A principal mission of each NEP around the nation is to involve local residents at all stages in the development and implementation of a regional plan to protect, restore, or enhance the quality of water, sediments, and living resources. This regional plan is known as a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP). Included in this work is determining the current state of the estuary and the steps needed to return it to health. One of the primary jobs of the IRLNEP is to develop the CCMP and facilitate and foster communication between all constituents during the process.  This is done by utilizing the best available science and expertise within the IRLNEP Management Conference to draft and edit the plan over a period of time, while gathering feedback from the community and other stakeholders.