Landscapes of Opportunity

The Great Lakes are locally, regionally and nationally significant ecological resources. Lake Michigan and its basin are a key ingredient in Wisconsin's economy and quality of life and provide unmatched natural habitats for a multitude of rare, declining and iconic species. The Wisconsin portion of Lake Michigan's watershed is a complex mix of large scale urban and suburban development in the south, and strong agricultural regions and large areas of publicly owned lands in the north. The watershed hosts landscapes ranging from coastal wetlands to rare alvar communities, and includes the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Winnebago among its unique and recognizable features.

The goal of this report is to identify important natural resource areas within Wisconsin's Lake Michigan basin. These places are those which will protect the most important land and water habitats of the region, and will provide the greatest opportunities for leveraging financial and institutional resources for protecting those habitats. This approach encourages collaborative conservation among resource agencies and organizations working toward resource protection within the basin.

The planning approach and the resulting recommendations seek to address the goals, vision, mission and purpose of the Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance and conservation needs within Wisconsin's Lake Michigan basin.  The Alliance is a consortium of land trusts working on land protection throughout the watershed, with the shared mission of "building organizational capacity to accelerate the protection of significant land and water resources in the Lake Michigan basin."

Landscapes of Opportunity are just that – places in a rapidly changing region where we have an opportunity to ensure permanent protection of significant natural resources that contribute collectively to the health of Lake Michigan – its waters and its watershed.

Learn more about the Landscapes of Opportunity report »

Please contact Liz Walsh at liz [at] gatheringwaters.org or 608-251-9131 x12 with any questions about Landscapes of Opportunity.

Photo provided courtesy of Gill Gribb

Landscapes of Opportunity

Overview »

Introduction »

Methods, Analysis and Evaluation »

Results and Discussion »

Recommendations and Considerations »

Conclusion »

Alliance Agreement »

Priority Conservation Project Areas »

Tables »

Maps
• Priority Conservation Projects »
• Land Trusts Service Areas »
• Priority Projects in Land Trust Priority Areas »

Acknowledgements »

Download the full Landscape of Opportunity Report (PDF) »

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