Conference symposia

Time: 11:00 am – 3:10 pm

Presenters in this symposium will provide entry-level discussions about their area of expertise. These talks will provide brief introductions to various aspects of wetland regulations, wetland ecology, wetland science, wetland restoration, and/or wetland monitoring to conference attendees who are newer to the field of wetland or are considering a future in the wetland sciences field.

Facilitators: Sally Jarosz (Wisconsin DNR)

Anticipated Speakers:

Session 1 (before lunch):
Ben Meyer, MN Board of Water & Soil Resources – 3 parameters for wetland delineations 101
Alice Thompson, Thompson & Assoc. Wetland Services  – Soils 101
Kara Brooks, Wisconsin DNR – Hydrology 101
Kate Remus, Stantec – Difficult delineation scenarios 101

Session 2 (after lunch):
Allison Willman, Wisconsin DNR – Wetland Vegetation (as it pertains to delineations)
Maureen Kalscheur, Wisconsin DNR – Wetland Aquatic Invasive Species 101
Ryan O’Connor, Wisconsin DNR – Wetland Natural Communities and Classifications 101
Allissa Reynolds, Wisconsin DNR – Wisconsin Regulatory Programs 101

Time: 11:00 am to 12:10 pm

Cranes, an iconic wetland species, require healthy habitats worldwide throughout their annual cycle. Because wetlands serve cranes through the breeding, migratory, and winter seasons, conservation of all wetlands confers broad benefits throughout their range. Both of North America’s crane species occur in Wisconsin and rely on our healthy, functioning wetlands to remain conservation success stories.

This symposium will showcase research led by the International Crane Foundation illustrating how strong partnerships lead to resilient wetlands, to the advantage of cranes and people. We have collaborations with governments, communities, NGOs, universities, and the private sector at continental, flyway, and local levels. These case studies—from local to continental scales—offer practical lessons for wetland managers, restoration practitioners, and policy makers in Wisconsin. For example, restorations of floodplain wetlands in Vietnam have parallels to work underway in Wisconsin to recover Whooping Cranes here, especially in how water management decisions affect breeding success. Likewise, ensuring wetland connectivity throughout the Central Flyway has lessons that support wetland dependent species well beyond cranes here in Wisconsin. Please join us to learn more about these projects and how protection of crane habitats, critical migratory ecosystems, and wetland resources globally benefits us locally.

Facilitator: Anne Lacy (International Crane Foundation)

Anticipated Speakers:

• Rich Beilfuss, International Crane Foundation (ICF) – Wetland conservation; benefiting cranes and communities worldwide
• Andy Caven, ICF – Wetland restoration to ensure flyway connectivity for migratory cranes
• Hillary Thompson, ICF – Threat mitigation to protect critical wetland habitat for Whooping Cranes
• Nicki Gordon, ICF – Nest site selection for Whooping Cranes in WI wetlands

Time: 1:50 pm to 5:00 pm

The Lower Wisconsin Riverway is a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, comprising 92 continuous miles of sandy, shallow river, floodplain wetlands, terraces, and river bluffs from the Prairie du Sac Dam to the confluence with the Mississippi River. An important historical, cultural, recreational, and aesthetic resource, it is well-known for its canoe camping, hunting opportunities, sport fishery, forest resources, Native American mounds, rural life, and other features. Ecologically, its significance has been recognized in many ways at statewide to global scales for its rare species as well as the number and high quality of native and surrogate, wetland, and upland plant-animal communities, their interconnections, and their natural transitions. Overlain on its natural hydrologic and nutrient dynamics are the effects of chemical and nutrient contamination from its 12,280 square mile watershed, altered flood regimes influenced by its many dams and watershed wetland losses, invasive species, and other challenges. Yet the riverway has adapted with the help of enlightened land and water management. In recent decades, climate change has introduced long-lasting challenges, especially with increased summer flooding—the causes of which are at a global scale and often considered unsolvable. This symposium reviews the state of the riverway and the reasons for its biodiversity while identifying management challenges and discussing how to think about it under the “new order.”

Facilitator: Mike Mossman (Wisconsin DNR, retired)

Anticipated Speakers:

• Mark Cupp, Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board – Overview, history, cultural values
• Jean Unmuth, Wisconsin DNR (retired) – LWR Ramsar site and recent changes due to climate
• Lisie Kitchell, Wisconsin DNR – Mussels
• John Lyons,  University of Wisconsin Zoological Museum – Fish
• Gary Casper, Mequon Nature Preserve – Herps
• Brad Hutnik, Wisconsin DNR – Forests
• Mike Mossman, Wisconsin DNR (retired) – Birds 

Time: 10:40 am to 2:50 pm

Iconic ecosystem engineers, beavers contribute to the form and functions of numerous wetland types across varied landscapes. This session will explore the connections between beavers and the ecohydrology and biodiversity of wetland communities, as well as options for managing beavers in a landscape context. We will also look at the relationships between beavers and people and how different perspectives can influence beaver and wetland management. Finally, we will highlight current efforts to update Wisconsin’s beaver management plan and outline opportunities for scientific and public input.

Facilitators: Dreux Watermolen and Shawn Rossler (Wisconsin DNR)

Anticipated Speakers:

• Jennifer Stenglein, Wisconsin DNR – Finding beavers on the landscape and monitoring statewide populations with Snapshot Wisconsin
• Emily Fairfax, University of Minnesota – Ecohydrology of beaver ponds
• Matthew Mitro, Wisconsin DNR – Beaver dams and trout streams
• Cortney Dean, UW-Stout – Beaver impacts on biodiversity
• TBD – Indigenous perspectives on beavers and beaver ponds
• Lauren Bradshaw, Wisconsin DNR – Public opinions regarding beavers and beaver management
• TBD – Landowner options for managing beaver wetlands
• Brad Strobel, Necedah National Wildlife Refuge – Constructing beaver dam analogs (case study)
• Shawn Rossler, Wisconsin DNR – Wisconsin’s beaver management plan update & opportunities to participate