Working groups

Time: 3:40 – 5:00 pm

Facilitators: Alex Moya and Sylvia Troost (The Pew Charitable Trusts) and Erin O’Brien (Wisconsin Wetlands Association)

Wisconsin’s peatlands—commonly known as bogs, fens and swamps—are a cornerstone of the state’s natural heritage. Formed more than 5,000 years ago, peatlands today cover more than 3 million acres of the state (based on mapping of peatland-associated histosol classes). These ancient wetlands are vital for reducing carbon pollution and mitigating increased flooding and wildfires. Exploring a dedicated peatland conservation and restoration initiative would help Wisconsin fully leverage these important benefits. This session will bring together scientists, practitioners, policy experts, and others to discuss the development of a Wisconsin Peatland Resilience Initiative, drawing inspiration from similar efforts in Minnesota and leveraging newly available research and data from PeatRestore. The working group will include framing remarks from Pew regarding its work on peatlands mapping and policy. Speakers from PeatRestore will present on the project’s peatland condition map and decision support tools and training; speakers from Minnesota (agency or NGO) will present on the state’s peatland resilience initiative. These presentations will help set the stage for discussions regarding Wisconsin’s peatlands, including current science and conservation efforts, and ideas for a more intentional, coordinated initiative. We will identify opportunities and challenges across science, practice, and policy and by the end of the session have the beginnings of an action plan to develop a Wisconsin peatland resilience initiative.

Time: 10:40 am – Noon

Facilitators: Jessica Jacobson (Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) and Mike Jones (Stockbridge-Munsee Community Ecology Department)

The Region 5 Tribal Wetlands Working Group (TWWG) is a tribally-led collaborative that includes tribal wetland staff from across EPA Region 5 (WI, MN, MI, and IN). The mission of the TWWG is to facilitate collaboration and networking among Region 5 Tribes to build tribal program capacity and staff expertise related to wetland management, monitoring, restoration, and conservation. This meeting will include updates from attendees on wetland-related work from their respective tribes, as well as updates on the TWWG. We will also provide time for open discussion to cover any emerging wetland-related issues or opportunities for collaboration. Attendance for this meeting is by invitation only and will include tribal wetland/water/natural resources staff as well as staff from tribally-affiliated agencies and organizations (e.g., BIA, GLIFWC, WTCAC). Attendees should come prepared with updates regarding their tribe’s or organization’s wetland-related activities over the past year, including accomplishments, challenges, upcoming projects, and staffing changes. Any feedback on the TWWG, including which tasks staff would like to see the group focus on, would be greatly appreciated. Attendees should also bring ideas for open discussion if there are any wetland topics or questions that would benefit from group feedback and discussion. By invitation only.

Time: 1:30 – 3:20 pm

Facilitator: Matthew Knickelbine (Stantec)

This session offers an opportunity for wetland practitioners—including consultants, federal, state, and local regulators, land managers, and others—to discuss current issues relevant to their daily work. The agenda will be set with input from those who participated in similar sessions at previous WWA conferences.