Kohler Dunes State Natural Area, Sheboygan County. Photo by Thomas Meyer, WDNR.
Wisconsin
State Natural Areas Program
Website:
http://dnr.wi.gov/org/land/er/sna/
State Government Affiliation:
a program administered by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Bureau of Endangered Resources. Established in 1951.
Naural Areas:
551 sites, covering 305,000 acres.
Funding:
State General Purpose Revenue, state and federal grants, donations.
Protection:
The SNA Program is a successful partnership involving more than 50 agency and non-profit entities. The majority of SNAs are on lands owned by the Department of Natural Resources. Some are imbedded within other Department properties such as State Forests and State Parks, while others are designated as stand-alone SNAs. The DNR buys land in fee title or through conservation easements primarily with bonded funds from the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program ($2.5 million/yr in 2007). Many SNAs are established on lands held by our partners through voluntary agreements. Partners include the US Forest Service, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, county forest and park departments, and a host of other land trusts and local agencies. Protection in perpetuity is accomplished through Articles of Dedication, which may be applied to both state-owned and privately-owned land.
Stewardship:
State Natural Area land management plans emphasize principles of ecosystem management, rather than individual species management, to achieve site goals. SNA land managers use a variety of funding sources, including many grants, to conduct prescribed burns, remove invasive species, carry out site restoration, and maintain facilities (primarily fences, boundary signs, and parking lots). Inadequate funding for SNA stewardship continues to be a chronic problem.
Current Events:
The program celebrated its 55th anniversary in 2007 by designating its 500th State Natural Area at Lake Laura Hemlocks on the Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest. Also, the program recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the US Forest Service to designate 80 new SNAs on the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. The sites, totaling 86,500 acres, will be co-designated as federal Research Natural Areas or Special Management Areas.
Program scope and goals:
The Wisconsin SNA Program is responsible for maintaining a system of natural areas that protect: 1) high-quality terrestrial and aquatic natural communities that represent Wisconsin’s pre-European-settlement landscape; 2) habitat for rare species of plants and animals; 3) significant geological and geomorphological features and archaeological sites. The program’s goals include establishing a system of protected areas that ensures the conservation of Wisconsin’s natural diversity, maintaining ecological reference areas, and providing opportunities for scientific research, environmental education, and nature-based recreation.