Mid-Atlantic Wetland Science Team Flier

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Wetland Science Team
Office of Monitoring & Assessment
Environmental Assessment & Innovation Division
EPA Region 3, Philadelphia, Pa.

Team 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
Coordinate Effectively with OWOW grant initiatives to increase Region 3 influence in grants program, ensuring greatest yield to Region 3 states
Efficiently and effectively administer grants and coordinate with states and other grantees

Wetland Monitoring and Assessment

Consistent, thorough, and timely state wetland monitoring and assessment programs are a critical tool for states and tribes to better manage and protect wetland resources. They allow states and tribes to establish 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 watersheds for water quality, habitat, flood control and other purposes. EPA has limited direct funding for wetlands protection and restoration. Wetlands 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 supporting the restoration efforts of others, EPA can leverage much more restoration than through direct financial support alone. Supporting and fostering strategic wetlands program-wide partnerships is critical to the success 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 Development Grants provide States, local governments, interstate agencies, and State Universities an opportunity to carry out projects that develop and refine comprehensive wetland programs.

Mid-Atlantic Wetlands Workgroup

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.

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 (GIS) 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., W.Va.

Regina Poeske (poeske.regina@epa.gov)
Team Leader
215-814-2725

http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/wetlands/wetland_science_team.htm

Mid-Atlantic Region || Mid-Atlantic Env'l Assessment & Innovation || Mid-Atlantic Wetlands