The main objective of this project is to increase awareness and understanding of diverse approaches to managing multiple aspects of state wetland programs across the country, including EPA's core…

The main objective of this project is to increase awareness and understanding of diverse approaches to managing multiple aspects of state wetland programs across the country, including EPA's core elements framework, climate change, and environmental justice considerations. The national association of wetland managers (nawm) will update and expand on its widely utilized 2013 wetland program plans (WPP) handbook and its extensive 50 state wetland program summaries from 2015. Since the last compendium, great strides have been made in analytical and mitigative methods which will be of benefit to all practitioners in addressing climate resiliency and assuring that efforts do not place undue burdens on underserved communities. These updated resources will share timely, relevant, and useful information with state wetland program managers, policy makers, elected officials, and others.activities:specifically nawm will: 1) update nawm's WPP handbook to reflect new federal regulations and advances in wetland programs; 2) update nawm's state wetland program summaries with current information provided by the states; 3) document new, frequently requested information to the state summaries, e.g., 404(g) status, implementation of new clean water act rules, wetland-stream integration activities, benefit-cost analysis studies, use of functional assessments, and environmental justice considerations; 4) utilize replicable protocols from nawm's 2015 state summaries project to complete a comprehensive comparative analysis and formal status and trends report on state wetland programs; 5) deliver two national webinars to share project findings 6) promote findings and project resources through nawm's extensive outreach network, and; 7) provide travel scholarships to states to attend state/tribal/federal coordination meetings in support of this project.subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:the intended primary beneficiaries of this project are states and tribes while secondary beneficiaries are the interest public. Outputs/products of this project will include: - an updated WPP handbook that reflects current federal policy and advances in wetland programs over the past 10 years. - an expanded update of 50 swps maintained for public use on the nawm website, including information on climate change and environmental justice activities, with current links to each state's wetland programs webpages. - a development continuum for each state on all four CES, documenting state progress toward developing a comprehensive state wetland program. - development of additional information most in demand such as assumption of the 404 program, use of functional assessments, and considerations for climate change and environmental justice in wetland programs. - a comparative status and trends report on state wetland programs. Nawm will use the full dataset to track the analysis comparing the 2015 data with the current data and develop new data columns to facilitate monitoring of progress. - two national webinars sharing project findings. - outreach activities to disseminate project findings and encourage peer-to-peer sharing. Outcomes: the project will benefit the integration of climate and environmental justice concerns into state programs, resulting in healthier and safer communities. Wetland protection, restoration and management methods that are found to be successful will be adopted in other states with similar needs and contexts resulting in an overall improvement in wetland programs nationwide. Federal agencies and public policy makers will use the status and trends report to review and compare current information about state wetland programs on a regional or national basis and make decisions that benefit the public through effective wetland management, thereby increasing wetland quality and quantity. Collaboration among aquatic RES