An ELI Public Webinar
Wetlands are vital ecosystems that provide essential ecosystem services for communities. In addition to flood control, water quality, and water supply benefits, they provide open space and opportunities for local recreation like
hunting, fishing, birding, hiking, and paddling. Protecting wetlands is like maintaining a critical piece of infrastructure: sustained investment provides benefits for current residents and future generations, while neglect can lead to costly failures, degraded
ecosystems, and increased flood risks to communities.
Over the last few years, the federal government has drastically limited the scope of the Clean Water Act’s protection for the nation’s wetlands, leaving it up to state and local governments to fill the authority, capacity, and
funding gaps. Local governments therefore have an opportunity to play a greater role in wetlands conservation and restoration via their authority to plan and regulate land uses and by using non-regulatory tools and incentives.
Join the Environmental Law Institute and expert panelists to discuss how local governments can and are strengthening their wetlands protections. The discussion will focus on a case study of Bluffton, South Carolina, including
the Town's creation and use of wetland maps and the adoption of ordinance changes to improve regulatory protections for its wetlands. We will also highlight ELI’s newly published Local
Wetland Protection Playbook, designed to assist local governmental officials, landowners, community advocates, and others in identifying and using this range of tools to advance local interests and contribute to the protection of the larger watershed.
Speakers:
Rebecca Kihslinger, Senior Science and Policy Analyst; Director, Wetlands Program,
Environmental Law Institute, Moderator
Lisa Fraley-McNeal, Senior Watershed and Stormwater Research Specialist, Center for Watershed Protection
Beth Lewis, Watershed Resilience Manager, Town of Bluffton
Andrea Moreno, Watershed Management Division Manager, Town of Bluffton
Emily Poole, Staff Attorney, South Carolina Environmental Law Project
Amy Reed, Senior Attorney, Environmental Law Institute
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