RESTORING THE DELLS
The Dells of the Wisconsin River is home to a wide variety of natural ecosystems -- mesic and floodplain forests, prairies, open wetlands, sandbars and beaches, and feeder streams and gulches.
A number of the ecosystems in the Dells are unique to the area, and the Dells of the Wisconsin River is home to about a dozen rare species of plants.
We've found that most landowners in the river corridor want to restore, preserve and enhance the natural ecology of the river corridor, but don't know what to do. To assist them, the Stewards are working to develop handbooks and other materials with accurate information about preserving and protecting the Dells' natural ecology.
The handbooks and other materials will give landowners information about management of natural ecosystems in the Dells, protecting rare and threatened vegetation along the river corridor, management strategies for native and invasive plants and trees, and creating habitats for native wildlife.
The Stewards encourage landowners along the Dells of the Wisconsin River corridor to Lower Wisconsin State Riverway performance standards, which are designed to minimize the visual impact of the activity when viewed from the river during leaf-on conditions.
Performance standards for structures on lands visible from the river include:
- use screening vegetation to make the structure visually inconspicuous;
- exterior color should harmonize with the natural surroundings;
- use only a limited amount of glass or reflective material;
- the height of the structure should not exceed the height of the screening vegetation;
- the slope of the site should be 20% or less; and
- erosion control procedures should be implemented both during and after construction.
RESOURCES
Online Resources
A variety of online handbooks are available from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension:
Stewards Resources
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