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About the Oklahoma Wetlands ProgramThe goal of the Oklahoma Wetlands Program is to provide assistance with wetland related issues for Oklahomans. Many state and federal agencies and tribal governments are involved in different aspects of wetland management, regulation and restoration. This web portal synthesizes relevant wetland information and provides links to partner websites to help landowners, developers, researchers, educators, students, and citizens locate the assistance they need. This web portal is a colaborative effort between federal and state agencies, tribal governments, local governments, academic institutions, and non-governmental institutions. The goal of this website is to include enough information to answer questions about wetland science and current management activities, as well as guiding all users to the appropriate entity for technical, financial, educational, and regulatory assistance. Wetland management in Oklahoma is spread among numerous state, federal, tribal, and local partners. In 1990 the Oklahoma Legislature, through Oklahoma Statute §27A-3-2-108, gave jurisdiction to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission (OCC) to prepare a Wetland Management Strategy for the State of Oklahoma.
§27A-3-2-108 dictated that the Strategy address several components: 1) Define wetlands 2) Enumerate their beneficial uses 3) Identify and inventory wetlands 4) Recommend measures to mitigate losses of wetlands 5) Provide measures to protect wetlands 6) Define standards for critical wetlands and measures to ensure protection of property rights of landowners
To guide this effort and ensure communication and coordination of efforts, the OCC developed and Chairs the Oklahoma Wetlands Work Group (OWWG). This group is comprised of technical respresentatives from all state and federal agencies involved with wetland management, tribal representatives, local governments, non-governmental institutions, and industry representatives. The first such strategy was completed as a requirement and presented to the President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate, the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and to the Secretary of the Environment in 1996. The original wetlands strategy entitles Oklahoma's Comprehensive Wetland Conservation Plan can be viewed at the OCC website. The Wetlands Strategy was updated in 2004 and again in 2013. The 2013 Wetland Strategy, which is intended to guide wetlands management activities from 2013-2018, was reorganized as a Wetland Program Plan (WPP) into a Core Elements framework. The WPP includes five core elements: 1) Monitoring and assessment 2) Regulation 3) Voluntary restoration and protection 4) Water quality standards 5) Education and outreach
For more information please read Oklahoma's Wetland Program Plan. |
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