Cooperative Agreement 02F65601

This Cooperative Agreement award, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Regional Wetland Program Development Grants (CFDA 66.461) program, provides $316,932 in funding to the Oklahoma Secretary of Energy and Environment. The primary objectives are to utilize modern datasets to delineate the extent and classification of lacustrine and palustrine wetlands across the state of Oklahoma, obtain a clear picture of wetland gains and losses, and provide updated area maps for inclusion in the National Wetland Inventory. Key activities include project planning, development of a Quality Assurance Project Plan, desktop analysis and mapping, field verification, side-scan imagery generation, and quarterly/final reporting. Expected deliverables include draft and final Quality Assurance Project Plans, compiled datasets, lacustrine wetland maps, refined National Wetland Inventory datasets, and quarterly and final project reports. The intended outcomes are to accurately identify the extent and classification of wetlands, conduct field verification, estimate wetland loss and gain, and analyze wetland inundation frequency. This information will help inform policy makers and land managers on the importance of these wetlands and support voluntary conservation and restoration efforts.