Wisconsin Waterfowl Association: 2021 Restoration Project Updates

Wisconsin Waterfowl Association (WWA) has been busy successfully completing wetland restoration projects on private lands which are benefiting both wildlife and water quality in the Fox-Wolf watersheds. By providing technical assistance for survey, design and permitting to landowners we are able to leverage secured grant dollars to help cost share for on the ground restoration work when meeting certain criteria.

Recently a couple miles upstream of Lake Poygan on Willow Creek, we filled over .25 miles of ditch and installed a water control structure to remove the drainage effects on over 60 acres. This restored portions of sedge meadow and emergent wetland habitat while increasing flood storage capacity and providing areas for sediment and nutrients to drop out of the water column.

This winter we have a wetland restoration planned in the Rush Creek watershed adjacent to Rush creek at a site with severely degraded wetland that had been recently farmed. As part of the restoration drainage ditches that feed directly into Rush Creek will be disabled. This will also create an area of open water habitat.

Working across the watershed and State of WI, Wisconsin Waterfowl Association is always looking for potential wetland and associated grassland restoration projects. WWA providing technical and cost share assistance to help landowners complete restorations.

Featured image: A wetland restoration project recently completed by WWA in the Willow River Watershed of Lake Poygan