Cardno JFNew and Cardno ENTRIX Presenting at Wisconsin Wetlands Association ConferenceBack to "In The News"
February 20, 2012
Wetland experts are gathering February 22 and 23 in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Wetlands Association’s 17th annual conference. This year’s theme, Urban Wetlands, focuses on the impacts on wetlands as landscapes are developed in or near cities, towns, suburbs, or areas with concentrated recreational development.
Over the two days Cardno JFNew’s Dan Salas, Josh Brown, Jameson Loesch, Jens Jensen, and Greg Quartucci, and Cardno ENTRIX’s Jeff Mengler will be presenting numerous sessions on habitat management planning, wetland mitigation banking, green infrastructure, aquatic ecological integrity, and streambank stabilization, as well as wetland restoration in urbanized settings.
On Wednesday morning, Dan Salas is presenting “Habitat management planning along large riverine systems of the Midwest,” part of the Management Planning for Wetlands track. Cardno JFNew has been helping the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service develop habitat management plans for several National Wildlife Refuges. Dan will discuss some of the elements to consider when planning for habitat management and conservation at these large sites, including resource management, regional conservation, and identifying and prioritizing resources and their management.
Wednesday afternoon Josh Brown and Jameson Loesch are presenting “Using a GIS model to systematically prioritize potential wetland mitigation banks in Wisconsin,” part of the Strategies for Prioritizing Restoration track. Cardno JFNew partnered with Wisconsin DOT to develop a repeatable GIS model to rank potential wetland mitigation bank sites throughout Wisconsin, to address ongoing Wisconsin DOT mitigation needs. Josh and Jameson will present the GIS model and show how it can be an effective first step in choosing wetland mitigation banks throughout the state.
On Thursday morning, Cardno ENTRIX’s Jeff Mengler will be presenting “The Chicago Wilderness Green Infrastructure Vision,” part of the Biologists without Borders – Ideas and Plans Track. Landscape-scale conservation using a green infrastructure approach is the emerging framework for the conservation community. Jeff will show how integrating land protection efforts into a broader green infrastructure network can help ensure the long-term health and resiliency of lands we protect in the face of increased stressors such as climate change and land-use changes. He will also talk about Chicago Wilderness’s current refinement process, GIV 2.0, which is updating the 2004 product, allowing for easier dynamic updates in the future, and providing a more robust scientific basis for the green infrastructure plan.
Also on Thursday, Jens Jensen is presenting “City of Middleton, Wisconsin, Harbor Village Northern Pike spawning habitat and streambank stabilization,” part of the Habitat Needs for Wetlands Wildlife track. This project had dual goals to enhance the ecological aspects of the lake’s ecosystem and sport-fishing on the Madison chain of lakes. Jens will discuss the challenges and process of achieving the project’s goals of vegetative restoration, habitat enhancement, and streambank stabilization.
In the Wetland Restoration Case Studies track, Dan Salas is presenting “Eco-engineering on the edge: Stream restoration, stabilization, and evaluation of risk and approach alternatives.” When protecting infrastructure like gas pipelines, sewer lines, driveways, and property along streams, an ecologically sensitive stabilization or restoration approach can often achieve a combination of ecological and engineering concerns. Dan will compare traditional hard structure methods with alternative methods that have higher ecological value, discuss when and where an ecological approach will work best, limitations to this approach, and key considerations to make in design and implementation.
In that same track, Greg Quartucci is presenting “Indiana toll road mitigation and urban restoration in Gary, Indiana.” As it passes through Gary, Indiana, the Indiana Toll Road traverses an area relatively rich in natural resources, including several nature preserves, wet prairies, and dune and swale wetland complexes. It is also a highly urbanized area. This stretch of the toll road was in need of expansion, to accommodate increased traffic volume. To address wetland impacts from roadway expansion, the Indiana Toll Road Concession Company (ITRCC) and Indiana Toll Road Contractors (ITRC) developed an urban-focused mitigation plan, including restoration of 1 acre of globally threatened dune and swale habitat in Gary's urban core, restoration and preservation of a high quality prairie, and purchase of 1.5 acres of wet prairie from the Lake Station Wetland Mitigation Bank. Greg will discuss how the mitigation approach was developed, including the natural restoration and maintenance techniques that were used. He’ll also share some of the challenges faced in the first year and the lessons learned.
For more information about the Wisconsin Wetlands Association.
For more information about this event.