The agreement provides funding to utah geological society (UGS) to develop a new wetland program plan (WPP), evaluate current and potential wetland protections in utah, and develop education and…

This Cooperative Agreement award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) provides $333,272 in funding to the Utah Geological Survey (UGS) to develop a new Wetland Program Plan (WPP) for the state, evaluate current and potential wetland protections, and create educational and outreach materials. Key deliverables include a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), progress and final reports, a wetland-focused webpage and storymap, and other outreach products. The project aims to build a broader coalition of partners for the Utah Wetland Working Group, increase stakeholder understanding of wetland issues, and improve access to wetland data and information across the state. The award period runs from September 1, 2024 through May 1, 2027.

The agreement provides funding to utah geological society (UGS) to develop a new wetland program plan (WPP), evaluate current and potential wetland protections in utah, and develop education and outreach materials. Wetland program development grants (wpdgs) assist state, tribal, territory (insular areas), local government agencies, and interstate or intertribal entities in developing or refining state, tribal, territory, or local programs which protect, manage, and restore wetlands. The primary focus of these grants is to develop/refine state, tribal, and territory wetland programs. A secondary focus is to develop/refine local (e.g., county or municipal) programs. Activities:the activities include 1) develop a quality assurance project plan (qapp), produce progress reports and a final report 2) develop outreach materials (storymap, factsheet, slides and materials from the wetland working group, and 3) update the utah wetland program plan. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the anticipated deliverables include a quality assurance project plan (qapp), webpage, storymap, educational materials, progress reports, and a final report. The expected outcomes include - broader coalition of partners involved in the wetland working group. - greater collaboration and increased focus amongst stakeholders to address needs identified as priorities under the new uwpp. - greater collaboration and increased focus amongst stakeholders to address wetland data gaps. - increased stakeholder and decisionmaker's understanding of the impacts of wetland loss on our communities. - increased stakeholder understanding of how changes in the federal definition of wotus will impact wetland protections and associated functions and values in utah. - increased stakeholder understanding of how wetlands are currently protected at the state and local levels in utah and how those protections differ across the state. - increased decisionmaker's understanding of options for protecting wetlands at the state and local level. - increased access to wetland data and information by partners and the public. - transfer of results within and beyond UGS, so that the others can better develop their wetland programs - managing day-to-day operations and activities supported by the assistance funding, to assure compliance with applicable federal requirements, and for ensuring that established milestones and performance goals are being achieved. The intended beneficiaries include the state of utah and its residents.