National wetlands conferences to be held in May

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For Immediate Release

National wetlands conferences to be held in May

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, WASHINGTON, Mar. 21 -/E-Wire/-- The Izaak Walton League of America, organizer of American Wetlands Month in May, will be teaming up with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring two national conferences about wetlands conservation to Orlando, Fla., May 14-18, 2001.

The first conference -- the U.S. EPA Biological Assessment of Wetlands Workgroup national meeting -- will be held May 14-16 at the Sheraton World Resort in Orlando. The meeting is called "Assessing the Health of Wetland Life: Policy, Science, and Practice," and will focus on the policy and science behind implementation of wetland monitoring strategies on the national, state, and county levels. The program includes keynotes on monitoring Florida's Everglades Restoration Project and on the value of bio-assessment. Other presentation topics include wetland classification, reference site selection, and study design. Concurrent sessions and poster presentations highlight monitoring protocols for amphibians, birds, macroinvertebrates, fish, algae, and plants. The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning about the progress of state agencies in developing biological monitoring protocols to determine the health of wetlands.

The EPA meeting will be followed by the Izaak Walton League's "Communities Working for Wetlands" conference, to be held May 16-18 also at the Sheraton. This conference is a training opportunity for all volunteers, nonprofit organization staff, educators, students, government agency staff, and business professionals interested in managing or participating in local wetland conservation and education projects. Conference attendees will learn how to restore, monitor, protect, and educate others about wetlands through presentations focusing on habitat needs of fish and birds, restoration challenges in the American West, citizen monitoring, and conservation advocacy. Hands-on sessions will focus on educational activities and using maps and other resources in wetland conservation efforts. Other topics include working with corporate partners, developing new policies, mitigation, forested wetlands, and planning wetland enhancement projects. A plenary luncheon will focus on bird habitat conservation projects to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan.

The "Communities Working for Wetlands" conference will also invite participants on field trips, such as behind-the-scenes tours of SeaWorld and the Central Florida Zoo, wetlands activities at the Disney Wilderness Preserve, and an opportunity to remove invasive Brazilian Pepper trees from a natural area on the Atlantic Coast near Cape Canaveral. In addition, workshops will be offered that demonstrate hands-on educational activities, project management (including volunteer recruitment, fundraising, and publicity), and an introduction to wetland issues such as wetland ecology, policies, restoration, and monitoring.

Conference sponsors include: Wetlands Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior; Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation; Hancock Resources Group, Inc.; Office of Habitat Conservation, National Marine Fisheries Service â NOAA; Philip Morris Companies Inc.; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Bird Habitat Conservation; and the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, and Ducks Unlimited.

Registration and lodging information about the "Communities Working for Wetlands" conference is available at the Izaak Walton League's Web site, www.iwla.org/sos/awm/. To register, please call (800) 965-5004 or (415) 682-2154. Register by April 15, 2001 for the early bird rate of $85 for volunteers, non-profits, students, and teachers and $120 for government agency staff, businesses, and consultants.

For details about registration and lodging for the EPA meeting, visit www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/bawwg/announ2001.html. A detailed agenda also is available at the same site. To register, call (800) 965-5004 or (415) 682-2154. Register by April 15 for the early bird rate of $75 for government agency staff, nonprofit staff, volunteers, and educators and $100 for businesses and consultants.

The Izaak Walton League, founded in 1922, is a national conservation organization with 50,000 members and supporters, 21 state divisions and more than 300 local chapters from Florida to Alaska. The League maintains offices in Gaithersburg, Md., and St. Paul, Minn., and is named after the 17th century conservationist, angler, and author of The Compleat Angler.

For more information on either conference or for information on how local groups can participate in American Wetlands Month, contact:

Leah Miller Save Our Streams Project Coordinator Izaak Walton League of America Phone: (800) BUG-IWLA E-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL] www.iwla.org

For more information on the Assessing the Health of Wetland Life conference, contact:

Douglas Hoskins U.S. EPA â Wetlands Division 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (4502F) Washington, DC 20460 (202) 260-7717 [REDACTED-EMAIL]

The Izaak Walton League of America

For more information on either conference or for information on how local groups can participate in American Wetlands Month, contact:

Save Our Streams Project Coordinator

Izaak Walton League of America

Phone: (800) BUG-IWLA

E-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL]

For more information on the Assessing the Health of Wetland Life conference, contact:

U.S. EPA â Wetlands Division

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (4502F)

Washington, DC 20460

[REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.iwla.org/sos/awm/

http://www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/bawwg/announ2001.html

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