Minn. hopes to bolster wetland protection
A new report offers recommendations designed to strengthen wetland protection efforts in Minnesota.
Gov. Mark Dayton ordered the report to improve the state's policy of no net loss of wetlands.
The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources held meetings around the state and gathered input on how to continue the no-net-loss policy.
Land and water section manager Dave Weirens said the report recommends streamlining regulations, improving interagency cooperation and targeting resources.
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"We need to look big picture at how all of our government entitities are involved with wetland management," Weirens said, "and how we can really make sure we're doing what works well for landowners as well as the resource."
Public comments on the draft report will be accepted until Nov. 26. The final report will be sent to Dayton by mid-December.
Weirens said implementing the recommendations in the report will require a combination of laws, regulations and policy changes.
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