The Indiana Wetland Program Plan (IWPP) is a statewide action plan designed to guide continued wetland conservation and restoration.  The vision of the Plan is to advance the understanding of the services and benefits that wetlands provide to the State, to promote the restoration and creation of high quality wetlands throughout the state, and to conserve and protect Indiana’s remaining wetlands. We served as a primary author of the Plan and led the Plan’s stakeholder engagement and public involvement activities. Stakeholder input was then utilized by our team to develop a prioritized seven-year implementation work plan. The IWPP includes priorities, goals, and action items reflecting the opinions and needs of many wetland stakeholders located throughout the state. Input was sought from hundreds of stakeholders including public and private organizations and individual members of the public. We also facilitated the activities of the Plan’s multi-agency Steering Committee that included the Indiana Department of Environment (IDEM), the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. FWS), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA).

PROJECT TASKS

• Authored Statewide Wetland Program Plan
• Developed GIS mapping strategy to inventory critical wetland resources and restoration opportunities
• Deployed stakeholder surveys, analyzed findings, and followed-up with participants
• Conducted one-on-one meetings with key conservation partners to identify shared goals and future needs
• Developed comprehensive stakeholder communications matrix and recommended outreach materials to reach target audiences
• Inventoried wide-spread educational materials and identified missing elements needed to meet the Plan’s goals
• Facilitated multi-agency Steering Committee meetings and numerous public input  sessions