What is the Headwaters to Coast Initiative?
A jointly-led project of the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources that will:
- Identify Shared Goals and Needed Conservation Actions
- Develop a Conservation Blueprint
- Deliver Strategic Projects
Few places have seen the magnitude of conservation effort as Wisconsin’s Lake Superior Basin: sediment transport modeling, in-stream habitat improvements, removal of migratory fish barriers, wetland reconstructions, reforestations, and on and on the list goes. Such efforts have kept the basin healthy in the face of growing threats, especially climate change. That is no small task, and we have an orchestra of partners to thank for their consistently brilliant work.
Despite our successes, there is still room for landscape-scale improvements in the Lake Superior basin. We often, and understandably, work independently without recognizing how our efforts intersect. Though each one of us may be an expert at our own instrument of conservation, it’s not until we are all working together with shared objectives that a symphony arises.
Our vision is to work with partners and across programs to identify shared values and maximize comprehensive delivery across the landscape. We want to figure out how our individual perspectives intersect and integrate to create a larger composition.
Headwaters to Coast (H2C) is supported by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) under GLRI Action Plan III, Focus Area 4 Habitat and Species, Coastal.
Contact H2C Initiative Leadership
Bridget Olson, bridget_olson@fws.gov, 715-781-4105
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Project Leader, St. Croix Wetland Management District & Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge