Wisconsin Wetlands Association Inc

Public Policy Advocacy: In 2023-24, WWA's policy program work emphasized building the policy and program supports needed to increase the use of wetland restoration to solve problems. Highlights included advocating for enactment of a bill to establish a state-based grant program to help flood prone communities identify and implement opportunities to restore wetlands and floodplains to increase resilience (2023 WI Act 265, enacted in April 2024), and helping the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources draft a new general permit for hydrologic restoration projects. Our Executive Director continued to serve as Vice Chair of the governor's Wetland Study Council. This council, representing private, agricultural, conservation, and other diverse interests discusses and develops recommendations on statewide wetland issues.

Place-based Projects: In 2023-24 WWA continued work with the Village of Plover, local growers, and others in the Little Plover River watershed to restore river flows and conserve groundwater. WWA also worked to expand our efforts to help Lake Superior Basin communities identify and prioritize areas where restoring wetlands and floodplains could help reduce downstream flood risks and vulnerabilities. Those efforts included working with partners in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota to scope a project and prepare a funding proposal for a NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant. The award was approved, but work did not begin this fiscal year. It is part of a longer-term effort to develop and promote methods to help Wisconsin's flood-prone communities assess and address areas where degraded wetland and floodplain condition contribute to road and culvert damages during runoff events.

Program Development: In 2023-24 WWA continued working with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on efforts to build capacity to restore wetlands and floodplains in agricultural landscapes. The work included development of a core curriculum and preliminary planning for a series of trainings to be delivered in 2025.