Laserfiche WebLink
03/151/2001 14:47 FAX 6514528940 MENDOTA HGTS MN Zoos <br /> Dakota County(MN)Wetland Assessment. <br /> Monitoring, and Awareness Project, <br /> Revision 4, June 5, 1998 <br /> Page 13 of 50 <br /> IV- USERS OF STUDY DATA <br /> A. Local officials and citizens; Results obtained by citizen volunteers using the citizen <br /> protocol will be compared with results from a technical, professional assessment using the <br /> citizen protocol as well as the more technical protocol. Cities can then determine which <br /> approach would be most useful under which circumstances to fill the different needs of local <br /> units of government. The goal of the WHEP is to evaluate the methods used by citizens and <br /> not to perform in-depth evaluations of individual wetlands. If use of the citizen protocol <br /> method proves valid, the citizen protocol can be used as one way to establish baseline data on <br /> depressional wetlands when assessing local wetland health. <br /> B. Feedback to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA): The WISP builds on a <br /> previously US EPA funded project, Wetland Testing Assessment Project#CD985060-01. <br /> That project was designed to determine what information obtained by trained citizen <br /> volunteers gathering biological (invertebrates and vegetation) data about wetland health <br /> would be useful to local units of government when making decisions about local wetlands. <br /> The WIMP will use citizen and technical wetland assessment protocols developed by the <br /> Minnesota Pollution Control Agency_ All data collected during the WISP will be forwarded <br /> to MPCA for their use in establishing protocol for monitoring depressional wetlands such as <br /> those found in the North Central Hardwood Forest Ecoregion of Minnesota MPCA and <br /> other state and national agencies and organizations can use the data to further evaluate the <br /> • concept of a citizen volunteer monitor approach to large-scale wetland assessment. <br /> C. How the data will not be used: The data will not be used specifically for state and local <br /> regulatory proposes. The protocol is designed to provide a tool for basic assessment of <br /> wetland health, not for supporting regulatory decisions. This information could be helpful <br /> but would not be definitive when considering regulatory decisions based on the Clean Water <br /> Act 404/401 permit prograrn, the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act permit program, and <br /> local water planning. <br /> • <br />