Oneida Nation Suamico wetland restoration project information sign.

View of ditch draining wetland area prior to restoration.

Oneida Nation Suamico wetland restoration project ditch plug and berm construction.

Green Bay Field Office Biologist Gary Van Vreede assists Onedia Nation staff with the installation of a large water level control structure as part of the Suamico wetland restoration project.

With assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oneida Nation recently completed the restoration of a large wetland area in east-central Wisconsin within the Oneida Reservation at the headwaters of the Suamico River.  The property, which was recently purchased by the Oneida Nation, had been degraded by farming, ditching, and invasive plant species for the last several decades. Restoration activities included filling several large ditches, constructing two water-retention berms, excavating several shallow wetland scrapes, and installating a water elevation control structures. These practices will result in the restoration of a diverse mix of open water, emergent marsh, and wet meadow habitats. Areas surrounding these wetland habitats will be planted to a combination of native grasslands and lowland hardwood/conifer woodlands. The entire restoration project will encompass an area approximately 200 acres in size.  Green Bay Field Office Biologist Gary Van Vreede provided the Oneida Nation Environmental staff with planning, design and implementation assistance for the project.  Natural Resource Damage Assessment monies were used to fund the majority of the restoration work with additional financial contributions provided through the Partners for Fish and Wildlife program.  The restored area will provide valuable habitat for a variety of migratory birds, particularly water and marsh bird species, such as terns, rails, bitterns, and egrets. In addition to providing wildlife habitat benefits, the restoration will lead to improved water quality, benefiting tribal and other communities who depend on the water resources of this ecosystem.  The area will be open to tribal members for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, hiking, environmental education, and cultural uses.  The Oneida Environmental staff will monitor the restoration site and downstream water quality over the next several years.