About NEMO

NEMO-Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials

Natural Resource Protection is the Goal

Land Use is the Issue - We believe that better land use decisions are the key to protecting the natural resources, community character, and long-term economic health of our communities.

Local Officials are the Target Audience - Because land use is the issue, the people making land use decisions are our key target audience. In the United States, this means local officials serving on land use boards at the county and municipal levels. (Quick - name five groups or organizations devoted to assisting these critical decision makers! Can't do it, can you? Chalk up
yet another good reason for NEMO…)

Education is the Method - Given that the local land use decision making process is complex, political, and widely varying, state and federal regulation can only go so far in dictating better land use policies and practices. We believe that education-particularly research-based, nonadvocacy professional outreach education-is the best way to foster better land use decisions.

The History of NEMO
NEMO originally was conceived as a pilot project to assist local officials in three Connecticut coastal towns address the issue of nonpoint source pollution, and therefore help to better protect the water quality of Long Island Sound.

The original stimulus for NEMO was the creation of a land cover database for the state of Connecticut, for the purposes of estimating nonpoint source loadings of nitrogen to the Sound. Recognizing the educational potential of the land cover information, and with funding from the USDA/CRSEES Water Quality Initiative, NEMO was created in 1991-1992 as a collaboration between three branches of the University of Connecticut: the Cooperative Extension System, the Natural Resources Management and Engineering Department, and the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program.

It took about a year to develop the initial NEMO educational program, Linking Land Use to Water Quality, that is built around geographic information system (GIS) images of natural resources and remote sensing-derived images of land cover. After a year of development and a second year of operation in the pilot towns, interest in the NEMO educational program began to spread to other towns, and our Connecticut initiatives began to widen in scope. By about 1995, colleagues in other states began to express interest in adapting NEMO, and our National work was initiated. In 2002, NEMO joined other allied land use education and research programs within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to form the Center for Land use Education And Resources (CLEAR). At present (circa 2004), NEMO has worked with over two-thirds of the 169 municipalities in Connecticut, and the National NEMO Network has projects in 35 states.

NEMO Program Workshops
The intent is to keep land use decision-makers' knowledge of nonpoint source pollution (NPS) and how to manage it, current. The workshops are free of charge, and take about 45 minutes, however additional time for discussion is strongly recommended.
Depending on the presentation given, we also provide educational publications, maps, web-based information and individual consultation.

Sponsor a Workshop
The workshops are free of charge, and take about 45 minutes, however additional time for discussion is strongly recommended. Depending on the presentation given, we also provide educational publications, maps, web-based information and individual consultation. If you don't see a workshop specific to your needs, contact us, we are happy to consider adding new topics!
Contact NEMO Coordinator Susan Meeker at smeeker@uiuc.edu or call (309) 694-7501 ext 225 to set up a workshop.

How to Get the Best Results from YourWorkshop
1. Get the troops out! Get as many land use commissions, departments and other "players" as possible together to hear the NEMO presentation at the same time. Have your chief elected official provide the motivation.

2. Hold a series of workshops. We recommend you begin with our basic workshop, "Linking Land Use to Water Quality" and then "Roles and Responsibilities of Land Use Commissions". Continue your NEMO education with any of our other workshops on various preservation and development issues in the order that best works for you.

Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) is a educational program for land use decision makers that addresses the relationship of land use to natural resource protection.

For more information, contact:
Susan Meeker
University of Illinois
727 Sabrina Dr
East Peoria, IL 61611
Phone: (309) 694-7501 ext. 225
Email: smeeker@uiuc.edu

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences United States Department of Agriculture Local Extension Councils Cooperating University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. Funding provided (in part) by the Illinois EPA through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. Adopted from material from the National NEMO Network.







NEMO-Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials Natural Resource Protection is the Goal Land Use is the Issue - We believe that better land use decisions are the key to protecting the natural resources, community character, and long-term economic health of our communities. Local Officials are the Target Audience - Because land use is the issue, the people making land use decisions are our key target audience. In the United States, this means local officials serving on land use boards at the county and municipal levels. (Quick - name five groups or organizations devoted to assisting these critical decision makers! Can't do it, can you? Chalk up yet another good reason for NEMO…) Education is the Method - Given that the local land use decision making process is complex, political, and widely varying, state and federal regulation can only go so far in dictating better land use policies and practices. We believe that education-particularly research-based, nonadvocacy professional outreach education-is the best way to foster better land use decisions. The History of NEMO NEMO originally was conceived as a pilot project to assist local officials in three Connecticut coastal towns address the issue of nonpoint source pollution, and therefore help to better protect the water quality of Long Island Sound. The original stimulus for NEMO was the creation of a land cover database for the state of Connecticut, for the purposes of estimating nonpoint source loadings of nitrogen to the Sound. Recognizing the educational potential of the land cover information, and with funding from the USDA/CRSEES Water Quality Initiative, NEMO was created in 1991-1992 as a collaboration between three branches of the University of Connecticut: the Cooperative Extension System, the Natural Resources Management and Engineering Department, and the Connecticut Sea Grant College Program. It took about a year to develop the initial NEMO educational program, Linking Land Use to Water Quality, that is built around geographic information system (GIS) images of natural resources and remote sensing-derived images of land cover. After a year of development and a second year of operation in the pilot towns, interest in the NEMO educational program began to spread to other towns, and our Connecticut initiatives began to widen in scope. By about 1995, colleagues in other states began to express interest in adapting NEMO, and our National work was initiated. In 2002, NEMO joined other allied land use education and research programs within the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources to form the Center for Land use Education And Resources (CLEAR). At present (circa 2004), NEMO has worked with over two-thirds of the 169 municipalities in Connecticut, and the National NEMO Network has projects in 35 states. NEMO Program Workshops The intent is to keep land use decision-makers' knowledge of nonpoint source pollution (NPS) and how to manage it, current. The workshops are free of charge, and take about 45 minutes, however additional time for discussion is strongly recommended. Depending on the presentation given, we also provide educational publications, maps, web-based information and individual consultation. Sponsor a Workshop The workshops are free of charge, and take about 45 minutes, however additional time for discussion is strongly recommended. Depending on the presentation given, we also provide educational publications, maps, web-based information and individual consultation. If you don't see a workshop specific to your needs, contact us, we are happy to consider adding new topics! Contact NEMO Coordinator Susan Meeker at smeeker@uiuc.edu or call (309) 694-7501 ext 225 to set up a workshop. How to Get the Best Results from YourWorkshop 1. Get the troops out! Get as many land use commissions, departments and other "players" as possible together to hear the NEMO presentation at the same time. Have your chief elected official provide the motivation. 2. Hold a series of workshops. We recommend you begin with our basic workshop, "Linking Land Use to Water Quality" and then "Roles and Responsibilities of Land Use Commissions". Continue your NEMO education with any of our other workshops on various preservation and development issues in the order that best works for you. Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) is a educational program for land use decision makers that addresses the relationship of land use to natural resource protection. For more information, contact: Susan Meeker University of Illinois 727 Sabrina Dr East Peoria, IL 61611 Phone: (309) 694-7501 ext. 225 Email: smeeker@uiuc.edu University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences United States Department of Agriculture Local Extension Councils Cooperating University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment. Funding provided (in part) by the Illinois EPA through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. Adopted from material from the National NEMO Network.	Fact Sheets NEMO Basic Information Nonpoint Source Water Pollution Strategies for Coping With Polluted Runoff Impacts of Development on Waterways Protecting Your Town From Polluted Runoff