Every living thing in our complex ecosystems is critical as they comprise the biodiversity that sustains our lives. But humans have been tampering with the natural world for centuries. Earth Week 2023 starts with an exploration of regions in Wisconsin that are key to conserving what’s driving decline and what’s being done to reduce loss.
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From fish and wildlife habitat to natural water purifiers, wetlands play a crucial role in human and environmental health.
Last year, the Clean Water Rule was replaced by the Navigable Waters Protection Rule which modified the Waters of the Unites States definition in the Clean Waters Act.
The rule change means that lakes, streams, some tributaries, and wetlands adjacent to those remain protected, but excludes other streams and isolated wetlands.
It’s a change the Wisconsin Nature Conservancy’s Director of Science and Strategy Nick Miller says was not based on science.
“When the Navigable Waters Protection Rule was first proposed and throughout its development it was made clear by the administration that it was not based on science. It was intentionally not based on science,” said Miller.
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