Two topics relating to wetlands were explored. In the first presentation, Lynn A. Greenwalt, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (retired), discussed the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP). The NAWMP, supported by the NAWCA legislation, is an international effort to establish joint ventures that allow for public and private lands to be managed for wetlands in important flyways. Dr. Greenwalt pointed out that, while values of wildlife and wetlands are often perceived to be in conflict with agricultural production and other land-based economic activities, over the past few years there has been a substantial increase in the recognition of the value of wetlands; he noted this as "Aldo Leopold's land ethic arising." This type of recognition has fueled the incentive for cooperation between the public and private sector in wetlands partnerships and has resulted in an increased participation of private landowners in the Plan. Funding for joint ventures remains one of the major dilemmas, however, and the Plan would benefit from a variety of economic incentives for collaborations and creative project management involving private landowners.

In the second presentation, Stephen Apfelbaum, Applied Ecological Services, and John Ryan talked about wetlands mitigation banking. Mitigation banking is considered an important way to remove mitigation projects from the vicissitudes of developed landscapes and to ensure their inclusion in areas where they provide substantial local benefit. Purchasers of wetland mitigation credits have included a broad cross section of industry and land development interests including highway departments, landfill corporations, quarry operations, residential and commercial developers. The opportunity to purchase readily available wetland credits rather than having to develop plans and navigate the regulatory approval process greatly reduces costs in solving wetlands mitigation needs. The presenters pointed out that projects can vary greatly in cost and impact due to the specialized requirements for each site. As an example, they mentioned that development costs per acre in Minnesota could range from very little to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on conditions. Both Apfelbaum and Ryan emphasized the need for participation and buy-in from the regulatory agencies responsible for oversight throughout the entire process. They also noted that the builder needs to maintain tight management control over the project in order to demonstrate successful performance before the credits can be sold through the banking process.

Three presentations focused on opportunities for leveraging public resources for conservation projects. Dr. Ronnie Haynes, Regional Coordinator, Southeast Region, Partners for Wildlife described the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Partners for Wildlife program which provides financial and technical assistance through voluntary cooperative agreements to private landowners for habitat project implementation. Funding assistance from the Service is limited ($10,000 per year per landowner), with some exceptions for priority habitats and focus areas. During Fiscal Year 1996, through more than 1,600 separate agreements, the Service worked with private landowners, including industry, to restore over 51,000 acres of wetlands, 43,000 acres of native prairie grasslands, 400 miles of riparian corridors, and 40 miles of in-stream aquatic habitat. The Service is working to expand program delivery and technical assistance through partnerships with other agencies, conservation groups, industry and others willing to implement habitat practices of mutual interest to landowners. This partnership approach has allowed the Service to leverage program funds by more than 100 percent, with approximately 58 percent of total project costs covered by partners.

Andrew Moore, Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs, National Association of Service and Conservation Corps, and J.D. Ferguson, Executive Director, Greater Atlanta Community Corps, spoke of the important role of conservation corps in environmental projects. Conservation Corps, arising out of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) of President Roosevelt's New Deal of the 1930s, are organizations that marshal the energy and idealism of youth to carry out a wide range of community service projects. Corps typically organize young people into crews, with each crew supervised by a trained adult leader. Each crew undertakes and completes to specifications, highly visible, achievable and measurable projects such as streambank stabilization, tree planting, mapping, community outreach and environmental education. Corps members receive payment or stipends approximating minimum wage for their full-time work with the corps. Through the environmental projects undertaken by the corps, members learn transferable technical job skills, such as water restoration techniques, which often lead them to active environmental careers that they follow once they leave the corps. Service and Conservation Corps tie environmental partnerships to the larger issues of community adoption, broad stakeholder participation, and integrated management.

