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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