Thank you to everyone who filled out the Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) stakeholder survey in May. We designed the survey to inform our strategic planning efforts, and it was also a good opportunity for us to check in with our membership and other wetland stakeholders. Reading through your comments renews my passion for working for the wetlands we all love, so thank you! Read more about the survey here.
We are using what we learned from the survey this summer as we develop our strategic plan for the next five years. Strategic planning keeps us focused on what’s important today while laying the foundation for the long term. Our efforts toward this plan are grounded in our mission, vision, and niche statements. So, what are these statements and how do we use them?
Let’s take a look:
WWA’s Mission: We are dedicated to the protection, restoration, and enjoyment of wetlands and associated ecosystems through science-based programs, education, and advocacy.
WWA’s Vision: We envision a state where wetlands are healthy and plentiful and support ecological and societal needs and where citizens care for, appreciate, and interact with these natural resources.
WWA’s Niche: Our work prioritizes providing tools and expertise to help others protect, manage, and restore wetlands. We actively engage in opportunities to advance wetlands as solutions to critical water management concerns at a watershed scale in ways that can be adapted across Wisconsin and beyond.
These three statements guide everything we do. Here’s how.
First, we are dedicated to wetlands. We talk a lot about water, habitat, flooding, and other things, but when we talk about these things, it’s always in the service of wetlands. We strive to keep peripheral issues (as important as they may be) from causing us to veer away from our singular focus on wetlands.
Secondly, our work must ultimately result in the physical protection and restoration of healthy wetlands across Wisconsin to meet the ecological and societal needs of the state. We’ve lost half of our wetlands in Wisconsin. We can’t remove half of our wetlands without serious consequences to our other natural resources and to the health of our communities. And we can’t heal these consequences without protecting and restoring wetlands on a large scale.
Thirdly, we work through science-based programs, education, and advocacy. We don’t, ourselves, do the physical work to protect and restore wetlands on the ground. Many worthy organizations do that very important work. What we do do is help build statewide policy and program structures as well as strengthen understanding of and engagement in wetlands. Both are essential to get community-based wetland protection and restoration happening at the scale necessary to meaningfully move toward our vision.
As you read the articles on our blog, remember that everything we write about is guided by these three foundational statements. In your survey responses, you sent the message loud and clear that you share these sentiments. So, thank you for all the ways you support WWA and Wisconsin’s wetlands.
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WWA’s Mission, Values, and 2019-2023 Strategic Plan