Louise Mauldin of the LaCrosse FRO and Jeff Hastings, Project Manager of DARE, organized a partner's meeting July 10^the to discuss priorities for a Driftless Area strategic plan.

The four state Department of Natural Resources were in attendance, along with the Coordinator of the Driftless Area Initiative, The Nature Conservancy, several county agencies, NRCS, Trout Unlimited and other Service programs.  Partnership goals, GIS coverages and assessments were presented in the morning session.  

Discussion of needed biological assessments and other data gaps followed.  The afternoon session was spent in break out sessions discussing priority species and habitats and general threats to Driftless Area rivers and streams.

Each group developed a list of strategies to protect, restore and enhance quality and quantity of habitat for selected priority species and habitats.  Information obtained at the meeting will be used as the basis for an in-depth strategic plan that will be written in the winter and spring of 2008.