Developing an efficient and effective wetland protection program in Door County

September, 1999

Denise Scheberle , Principal Investigator
Roberta Pagel, Co-Investigator

With oversight and input from:
Door County Planning Department
Door Property Owners, Inc.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department
The Nature Conservancy

Preface  back to TOC

Study authors

The principal investigator for this study was Dr. Denise Scheberle, Scheberle Consulting. Roberta Pagel was a co-investigator. Dr. Lora Warner, Planning and Evaluation Associates, Inc., conducted the focus group component of the project. Robert Florence, Director, Door County Planning Department; Ron Fassbender, Lakeshore Basin Leader, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; Roy Aiken, Director, Door Property Owners, Inc.; Mike Grimm, Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy; and, William Schuster, Head, Soil and Water Conservation Department provided input, guidance and support in seeing this project to completion.

Correspondence

The conclusions and recommendations contained in this study are those of the authors and may not reflect the official views of any cooperating agencies or organizations. Inquiries about this study may be directed to:

Denise Scheberle, Chair                  OR                    Scheberle Consulting
Department of Public and Environmental Affairs      1871 Charles Street
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay                          De Pere, WI 54115
2420 Nicolet Drive                                                  (920) 337-6287
Green Bay, WI                                                        dlssws89@execpc.com
(920) 465-2595
scheberd@uwgb.edu

Acknowledgments  back to TOC

Financial assistance for this project was provided by the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended, administered by the Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration pursuant to Grant #NA870Z0255 and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.

The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, part of the Wisconsin Department of Administration and overseen by the Wisconsin Management Council, was established in 1978 to preserve, protect and manage the resources of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior coastline for this and future generations.

This study would not have been possible without the assistance of many individuals who gave generously of their time, talents, insights and opinions. Dozens of people who care about Door County made time to be a part of this project, and we would like to thank them all for making room on their busy schedules to be a part of this work. The following people were especially patient with our many questions and requests, and we would like to acknowledge them.

• Tere Duperrault, Scott Hausmann, Dale Simon, Mike Russo, John Hagengruber and Tom Bernthal, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• Mariah Goode, Kay Miller, David Sautebin, Rick Brauer, and the staff of the Door County Planning Department
• Dean Graff and the staff of the Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department
• Steve Eggers, Dale Gross and Jerry Smith, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Dave Gruber and Jim Hunt, Natural Resource Conservation Service
• Charles Jarman, Door County Board Supervisor
• Charles Luthin, Wisconsin Wetlands Association
• Pat McCarty, League of Women Voters
• Robert Merline, Gibraltar Preservation Council
• Pat Miller, Whitefish Bay Property Owners Association
• Don Reed, Southeastern Regional Planning Commission
• Jane Rubey, Washington State Department of Ecology
• Jean Setterholm, Town of Egg Harbor Planning Commission
• Brian Standing, Dane County Planning
• Joel Trick and Gary Van Vreede, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Jerry Viste, Door County Environmental Council

Slides used in the public presentation of this report are used with the permission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department, and with special thanks to Joel Trick. Mariah Goode's careful editing of the draft copy greatly contributed to the final report.

Table of Contents

List of Tables  back to TOC

Table 1-1: Population of Door County, 1950-1990
Table 1-2: Zoning and Building Permits, 1986-1998
Table 1-3: Door County Land Use Changes
Table 1-4: Door County Shoreline Development
Table 1-5: Comparison of Wetland Acreage in Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Oconto Counties
Table 1-6: Summary of Wetlands Permitting in Wisconsin, Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Oconto Counties from 1988-1996
Table 1-7: Comparison of Nationwide Permits Issued in Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Oconto Counties, 1988-1996
Table 1-8: Comparison of Corps Permit Actions in Brown, Door, Kewaunee and Oconto Counties, 1989-1998
Table 1-9: Corps Permit Actions in Wisconsin, 1989-1998
Table 1-10: Summary of Nationwide Permits in Door County, 1988-1996
Table 1-11: Corps Permit Actions in Door County, 1995-1998
Table 1-12: Summary of Nationwide Permits in Door County by Town, 1988-1996
Table 1-13: Wetlands in Door County
Table 1-14: FWS Wetlands as a Percent of Total Town Acreage
Table 1-15:Total Acreage of Wetland Classes by Town
Table 1-16: Protective Ownership of Wetlands in Door County by Town
Table 2-1: CRP Acreage in Door County by Town
Table 2-2: DNR 401 Water Quality Certifications in Door County, 1993-1998
Table 2-3:Comparison of DNR 401 Water Quality Certifications in Brown, Door,  Kewaunee and Oconto Counties, 1993-1998
Table 2-4: Wetlands Rezoning Petitions by Town, 1986-1998
Table 2-5: Time to Complete a Wetlands Rezoning Petition
Table 3-1: Issues with Current Wetland Protection Efforts in Door County
Table 3-2: Strategies for Protecting Wetlands in Door County
Table 3-3: Examples of Wetland Scenarios in Door County
Table 5-1: Evaluating Regulatory Strategies
Table 5-2: Evaluating Non-Regulatory Strategies

List of Figures  back to TOC

Figure 2-1: Wetland Rezoning Procedures 47
Figure 3-1: Case Study A 93
Figure 3-2: Case Study B 96
Figure 3-3: Case Study C 98
Figure 3-4: Case Study D 102
Figure 3-5: Case Study E 105