New Videos Promote the Benefits of Wetlands and Celebrate Local Wetland Conservation Efforts

May is American Wetlands Month. To celebrate, Wisconsin Wetlands Association (WWA) has debuted a new suite of educational videos designed to promote the many benefits wetlands provide to Wisconsin communities and to encourage and inspire more community-based wetland conservation work.

“Wetlands are among the most important parts of our landscape for providing natural benefits like flood abatement and clean water” says WWA’s Outreach Programs Director, Katie Beilfuss. “These videos will help communities understand how restoring wetlands can reduce floods, support wildlife, and keep our waters clean for fishing, swimming, boating, and drinking.”

WWA produced 6 short 3-5 min videos, including:
• A white-board “explainer” video that uses simple illustrations and language to outline how wetlands manage water and support watershed health;
• A light-hearted documentary-style video featuring wetland conservation professionals explaining what wetlands are, why they matter, and how you can help protect them; and,
• Four videos that tell the stories of Wisconsin landowners, farmers, and community groups protecting and caring for wetlands in Eau Claire, Plover, Stone Lake, and La Crosse.**
**WPVGA Growers Nick & Dianne Somers of Plover River Farms Alliance are featured in one of the four videos.

The videos will be widely distributed through a coordinated social media campaign throughout the month of May and are also available for free download and distribution. WWA has also created and posted a companion video outreach “toolkit” to help land use planners, natural resource managers, and educators incorporate the videos into public presentations and facilitate community conversations about local wetland conservation opportunities.

“We receive requests all the time from natural resource educators and community groups looking for tools to help them promote wetlands and how they can be solutions to local water problems,” says Beilfuss. “These videos help address that need.”

To view the videos and find out how you can use them to help start and enrich conversations and programs that will improve the health of Wisconsin communities and natural resources visit wisconsinwetlands.org/videos.