[From the U.S. Government Printing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                                                    TASK II.B.3
                                                    NA90AA-D-CZ441












                                      UPDATING
                                      WISCONSIN'S WETLAND
                                      INVENTORY



                                      WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF
                                      NATURAL RESOURCES




                                      DECEMBER 1991







                                            CZIC COLiECi10lO




                                      This project was funded inpart
                                      with a grant under the Coastal
                                      Zone Management Act of 1972,
                                      as amended, from the U.S.
                                      Department of Commerce, Office
                                      of Ocean and Coastal Resource
                 l   R  EiARTMlENTlManagement, Wisconsin Coastal
                 MIISTRA TION  |Management Program


  87.3Q         5
   .S76
B 1991











    WISCONSIN COASTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

                FINAL REPORT



1990-91 COASTAL MANAGEMENT GRANT 81026-101.24

          PURCHASE ORDER ADA-00568


  UPDATING OF WISCONSIN'S WETLAND INVENTORY

                     BY

               Lois Stoerzer
  Wisconsin Wetland Inventory Coordinator
    Bureau of Water Regulation & Zoning



















        U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAA
        COASTAL SERVICES CENTER
        2234 SOUTH HOBSON AVENUE
       CHARLESTON, SC 29405-2413








          Property of CSC Library








                                          FORWARD


       The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program was established in 1978 to direct
        comprehensive attention to the state's 820 miles of Lake Michigan and Lake
        Superior coastline. The WCMP analyzes and develops state policy on a wide range
        of Great Lakes issues, coordinates the many governmental programs that affect
I     ~ ~the coast, and provides grants to stimulate state and local coastal management.
        it's overall goal is to preserve, protect and develop the resources of
       Wisconsin's coastal areas for this and succeeding generations.









                         WISCONSIN WETLAND INVENTORY

BACKGROUND
The Wisconsin Legislature required DNR to inventory (map) wetlands in the state
and provided a statutory definition [Ch. 374, Laws of 1978 & s. 23.32 (1),
Stats.]   The definition sets a standard for all state wetland regulatory
programs.

The Wisconsin Wetland Inventory (WWI) consists of wetland maps with statewide
coverage and computerized data. Initial mapping and digitizing took 5 years and
$2,500,000 to complete.

The 1984-85 State Legislature allowed for updating the original Wisconsin Wetland
Inventory on a 10 year cycle. Budget restraints have limited the update to a
20 year cycle. - -


GRANT SUMMARY
Since 1989, financial assistance from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program
has allowed the DNR to update the Wisconsin Wetland Inventory maps for the
majority of coastal counties in the state. Status and source of funding for the
WWI coastal counties is as follows:




COUNTY        STEREO PHOTOS         BASE PHOTOS         MAPPING         DIGITIZING
                FUNDED BY           FUNDED BY         FUNDED BY        FUNDED BY
Ashland           CMP                   CMP                CMP              -
Bayfield          DNR                   CMP                CMP              -
Douglas           CMP                   CMP                CMP              -
Iron              CMP                   CMP                CMP              -

Brown             DNR                   CMP                DNR             EPA
Door              DNR                   DNR                DNR             CMP
Kewaunee          CMP                   CMP                CMP             CMP
Manitowoc         CMP                   CMP                CMP             CMP
Marinette         CMP                   CMP                CMP             EPA
Oconto            CMP                   CMP                CMP             EPA

Kenosha            -                     -                  - 
Milwaukee          -                     -                  - 
Ozaukee            -                     -                  - 
Racine             -                     -                  - 
Shebovaan         DNR                   DNR                DNR             CMP
  i15              11                    11                 11               7


CMP = Coastal Management Program
DNR = Department of Natural Resources
EPA = Environmental Protection Agency, Region V
 -  = Wetland Inventory update work has not been scheduled yet









                                     -2-

The award of Grant 81026-101.24 has allowed the DNR to complete the following
WWI work:







Stereo Aerial PhotoaraDhv For Ashland and Iron Counties:
Contract awarded to Horizons Inc.

TOTAL             DNR COST              CMP COST
26,884.00         16,130.00             10,754.00

All of the photography for these two counties was completed in the spring of
1991.










