Wetlands Designation/Preservation Management

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has classified substantial areas within the City of Superior, Douglas County, and Northwest Wisconsin as wetlands. Under the current DNR wetlands classification system, Superior has 3,500 acres of wetlands (37 percent of the city's total land area), Douglas County has 150,000 acres of wetlands (18 percent of the county's total land area), and Northwest Wisconsin has approximately 1,000,000 acres of wetlands (20 percent of the region's total land area). In many cases this classification complicates and possibly prevents sound transportation, economic, and community development proposals and projects.

While the preservation of the environment is important to the citizens of Superior, Douglas County, and Northwest Wisconsin, the sustained economic development of this region is vital for continued growth. In 1990, City of Superior and Douglas County officials recognizing the challenges faced, decided to formulate a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) as part of an overall strategy to ensure a balance between development and preservation. This decision led to the formation of a Technical Advisory Committee with representation from local citizens, local government officials, the DNR, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Soil Conservation Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Northwest Regional Planning Commission has also endorsed the local efforts being undertaken to develop a SAMP and is a cooperating agency. The SAMP is being developed within federal guidelines and standards to identify wetlands, potential development areas, and mitigation requirements for replacement of wetlands used for development purposes.

Over the last three years, considerable progress has been made in the development of a SAMP for Superior. All existing wetlands have been mapped and classified. Base maps locating natural resource and wildlife areas have been classified. Planning for future growth in the areas of transportation, commercial, industrial, and residential development is in progress. When completed, the SAMP will provide a blue print for future development opportunities that least threaten the environment.

While formulating wetlands legislation, the legislature is urged to consider the challenges faced by communities in Northwest Wisconsin striving to  strike a balance between wetlands preservation and economic development. Any proposed rules or legislation affecting wetlands management should be mindful of the concerns of communities that have a large percentage of land area designated as wetlands. The citizens of Superior, Douglas County, and Northwest Wisconsin urge the state to provide local control and authority for wetlands management to communities that have formulated a SAMP.