Tracking system shows activities affecting wetlands for good or bad
Weekly News Article Published: October 7, 2008 by the Central Office
MADISON - The Wisconsin strategy to reverse the historical loss of wetlands begs the question, how is the state doing today in protecting and restoring wetlands?
Nearly half of Wisconsin's wetland acres -- including Horicon Marsh, shown here early in the 20th century -- were drained and filled over the decades. Horicon was later restored. While Wisconsin is making progress in restoring wetlands, it's a fraction of what was lost.
“We know that about 5 million acres, or 47 percent, of Wisconsin's original wetlands were drained or filled over the decades to make way for farms, cities, and roads,” says Tom Bernthal, a Department of Natural Resources wetland ecologist. “The good news is state and federal permitting systems have greatly slowed wetland loss and we are working to restore lost wetlands.”
To report on that progress, Bernthal and Brynda Hatch, a DNR computer mapping expert, have, through work funded in part by federal grants, developed one of the nation's first wetland tracking systems.
The system uses mapping technology to summarize and show the locations of activities that affect wetlands, both positively and negatively. Beneficial activities tracked include restoring filled, dredged or drained wetlands, and improving the health of existing ones. Potentially harmful activities tracked range from projects that get government permits to fill in wetlands, to construction activities that disturb wetlands while roads, pipelines and transmission lines are being built.
“The tracking system gives us a pretty good idea of positive and negative effects on wetlands each year, and its results can serve as a report card on Reversing the Loss-A strategy to Protect, Restore and Explore Wisconsin Wetlands,” he says.
An audio slide show on how Wisconsin wetlands have fared in the last two years is available on the Wetland Activity Tracking page of the DNR Web site.
A new tracking system shows the location of wetlands restored by public and private partners.
WDNR Photo
Bernthal says that information from the tracking system will be particularly valuable when combined with other mapping information about areas with potentially restorable wetlands.
“We’ll be able to identify areas that if restored can be especially beneficial for water quality, flood control, habitat or some other function.”
“We know we won’t restore all 5 million acres of wetlands Wisconsin’s lost, but we are setting realistic goals for our watersheds and wildlife, and this tracking system is an important part of doing that.”
“Wetland Activities in Wisconsin: Status Report for 2007” and the 2006 report are available on the Wetland Activity Tracking page of the DNR Web site.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Bernthal (608) 266-3033
View all articles in this issue or check our previous Weekly News Issues.
