Conference symposia

Time: 10:40 am to 12:00 pm

Special this year to the Wetland Science Conference is the “Restoring Wetland Stream Systems” symposium, a collaboration between WWA and Trout Unlimited’s Driftless Area Restoration Effort. This joint programming will bring together wetland and stream restoration professionals to learn more about the basic principles of hydrology and how to apply them in a restoration context to ensure that practitioners in both the wetland and trout communities have the information and support they need to collaborate on multi-objective hydrologic restoration projects. This programming continues a more than five-year-long collaboration to help communities restore hydrology to reduce flood risks and damages.

Paul Burns, a Fisheries Biologist with the USDA Forest Service, will kick off the symposium with his plenary talk at 9:00 am entitled “Pearls on a String: Recognizing the value intact wetlands and alluvial valleys have within the stream continuum.” The symposium will continue to focus on the themes raised by Burns during the subsequent concurrent sessions and a hydrologic restoration and stream and floodplain restoration permitting working group.

Trout Unlimited will host their Driftless Area Stream Restoration Symposium the day before, on Tuesday, February 25, at the La Crosse Center (the same venue as the Wetland Science Conference). 

Facilitators: Erin O’Brien (Wisconsin Wetlands Association)

Symposium Speakers
Paul Burns (USDA Forest Service)  (as keynote speaker)
Colin Belby (UW La Crosse): Connecting watershed hydrology to stream processes in the Driftless Area
Eileen Shader (American Rivers): Functioning floodplains for fish and folks
David Kraft (Hey & Associates, Inc.): Application of process-based full-system watershed restoration

This symposium made possible thanks to support from the James E. Dutton Foundation, Inc., and a Mosaic Momentum grant from the Water Solutions Fund.

Time: 10:40 am to 4:00 pm

Tribes in Wisconsin and the Upper Great Lakes are playing a critical role in protecting and restoring wetlands and watersheds. Join the Tribal Wetland Working Group and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin for this special three-part symposium that showcases how Tribes are leading the way in wetland conservation and how conservation practitioners, researchers, and organizations can partner with the Tribes on wetland work.

Part One: Working with the Tribes 10:40 am to 12:00 pm
Presenters from the Wisconsin Tribal Conservation Advisory Council, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, and Sokaogon Chippewa Community will cover foundational knowledge for non-native people on how to partner meaningfully and effectively with Tribes.

       Anticipated Panelists

• Rob Croll (GLIFWC)
• Jeff Mears (WTCAC)
• Tina Van Zile (Sokaogon Chippewa Community)

Part Two: Tribal Wetland Conservation in Action 1:30 to 2:50 pm
Representatives from Tribes across the region will share their wetland priorities and opportunities for partnership.

Part Three: Facilitated Roundtable Conversation 3:20 to 4:00 pm
Facilitated round table discussions to support collaboration between the Tribes and non-tribal partners.

Facilitators: Jessica Jacobson (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa), Mike Jones (Stockbridge-Munsee Community Ecology Department), and Caitlin Williamson (Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin)

Time: 3:20 pm to 5:00 pm

A number of long-term monitoring efforts have been initiated to track wetland quantity and/or quality trends at a variety of scales that intersect the Upper Midwest. While the specific scope, indicators, and assessment outcomes may differ between efforts, they share a fundamental aspect: A probabilistic monitoring design is utilized to generate statistically representative wetland estimates (with a margin of error) to broadly assess if wetland quantity/quality is changing over time. This symposium will focus on the most recent survey results from a variety of ongoing wetland status and trend monitoring efforts. Topics will include:
• What can we collectively say about meeting no-net-loss policy goals right now?
• What are the strengths and limits of probabilistic wetland monitoring?
• Compare and contrast survey methods, indicators, and outcomes – how can we learn from each other’s efforts?
• Reports, presentations, dashboards, and social media – how can we effectively communicate results?

Facilitator: Michael Bourdaghs (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)

Anticipated Speakers

• Jennie Skancke (Minnesota DNR)
• Michael Bourdaghs (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)
• Dr. Valerie J. Brady (University of Minnesota Duluth Natural Resources Research Institute)
• Gregg Serenbetz (US Environmental Protection Agency Office of Water)

Time: 10:40 am to 4:20 pm

The goal of this symposium is to highlight waterfowl research and management and how it is related to wetlands here in Wisconsin as well as across the Mississippi Flyway. This symposium will focus on waterfowl work that has direct ties to wetland management and health. Often, we focus on wetland science, ecological goods and services, and the impact of wetlands to the ecosystem, and we don’t always make the connections to the wildlife that depend on those wetlands. This symposium will provide an opportunity to share current and upcoming waterfowl research as well as a continental management perspective related to the importance of wetlands to migratory species.

Facilitator: Taylor Finger (Wisconsin DNR)

Anticipated Speakers

• Stephen Thomforde (Stantec)
• Penelope Murphy (WDNR Office of Applied Science)
• Dr. Sarah Orlofske (UW- Stevens Point)
• Luke Fara (USGS)
• Patricia Marthey (WDNR Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation)
• Brenda Kelly (Wisconsin WDNR)
• Stephen Winter (USFWS)
• Taylor Finger (Wisconsin DNR)