Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
Volume 10, Number 1 • January-February 2002
Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat NewsThe Newsletter of the Great Lakes
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Charlie Luthin
Wisconsin Wetlands Association
Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) and River Alliance of Wisconsin (RAW) have both produced important and complementary water resource directories for the state. WWA’s “Wisconsin Wetland Resource Directory” features over 700 professionals throughout the state involved in wetland conservation, restoration, regulation, research, management, and related fields. The web-based directory provides easy access to experts in twelve categories and nineteen areas of expertise. The directory can be queried by field of interest, category, or by region. It is available at: www.wiscwetlands.org. RAW’s updated directory features more than 100 Wisconsin grassroots organizations involved in some aspect of river protection, as well as several updated appendices featuring key DNR staff, Trout Unlimited chapters, Audubon Society chapters, and chapters of Sierra Club throughout the state. It is accessible at RAW’s website, www.wisconsinrivers.org.
Adapted from an article by Steph Adams, Clean Water Coalition Coordinator at River Alliance of Wisconsin
After years of committee reports, negotiations, public hearings, and heated discussions, the State Legislature is on the verge of passing comprehensive administrative rules for the reduction of “non-point” pollution. If passed as anticipated in the coming weeks, Wisconsin will have some of the most stringent regulations governing runoff-related pollution in the country. These new rules are essential for achieving higher water quality under the Clean Water Act. Reports in recent years have indicated that 40% of our streams and 60% of our lakes are impaired by non-point pollution, causing algae blooms, beach closures, and fish kills.
The primary hurdle to achieving widespread consensus on the rules is contention over whether to obligate farmers to maintain a 20- to 35-foot vegetated buffer between their fields and water bodies. Counties, municipalities, lake associations, conservationists, sporting groups, scientists, farmers, and environmentalists have voiced support for buffers, which are one of the most effective means of preventing sediments, pathogens, nutrients, and pesticides from being dumped or running off into water bodies. Vegetative buffers prevent erosion, provide habitat, maintain water temperature, and reduce flooding. They are an essential part of conservation systems.
In fact, vegetative buffers are already a popular conservation practice with many farmers who have taken advantage of numerous federal and federal/state programs that provide funding for buffer installation. At stake is the potential loss of federal funds for voluntary buffer strips if landowners were forced to create vegetated buffers on their properties. A simple solution is to begin with voluntary programs, allowing farmers to take advantage of federal funding options, then phase in obligatory buffers once the federal incentives are gone. This will ensure the improvement of water quality into the future.
The new Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is a welcome addition to the state’s conservation community. Barry Ashenfelder, former aide to State Senator Brian Burke, is serving as the League’s new executive director. The League will work with each political party to encourage environmental and conservation issues be given prominence in their respective platforms. For more information, visit their evolving website: www.wlcv.org.
Helen Sarakinos, Small Dams Program Manager at River Alliance of Wisconsin
The Baraboo River in south-central Wisconsin is officially the longest mainstem of a river returned to free-flowing conditions through dam removal in American history. On October 11th, work crews removed the Linen Mill Dam, the final dam on the Baraboo River and the site of two boating fatalities last summer. The removal marked the final chapter in a six-year campaign by a vast partnership including the Town of Baraboo, the DNR, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, Sand County Foundation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other agencies and groups to purchase and remove the final four dams on the river. The Baraboo River now flows freely (115 miles) from just north of Elroy to Portage, where the river merges with the larger Wisconsin River. River experts say restoring the Baraboo to its natural state will allow migrating sturgeon and other “sport” fish to thrive in its waters once again.
In collaboration with various federal and state agencies, Wisconsin Wetlands Association has planned three workshops in north and central Wisconsin to share information about wetland restoration programs available to farmers and rural landowners. The half-day workshops will be held in Ashland (February 28), Burnett County (venue St. Croix Tribal Center in Hertel (March 21), and Stevens Point (April 4). The workshops will feature a series of presentations by federal agencies (FWS and NRCS), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and various non-profit conservation organizations that have programs to assist rural landowners with wetland restoration on their property. More information is available on the WWA website: www.wiscwetlands.org.