Minnesota Wetland Report
V. The Minnesota Wetlands Conservation Plan
In
1997, Minnesota completed a multi-agency effort to develop a
statewide Wetlands Conservation Plan. The project began in 1993 in
response to concerns about wetland management processes, such as
permitting, unclear state policies, and methods to achieve the
state’s goal of no-net-loss of wetlands. An Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) grant and state matching funds financed the
project. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the
Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources, the Minnesota
Department of Transportation, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture participated in the plan
development. In addition, citizens from throughout the state took
part in a series of discussions held in various locations.
The
plan addresses four basic challenges to the state’s wetland
management system:
- To recognize and
apply regional differences in wetlands policies and
decision-making;
- To simplify the
permitting system and make it more accessible;
- To develop and
deliver better information to people making decisions about
wetlands; and
- To give resource
agencies a common set of statewide strategies for conservation
of wetlands.
The
plan answers these concerns with recommendations in areas such as
regional management, regulatory simplification, and education and
outreach.
State and federal agencies and local governments continue to use the plan to provide policy guidance. The plan is available at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fish_and_wildlife/wetlands/wetlandscon.html.
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