The Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance (NFFA) is an affiliation of nonprofit and private organizations, government agencies and individuals dedicated to the protection and preservation of the natural functions of floodplains, including coastal areas. As a founding member of the NFFA, the National Association of Wetland Managers hosted meetings, workshops, and webinars for the NFFA from 2011-2022. In 2022, the NFFA Steering Committee completed work on NFFA’s new vision, mission, and goals statement in 2022:
Vision: The Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance envisions a future in which the economic and environmental values of floodplains in their natural state are recognized as essential for resilient communities.
Mission: The Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance works to promote activities at all levels of government that protect and restore the natural resources and functions of floodplains.
Goals: The Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance will endeavor to:
- Work with its partners to increase the capacity within federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local agencies and organizations to build a community of practice for protecting and restoring floodplains.
- Promote learning, resource sharing, and innovative solutions by connecting and convening experts in floodplain management, from across the country at least quarterly with webinars, workshops, and/or meetings.
- Raise awareness of the economic, social, and environmental values of floodplains to state and community officials, practitioners, and the public by sharing research, data, and outreach and educational materials.
At the end of 2022, NAWM handed over coordination responsibilities for the NFFA to American Rivers, and on February 16th, 2023, leaders from NAWM and American Rivers held a webinar (below) to update and renew the affiliation, share findings from the NFFA & Wetland Mapping Consortium report, National Action Plan to Protect and Restore Floodplains, and share information on future NFFA activities. American Rivers will be hosting a new NFFA webpage on their website soon. Until then, any questions can still be directed to Marla Stelk, NAWM Executive Director at marla@nawm.org.
Part 1: Introduction: Eileen Shader, Director, American Rivers and Marla Stelk, Executive Director, NAWM Part 2: Presenters: Marla Stelk, Executive Director, NAWM and Eileen Shader, Director, American Rivers
Presenter: Eileen Shader, Director, American Rivers
