How Do You Get Started?
By Peter Ziegler, Project Director – 262/470-4301
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s August, 2021 Newsletter edition.
Where do you go if you want to do work in a wetland on your property? In our June newsletter we touched briefly on a few of the regulatory agencies which oversee wetlands in Wisconsin, including WDNR and US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) carrying the bulk of the oversight. These agencies provide an important role in helping to protect, or offset, wetland impacts which negatively affect wetland dependent species such as waterfowl. The most common inquiries both of these agencies receive are from landowners wanting to put a pond or wildlife scrape in a wetland.
A WWA project under construction in Waukesha County, July 2019
Ponds, which don’t meet the wildlife definition, would be considered recreational (fishing, swimming, etc.) and would not be allowed within an existing wetland. These would need to find a location outside of what would be classified as a wetland. That brings us to a wildlife scrape. These are regulated under a general permit from the WDNR (the easiest type of permit available) because they are seen as adding value to the landscape. There are some rules when looking to construct a wildlife scrape. This is where a field visit becomes valuable, and let me tell you I have looked at a lot of them. Wildlife scrapes cannot exceed four feet in depth, have an 8:1 or greater side slope and must be constructed in a monoculture of invasive species. The goal behind the sideboards is to provide an increase in the value of the wetland.
The basis of the monoculture of invasive species being present is we don’t want to convert one wetland type to another wetland type. This is important because a natural wetland dominated by sedges or “marsh grass” are very beneficial to wildlife, and digging a pond in the middle of that type of wetland does not increase its value, but would just change the wetland type present and possibly even decrease the value of the wetland for wildlife.
The above-mentioned agencies can provide basic information over the phone, but it is much more beneficial if a landowner informs themselves about the process and conditions on the land prior to inquiring. This not only speeds things up, but allows a landowner to ask more in-depth questions if they already have the basic understanding of the process. A great place to start is with the county GIS mapping application. All counties in the state have it, and it provides you with great information on location of wetlands, waterways, zoning, and floodplains, and as is always useful, aerial photos. You can also go the WDNR waterway program website which will provide some detail on permitting, and the WNDR surface water data viewer provides lots of information, including identifying potentially hydric (wetland) soils.
WWA Project Director Peter Ziegler checks the survey gear on a project site
The USACOE also regulates wetlands within the state, but from the federal standpoint. They have to be notified for activities within wetlands, and depending on the activity taking place they will have to issue a permit. The benefit of the General Wetland Conservation Permit from the WDNR is that the USACOE is automatically notified and will receive a copy of the application. Many landowners rarely think about the USACOE, but they will issue a letter or permit depending on the activity being performed. So it’s important to make sure you get coverage from all regulatory agencies. Although this may seem like a lot of oversight, these agencies work in concert, and from a practitioner who files permits on the conservation side, I can assure you that things run smoothly, and both agencies want to facilitate these permits in a timely manner to get more and better wetland habitat on the ground.
Conservation organizations like WWA provide a great benefit and partnership with these regulatory agencies and landowners. We can help provide guidance from initial inquiry to permitting, design and surveying. It is not uncommon for WWA to look at numerous sites throughout the year for wildlife scrapes or wetland restoration. These site visits help to speed up the process for more habitat on the ground by alleviating some of the time the regulatory agencies spend on general inquiries. Both conservation organizations and WDNR are happy to answer questions to set you on the correct path, because you don’t want to get caught digging in a wetland without the proper permits.