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Lower Wisconsin Riverway board highlights 35 years of conservation and calls for continued stewardship funding
Summary
DNR and the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board presented a status report on the 92‑mile riverway (95,000‑acre project area), describing Ramsar designation, habitat and cultural resource protections, volunteer mussel rescues, bridge aesthetic projects, and continued reliance on stewardship funding for acquisitions and management.
Diane Brussell (Division Administrator, Fish, Wildlife and Parks) and Mark Cupp (Executive Director, Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board) presented an overview of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway on Dec. 11, highlighting conservation, recreation and local‑partnership achievements.
Brussell summarized the department’s management role: the riverway project boundary covers roughly 95,000 acres, of which the DNR owns about 51,000 acres and holds roughly 5,000 acres of easements; the riverway includes 20 state natural areas and flows through six counties. She noted the corridor’s recognition as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and emphasized habitat, scenic and recreation goals.
Cupp described the Riverway Board’s regulatory and partnership role, saying the board issues permits for activities within the corridor and has worked for 35 years to balance landowner rights with scenic and habitat protections. He highlighted successes including volunteer mussel rescue efforts during low‑water events, the Lone Rock Bridge aesthetic treatment project, cultural resources protection (effigy mounds), programming (Voyager canoe trips), and local economic benefits such as river‑related tourism events that generate local dollars.
Both presenters stressed the role of stewardship funding in enabling acquisitions and noted opportunities for improved communications and cooperation between DNR and Riverway partners. Board members asked about tribal representation, floodplain and economic benefits, and visitor trends; presenters said the Riverway has increased local recreation income and that additional stewardship funds would allow the department to secure more high‑value acquisitions.
The item was informational; presenters and board members emphasized continued partnership and stewardship support.
