Discovering Wetlands is the theme of the Wisconsin Wetlands Association 2014 conference underway in La Crosse this week. Wetlands experts and enthusiasts from across the region are gathering for this annual event which includes presentations, working groups, field trips, and a banquet. The WWA says that a growing regional collaboration for protecting and conserving Wisconsin’s wetlands has resulted from nearly two decades of the annual conferences.
John O. Anfinson of the National Park Service is giving the keynote address, “Trapped by HIstory: The Past and Future of the Upper Mississippi River. The presentations include Wetlands Restoration, Wetland Wildlife, a Mining Discussion, Native Wetland Flora, Wetland Mitigation, and Invasive Species.
In the Kettle Moraine, Northern Unit.
The Wisconsin Wetlands Association was established in 1969 to preserve and restore wetlands – essential as pollution filters, and for flood control, and biodiversity. The are “ecological wonderlands,” says the WWA web page devoted to answering the question “Why Save Wetlands?”
The association’s 1450 members include scientists, educators, conservationists, hunters, and concerned citizens. Among the many, many projects and activities this organization is involved with, you might check out Wisconsin’s Wetland Gems – a list of 100 special locations. They are listed and mapped on the website, and this detail-rich project is also available as a book.
The Badger and the Whooping Crane 