Watershed Planning in Wisconsin

Watershed or basin plans, lake plans, and smart growth plans can provide valuable information on resource management and restoration. The value of a plan, however, is equivalent only to the degree that it is implemented. Many beautiful words have been written only to sit on a shelf.

A more effective approaching to resource change is to follow a systematic stepwise process (see the simple steps below). Keeping things simple allows you to focus on what really matters - the resources you are trying to manage and protect.

• Vision and Goals
• Inventory and Assessment
• Recommendations and Strategies
• Implementation
• Evaluation of Actions

These steps may be conducted sequentially, or they may be conducted in an iterative process, with an "adaptive" approach guiding the reevaluation of progress along the way. WDNR is developing tools and ways for you to contribute to the state's body of information about our resources so that we can collectively, and more effectively, manage and protect our state's water.