We recognize the value of wetlands to the watershed and ecosystems of the lakes, said Donna Sefton , Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes. We join in supporting this legislation to protect wetlands. Developers are already calling the DNR to ask about filling wetlands around the state. If the court ruling had come during the summer instead of mid-winter, you can bet that hundreds of acres would have already been filled. Healthy watersheds are critical to healthy rivers.
Wetlands are a critical part of a healthy watershed.
We must pass Senate Bill 37 to protect our wetlands, stated River Alliance of Wisconsin executive director Todd Ambs . Buyers of homes built on filled wetlands are often unaware that these areas are natural water reservoirs and those buyers end up getting caught with flooded basements. Wetlands act as storage areas or sponges to prevent flooding, which may be a problem in the thaw that is just around the corner. Last summer s flooding in the village of Oregon was just one example of the need for our dying wetlands. The flooded homes show that it is easier and less expensive to protect the wetlands and floodplains in the first place, than mitigate the problems and move the houses after the flood, said Brett Hulsey, Dane County Board Supervisor.