Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution, or polluted runoff, is the predominant cause of water quality problems in the United States. Land protection can play a critical role in protecting waters by maintaining forests, riparian buffers, and other critical natural areas that filter polluted runoff. Protected lands also help ensure the durability of water quality restoration by preventing new pollutant loads. Over the last several years the USEPA has worked to highlight the role of land protection as a NPS management strategy and strengthen partnership opportunities between clean water programs and land conservation community. This webinar will spotlight this work and how its relevance to protecting lake ecosystem health.

This event is not being hosted by ILMS. Register for this event by clicking the link here. Webinar Registration - Zoom

This webinar is being hosted by the MGLP (Midwest Great Lakes Partnership). The speaker for the webinar will be Steve Epting. See speaker bios below. 

Steve Epting

National Lead for Healthy Watersheds Protection & Watershed Planning·US Environmental Protection Agency

Steve Epting is the national lead for healthy watersheds protection and watershed planning in the Office of Water at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Steve works to advance healthy watersheds protection by supporting state Clean Water Act programs’ efforts to protect unimpaired/high-quality waters. Additionally, Steve leads work to integrate watershed protection with other EPA programs and external partners, like the land conservation and land use planning communities. Steve has a master's in environmental science from the University of Maryland, where he studied wetland-stream connectivity on the landscape. Steve lives in Virginia with his wife, two sons, and a counter-surfing beagle named Banjo.