Beginning in 2018, National Association of Wetland Managers (NAWM) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked with an advisory group from EPA Region 10 and the Pacific Northwest Tribal Wetlands Working Group (TWIG) to develop a series of webinars focused on tribal wetland programs. Later webinars in this series capture lessons learned from Tribes in regions all across the U.S.
EPA Region 8 held a virtual Tribal Wetland Workshop in September 2021. Presenters from Tribal wetland programs, EPA, and more shared information on a wide range of topics including regulatory and policy updates, building and sustaining a wetland program, mapping, tools, and collaborations. The workshop sessions were recorded.
Additional NAWM webinars that may be of particular interest to Tribal staff include:
- For American Wetlands Month in 2022, NAWM, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, EPA, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hosted a webinar highlighting the cultural importance of wetlands to tribal communities. Presentations addressed tribal uses of wetlands, wetland mapping data and assessment efforts, as well as efforts to protect and restore these valuable resources.
- NAWM held a webinar on beaver restoration and management on Tribal land that shared examples and lessons learned from work in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest.
As part of the Working With Tribal Communities to Build Wetland Program Capacity project, NAWM and Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota GeoSpatial Services (SMUM) held a series of 8 webinars focused on building a tribal wetland program and sharing tribal experiences and lessons learned. NAWM and SMUM also developed several training resources and tools to use for building tribal wetland programs. The webinars and training resources are listed below by topic area and the webinars were adapted into a series of online training modules on Tribal wetland programs. NAWM and SMUM also developed a Tribal Clean Water Act online training series that addresses a variety of water quality and aquatic resource management issues for Tribal water programs.
Wetland Program Basics
- Webinar #1: Getting Started with Tribal Wetland Plans
- FAQs: Tribal Wetland Program Plans
- Sample General Outline for a Wetland Program Plan
- Webinar #3: Protecting Waters and Wetlands in Indian Country: An Overview and Case Studies from EPA’s New Tribal Wetland Program Guide
- Webinar #4: Developing Your Tribal Wetland Program
EPA Core Elements Framework
- Webinar #5: Monitoring and assessment: Data collection and applications for tribal wetland programs
- Webinar #8: Preparing Quality Assurance Project Plans for Your Tribal Wetland Program
- Report on Best Practices for Building Effective and Culturally Relevant Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Programs
- FAQs: Wetland Functional Assessment FAQs
- FAQs: Treatment In a Similar Manner as a State (TAS) for Clean Water Act Programs
- FAQs: Water Quality Standards and the Clean Water Act
- FAQs: Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification
- FAQs: Clean Water Act Section 404 Program for Dredged or Fill Material
- Fact Sheet on Voluntary Restoration and Protection: Tribal Wetland Programs Addressing this Core Element
Funding for Wetland Programs
- Fact Sheet on Wetland Program Development Grants
- Wetland Program Development Grant Application Checklist
- PowerPoint Slides from EPA on Wetland Program Development Grants (WPDGs) – Overview and Tricks and Tips
- Webinar #2: A Path to Successful EPA Grant Applications for Your Tribal Wetland Program
- Fact Sheet on Wetland Program Funding Options
Education and Outreach
- Webinar #7: Education and outreach efforts to support tribal wetland programs
- Wetland & Water Education Resources
- FAQs: Esri’s ArcGIS StoryMaps
Wetland Mapping
- Webinar #6: Geospatial mapping tools and techniques for tribal wetland programs
- Wetland Mapping Consortium webinar series
- One-Stop Wetland Mapping webpage
- FAQs: Using Geospatial Data
- FAQs: Wetland Mapping and the NWI
- Fact Sheet on Wetland Classification Systems for Mapping
- Case Study of Geospatial Analysis for the Three Affiliated Tribes (TAT) Wetland Program
- FAQs: Drones for Wetland Applications
Future Training Opportunities
NAWM hosts a Calendar of Tribal Wetland and Water Resource Training Events as a place to share information about upcoming training opportunities. If you are hosting a tribal training, please add it to the calendar!