Wetland Marina For Doualas and Bavfield Counties
Contract awarded to Maclean Consultants, Ltd.

TOTAL             DNR COST              CMP COST
60,202.00         36,121.00             24,081.00

Wetland interpretation, field verification and drafting completed. Since the
City of Superior is presently compiling wetland information as part of a SAMP
(Special Areas Management Plan) the Wisconsin Wetland Inventory delineations will
be further verified once the data collected by the City's hired consultant is
provided to us.










Diaitizina Wisconsin Wetland Inventory Maps for Kewaunee and Manitowoc Counties.

TOTAL                 DNR COST                  CMP COST
8,838.00              5,304.00                  3,534.00

Attached are Wisconsin Wetland Inventory acreage analysis reports for Kewaunee
and Manitowoc Counties summarizing changes in wetland acreage and type over a
period of approximately 10 years.










                                     -3-

                             PROJECT EVALUATION
                    COASTAL MANAGEMENT GRANT 81026-101.24
PROJECT BENEFITS
The Wisconsin Wetland Inventory is the only statewide assessment of wetlands on
record. To date each county and over half of the municipalities in the state
have held public hearings on the accuracy of the wetland maps and have adopted
them as apart of a shoreland wetland zoning ordinance (NR 115 & 117).

MAP USES
The wetland maps are the regulatory map base for locally administered shoreland
wetland protection programs and are used in state Ch. 30 water regulation permit
review and to assist in the implementation of NR 103 (Wetland Water Quality
Standards).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers uses the WWI maps in their Section 404
regulatory program.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and Environmental Protection Agency use these
wetland maps in their wetland protection, monitoring and enforcement activities.

All DNR environmental protection and resource management programs use the aerial
photography and wetland data in their daily work activities.

With an average update frequency of once every 20 years, the wetland maps will
become outdated and of limited use for management and regulatory purposes.
Funding assistance from the Coastal Management Program has allowed the DNR to
protect it's investment in'the WWI and has enabled the production of more current
information for use in regulatory and resource management activities.

SUMMARY
The attached wetland acreage analysis reports clearly demonstrate the usefulness
of maintaining a digital Wisconsin Wetland Inventory (DWI).  With appropriate
staffing, equipment and budget much more detailed information could be derived
from this computerized data.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to produce this digital information with
the use of Limited Term Employees (LTEs). Once an LTE becomes familiar enough
with the policies and procedures for the DWI, their 1044 hours are usually
expended and they cannot be rehired to do the same scope of work.  Since the
scope of work involved with the DWI is very specialized, it is imperative that
we at least try and obtain a project position to attract and keep those
individuals who demonstrate these skills.

There has also been a vast increase in the demand for wetland information in a
digital rather than hard copy format from the public as well as the private
sector.   Without the proper staff available to handle this increase, these
requests can only be filled as time allows (usually 4-5 months per request).

In addition, the DWI does not have a plotter with which to generate hard copy
plots of wetland boundaries and associated classifications and acreage. This
information would be very beneficial to local, state and federal wetland
regulators and managers.









            KEWAUNEE COUNTY WETLAND ACREAGE ANALYSIS
           FOR MAPPED WETLANDS 2 ACRES OR MORE IN SIZE

                                            ACRES     PERCENT
    LOCATION          1978       1989        LOST        LOST

    T22N R23E      4,260.48   3,581.94       678.54    15.93%
    T22N R24E      2,604.99   2,165.35       439.64    16.88%
    T22N R25E          3.36       10.86        *
    T23N R23E      1,892.26   1,589.45       302.81    16.00%
    T23N R24E      3,774.15   3,435.86       338.29     8.96%
    T23N R25E        469.80      783.29        *
    T24N R23E      1,616.18   1,096.40       519.78    32.16%
    T24N R24E      4,148.19   3,193.80       954.39    23.01%
    T24N R25E      1,295.07   1,150.13       144.94    11.19%
    T25N R23E      3,073.86   2,946.39       127.47     4.15%
    T25N R24E      6,024.63   4,913.43    1,111.20    18.44%
    T25N R25E      2,663.53   2,796.30         *
    T25N R26E        100.97       91.98        8.99     8.90%
    TOTAL         31,927.47  27,755.18    4,626.05    14.49%