Lynn Betts, Communications Director, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) described Backyard Conservation, a program recently initiated by NRCS in partnership with the Wildlife Habitat Council, and the National Association of Conservation Districts. Project partners include private industry and other conservation groups as well. The impetus for the project comes from the fact that 85 percent of homeowners are interested in creating some type of habitat on their property, but want guides to help them make thoughtful decisions. Through Backyard Conservation publications, products and technical assistance from volunteers, homeowners are given how-to information about agriculture conservation practices that can be adapted for backyards. Among these practices are wildlife habitat and tree plantings, pond creation, water management, mulching, composting, nutrient management, pest management, and land terracing. The philosophy of this program is to move the countryside to the backyard. Of course, these yards can also include properties attached to schools and libraries, urban community gardens and parks, and other public areas.

This session comprised three presentations focused on resources and techniques supporting wildlife management. In the first, Tom Franklin, Policy Director, the Wildlife Society, talked about the Society's goals and achievements since its inception. He also discussed the Wildlife Information Network (WIN), a community-based outreach program through which Wildlife Society members increase public awareness of the wildlife professional while promoting improved wildlife habitat conditions on private lands. WIN aims to stimulate the involvement of wildlife professionals in grassroots community efforts to enhance working relationships with landowners, interest groups, and local government while promoting wildlife conservation. WIN positions wildlife professionals to communicate accurate, scientifically based information about wildlife and habitat and initiate cooperative projects with landowners and communities that enhance conditions for wildlife, improve habitat quality, and increase recreational and educational opportunities.

Robert Maddrey, Director of Land Management Programs, National Wild Turkey Federation, spoke about his organization's commitment to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the turkey hunting tradition. Founded in 1973, the conservation organization has initiated projects benefiting wild turkeys through project sponsorship, grant appropriations, and, perhaps most important, through partnership agreements with 49 state wildlife agencies, five federal agencies, 14 forest products companies, 16 utilities and five mining associations. These partnerships, through a common vision and cooperative action, have undertaken programs to benefit wild turkeys, including relocating the birds to unoccupied habitat. The NWTF also sponsors ongoing research projects in 25 states and Mexico, assists landowners with management guidance and technical assistance, and provides educational outreach to communities and schools.

Lonnie Williamson, Vice President, Wildlife Management Institute, shared his thoughts on the need to educate and persuade individuals and communities to take well-informed actions. He noted that better science, technical knowledge or capability would not serve us well if we are unable to change perceptions of values surrounding wildlife resources. Williamson mentioned that solutions to resource management, accordingly would be grounded in the arts--through media which connect to people on an emotional and intuitive level. The "Seeking Common Ground" initiative, focuses on public rangelands and is built on the following key components: that action needs to be taken at a local level with local participants, thus giving a sense of immediacy and ownership; that all local interests are a part of the process; and that an atmosphere of trust is essential to success. Williamson also stressed that in any collaboration, strong leadership is vital, along with a commitment to make the project and partnership work.

Roosevelt Childress, Chief, Surface Water Permits Section, US EPA Region 4, talked about the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) stormwater permitting program which is designed to control water pollution that results when stormwater runoff comes into contact with industrial activities and materials and contaminants resulting from human activities in large urban areas. The program also addresses the hydrological modifications caused by increased stormwater flows as human activities increase the imperviousness of the land surface. The goal of the NPDES stormwater permitting program is for all stormwater discharges to achieve compliance with water quality standards, thereby improving the quality of the Nation's lakes, streams, rivers, wetlands, estuaries and oceans, and, ultimately, habitat for aquatic wildlife.

Mary Landin, Research Biologist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, spoke about the process of restoring and creating wetlands to improve water quality. For over 100 years, wetlands have been restored, created, protected and managed, primarily in fish and wildlife areas but also for flood control, mitigation, and wastewater treatment. There are 11 or more published, internationally recognized functions that wetlands perform with regard to water quality, including sediment management, pollution entrapment, water purification, groundwater recharge and discharge, and erosion control. All of these have direct influence on quality of fish and wildlife habitats. Because of this link, the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), which is involved in all aspects of wetlands for water quality improvement, is incorporating habitat protection factors into COE projects, and is entering into partnerships with other agencies, such as US EPA, TVA, and NRCS, on issues of wetlands design, construction and management.

