Association of State Wetlands Managers Hot Topics Series

TOPIC: Importance of Wetlands in Floodplain Function and Ecosystem Services

DATE: Friday, May 29, 2020 – 3:00 pm-4:30 pm

REGISTER: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5478419346727775758

SPONSORED BY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

PRESENTERS:

* Dave Fowler, Association of State Floodplain Managers

* Brian Ritter, Nahant Marsh Education Center

* Shelly Morris, The Nature Conservancy

ABSTRACTS:

* Presentation by Dave Fowler, Association of State Floodplain Managers – As we move into the new century, we face hard choices concerning our riverine and coastal floodplains. Development along our rivers and coasts with little thought for floodplain functions, cannot continue. People living near water continue to experience ever-increasing flood risks. Management of flood prone areas has for too long been “engineering-centered,” with little consideration to preserving or restoring the natural functions of floodplains for flood management. The gap between flood control and more environmentally sustainable floodplain management must be bridged. This can be accomplished by moving away from attempts to control the water in a watershed or along a coast and moving toward a philosophy which accepts that floods happen and appreciates them as a natural function. We should anticipate the flooding process and plan our development and infrastructure accordingly. Instead of controlling the water, we should control how and where we allow human activities to adversely affect it.

* Presentation by Brian Ritter, Nahant Marsh Education Center – Nahant Marsh, located in Davenport, IA is one of the largest remaining urban wetlands on the Upper Mississippi River. Nahant Marsh’s journey from an EPA superfund site to a diverse ecological restoration and active education center, and key aspect of the City of Davenport’s flood plan, will be discussed.

* Presentation by Shelly Morris, The Nature Conservancy – Dogtooth Bend (Alexander Co. Illinois) has experienced flooding for decades, and these floods are becoming more frequent, longer in duration, and more unpredictable in timing. Many landowners have expressed an interest in alternatives to farming and are actively looking for financial mechanisms to do so. The Nature Conservancy is working with NRCS and other partners to assist with a path forward, and in 2019 $25M was allocated through NRCS easement programs to purchase easements and restore a large portion of this area. Restoration of this Mississippi River floodplain will provide a variety of ecosystem services as well as financial assistance to interested landowners.