3 minute read
On The Road For 30 Years
Andi Sedlacek
Andi Sedlacek is a publications supervisor in the DNR’s Office of Communications.
Endangered Resources License Plates Drive Conservation Funding
Fifty years ago, you’d be lucky to see a bald eagle in Wisconsin. The birds were endangered, and their small number of nests was limited to the northern reaches of the state.
Today, bald eagles have made a remarkable comeback in Wisconsin, with nests now recorded in every county. This incredible accomplishment is credited to a national ban on the pesticide DDT, added protections under federal and state endangered species laws, river cleanups, community donations and monitoring by DNR staff and partners.
The work of the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation program to locate and protect bald eagle nests was a contributing factor, too, and much of that work was made possible by the Endangered Resources Fund.
The bald eagle’s success story is celebrated on the state of Wisconsin’s Endangered Resources license plates, featuring the majestic bird. The funds generated from the license plates not only have helped bald eagles, they help conserve other endangered species as well as vital and beautiful places in the state.
Road Trippin’ Through Time
A number of conservation accomplishments in the past several decades can be attributed to funding generated by the sale of Endangered Resources license plates.
1974: Bald eagle surveys reveal a small number of nests limited to northern Wisconsin.
1994: Endangered Resources license plates are introduced, with a $25 annual donation to the Endangered Resources Fund, for which the plates have become an important funding source.
1997: Bald eagles are removed from Wisconsin's Endangered and Threatened Species List. 1997
2009: Trumpeter swans and ospreys are removed from Wisconsin's Endangered and Threatened Species List. 2009
2014: Blanding's turtles are removed from Wisconsin's Endangered and Threatened Species List.
2024: Bald eagles are now found in all 72 counties in Wisconsin.
Conservation Celebrations
The federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee has been documented in 46 counties, more than double that of 7 years ago.
A rare wild senna plant was found in summer 2023 after not being documented in the state in over 100 years.
For the second year in a row, little brown bat numbers have increased significantly at all three of Wisconsin’s largest hibernation sites.
The Wisconsin Mussel Monitoring Program and its partners teamed up to deliver and “plant” more than 1,200 hatchery-raised mussels in several Wisconsin rivers.
In 2023, NHC staff conducted prescribed burns on nearly 7,000 acres of high-quality natural communities and controlled invasive species on 6,400 acres of state natural areas.
18,000 Endangered Resources license plates were registered in Wisconsin in 2023.
Get Your Plates
Want to help drive the next conservation comeback? Visit the DNR's Endangered Resources License Plate webpage and learn how you can get Endangered Resources license plates. We’re celebrating 30 years of the plates by offering a $25 rebate for new purchases now through Dec. 31, 2024, so act today.
