Overview

The DNR is dedicated to working with the citizens and businesses of Wisconsin while preserving and enhancing the natural resources of Wisconsin. In partnership with individuals and organizations, DNR staff manage fish, wildlife, forests, parks, air and water resources while promoting a healthy, sustainable environment and a full range of outdoor opportunities.

MISSION:

• To protect and enhance our natural resources: our air, land and water; our wildlife, fish and forests and the ecosystems that sustain all life.
• To provide a healthy, sustainable environment and a full range of outdoor opportunities.
• To ensure the right of all people to use and enjoy these resources in their work and leisure.
• To work with people to understand each other's views and to carry out the public will.

And in this partnership consider the future and generations to follow.

Adaptation Work:

Climate Change and Wisconsin's Great Lakes

Earth's climate is changing. Human activities that increase heat–trapping ("green house") gases are the main cause. Earth's average temperature has increased 1.4 °F since 1850 and the eight warmest years on record have occurred since 1998. Increasing temperatures have led to changes in rainfall patterns and snow and ice cover. These changes could have severe effects on the Great Lakes and the plants, wildlife and people who depend on them. While no one can predict exactly what climate change will mean for our Great Lakes, scientists agree that the following changes are likely if climate change patterns continue.

Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI)

WICCI formed in 2007 and is a partnership between the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin–Madison's Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. The goal of WICCI is to assess and anticipate climate change impacts on Wisconsin's natural resources, ecosystems, regions and industries (including agriculture, tourism and other human activities) and develop and recommend adaptation strategies that can be implemented by businesses, farmers, public health officials, municipalities, wildlife managers and other stakeholders.