Addressing Barriers to Integration of Ecosystem

Service Data into Wetland Management Programs

Presented by Elizabeth Byers

WVDEP Watershed Assessment Branch

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Matt Goff www.sitkanature.org

A century ago, it was all about waterfowl…

Now…fish & wildlife, rich biodiversity, productivity,

kidneys of the landscape,

Pinus rigida - Picea rubens / Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides / Sphagnum spp. Woodland (G1G2)

stabilize water supplies,

protect shorelines from erosion,

USFWS

carbon sinks and climate stabilizers

Ecosystem Services Quantified

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Obstacles? What obstacles?

Laughspark.com

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9 key lessons learned

as West Virginia moves to Functional Assessment for

Clean Water Act and Food Security Act activities

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Should we start up this trail at all? (Lessons #1-#4)

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Lesson #1:

We needed a catalyst

to get us started

2008 Mitigation rule

for aquatic resources

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Isizmile

Lesson #2: We needed leadership champions to get us started

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Isizmile

Obstacle! Both champions retired.

...it was okay, we had gotten started and had built some support

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Lesson #3: We needed financial support

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Lesson #4:

We needed a

determined

project leader

Isizmile

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Obstacle! No one available on staff.

...it was okay, we recruited from another division

Obstacle! Staff turnover.

…that was tough, we had to delay outputs

Isizmile

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Walking the trail (Lessons #5-#8)

Isizmile

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Lesson #5: Bring stakeholders into the process

early & often

Isizmile

Obstacle! They’re speaking

different languages. …we opened our ears

2017-18 Field-testing: 69 stakeholders from 22 organizations

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Lesson #6: Build on best available science

Obstacle! How do

we sort through so

much information?

…we looked only at

tested, validated

methods & metrics

Lesson #6: Build on best available existing science

Lesson #6: Build on best available existing science

Ecological

integrity &

wildlife habitat

Flood

attenuation

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Water quality:

sediment, nutrients,

pollutants

3 composite functions

Society has placed

value on function

Wetland has

intrinsic potential

to provide function

Landscape provides

opportunity to perform function

3 lenses

62 statewide GIS datasets

• Biodiversity

• Ecosystems

• Elevation

• Geology

• Hydrology

• Imagery

• Infrastructure

• Jurisdiction

• Landcover

• Landform

• Soils

• Stressors27

75 metrics in 9 categories

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Intrinsic

Potential

Landscape

Opportunity

Value to

Society

Water Quality vegetation,

soil,

hydrology

50 m buffer,

contributing

watershed

public use,

planning

Flood Attenuation vegetation,

soil,

hydrology

50 m buffer,

contributing

watershed

economic risk

Habitat/

Ecological Integrity

vegetation,

soil,

hydrology

perimeter,

300 m / 1 km buffer,

contrib. watershed

investment,

public use,

access

Wetlands of

Special Conservation Concernbased on Site Biodiversity RankDocumented by WVDNR

Natural Heritage Data

Link natural heritage

data to GIS tool

Let’s deter impacts to high-functioning wetlands!

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50

Fre

qu

en

cy

Regulatory Wetland Function Credits

Regulatory Credit Scores (GIS only) for 10,416 vegetated wetlands

Median score = 0.56

2% of wetlands are of special conservation

concern and score above 1.0

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Lesson #7: Laser focus

Obstacle! Other important work doesn’t get done

…we’ve gotten pretty good at saying “no”

Isizmile

32Lesson #8: Recruit partners to fill skill gaps

Python-based automation

NRCS Experts

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Reaching our destination – the last mile (Lesson #9 and a return to #5)

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GIS Desktop Scenario Planning

Lesson #9: Make it easy to use

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Lesson #9: Make it easy to use

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Preliminary GIS Score for every mapped wetland in WV

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• Vegetation, Soils, Hydrology, Buffer,

Stressors

• GIS metrics improved

Level of effort: 2 technicians x half-day

Skill level: wetland delineation

plus 2-day training

Rapid Field Assessment

Floristic Quality Assessment

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Mean abundance-weighted CoC using 50/20 Rule vs. Full Floristics

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Soil metrics distilled to clay texture,

organic material, pH, and stressors

2019 Field Season: Training

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June 2020 Regulatory Rollout

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Lesson #5 (again): We Stakeholders

Stakeholders

are key to

successful

public notice

and regulatory

rule change

C. Reaching our destination

9. Make it easy to use

…and stakeholders take us the final mile

Recap: 9 Key Lessons Learned

A. Should we head up this trail at all?

1. Catalyst is already in place: 2008 Mitigation Rule

2. Leadership champions necessary for start-up

3. Secure financial support

4. Recruit determined project leader

B. Walking the trail

5. Bring stakeholders into the process early & often

6. Build on best available existing science

7. Laser focus

8. Recruit partners to fill skill gaps

Questions?Elizabeth.A.Byers@wv.gov