DNR Collected $15M From Developers To Restore Wetlands But Work Hasn’t Begun

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has collected more than $15 million from developers for wetland restoration projects since last spring but they’re still waiting on federal approval to get started.

In 2014, the DNR created a new program called the Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust to offer credits to developers who destroy wetlands during construction. Costing as much as $62,000 a piece, a credit roughly works out to around 1.45 acres of wetland restoration. The credits allow the project to move forward and the money is earmarked to restore or create wetlands in the same watershed.

In the last year, the DNR has sold more than $15 million in credits, but no wetlands have been restored under the WWCT program. The DNR’s Josh Brown said four wetland restoration proposals are being reviewed by the Interagency Review Team made up of members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency and the DNR.

“Ideally, it would be nice if projects could be implemented this calendar year, but most likely we’ll just be able to gather baseline information, do a wetland delineation and get as close as we can with a possibility of construction this fall,” Brown said.

While the Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust sells credits much like the state’s existing wetland mitigation bank program, Brown said it takes a broader approach. Instead of mitigating impacts on a permit by permit basis, he said the new program looks at the bigger picture and aims to replace what’s been lost historically in 12 watershed-based service areas designated by the DNR.

Brown said $8.6 million is available through the trust this year to organizations interested in conducting wetland restoration around the state and he’s hoping to get more submissions.

“We’re doing a lot of outreach, trying to talk to a lot of different environmental conservation groups, just to try and make sure they’re aware of the program and get them involved,” Brown said.

The DNR is requesting wetland restoration proposals for 2017 until Friday April 28.