Wetland Coffee Break

The Wisconsin and Minnesota Wetland Rapid Assessment Methods (RAM) are currently used to evaluate wetland function and inform some regulatory and mitigation decisions. Supported by US Environmental Protection Agency wetland development grant funding, state agencies in Minnesota and Wisconsin are working jointly to update their RAM with a quantitative tool that evaluates several wetland functions, including water quality, hydrology, ecology, and human use values. Tune in to hear Tom Pearce from Wisconsin DNR discuss the strategy and goals for developing the new tool, provide an overview of current tool functions and scoring, and share an update on stakeholder engagement efforts.

Tom Pearce is the Waterways Program Intake Team Supervisor at Wisconsin DNR. He received master’s degrees in urban and regional planning and water resources management from UW-Madison. Tom previously worked for WDNR as a coordinator for the wetland regulatory program and a project manager for the in-lieu fee wetland mitigation program. Prior to working for WDNR, Tom spent five years working in environmental education and conservation leadership.

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea) is widely considered to be one of the most problematic invasive species of North American wetlands, and reversing a reed canarygrass invasion is generally considered an unrealistic management goal, even on a local scale. In point of fact, sufficient data have been published to understand how and why reed canarygrass invasions occur and also to design and implement effective management strategies for wetlands under threat from this species. However, this information is fragmentary and scattered throughout the relevant scientific literature (more than 1,000 studies from over 300 journals in ten different languages). To address this issue, beginning in 2002, restoration practitioner Craig Annen set out collecting and examining the extensive body of reed canarygrass literature in detail. In this presentation, Craig will summarize this literature review project and introduce an indexed literature compendium that will be made available to the wetland conservation community.

Craig Annen is Operations Manager and Research Director with the firm Integrated Restorations, LLC. Craig is passionate about wetland management and conservation. He is also a gourmet chef and enjoys baseball and waterfowl hunting.

Wisconsin DNR has contracted aerial herbicide application services for several years to combat invasive phragmites, cattail, and other wetland invasive plant species. Jason Fleener, wetland habitat specialist with WDNR, will outline the various steps to plan out and implement a successful spraying project, discuss how to choose the best method for application (helicopter or drone), and how to choose the right chemicals for a project. He will also share the results of treatments and lessons learned.

Jason Fleener is the statewide Wetland Habitat Specialist in Wisconsin DNR’s Bureau of Wildlife Management. He has 13 years of experience in this program overseeing wetland habitat program delivery on DNR managed lands, including hydrologic restorations, wetland infrastructure management, habitat prioritization, wild rice conservation, and wetland grant program support.