA Estuary Programs
PA, VA, DE, MD, WV
Regina Poeske
(poeske.regina@epa.gov)
Team Leader
215-814-2725
http://www.epa.gov/ reg3esdl/wetlands/wetland_science_team.htm
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