Walter Lehman, Senior Project/Environmental Engineer, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc, spoke about the company's Jacksonville Land Application Stormwater and Pond Management project which uses two land applications (wetlands) to treat a portion of its process wastewater from its Jacksonville Brewery. The two sites, consisting of 1,100 acres under irrigation, are designed to treat up to 2,500,000 gallons per day of process wastewater. Permits for construction and operation were required from numerous agencies including the US EPA, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the St. Johns River Water Management District. While conflicting conditions outlined in the various permits made it difficult to maintain aquatic vegetation in the ponds, ultimately vegetation was added to maintain water quality by preventing unwanted algae blooms. This addition of vegetation has helped improve both the water quality discharged from the ponds while providing enhanced wildlife habitat.

Cindy Dohner, Fisheries Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, talked about changes in implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) from a strictly regulatory to a more incentive-based and proactive, collaborative approach. The Administration's ten-point plan and the Service's 1994 implementation policies serve as the basis for the evolution of this approach and have led to the development of Safe Harbor, with the establishment of documented base lines (see case study, page ); Candidate Species Conservation Agreement policies, where terms and conditions do not change if a resident species does become listed; and Habitat Conservation Planning (HCP) programs, long-term development plans that incorporate preserves. These programs represent a change in culture at the agency, with a movement away from an autocratic, regulatory stance toward a collaborative approach that substantially increases the involvement of private landowners in the conservation and recovery of species.

Peter Jenny, Vice President, The Peregrine Fund, spoke about the work of the organization to reverse the catastrophic decline of the peregrine falcon in North America. He noted that of 71 endemic species of bird, 50 are either in extinct or in rapid decline. Through the development of new techniques in captive propagation and reintroduction, some 4,000 peregrine falcons have been released across the United States, effectively reversing the decline of the species. Captive propagation and reintroduction methods also have been critical to the recovery of the Mauritius kestrel. Important to this success has been the ability to develop trust between the Fund, regulatory agencies, and landowners. He commented that landowners like the birds and will manage their property carefully to preserve habitat but are afraid of losing control. Jenny also mentioned that with many listed species, habitat enhancement is insufficient to reverse the decline but must be supplemented with captive breeding and reintroduction.

James Sweeney, Manager of Environmental Issues, Champion International Corporation, talked about Champion's six point endangered species program. He noted that the conservation of endangered species has become an important management issue for companies with large forest land ownerships. It has become an issue both because additional species are being recognized as rare or threatened, and because there is an increasing awareness and concern within the general public for endangered species and their conservation. Champion International has developed a comprehensive six point endangered species conservation program which includes: research and management (biological surveys); training for foresters and loggers; cooperation with federal, state and local agencies; protection of unique habitats; open communication; and participation in the legislative process.

Three speakers presented on the topics of integrated pest management, landscape design to control nuisance species, and biological control for invasive and pest species. James Armstrong, Extension Wildlife Scientist, Auburn University, spoke of a decision-analysis model for dealing with wildlife damage control known as the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. IPM is an interdisciplinary and systems approach used in pest control that utilizes all available methods of prevention and control. The goal is to reduce the actual damage as well as any negative side effects to humans, non-target species, and the environment. Greg Yarrow, Associate Professor of Wildlife, Clemson University, spoke of the effectiveness of using alterations to landscape and wildlife habitat--such as reductions in food, shelter or water--to control nuisance wildlife. Designing landscapes to control pest populations involves identification and description of current or potential problems, an understanding of the biology and ecology of the nuisance animals, implementing landscape practices that limit food, shelter and water of problem species, and monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of management practices that are aimed at reducing problems. Finally, Michael Conover, Director, Jack Berryman Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Utah State University, discussed the use of biological controls, such as immunocontraception, the introduction of viruses or diseases, predation and/or competition, as techniques for controlling exotic and invasive species. Invasive and exotic species, often referred to as "biological pollution," often reach higher densities than in their native range because of the absence of factors such as disease or predators which normally limit their populations. Biological control can involve the introduction of these diseases or predators, a risky approach which can yield dangerous unforeseen outcomes, or the alteration of habitat to cause the invasive or exotic species to lose its competitive advantage. Any approach requires an understanding of the species' nutritional need, food preferences, and habitat requirements.