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Riparian Wetlands in the Milwaukee River Watershed Play a Critical Role in Protecting Water Quality and Helping Attenuate Flood Waters.
 The Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust (WWCT) is a wetland mitigation in-lieu fee (ILF) program administered by the Wisconsin DNR. Customers who impact wetlands may be required to buy wetland mitigation credits from the WWCT to offset their impacts. The WWCT then awards the funds generated from credit sales to applicants to implement wetland restoration projects. The Program targets projects that restore, enhance, and preserve wetland resources throughout Wisconsin, including the greater Milwaukee River basin. Resources such as the Milwaukee River Basin Wetland Assessment Project are available to help guide wetland restoration planning.
The WWCT anticipates annually issuing an RFP soliciting potential projects, but exact timing and in what watersheds will depend on current funding available. For more information, please see the WWCT website or contact Josh Brown, ILF Program Coordinator, at 608-266-1902![]( "Call: 608-266-1902") or JoshuaA.Brown@wi.gov.
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Draft TMDL
Legal review of the TMDL has been completed and WDNR is finalizing the TMDL package in preparation for submittal to USEPA. As soon as this process is complete, the full TMDL package will be submitted to USEPA. All comments will be included and available for public review.
TMDL Implementation
We will be scheduling the next Milwaukee River Basin TMDL Implementation meeting - anticipated sometime in September, possibly October, depending on availability of partners. WDNR staff are continuing to work with our basin partners throughout the MRB TMDL basin region. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact local DNR staff or sector team leaders. Their contact information is in the lower left section of this newsletter, under "DNR Contacts".
This was another difficult planting season for many farmers in the region. Excessive rainfall caused widespread damage to seeded crops, or prevented planting all together. Many farmers have been forced to replant entire fields. This publication from UW Extension provides information for farmers and explains alternatives.
If you are interested in the latest equipment and technology for professional manure management, plan to attend the 2017 North American Manure Expo on August 22 and 23, 2017. Wisconsin hosts the Expo this year and it will be held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arlington Agricultural Research Station. Read more HERE.
The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture have entered an agreement to launch a new demonstration farm network in Kewaunee and Door counties. The project is being put together in cooperation with Peninsula Pride Farms, which is a farmer-led sustainability group. Read more...
Fond du Lac County: Frost Seeding Clover? It Works!
Neil Drummy, a Wisconsin row crop farmer, owns and operates land in Dodge, Fond du Lac and Columbia Counties. Neil is consciously a good steward of the land in the conservation decisions he makes, while also looking for ways to increase yields without causing undo harm to the land he operates. With the help of NRCS, Neil frost seeded 24 acres of crimson clover into existing wheat. Read the full article here.
The Animal Agriculture Education Project includes multimedia features such as videos and virtual tours of farms and discusses topics including advances in technologies and production systems, measures to protect water quality, and issues involved in on-farm decision-making about manure management.
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Sector Team
WDNR staff have been finalizing the first draft of
the Monitoring section for TMDL Implementation Plan. Once the draft is complete, data and examples specific to the greater Milwaukee Basin will be incorporated into the plan. A Monitoring Sector Team meeting will
then be scheduled to present the draft to our basin partners and provide an
opportunity for input and feedback. If you would like to be part of the Monitoring
Sector Team, please contact Rachle Sabre.
Join Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Clear Water Outdoor on a paddle Milwaukee’s Harbor. For this paddle, we will meet at Clear Water Outdoor to be fitted for kayaks and paddle boards. We will paddle to several of The Harbor District’s “Habitat Hotels”. Habitat Hotels are recently installed artificial fish habitats located around Milwaukee’s Harbor.
At each Habitat Hotel, we will lower a GoPro Video Camera below the surface of the water with the hope of capturing video footage of any fishy residents. Following the paddle, we will walk to Milwaukee Ale House to download and view our video footage. Specific locations and number of Habitat Hotels that we visit will be weather dependent. Join us!
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Proposed Technical Standard: Evaluation for Stormwater Infiltration -
Technical Standard 1002
The proposed “Evaluation for
Stormwater Infiltration - Technical Standard 1002” has been updated. The
technical standard revises the procedures, updates the submittal requirements,
and clarifies methods that can be used to design infiltration systems in
compliance with NR 151, Wis. Adm. Code.
The draft technical standard
concerning storm
water is now available for review and comment on the Proposed DNR Program Guidance Web page.
"Evaluation for Stormwater Infiltration - Technical Standard 1002” is open
for comment until July 5, 2017.
The Department is soliciting
comments from the public on this draft technical standard. Once the 21 day
notice period is complete, all comments will be considered by the Department.
After considering all public comments, revisions may be made to the guidance
document and final guidance will be made available to internal and external
stakeholders. Comments related to this draft guidance document should be sent
to: DNRTechnicalStandards@Wisconsin.gov.
Residents can now explore
VISION 2050, the Region's adopted land use and transportation plan, using a
revamped website created to share the key recommendations of the plan.
The new website also includes
interactive mapping of several main elements, including land use, public
transit, streets and highways, and the bicycle network. Try It Now
The new website also includes interactive mapping of several main elements,
including land use, public transit, streets and highways, and the bicycle
network.
Green infrastructure can be discouraged or even prohibited by outdated, poorly worded or ambiguous codes and ordinances. Cooperation among county and municipal staff in zoning, land use, urban forestry, stormwater and engineering are key to evaluating barriers to green infrastructure in our communities. A team led by UW-Greenbay Seagrant has developed a workbook that will help communities review, revise and prioritize their local codes and ordinances to promote and advance green infrastructure implementation. Download the entire workbook or one of its main sections below.
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Updated resources are online to assist communities and permittees exploring the MDV. While WDNR staff continue to receive numerous general and "hypothetical" inquiries on the MDV, we have also received a number of formal applications for the MDV.
For communities that wish to explore their eligibility, we encourage you to check out the "online eligibility questionnaire" to easily determine if you qualify for the MDV.
During the 2017 County Conservationist's meeting, Andrew Craig, WDNR, will be presenting updates on the MDV and discussing the options for counties exploring if they want to participate in this program. Andrew will discuss county eligibility, obligations, logistics, program logistics, and other considerations during his presentation.
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 Grant Information
Madison, Wis. – June 8, 2017 – The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) today announced that the agency will award more than $22.6 million to drive public and private sector innovation in resource conservation. The agency is investing in 33 projects nationwide through its competitive Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program, which helps develop the tools, technologies, and strategies to support next-generation conservation efforts on working lands and develop market-based solutions to resource challenges. Public and private grantees - including non-governmental organizations, American Indian tribes, academic institutions and local government entities - will leverage the federal investment by at least matching it.
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