State/Federal Cooperation Strengthened at Wetlands Protection Workshop

At both the federal and state levels, there is a recognized need for enhanced state roles in the protection and management of the nation's wetlands. Yet to date, only limited progress has been made in many states because of restricted budgets, insufficient wetland data, and inadequate information on effective state approaches. On September 19-21, 1984, over 200 people gathered at the University of Florida School of Law in Gainesville for the first national workshop to focus specifically on state wetlands regulation. Their aim was to explore innovative, cost-effective state approaches for managing wetlands; suggest ways to strengthen the federal/state partnership in wetlands regulation; and encourage information exchanges between state programs. A perspective on the workshop from an official with the Environmental Protection Agency's Office for Federal Activities will follow.