WWA’s outreach and education programs have always been aimed at increasing the public understanding and appreciation of wetlands. We are excited to announce a new outreach program that highlights some of the best wetlands of the state -- Wisconsin’s Wetland Gems. The program includes the development and release of a publication featuring 100 Wetland Gems of the state as well as media work and outreach events following the release of the publication to spread the message about the value of these and other state wetland treasures to a broad public audience.

What is a Wetland Gem? In the geological sense, a gem is a high quality representative, that can be examined up close, of the vast and wonderful natural mineral riches found in the earth. In the figurative sense, a gem is any highly valued and treasured object. WWA uses the designation Wetland Gems for sites that serve as high quality representatives of the vast, diverse and wonderful wetland riches that are a part of Wisconsin’s landscapes. These sites are critically important from a biodiversity perspective, and also provide valuable ecological services as well recreational and educational opportunities.

WETLAND GEMS LIST - To be released in late 2008
Our list of 100 Wetland Gems includes 93 sites selected for their ecological value. These sites are distributed throughout all regions of the state and include examples of all Wisconsin’s wetland community types. The remaining seven Wetland Gems are sites selected for the functional values that they provide to Wisconsin communities ("workhorse wetlands" or "hidden gems"). Wetland Gems collectively represent Wisconsin’s wetland heritage. The list is not an exhaustive list, but rather a representative list of important wetlands in Wisconsin.

WETLAND GEMS SITE SELECTION
WWA’s Wetland Gems list recognizes and builds upon the results of several extensive conservation planning projects that have identified critical habitats, threats and conservation actions to protect the state’s natural communities, species and special places. These include:

  • Wisconsin Land Legacy Report
  • Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program
  • Wisconsin Wildlife Action Plan
  • Wisconsin Coastal Wetlands Assessment Report
  • The Nature Conservancy’s Ecoregional Plans
  • Wisconsin Important Birds Areas

    • We created an initial list of potential Wetland Gems sites by compiling a list of all of the valuable wetland sites identified by the above conservation plans. Potential sites were then mapped and divided into the eight geographic regions that WWA is using for the purposes of our Wetland Threats Analysis, which are based upon WDNR’s Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin. We narrowed the resulting regional lists down to "preliminary candidates" taking care to include representatives of each wetland community type that is present in a given region. The main criterion for this narrowing process was whether more than one of the conservation plans listed above recognized a given site. Expert review was the last step for finalizing the list of Wetland Gems; experts assisted us in making the difficult decisions that were necessary to select from preliminary candidates to arrive at a final list. WWA will be releasing our Wisconsin's Wetland Gems list in late 2008.

    WETLAND GEMS PROGRAM PURPOSE
    Historically, wetlands have not been recognized and valued as natural treasures. The value typically ascribed to wetlands far underestimates their worth to society. Consequently, millions of acres of wetlands in Wisconsin have been drained and filled for conversion to land uses that were and are considered more valuable. The misunderstanding and undervaluation of wetlands continues to be one of the key obstacles to reversing the loss of wetland acres through wetland protection, conservation and restoration.

    Our main purpose in promoting the concept of Wetland Gems through this publication is to increase the appreciation of Wisconsin’s wetland heritage among our state’s citizenry. We anticipate that the Wetland Gems publication and associated media outreach as well as WWA events and programs focusing on Wisconsin’s Wetland Gems will:

  • Raise the profile of and elevate public interest in wetlands
  • Increase public awareness of the importance and value of wetlands
  • Motivate Wisconsin families and citizens to explore and enjoy wetlands
  • Generate community pride about local wetland treasures
  • Catalyze community involvement in stewardship of local wetland treasures

    • Our vision is that citizens of Wisconsin will someday value all wetlands as natural treasures, and we hope that increased public understanding and recognition of the value of wetlands will ultimately mean greater protection of Wetland Gems and other state wetlands in the long-term.

    WETLAND GEMS PHOTOS NEEDED
    WWA is looking for photographers who are willing to donate their photos of Wetland Gem sites for use in our Wetland Gems publication. If you think you might have some photos that we could use, we will provide you with the (confidential) Wetland Gems list to cross-reference by your photo files. Simply contact Laura England at programs[at]wisconsinwetlands.org, and thank you for sharing your photographic talents with WWA!






    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    Funding for the coastal regions portion of this project provided by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management under the Coastal Zone Management Act, Grant # NA07NOS4190064. The McKnight Foundation funded the portion of this project focusing on Mississippi River Basin regions.



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