Wisconsin Wetlands Association Publishes New Handbook For Wetland Landowners

Wisconsin Wetlands AssociationMADISON, WI.  Wetland landowners in Wisconsin have a new tool for learning about wetlands and how to care for them:  My Healthy Wetland, a handbook for wetland landowners.  The new handbook, published by the Wisconsin Wetlands Association in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Foundation, connects wetland landowners with information, actions, and trained professionals to help them improve their wetlands.

Wetlands occur where land meets water.  They are great places for hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and scenic beauty.  Healthy wetlands also provide important natural benefits to our communities, including flood and storm water storage, clean water, and fish and wildlife habitat.  Wetlands help our economy and improve our quality of life.

But Wisconsin has lost more than half of its original 10 million acres of wetlands, making those that remain all the more critical to protect and restore.  Of the wetlands that remain in Wisconsin, more than 75% are privately owned.

“Private landowners are so important to our state’s wetlands,” says Tracy Hames, Executive Director of Wisconsin Wetlands Association.  “They know their land better than anyone and are passionately dedicated to taking the best care of it they can.  We want to help them do this, and the My Healthy Wetland handbook is a great start.”

Featuring beautiful color photos, the My Healthy Wetland handbook is a quick read, full of information about wetlands and actions private landowners can take to keep their wetlands healthy and teeming with wildlife. Whether landowners enjoy hunting, wildlife watching, bird watching, or simply the scenic view of their wetlands, the My Healthy Wetland handbook can help them learn about and care for their wetlands.

This first edition of the handbook targets wetlands in eastern Wisconsin, but much of the information in the book applies statewide.  Wisconsin Wetlands Association anticipates producing additional editions of the handbook for other parts of the state in the coming years.

The My Healthy Wetland handbook is free to landowners with property in the Wisconsin counties along Lake Michigan, and is available for just $5 to landowners living outside of this area.  Handbooks are also being distributed through local county offices, the USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, UW-Extension, libraries, and land trusts.

Production of the handbook was made possible through support from partners and supporters, including a grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.

For more information about the My Healthy Wetland handbook for wetland landowners, visitwww.wisconsinwetlands.org.

Wisconsin Wetlands Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, restoration and enjoyment of wetlands and associated ecosystems through science-based programs, education and advocacy.  Established in 1969, WWA is the first and oldest statewide organization focused exclusively on wetland protection. More than 1500 members include wetland scientists and educators, conservationists, hunters, landowners, concerned citizens, and local and regional organizations.