FWS National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Proposal Review Team members and partners from the Door County Land Trust, Ridges Sanctuary, Wisconsin DNR and Green Bay ES FO on October 11. - Photo courtesy of Julie Schartner, Door County Land Trust.

Aerial view of Kellner Fen with Lake Michigan in the background. Much of the tan area is floating bog mat. - Photo courtesy of Julie Schartner, Door County Land Trust.

Planning the tour of coastal wetlands sites in Door County - left to right are Paul Glander (FWS FA), Dan Burke (Door County Land Trust), Christie Deloria (FWS ES) and Terri Cooper (Door County Land Trust). - Photo courtesy of Julie Schartner, Door County Land Trust.

 Twelve Fish and Wildlife Service employees from across the country walked “on” water when they explored the floating bog at Kellner Fen in Door County, Wisconsin on October 11  The fen was one of several Great Lakes coastal wetlands visited on a tour hosted by The Door County Land Trust and The Ridges Sanctuary, two non-profit land conservation organizations working in Door County.  

Biologists from these two organizations, the Service’s Green Bay Field Office, and the Wisconsin DNR discussed the importance of different coastal wetlands to Great Lakes fish, birds, and endangered species.  The tour was the first field trip conducted by the Service’s National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant proposal review team (Team, photo 1).

Team members and partners enjoyed walking over water and “bog bouncing” on the extensive floating bog mat at Kellner Fen (photo 2).  The fen is home to a variety of rare and endangered species including the federally endangered Hine’s emerald dragonfly.   The site was recently designated as critical habitat for the dragonfly.  The Door County Land Trust is working to protect the fen through land acquisition and non-native species control activities. 

Prior to the field trip, the Team met near Green Bay, Wisconsin on October 9 and 10, 2007 to review 30 National Coastal Wetlands Conservation (NCWC) grant proposals from around the country.  The Team, composed of Coastal Program and Federal Assistance staff from Regions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, the California/Nevada Operations Office and the Washington Office, discussed and scored the proposals based on established ranking criteria.  The highest ranking proposals are forwarded to Service Director Dale Hall as a funding recommendation.  The proposals selected for funding by the Director will be announced before February 2008.

Region 3 Team members Christie Deloria (Marquette, MI ES sub-office) and Paul Glander (RO, Federal Assistance) helped organize the meeting and field trip in Wisconsin (photo 3).  This was the first time the annual meeting was held outside the Washington, DC area.  The field trip provided participants with first hand observations of coastal wetland areas that have benefited from past NCWC funding.  Several Team members had never visited the Great Lakes and were impressed by the vast coastal resources of our “inland seas”.   

The regionally based meeting was such a success that the Team plans to rotate the meeting site through all the coastal regions in the future.  After “walking on water” in Region 3, the Team looks forward to new coastal adventures in other parts of the country.