Wetland Coffee Break
The Wetland Coffee Break series helps keep our community of wetland lovers connected and learning about wetlands throughout the year, from anywhere! Bring your coffee and learn about wetlands, the plants and animals that call them home, and the many natural benefits they provide to our communities. Sessions are held on Zoom and feature time for audience Q&A.
See below for a list of upcoming presentations and to register. Once you register, you’ll receive an automatic email including the URL link and password you’ll need to access the meeting. We record and post each presentation so you can watch any that you missed live. You’ll find links to these recordings below, and you can also find them on our Facebook page.
We are grateful to all of the presenters for sharing their knowledge and expertise and to everyone interested in learning more about wetlands! If you are interested in giving a Wetland Coffee Break presentation, or if you have a wetland topic you’d like to see covered, please contact Katie.Beilfuss@wisconsinwetlands.org.
We are now able to provide attendance verification to Wetland Coffee Break audience members who attend the live sessions and request this service. We created this mechanism in response to requests from members of the Wetland Coffee Break audience who would like to apply their Wetland Coffee Break learning to their continuing education or certification requirements. Learn more about how to receive attendance verification here.
Register for a Wetland Coffee Break
Wetland Insects
Ann Marsh, UW-Madison
Friday, October 10, 2025
10:30 am CT
Description
Entomologist Ann Marsh will explore the process of collecting, storing, and cataloging insect specimens. Additionally, she’ll examine the types of insects that inhabit wetlands in Wisconsin and discuss their unique life cycles.
Ann Marsh‘s journey as a taxonomist began in 2013 during her studies for her Master’s degree. Over the years, she’s developed a particular passion for collecting specimens in wetland habitats due to the diverse and unique insect groups that thrive in these environments. The specific conditions of wetlands often support rare or specialized species not found elsewhere, making every collection trip a fascinating and rewarding experience.
Introduction to wetland sedges (Carex)
Aaron Feggestad, Stantec
Friday, November 14, 2025
10:30 am CT
Description
Genus Carex, the true sedges, form a fascinating and diverse group of plants. An evolutionary success story, Carex is the most species-rich genus in Wisconsin with more than 150 species. This introductory talk will focus on basic Carex ecology, morphology, and common terminology, and will be useful for anyone looking to expand their understanding and use of identification guides and keys.
Aaron Feggestad has been a practicing wetland professional for the past 20+ years, working in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Region as a consulting ecologist, volunteer, and educator. Fascinated by the role of Carex in natural area function and the importance of Carex in the restoration of many types of natural communities, he is working towards a goal of cataloging nearly all the 158 species that occur within the state.
Watch previous presentations
Click “Older Entries” below to see more past presentations, or view our Google Sheet index of past presentations here.
Wetland Coffee Break: Wetland Insects
Entomologist Ann Marsh will explore the process of collecting, storing, and cataloging insect specimens, and examine the types of insects that inhabit wetlands in Wisconsin and discuss their unique life cycles.
Wetland Coffee Break: How do beavers impact water?
Conservation Biologist Cortney Dean takes a look at the data, challenges, and unexpected findings of beaver-water research in northwestern Wisconsin.
Wetland Coffee Break: Hydrology and Hydraulics 101
The hydrology and hydraulics of the watershed and waterways that we work in are key drivers to understanding wetlands and developing preservation and restoration approaches.
Wetland Coffee Break: Taxonomy, natural history, and conservation of Wisconsin fireflies
Tune in to learn about one of our favorite signs of summer—fireflies!
Wetland Coffee Break: Investigating the relationship between showy ladyslipper and European skipper butterflies
While working on wetland delineations, environmental scientist Matt Knickelbine has been observing instances of showy lady slipper flowers being filled with dead, invasive European skipper butterflies.
Makak Aabajitoon Ganawendang Manoomin: Guiding wild rice conservation with Anishinaabe worldview
Learn more about a collaboration to develop a low-cost remote sensor to monitor environmental factors affecting manoomin (wild rice), and how it aims to complement tribal interests in wild rice restoration and managment.