Conserving, restoring wetlands focus of conference at La Crosse Center

Approximately 400 people are in La Crosse as they wrap up a three-day conference on protecting, preserving and restoring wetland habitat. 

The Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) is hosting its 30th annual Wetland Science Conference at the La Crosse Center, where educators, scientists and members of organizations dedicated to wetland conservation and protection, are attending workshops and presentations during the conference.  

Keynote speaker Paul Burns with the USDA Forest Service spoke about how sustaining or restoring stream ecosystems can be more successful and beneficial when viewed through the interconnection with wetlands and the surrounding landscape.  

He also talked about how this type of work can’t be done by one group or organization.  

“Everybody working together,” Burns said, “developing partnerships between groups like the Nature Conservancy or the Federal Wetlands Reserves or things like that. I think it’s not something that just one group can attain. I think it takes everybody working together to make a difference in stream or wetlands restoration. “ 

As far as how the average member of the public feels about conserving or restoring wetlands and their importance in their everyday lives, Nicole Staskowski, a member of the WWA board of directors, said she has a hopeful viewpoint.  

“I think people are starting to understand the values that wetlands can bring not just in protecting biodiversity, which is in and of its own right important, but also as wetlands as solutions to flooding and other problems that our landscape has seen recently,” Staskowski said. “That wetlands can provide protection for not just infrastructure but also water quality improvements and a whole host of things that do affect people on a daily basis. “ 

The conference ends Thursday afternoon.