In honor of American Wetlands Month this May, send your state policymakers a positive message communicating your support for wetlands and your appreciation for the policies that help restore and preserve wetlands in Wisconsin.
At a time when wetland policies are erratic nationally and being discarded altogether in some states, Wisconsin is so fortunate to have state laws that help us prevent wetland loss while allowing sensible review of projects that cannot avoid impacting wetlands. Wisconsin policymakers have also voted recently to improve wetland restoration opportunities, which rounds out the many reasons to send a positive message to legislators this May. Together, let’s shine a spotlight on Wisconsin’s foresight to take care of our wetlands.
Follow these three easy steps to participate:
- Copy the message in the green box below and paste it into the body of an email. Personalize the message as you wish while keeping the tone positive. Be sure to include your home address at the bottom of the email. This helps the legislator know you reside within their district.
- Add your current State Representative’s and State Senator’s emails to the address line of your email. Visit legis.wisconsin.gov to enter your home address, see who your legislators are (click 2022 Assembly and Senate Districts), and get their email addresses.
- Hit send!
Two other ways you can help:
- Help us track this outreach effort by copying our Policy Liaison, Jennifer Western Hauser (Jennifer.WesternHauser@wisconsinwetlands.org) on your emails to your legislators. If you do, we’ll send you a packet of five beautiful wetland postcards as a token of our gratitude.
- Include optional language in your email inviting your legislator(s) to join you for a wetland tour. If they say yes, WWA staff will help plan and facilitate the visit! Optional language to add to the end of your email: “If you’d like to learn more about how wetlands benefit our area, I’d be happy to set up a time for you to join me and others from the Wisconsin Wetlands Association for a tour of local wetlands. My contact information is below.”
Please feel free to contact Jennifer.WesternHauser@wisconsinwetlands.org or 608-250-9971 x7 with any questions you may have.
Dear Representative/Senator X,
Did you know that May is American Wetlands Month? I wanted to take this opportunity to share my support for wetlands with you and mention a few of the many benefits we get from maintaining plenty of healthy wetlands across Wisconsin. Foremost, at a time when communities are spending billions trying to address water quality problems and mitigate flooding, wetlands are natural assets that help handle these problems masterfully. When we lose wetlands, water quality problems and flood damages get more severe and costly.
Wetlands also offer vital habitat for wildlife and promote healthy fisheries. An estimated 75% of Wisconsin’s wildlife depends on wetlands as nesting, breeding, or feeding grounds. And wetlands contribute to high-quality opportunities for hunting, fishing, trapping, and other recreation. My email to you may be joined by others representing the Sporting Coalition for Wetlands, a group of more than 20 state and local conservation groups, collectively representing more than 135,000 people in Wisconsin who engage in activities like these.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service recently issued a concerning report to Congress estimating that 221,000 acres of wetlands have been lost in the contiguous United States in the last ten years. The report describes that much of this loss is due to vegetated wetlands becoming dry uplands. Altered hydrology and unintended drainage is a driving force behind this trend.
We are thankful that Wisconsin has important state-level policies that help us prevent wetland loss while allowing sensible review of projects that cannot avoid impacting wetlands. We also appreciate recent legislation that facilitates wetland restoration and cost-effective wetland solutions to problems faced by communities throughout the state.
Thank you, and Happy American Wetlands Month!
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