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Take
action in honor of American Wetlands Month to restore a critical source of
funding for wetland restoration in Wisconsin. Make your voice heard today
or tomorrow!
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WRP Enrollment
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The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) is at
a critical juncture and we need your help! As previously reported in
WWA's membership newsletter (WRP Threatened by Yellow Book Appraisal
Process, Vol. 4, 2006; article link below), WRP enrollment plummeted
in Wisconsin last year when the new appraisal process led to a
substantial reduction in the per acre payments farmers would receive for
restoring wetlands under the program. As a result, Wisconsin's WRP office
returned $5 million in unspent wetland restoration funds to Washington in
2006, and restored 2,500 fewer acres than typically achieved under the
previous appraisal system.
WWA newsletter
article on WRP
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How You Can
Help
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This week, the U.S. House of
Representatives Appropriations Committee has an opportunity to insert
language into a Supplemental Appropriation bill that would fix the WRP
appraisal problem. Wisconsin Congressman Dave Obey serves as the Chairman
of this committee. Please call the office of Representative Dave Obey
- 202-225-3365 in Washington today or tomorrow to deliver this
message:
"We respectfully request that
Representative Obey support inclusion of the Wetlands Reserve Program
Appraisal Fix Language, as provided by the Senate, into the next
Supplemental Appropriation Bill. WRP provides farmers with financial
incentives and technical assistance to help minimize the water quality
impacts of their farming operations while also restoring wildlife
habitat. Under recently revised appraisal methods, farmers in Wisconsin
and many other states can no longer afford to enroll. We need the
appraisal language fixed so that the WRP program can continue to meet the
needs of working farmers, wetlands and wildlife. Thank you."
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Why the
Wetlands Reserve Program Matters
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 WRP provides the
single largest source of funds for wetland restoration in the state of
Wisconsin. Prior to 2006, Wisconsin WRP restored an average of 3,000
acres of drained agricultural lands annually. Many state and regional
natural resource management strategies rely on a strong WRP program to
advance their goals including the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources' wetland strategy, Reversing the Loss, and Wisconsin's
Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Strategy. The Wetlands Reserve
Program operates in all 50 states.
Click here for
more information on WRP
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WRP In
Action: Duffy's Marsh
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Duffy's Marsh is a 1,732 acre wetland
restoration project in Marquette County, Wisconsin. It is the largest
wetland restoration in the state, and one of the largest in the nation,
covering about 1,000 acres of open water area and 700 acres of grassy
wetland and upland. Nine neighboring landowners have worked together with
the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to restore this
marsh to its former beauty and wetland value. The land remains privately
owned, with permanent easements to protect it in the future.
Through the Wetlands Reserve Program,
private landowners can restore and preserve wetlands that have been
previously drained for agricultural land. NRCS purchases a conservation
easement and reimburses the cost of construction and seeding to make it
affordable for the landowner to retire the wetland from crop production.
Duffy's Marsh is just one example of the
valuable wetland restoration projects funded by WRP in Wisconsin. Please
call Representative Dave Obey now and ask for his help in keeping WRP
restoration dollars coming to Wisconsin.
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