Goal A: To be a recognized leader in advocating for science-based wetlands conservation, protection and management, and to ensure that state and tribal programs are fully integrated into national wetland policy.

To be a recognized leader in advocating for science-based wetlands conservation, protection and management.

Activities to achieve Goal A:

• Identify priority needs for wetland research and applied science

• Conduct science and management studies and publish results online. Such studies will continue to address a broad range of timely subjects such as wetlands and natural hazards (e.g. flooding), wetland restoration, stream restoration, sustainable wetland capacity for water quality improvement, and wetlands and climate change.

• Publish reports on new wetland management methods and technology and provide review drafts and final documents online.

• Increase the reach of Wetland Breaking News.

• Make wetland science information available on our website and organize it by management or policy issue.

• Encourage the exchange of information among wetland scientists, managers, and policy makers through the formation of ad hoc committees or workgroups to investigate priority issues and to report on current research and development.

• Conduct open forums, workshops, webinars, conference calls, discussion boards and symposia to provide opportunities for wetland scientists and wetland managers as well as other resource professionals to share information and integrate sound science into management and regulatory programs.

• Coordinate policy discussions with other state and professional associations, including Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA), Environmental Council of the States (ECOS), Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA), and others.