Current Issues || Our Newsletter || Wetland Alerts

WWA RESPONSE TO GULF OIL SPILL IMPACTS ON COASTAL WETLANDS
Read WWA's response and learn about the efforts of partner organizations who are working directly on this tragic wetlands issue.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION WRAPS UP WITH TWO WINS FOR WETLANDS

On May 18, 2010, Governor Doyle signed two important wetland bills into law. One will help reduce unauthorized wetland fill, while the other will help Wisconsin leverage more federal funding for wetland restoration projects. Both address long-standing wetland problems.

In both cases, WWA was active in discussions about how to solve the problems long before legislation was drafted, and we played a prominent role in efforts to draft and pass the bills. The story of how these bills came to pass illustrates the critical roles WWA plays to shape and advance pro-wetland policies, and the necessity of combining outreach, education and advocacy to affect such change.

Click here for more information on these legislative victories.

WETLANDS & WWA IN THE NEWS
Wisconsin Wetlands Association programs were recently featured in guest columns in the National Wetlands Newsletter. Click on the links below to dowload and read these columns.

NEW RESOURCES FOR LOCAL DECISION MAKERS
WWA announces the release of a new publication, Land Use and Wetlands: A Local Decision Makers' Guide to Wetland Conservation, and associated web resources. The purpose of the publication is to improve wetland protection and reduce wetland controversies by providing town, village, city and county land use officials with basic information about how wetlands benefit Wisconsin’s communities and practical steps they can take to improve consideration of wetlands and wetland laws in local land use decision-making. Click here to download the publication and explore related web resources.

DEFENDING WEST BEND WETLANDS
As of August 2009, high quality wooded wetlands in West Bend are no longer threatened by airport expansion. Read about WWA's involvement in this historic victory for wetlands in Wisconsin.

RESTORING FEDERAL PROTECTION FOR ISOLATED WETLANDS & HEADWATER STREAMS
Read about WWA’s efforts to encourage passage of the federal Clean Water Restoration Act, which was reintroduced in early April 2009.

WETLANDS AND THE 2009 FEDERAL ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL
The recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provided funds for numerous wetland and watershed restoration programs. Wisconsin Wetlands Association wants to help maximize the amount of stimulus dollars spent on wetland restoration and enhancement projects in Wisconsin by encouraging private landowners, consultants and municipalities to submit proposals for stimulus funded projects. Click the heading above for information on how to find funding for your wetland restoration project ideas.

NEW WETLAND TOOLKIT FOR PROPERTY OWNERS: LOCATING WETLANDS
Wisconsin DNR recently collaborated with Wisconsin Wetland Association, Wisconsin REALTORS® Association, and government organizations to create informational tools to help citizens determine when there are protected wetlands on a property that they want to buy or build on. The tools include wetland indicator maps, a physical clues checklist, a wetlands real estate addendum, a series of videos about locating wetlands, and more. Click the graphic to the right to try out the new wetland toolkit.

WETLANDS & FLOODING: JUNE 2008
Once again, WWA calls public attention to the role of wetlands in flood prevention following June's historic rainfall and flooding across southern Wisconsin. Read our June 22, 2008 column printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Photo at right shows a wetland restored under the Wetlands Reserve Program during the June flooding. This wetland was doing it's job of storing floodwaters, but perhaps in over it's head?

PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION OVERSIGHT
Read about WWA’s ongoing efforts to reduce wetland and waterway disturbance and degradation caused by intra-state pipeline projects. Active efforts in 2007 include oversight of construction practices along the 321-mile Enbridge construction route and input on permit conditions for the 119-mile Guardian 2 line.

WETLANDS & FLOODING: AUGUST 2007
WWA helps bring wetlands to the forefront of discussion on how to prevent future flooding following the intense August rains and associated flooding throughout southern Wisconsin. Read our August 26, 2007 column printed in the Wisconsin State Journal.

WETLAND REGULATORY AUDIT
The Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) has released their report on Wisconsin’s wetland permitting and mitigation programs. Read about the scope of the audit as well as WWA’s analysis and response.

FUTURE WETLAND INVADERS
Read about new invasive plants to watch for in your local wetlands and learn how you can be a part of the effort to stop their spread.

LAKE KOSHKONONG WATER LEVEL CONTROVERSY
Read about the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Lake Koshkonong Wetlands Association’s effort to protect hundreds of acres of wetlands from requested water level increases.

TAXES AND WETLANDS
Read about WWA's efforts to examine wetland taxes to determine whether Wisconsin’s property tax system rewards or penalizes landowners who hold or restore wetlands.

WETLAND ALERTS
Sign up for our wetland alerts listserve to receive information about important wetland issues in Wisconsin.