Contacts
Pam Dryer 715-685-2678
or 612-713-5411
after 10/27
The Migratory Bird Conservation Commission
recently approved a North American Wetland Conservation Act
grant for $999,800 to conserve wetlands in Lake Superior's
Chequamegon Bay area. The project, called the Superior Coastal
Wetland Initiative, will provide funding to nine natural
resource agencies, tribes and organizations in northern
Wisconsin. Partners contributed $1,350,058 in cash and
technical assistance to match the grant. The Superior
Coastal Wetland Initiative, will include wetland acquisition,
wetland restoration and stream restoration. Over 5,800 acres
of habitat will be positively affected.
Recipients of grant funds will be the Bad
River and Red Cliff Bands of Lake Superior Chippewa,
Ashland/Bayfield/Douglas/Iron Counties Land Conservation
Department, Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources, Ducks Unlimited and the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. The Nature Conservancy and the
Natural Resources Conservation Service will provide financial
and program support, but will not receive grant funds.
"There was tremendous give-and-take by all
nine partners as we worked on the grant application. We were
motivated by our desire to improve the quality of these
coastal habitats," noted Pam Dryer, refuge manager of
Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge and the project's
coordinator and grant writer. "Our overall goal is to protect
coastal wetlands in the Chequamegon Bay Area by working with
willing partners to acquire land, purchase easements and
restore habitat on private lands."
The Chequamegon Bay area contains
outstanding coastal wetlands, including the Kakagon/Bad River
Sloughs, the largest, intact coastal wetland in the upper
Great Lakes; the Fish Creek Sloughs at the head of the Bay;
and, many other smaller, but important sites.
The people who live in and visit this
region understand that a healthy environment is tied to their
quality of life. "The protection of coastal wetlands is
vitally important to the health of our economy, our fish and
wildlife, and the scenic quality of the area," stated Fred
Schnook, Ashland City Mayor.
Wetlands along the coast of Lake Superior,
especially those found at the mouth of stream tributaries,
help feed the lake. Wetlands make up less than 10 percent of
the coast of Lake Superior, but are critical for the
production of Lake Superior's aquatic plants and animals,
including its fishery. Lake sturgeon, northern pike, walleye,
smallmouth bass, yellow perch and several species of trout
utilize coastal wetlands at some stage in their life. Many
birds, such as ducks, herons and warblers use them for shelter
and food during migration.
The North American Wetlands Conservation
Act of 1989 provides matching grants to private or public
organizations or to individuals who have developed
partnerships to carry out wetlands conservation projects in
the United States, Canada, and Mexico. More information can be
found at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov/NAWCA/grants.htm The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
administers the grant program under direction of the Migratory
Bird Conservation Commission.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the
principal federal agency responsible for conserving,
protecting, and enhancing fish and wildlife and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service
manages the 95 million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System,
which encompasses nearly 540 national wildlife refuges,
thousands of small wetlands and other special management
areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64
fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field
stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws,
administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird
populations, restores nationally significant fisheries,
conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and
helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It
also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes
hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and
hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
For further information about programs and
activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great
Lakes-Big Rivers Region, visit our website at http://midwest.fws.gov
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