Wisconsin Wetlands Association thanks everyone who contributed to and participated in our 13th Annual Conference. Nearly 300 wetland enthusiasts participated in the conference sessions, banquet, working group and field trips. We are grateful for the many contributions made by presenters, advisory panel members, field trip leaders, volunteers, moderators, exhibitors/sponsors and others who helped make this event possible and successful.

>> Browse photos from the conference below
>> Download program booklet with abstracts (PDF)
>> Download a copy of Barbara Bedford's keynote address on The Instersection of Wetland Science & Policy (PDF)
>> Download a copy of John Magnuson's presentation on Climate Change and Wetlands of Wisconsin (PDF)
>> Download participants list with email contacts (PDF)
>> Purchase a totebag with the above logo: $6 each (add $2 for shipping). Call WWA at 608-250-9971.
>> Submit feedback and suggestions by submitting an evaluation form.

CONFERENCE PHOTOS
More photos coming in the next week. Thanks to all of our photographers!

Photos below by Rachael Carlson
Photos below by Alexandra Wilson
Photos below by Mike Healy
Photos below by Tim Eisele
Photos below by Albert Frohlich: Wetland Mitigation Field Trip
Photos below by Laurie Lawlor

CONFERENCE PURPOSE & THEME
When it comes to the future of Wisconsin’s wetlands, one thing is certain -- change. Change is coming from all geographic scales, from local land use conversions and hydrologic alterations to global climate change. By 2030, our state’s population is projected to be nearly 6.5 million, 20% growth since 2000. Associated development to support this growing population will result in landscape alterations that will have direct and indirect impacts on wetlands, especially in suburban areas where growth is projected to be greatest. At the global scale, climate change is expected to bring temperature increases of 4-9 °F as well as changes in many other climate-related factors that are important to wetlands including growing season length; timing, duration and frequency of extreme weather events; precipitation patterns; and other hydrologic processes like evaporation and transpiration that will affect groundwater and surface waters. The 21st century will likely also bring changes in our social and regulatory climates that will influence future efforts to protect and restore wetlands.

In the coming decades, threats resulting from anthropogenic alterations at all scales, from local to global, as well as interactions among these alterations, will present considerable challenges for the protection of wetlands and other waters that are treasured by Wisconsinites. Preserving Wisconsin’s wetlands, and the important services they provide to our communities, will require collaboration among wetland scientists in all sectors, agency staff at all levels of government, private professionals and conservationists.

In 2008, Wisconsin Wetlands Association will convene members of the regional wetland community for our 13th annual conference to discuss the latest in wetland science, management, restoration and protection issues as they relate to anthropogenic alterations that affect wetlands. The program for this 2-day conference will have a special focus on the theme Wetlands in the 21st Century: Altered Landscapes and Changing Climates, and will include a keynote address, topical oral sessions, a poster session, working groups, a banquet and wetland field trips. Following more than a decade-long tradition, we anticipate that this year’s conference will contribute to a growing regional collaboration for protecting and conserving Wisconsin’s wetlands.

WWA's 2008 conference will be held at the Olympia Resort & Conference Center in Oconomowoc, WI. Click here for registration and accommodations information, to be posted in the fall of 2007.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
WWA invites wetland experts and enthusiasts from around the Midwest region and beyond to join us for our 2008 conference. Our audience typically includes:

Scientists from colleges and universities Federal and state agency scientists Federal and state agency regulators Local government officials Tribal staff Natural resource managers (public and private) Private consultants Graduate and undergraduate students in the natural sciences Staff of local, statewide and regional non-profit conservation groups Volunteer leaders of non-profit conservation groups Wetland enthusiasts and concerned citizens Members of the media

CONFERENCE LOGO This artistic representation of our 2008 theme, Wetlands in the 21st Century: Altered Landscapes and Changing Climates, is the work of WWA member Birgit Bach. Birgit is a talented local artist who supports Wisconsin Wetlands Association in many ways. To learn about the artist, visit her webpage at www.underthesunarts.com.

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