Register by this
Friday, December 15th, to take advantage of early bird registration
rates (save $20)!
Note: Program details
(session schedule, presentation titles and speakers)
are now posted online at: www.wiscwetlands.org/2007program.htm
Riverine
Wetlands: Connections, Corridors & Catchments
WWA’s 12th Annual Wetland
Science Forum, February 1-2, 2007, Radisson Hotel La Crosse, WI
Conference webpage: www.wiscwetlands.org/2007forum.htm
CONFERENCE PURPOSE
& THEME
Wisconsin’s
water-rich landscapes are drained by more than 32,000 miles of perennial streams
and rivers. Hundreds of thousands of acres of diverse wetland habitats are
associated with these treasured waterways, which range from tiny headwaters to
large rivers. Riverine wetlands are created and maintained by the flows and
floods of adjacent watercourses, and wetland habitats in turn provide critical
water quality, water quantity and habitat functions that support the health of
streams and rivers. Protection of the many connections and interactions
between rivers and their wetlands is vital to watershed health and will require
collaboration among wetland-focused researchers, agency staff, private
professionals and conservationists. Toward this end, Wisconsin Wetlands
Association will convene members of the wetland community of Wisconsin and the
Great Lakes region to discuss a variety of issues related to riverine wetlands
– see program agenda and highlights below. Join us and contribute to a
growing collaboration for protecting and conserving wetlands in Wisconsin and the
region.
REGISTRATION: Early Bird Deadline – Friday, December 15, 2006
Registration fees, instructions
and forms: www.wiscwetlands.org/2007registration.htm
Registration fees reflect the costs to provide this conference and
include access to all conference sessions and field trips; printed conference
program with abstracts; lunch on both days as well as coffee and refreshments
throughout; and a canvas tote bag featuring our new riverine wetlands
logo.
GENERAL SCHEDULE
Thursday, February 1
8:00
Registration opens
9:00 -12:00 Plenary
Session: Theme Overview & Keynote Address (details below)
1:00 – 5:00
Concurrent Oral Sessions (topics below)
6:30 – 9:00
Banquet Dinner & Presentation (details below) and conclusion of
Silent Auction
Friday, February 2 (World Wetlands Day)
8:30 – 12:30 Concurrent Oral
Sessions (topics below)
1:30 – 4:30 Field
Trips: La Crosse River
Marsh and Goose Island & Upper Halfway Creek Marsh
Restoration Project
1:30 – 4:30
Working Group: Wetland Threats Analysis Results
SESSION TOPICS
>> Ecosystem Services of Floodplains and Backwaters
>> Restoration of Riverine Wetlands: Mitigation and Other Case
Studies
>> Biodiversity of Riverine Wetlands: Habitat, Monitoring &
Management (Part 1 & 2)
>> Hydrologic and Geomorphic Perspectives on Riverine Wetlands
>> Restoration of Riverine Wetlands: Project Design and
Evaluation
>> Using Science, Statute and Savvy to Protect Wisconsin’s Wetlands: A Regulatory
Primer for Wetland Professionals
>> Special Session: Wetlands of the Upper
Mississippi River Corridor (Part 1 & 2)
>> Restoration and Management of Riverine Wetlands: Watershed and
Statewide Approaches
>> Public Protection of Riverine Wetlands: Citizen and Agency Led
Efforts
>> Invasive Species Monitoring & Management
>> Poster Session
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Program details
(schedule with presentation titles and speaker names) are now posted online at:
www.wiscwetlands.org/2007program.htm
KEYNOTE
ADDRESS – A River That Works and a Working River
Dan McGuiness,
Director of Audubon’s Upper Mississippi River Campaign, will
talk about how the Upper Mississippi River,
including its wetlands and watershed, has changed since human settlement. Dan
will discuss how we can reverse the tide of degradation of Upper
Mississippi River wetlands and wildlife habitat through
partnership efforts in conservation. He will also talk about the emerging
34-member collaborative of non-profit organizations working from the Upper
Mississippi headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico and how the wetland community in
the region can become more engaged in this effort.
