Paul Scott Hausmann has won the 2003 National Wetlands Award for Outstanding Wetlands Program Development. He will be honored at a ceremony on May 20th at the Senate Caucus Room in Washington, DC, for his 29 years of work, inspiration and leadership at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“Scott Hausmann has played a critical role in helping create and carry out the programs and policies that have protected Wisconsin’s valuable wetlands and made its wetland program a model for the nation,” said Scott Hassett, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. “We’re thrilled to see his work recognized at a national level.”
Hausmann and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources statewide wetland team have developed and implemented a state program widely emulated for its excellence and innovation in managing and protecting wetlands. As leader of the team, he has played a pivotal role in securing many of the state’s wetland achievements, including becoming, in 2001, the first state to pass water quality legislation to fill the gaps in jurisdiction created by the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC).
“Scott’s leadership on wetland issues has directly benefited all states within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 5,” said Andrew Pelloso, Senior Environmental Manager in the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Office of Water Quality and Chairman of the Association of State Wetland Managers. “No other region in the country has more innovative programs dealing with wetland regulation, assessment, and conservation.”
Hausmann’s leadership has extended beyond state boundaries as well. As a founding member and past chair of the Association of State Wetland Managers, Hausmann created an organization that empowers local, state, tribal, and federal wetland professionals to exchange ideas, solve problems, and function as a sound, rational voice for improving wetland policy and protection.
Since 1989, the National Wetlands Awards program has honored exceptional individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and excellence in wetland conservation, research, or education through programs or projects at the regional, state, or local level. The program is co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute, U.S. EPA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Forest Service, and NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.
“Wetlands are complex and extraordinary ecosystems that perform vital environmental functions,” said Dale N. Bosworth, Chief of the USDA Forest Service. “They improve water quality by filtering pollutants and trapping sediment, provide wildlife habitat, and absorb rainfall to reduce flooding. The work of these award recipients to protect and restore our critical wetland resources is truly commendable.”
For more information on the National Wetlands Awards winners, or the ceremony, contact Erica Pencak at wetlandsawards@eli.org or 202-939-3822.