    AVERAGE ANNUAL LOSS OVER AN 11 YEAR PERIOD = 421 ACRES/YEAR


    WETLAND ACREAGE BY TYPE FOR-KEWAUNEE COUNTY

    WETLAND TYPE                  1978        1989
    Aquatics                        20        e  0
    Emergent                     1,261       1,832
    Scrub/shrub, deciduous         710       2,599
    Scrub/shrub, coniferous         22           4
    Forested, deciduous          5,389      20,031
   Forested, coniferous            92       3,240
    Open water                      22          49
   **WET (class unknown)       24.411            0
    TOTAL                       31,927      27,755


* = Increases in wetland acreage attributed to the following:

    1) improved aerial photography and interpretation techniques
    2) farmed areas reverting back to wetland vegetation

    Decreases in wetland acreage attributed to the following:

    1) improved aerial photography and interpretation techniques
       (corrected previous mapping errors)
    2) draining/filling/farming areas that were wetland in 1978


 ** - The WET classification represents the acreage of large wetland
complexes whose internal boundaries were too detailed to digitize
under time and budget constraints imposed on the project.








           MANITOWOC COUNTY WETLAND ACREAGE ANALYSIS
          FOR MAPPED WETLANDS 2 ACRES OR MORE IN SIZE

                                            ACRES    PERCENT
   LOCATION          1979        1989       LOST       LOST

   T17N R21E       2,744.73    2,576.53     168.20     6.13%
   T17N R22E       2,111.27    1,394.44     716.83    33.95%
   T17N R23E       1,138.46 976     .70 161.76 14.21%
   T18N R21E 7,337.29 6,639.43 697.86 9.51%
   T18N R22E 4,074.81    3,351.98           722.83    17.74%
   T18N R23E       1,609.99    1,531.78      78.21     4.86%
   T18N R24E          89.34       99.13        *
   T19N R21E       7,762.55    6,923.41     839.14    10.81%
   T19N R22E       2,403.06    2,232.13    170.93      7.11%
   T19N R23E       1,313.73    1,317.38        *
   T19N R24E         937.26    1,367.06        *
   T19N R25E           0.00        0.00
   T20N R21E       6,398.77    4,588.25   1,810.52    28.29%
   T20N R22E 2,523.88 1,990.77 533.11 21.12%
   T20N R23E 1,501.18    1,275.94           225.24    15.00%
   T20N R24E       1,803.90    2,027.73        *
   T20N R25E       2,309.92    2,201.02     108.90     4.71%
   T21N R22E        3,887.81    3,648.41     239.40    6.16%
   T21N R23E       3,219.41    2,870.51     348.90    10.84%
   T21N R24&25E    2.041.76    1,855.33     186.43     9.13%
    TOTAL         55,209.12   48,867.93   7,008.26    12.69%

AVERAGE ANNUAL LOSS OVER A 10 YEAR PERIODS= 701 ACRES/YEAR




   WETLAND ACREAGE BY TYPE FOR MANITOWOC COUNTY

   WETLAND TYPE                   1979       1989
   Aquatics                        49
   Emergent                     4,853       7,811
   Scrub/shrub, deciduous       2,937       6,635
   Scrub/shrub, coniferous         30          25
   Forested, deciduous         21,828      30,072
   Forested, coniferous           502       3,932
   Open water                     186         393
    **WET (class unknown)       24.824
   TOTAL                       55,209      48,868





ï¿½ = Increases in wetland acreage attributed to the following:

   1) improved aerial photography and interpretation techniques
   2) farmed areas reverting back to wetland vegetation







                                        -2-
         Decreases in wetland acreage attributed to the following:
             1) improved aerial photography and interpretation techniques
                (corrected previous mapping errors)
             2) draining/filling/farming areas that were wetland in 1978

         ** - The WET classification represents the acreage of large wetland
         complexes whose internal boundaries were too detailed to digitize
         under time and budget constraints imposed on the project.
























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