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Intro || Mission Statement || History || Why Save Wetlands? || Meet the Staff || Our Board of Directors Over the past century we have lost more than half of our state's wetlands, about five million acres, as these areas were ditched, diked and drained for agriculture, roads, housing and shopping centers. Our wetlands continue to be threatened by development projects throughout the state. We're not just losing our wetland heritage, we're losing the valuable role wetlands play in our state's ecology and economy . . . In a world where water resources are more precious than ever, wetlands serve a vital function. Wetlands filter surface and ground water and slow soil and pollutant run-off to help keep our lakes, rivers, streams, and even our well water clean and pure - destroy the wetlands and we lose our clean water. Besides keeping our waters clean, wetlands naturally help keep flood waters under control. Wetlands filled directly by development or indirectly by soil erosion result in few places for rising flood waters and rainfall to settle. Developers who build homes on "cheap" wetland acreage leave home buyers with huge bills when their basements and communities are flooded - everyone's affected by higher waters downstream, too. And don't forget higher insurance premiums and expensive federal emergency services we all pay for through higher taxes. Preserving and restoring wetlands means reducing the frequency and intensity of seasonal floods. Read more about the economic values of wetlands here If clean water and fewer floods don't convince you, how about
biodiversity? Wetlands are ecological wonderlands. The web of
life starts in wetlands, where everything from striped bass to
black bear, deer and peregrine falcons rely on wetlands for food,
water or shelter. Nearly half of our endangered and threatened
species rely on wetlands. Wetland loss means habitat loss for
many plants and animals. America is strong because of its natural
resources and wetlands are the critical link between our land
and water resources. Of course, we cannot forget the beauty that
wetlands and wildlife bring to our increasingly urbanized world
- in that sense, wetlands are a natural reserve for humans seeking
quiet and tranquility as well. |
As
the ice age ended in Wisconsin about 12,000 years ago glaciers
left poorly drained basins where our wetlands formed. The Wisconsin
settled by Europeans in the early 1800's harbored nearly 10 million
acres of extensive and diverse wetlands. We Wisconsinites are
proud of our natural areas and wetlands are a valuable part of
our landscape. Every corner of the state is dotted with wetlands:
forested wetlands, prairie pot-holes, sedge meadows, and lake,
river and stream shorelines. Whether you enjoy walking in the
woods, canoeing, hunting, bird-watching, fishing or just taking
in a beautiful view, wetlands are there . . . but for how long?