Wisconsin Land Trusts
There are fifty-eight land trusts in Wisconsin. Some are affiliates of large national land trusts such as Wisconsin Ducks Unlimited or The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin. But for the most part they are independent land trust, which like their national counterparts vary in size and scope. In addition there are many Wisconsin organizations that are conservation driven such as the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, which is mentioned below, and the Aldo Leopold Foundation (http://www.aldoleopold.org). These organizations are not land trusts but make significant contributions to wetland conservation. As of 2010 the Wisconsin land trusts owned approximately 27,600 acres of land and controlled an additional 68,800 through easement agreements.
The Wisconsin Wetlands Association and the U.S. Geological Survey both estimate the loss of wetlands in Wisconsin to be about 50% over the past 200 years, going from more than 10 million acres to approximately 5 million acres. Earth Economics (www.eartheconomics.org) prepared a report in 2012 on the economic value of Wisconsin wetlands, which supports a value of between $81 billion and $3.7 trillion depending on the discount rate used in the calculation.
(http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/WIWetlandsRapidAssessment.pdf),
What can concerned Wisconsinites do to protect this valuable resource? Earth Economics provides recommendations in their report, which are summarized below:
- Consider both the conservation and restoration of wetlands. Restoration projects should be linked to economic advancement, sustainability and long-term job creation.
- Include sustainable forestry, forest product development, agriculture and access to quality outdoor recreation in economic development planning wherein long-term and sustainable jobs can be identified.
- Wisconsin leaders should facilitate discussions about institutional improvements that facilitate the coordination of the leveraging of wetland benefits including the reduction of flood risk, provision of drinking water and water quality, resilience to changes in the climate, and ensuring the livelihood of forest and agricultural landowners.
Wisconsin is a state with a strong history of conservation and progressive government; the tasks mentioned above are achievable if they become a priority.
Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program
This program provides 60 million dollars in funds for Wisconsin land purchases. The land then goes to various forms of preservation, recreation, and “protection of critical natural areas.” This includes purchasing privately owned land and land trusts. Over the course of two decades, the program has managed to protect over half a million acres of Wisconsin land by providing the necessary financing for organizations such as the DNR to make the land purchase.
Example: Ottowa Wildlife Refuge
This refuge, thanks to a grant of almost 700,000 from the Knowles-Nelson program, was purchased in 2003 from a private owner who was determined to protect the land. Once a massive amount of farmland, the flood ditches on the property were filled in by the Waukesha County Land Conservancy, which actually created new wetland habitat that is now inhabited by wildlife such as wood ducks.