Practical Steps for Local Governments:
Help Landowners & Encourage Wetland Restoration

Help Landowners Avoid Unauthorized Wetland Impacts
Many landowners may not know that they have wetlands on their property or that construction in wetlands requires permits. This can lead to inadvertent or unauthorized wetland destruction. Local governments can help landowners avoid unauthorized wetland impacts by notifying permit applicants about state and federal wetland permit laws and encouraging them to use tools to identify wetlands on their property.

Encourage Wetland Restoration
Wetland restoration is the act of returning a degraded or former wetland to a close approximation of its condition prior to disturbance. Promoting wetland restoration on public and private lands can help your community restore the public benefits of wetlands, including flood abatement, water quality improvement, increased hunting and fishing expenditures, and more. Simple opportunities include:

  1. Request an analysis of existing codes and ordinances to determine if permitting barriers exist that prevent or delay private and government-sponsored wetland restoration projects. Amending codes and ordinances to create permit exemptions or streamlined approvals for wetland restoration projects can increase the amount of wetlands in your community and the associated public benefits.

  2. Prioritize strategic wetland restoration as part of the municipal budget and annual work plan. Communities that make a commitment to identify and acquire potentially restorable wetlands (PRW) may be able to leverage state funds such as Wisconsin Coastal Management Grants or WDNR Lake Protection and River Planning Grants. Click here for more information about a method developed by the WDNR to identify and map potentially restorable wetlands in the Rock River Basin.

  3. Provide tax incentives for landowners who voluntary protect, restore and enhance wetlands. The Burnett County Shoreline Incentives Program (SIP) funded by a WDNR Lake Protection Grant , provides an excellent model.

  4. Seek funding for wetland restoration projects. Many state and federal funding sources are available to help local governments finance or perform their own wetland restoration projects. Funding opportunities include:

    For additional funding ideas, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains a summary of funding sources for green infrastructure projects. Keep an eye on federal grant and loan programs here.

  5. Promote wetland restoration on private lands. The benefits of wetland restoration are so widely acknowledged that state and federal agencies and private organizations spend millions of dollars restoring wetlands on Wisconsin’s public and private lands each year. Opportunities for wetland restoration funding are available through the following agencies and organizations:

    In addition, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has funding available through their wildlife program.

    WWA’s award-winning Wetland Restoration Handbook for Wisconsin Landowners provides a wealth of information about how to restore wetlands on privately owned lands. Topics covered include site selection and design, planting considerations, wetland management, and how to obtain funding and technical assistance from the above mentioned programs.

    The NRCS and Pheasants Forever Farm Bill Biologists are another great resource for helping private landowners to determine which programs are best suited for funding a desired restoration project.



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