Wetlands Under Threat: Local Tools for Protecting Wetlands in a Post-Sackett World

About this episode

The episode discusses local tools for wetland protection following the Sackett v. EPA decision, featuring insights from policy experts and case studies.

After the Sackett v. EPA Supreme Court decision stripped back federal Clean Water Act protections, local governments found themselves on the frontlines of wetland conservation — and many have more tools available to them than they realize. In this special American Wetlands Month episode, host Sebastian Duque Rios talks with wetland policy experts and on-the-ground practitioners about what local action looks like in practice. ELI Senior Attorney Amy Reed introduces the Environmental Law Institute's newly published Local Wetland Protection Playbook — a practical guide to regulatory and non-regulatory strategies for municipalities, landowners, and community advocates. Then we hear two case studies. First, we're joined by Karen Cappiella (Center for Watershed Protection) to discuss how Bluffton, South Carolina became the first municipality in the state to close the post- Sackett loophole through a phased wetland ordinance and updated GIS mapping. Finally, we're joined by Mahtaab Bagherzadeh (National Wildlife Federation) and Nina Struss (Prairie Rivers Network) to learn more about how a bi-state coalition in the Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois is using climate assessments…

People in this episode

Host: Sebastian Duque Rios

Guests: Karen Cappiella, Mahtaab Bagherzadeh, Nina Struss

Topics covered

• wetland conservation
• local government action
• Clean Water Act
• environmental policy
• case studies
• climate assessments

Keywords

• wetlands
• local protection
• Sackett decision
• environmental law
• community advocacy
• GIS mapping
• climate collaboration

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Environmental Law Institute, Center for Watershed Protection, National Wildlife Federation, Prairie Rivers Network

Places: Bluffton, South Carolina, Quad Cities region of Iowa and Illinois

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