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April 5, 2009 Informational tools aim to protect wetlands, help landowners.

MADISON – New informational tools to protect Wisconsin’s remaining
wetlands, as well as current and prospective property owners, were
unveiled today by the Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin
REALTORS® Association and the Wisconsin Wetlands Association.

“Wetlands are an important part of Wisconsin’s landscape, providing
scenic beauty, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, outdoor
recreational opportunities and natural flood control,” says DNR
Secretary Matt Frank. “I want to thank the Wisconsin Realtors
Association and the Wisconsin Wetlands Association for working with
DNR to get more information to property buyers at the time of
purchase.”

State and federal laws prevent building or making other improvements
in wetlands unless the property owner can show it’s unavoidable and
receives the necessary permits. So it’s important that people know if
there are wetlands and understand the constraints as well as the
benefits wetlands can bring, like reduced flooding, cleaner runoff to
lakes and rivers, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation.

“Successful real estate transactions depend upon buyers and sellers
having accurate information about a property,” says Mike Mulleady,
chairman of the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association. “These tools will
hopefully provide buyers with more information about potential
wetlands when they need it most – before they purchase the property.”

Erin O’Brien, policy director for the Wisconsin Wetlands Association,
noted that some property buyers seek out wetlands for the beauty and
recreation they provide while others want to avoid them so they can
build without constraints. “The DNR’s locating wetland tools will
provide much needed assistance for landowners and property buyers
under either scenario.”

The DNR worked with the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association and the
Wisconsin Wetlands Association to develop a real estate addendum that
people can complete with their offer to purchase.

The Addendum W – Wetlands is a legal document that allows buyers an
opportunity to verify that wetlands are present on a property and to
negotiate a mutual remedy with the seller, which might include the
ability to rescind or modify the offer terms, if wetlands are
confirmed.

Waking Up to Wetlands
New informational tools seek to help people "Wake Up to Wetlands"
before they buy land or build upon it.

The other new tools, which local government organizations also
collaborated on with the DNR, can all be found on the Locating
Wetlands page of the DNR Web site. They are:

    * Enhanced Web pages and a lighthearted video guide, “Waking Up to
Wetlands,” to walk people through the steps they can take to learn if
there are wetlands on a property. Wisconsin residents who subscribe to
Time Warner Cable’s digital service are able to view the video for
free. Tune into channel 1403, Find It on Demand, now through the end
of December to view anytime. This is available under a TV contract
paid for by a grant the DNR received.
    * Online, interactive maps indicating wetlands;
    * A downloadable checklist of plants, trees and other wetland
clues people can look for while walking a property.

Cherie Hagen, the DNR wetland team leader who led development of the
informational tools, says they are an important part of Wisconsin’s
strategy to protect remaining wetlands and reverse the historical loss
of wetlands. About half of the 10 million acres of wetlands present at
statehood have been filled or drained to make way for cities, farms,
roads and factories.

At the same time, Hagen hopes the tools help benefit property owners
and prospective property owners who many not recognize that Wisconsin
has more than a dozen different types of wetlands, many of which do
not have the open water, ducks and cattails that many people consider
characteristic of wetlands.

“Landowners who don’t realize there are wetlands on a property before
they buy it may get frustrated when they learn later that they have
wetlands and limits on where they can build,” she says. Or, they may
proceed with their project without knowing they have wetlands and
unwittingly harm the wetlands and wind up with a soggy foundation,
legal troubles, and the prospect of paying to restore wetlands.

Citizen complaints of illegal wetland fills have been increasing in
recent years, particularly as more people try to develop land that
previously had been considered marginal for development.

Wisconsin Sen. Mark Miller, who along with Rep. Gary Bies had
introduced the Wetland Identification Act passed by the State Senate
in March 2008, was “extremely pleased” that the organizations worked
together to develop the wetlands addendum. “It is an important step in
continuing to educate the public on the identity and importance of
wetlands,” Miller says. “It is my hope that we will be able to build
on this accomplishment and pass the Wetland Identification Act next
session.”

The tools were developed under grant funding from the Wisconsin
Coastal Management Program, the Great Lakes Protection Fund and the
Natural Resources Foundation. In addition to the Wisconsin REALTORS®
Association and the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, the project was
supported and informed by the Wisconsin County Code Administrators,
the Wisconsin Towns Association, The League of Wisconsin
Municipalities, and the Wisconsin Builders Association.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Cherie Hagen, DNR, (608) 266-7360

Tom Larson, Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (608) 241-2047

Erin O’ Brien, Wisconsin Wetlands Association (608) 250-9971

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