BANQUET
PRESENTATION – Resurrection of the Bayou People: Wetlands, Hurricanes and
Restoration
Kerry
St. Pé is Executive Director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary
Program, a nationally recognized effort dedicated to
preserving and restoring the 4.2 million-acre area between the Mississippi and Atchafalaya
Rivers in Southeast
Louisiana. Kerry will discuss the post-hurricanes status of Louisiana’s
coastal wetlands and emerging plans for coastal wetland restoration efforts. He
will also highlight the importance of Louisiana’s
coastal wetlands from ecological, economic and cultural heritage perspectives
and comment on what can be done in the Upper
Mississippi River
Basin to contribute to improvements in the long-term health of
wetlands of the Mississippi River delta.
This ticketed event is
open both to conference participants ($30) and the general public ($35). Dinner
entree choices include Wild Mushroom Ravioli (vegetarian) topped with alfredo
sauce and drizzled with roasted red pepper coulis as well as Stuffed Breast of
Chicken, with spinach stuffing and a Veloute sauce (a cream based sauce with
white wine and shallots). Purchase a banquet ticket with your conference registration
or by calling WWA at 608-250-9971.
FIELD
TRIP – La Crosse River Marsh and Goose
Island, Leaders: Tim Gerber and Chuck Lee, UW-La Crosse; Kurt
Brownell and Jon Sobiech, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and WDNR staff. Explore
two river sites with varied wetland habitats. Just north of town, the La Crosse River
is flanked by an expansive marshy floodplain upstream of its confluence with
the Mississippi River. Because of its
proximity to the expanding urban area, this dynamic river-wetland system has
been the subject of development controversies over the years. Learn about the
natural and recent cultural history of the La Crosse River Marsh at Myrick Park.
Goose Island
is a swampy island in the middle of the Mississippi
just south of town. Part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and
Fish Refuge, the island has swamp-white oak forests and many backwater wetland
habitats because of the complexity of its shoreline. Discover the beauty and
ecology of these wetlands in winter while gathering ideas for a summer outing!
FIELD
TRIP – Upper Halfway Creek Marsh
Restoration Project, Leaders: Jim Nissen, USFWS; Jim Knox,
UW-Madison; Faith Fitzpatrick and Bill Richardson, USGS; and Joe
Schubauer-Berigan, USEPA. Visit this innovative watershed
restoration project that was developed and implemented with the involvement of
a large team of partner organizations. Halfway Creek, a tributary to the
Upper Mississippi River north of La
Crosse, drains a small watershed where agricultural
land use and expanding residential and commercial development have led to
flooding and sedimentation problems in lower parts of the watershed. This
watershed initiative involves restoration/enhancement/creation and management
of more than 150 acres of wetland and grassland to address these problems and
create habitat for wildlife. Learn about project goals, restoration
design, and research projects aimed at assessing the success of this
restoration project.
CALL FOR SPONSORSHIPS
Wisconsin Wetlands Association thanks our current sponsors
(www.wiscwetlands.org/2007sponsors.htm)
and invites your organization to become a sponsor of our 2007
Wetland Science Forum. This conference is WWA’s largest annual
event and is an excellent opportunity for sponsor visibility. We are seeking
institutional, corporate, and individual sponsorship for this event.
Demonstrate your commitment to the wetlands of Wisconsin and to the Wisconsin Wetlands
Association by sponsoring Riverine Wetlands:
Connections, Corridors and Catchments, at the level that is right
for your organization. Sponsorships range from $100 to $2,500; see descriptions
of sponsorship levels and benefits here: www.wiscwetlands.org/sponsorlevels.doc.
To sponsor this event, simply complete a sponsorship form (www.wiscwetlands.org/sponsorform.doc)
and return it to WWA along with your check/credit card payment.
SILENT AUCTION
DONATIONS
We also welcome donations of goods or
services for our silent auction, which will be held at the
Wetland Science Forum. The auction is another opportunity for sponsors to be
visible at our conference. Funds raised will support our wetland protection
efforts across the state of Wisconsin
in the coming year. To make an auction donation, complete and return an auction
donation form (www.wiscwetlands.org/auctionform.doc).
We would like to receive all donated items by January 10th, 2007.
If you have
questions about this conference, please contact:
Laura England
Outreach Programs Director
Wisconsin Wetlands
Association
222 S. Hamilton St. #1
Madison,
WI 53703
phone: 608-250-9971
fax: 608-287-1179
laura@wiscwetlands.org
www.wiscwetlands.org