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
How do beavers impact water?
Cortney Dean, Conservation Biologist
Friday, September 26, 2025
10:30 am CT
Description
Do beaver dams actually increase water temperatures? How do beaver ponds impact water quality, pollutants, and sediments? Conservation Biologist Cortney Dean takes a look at the data, challenges, and unexpected findings of beaver-water research in northwestern Wisconsin.
Cortney Dean is a conservation biologist located in Eau Claire, WI. She studies beaver impacts to the biotic and physical components of ecosystems. Her research focuses on water quality, food webs, and biodiversity impacts to avian and bat species.
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 hydrology 101
Add to your knowledge of wetland hydrology with this popular presenation.
Wetland Coffee Break: Wisconsin frogs: Where are they and what are they doing mid-summer?
Many of Wisconsin’s frog species call and breed in spring and early summer. So what are frogs doing mid-summer after many have completed breeding for the year?
Wetland Coffee Break: The hydrology of upper watershed wetlands: A tour of the Penokee Hills
Upper watershed wetlands are critical to regulating water throughout watersheds, yet they are among the most under-recognized wetlands in Wisconsin–and sometimes some of the most altered. Join WWA’s Executive Director Tracy Hames for a virtual tour of some intact...
Wetland Coffee Break: Wetland Soils 101: Way more than just mud on your boots
Join wetland ecologist Drew Fowler to hear about the unique and diverse properties of wetland soils.
Wetland Coffee Break: Sandhill 101: The ecology and behaviors of Sandhill Cranes
Learn about sandhill crane ecology and what’s behind this favorite wetland bird’s weird and wonderful behaviors.
Wetland Coffee Break: Managing water levels for wetland health on the Upper Mississippi River
Learn about efforts to reinvigorate vegetation communities within the Upper Mississippi River.