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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 � = 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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