Wisconsin's Diverse Lands, Waters, and Wildlife
Wisconsin is bordered on the east and north by Lakes Michigan and Superior, on the west by the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, and on the south by a sea of rolling prairie. The state sits at the confluence of three great ecoregions--northern boreal forests, eastern deciduous forests and tallgrass prairies. There are 556 wildlife species native to Wisconsin, the majority (51%) of them birds. Among other species, Wisconsin is home to lake sturgeon, bobolinks, wood turtles, American martens, Karner blue butterflies and 51 species of mussels.
Wisconsin's Planning Approach
Technical consultants, species experts and other individuals from within and outside of the Department worked together in interactive teams to develop Wisconsin’s wildlife action plan. Stakeholders endeavored to make the action plan dynamic, able to adapt both to changing conditions over time and to feedback gained after it is implemented. The action was developed from a landscape-scale perspective rather than a single- or even multi-species approach. The organization of the final action plan and the conservation actions both reflect this broad view.
Primary Challenges to Wisconsin's Wildlife
Three issues were common to all vertebrate groups:
- habitat loss
- invasive species, and
- pollution.
Threats to invertebrates revolve around a general lack of knowledge about the basic biology of species.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
