Another element in Sheboygan County’s expanding wetlands mitigation program should be complete by year’s end.
The Wisconsin DNR on Tuesday announced that the 31-acre Te Stroete project, part of the Amsterdam Dunes Preservation Area near Cedar Grove, should be completed within a few weeks. It, along with over 120 acres in Portage and Rock Counties are being restored this year as part of the Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust. Restoration is funded through fees – or credits – paid by developers to offset impacts to other permitted wetland resulting from projects done within the area. The Te Stroete Project is the area “bank” from which credits are purchased by developers. The conservation land is restored, given time to establish, and then opened to the public.
Sheboygan County Planning and Conservation Director Aaron Brault said the project will also help reduce flooding, improve water quality and create wildlife habitat for the Lake Michigan Watershed. And, he said, it will be around in perpetuity. Brault noted that this is the third easement to go over the property, creating what he called “one of the most protected properties, probably, in the state.”
DNR Wetland Conservation Trust Program Coordinator Josh Brown called the Wisconsin Wetland Conservation Trust “a great example of different landowners and the DNR working together” to benefit all sectors, allowing development projects to move forward while still protecting watersheds.
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