Water Headlines for March 17, 2008

Benjamin H. Grumbles
Assistant Administrator
Office of Water

Water Headlines is a weekly on-line publication that announces publications, policies, and activities of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Water.

In This Week’s Water Headlines:

• EPA Signs Agreement with Federal Highway Administration for Water Liaison
• Seven Wetland Stewards Win 2008 National Wetlands Awards
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EPA Signs Agreement with Federal Highway Administration for Water Liaison

EPA recently signed an agreement with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to establish a dedicated liaison position within the Office of Water to coordinate, participate in, and conduct research activities to identify innovations related to water regulations, programs, and planning with respect to the highway program.

"EPA and FHWA are working together for greener highways and cleaner watersheds and this agreement ensures our partnership will continue well into the future," said Assistant Administrator for Water Benjamin H. Grumbles. "It also shows what can result when agencies join forces under E.O. 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation Management, to protect wetlands and improve stormwater management."

The liaison will serve as the central point of contact to coordinate activities between the Office of Water and FHWA towards advancing common goals and protecting watersheds and serve as the chair for an office-wide workgroup. The establishment of a liaison position is a significant step towards supporting stewardship and enhanced environmental protection in highway planning and project development. Under this agreement, the agencies will focus on integrating transportation and watershed planning and incorporating green infrastructure practices for managing stormwater. Formalizing the partnership between EPA and FHWA, through this agreement, builds upon the work already begun under our Green Highways Partnership in the Mid-Atlantic region and offers greater opportunities to support and promote innovative practices nationwide.

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Seven Wetland Stewards Win 2008 National Wetlands Awards

Seven citizens have been recognized nationally for their on-the-ground wetland conservation efforts and decades-long dedication to protecting these important natural resources. A diverse panel of wetland experts assembled at the Environmental Law Institute earlier this month to select the winners of the 2008 National Wetlands Awards. This year’s award winners hail from all regions of the country and exemplify the extraordinary commitment and innovation that is so instrumental to conserving wetlands in the nation’s communities.
The 2008 awardees are:
- Valer and Josiah Austin, landowners from Arizona who have restored miles of wetlands on their ranch lands and worked on cross-border watershed management to restore wetland habitat;
- Caroline Dean, a horticulturalist and teacher from Alabama who has led advocacy and education efforts to protect native flora and wildflowers found in wetlands throughout the Southeastern United States;
- John Dorney, the Supervisor of the North Carolina Division of Water Quality’s Program Development Unit who has been instrumental in the development of the state’s wetland and stream protection programs;
- Mildred Majoros, a Project Manager with the Trust for Public Land in Florida who has led efforts to protect hundreds of acres of coastal habitat in Puerto Rico;
- Dianne Nygaard, the founder of the non-profit Preserve Calavera who has raised awareness and aided in the purchase and restoration of wetlands in California;
- Raymond Semlitsch, a Professor in the Division of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia whose research on amphibian ecology has raised awareness about the need to protect small wetlands and surrounding terrestrial habitat.
More information on the National Wetlands Awards Program is available online at http://www.nationalwetlandsawards.org

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