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Wetland Protection and Management Ordinance

The Fond du Lac Band recognizes that wetlands are fragile natural resources with significant development constraints due to flooding, erosion, and soil limitations. In their natural state, wetlands provide important tribal and public benefits and ecological functions. They provide habitat areas for fish, wildlife, and vegetation, water quality maintenance and pollution control, flood control, shoreline erosion control, natural resource education, scientific study, open space, recreation opportunities, environmental niches, and most importantly the traditional, cultural, and spiritual aspects of our heritage. Previous construction, land development, and other direct and indirect impacts have displaced, polluted, or degraded many wetlands. Piecemeal or cumulative losses are a continuing threat to the remaining wetlands. Damaging or destroying wetlands threatens public safety and the general welfare of the Band. Preservation of wetlands in their natural condition is necessary to maintain the hydrologic, economic, recreational, subsistence, cultural, spiritual, and aesthetic assets for current and future residents of the Fond du Lac Reservation. The purpose of the Fond du Lac Wetlands Protection and Management Ordinance (WPMO) is to ensure maximum protection for wetlands by discouraging development activities in wetlands and those activities in adjacent upland sites that may adversely affect wetlands. The WPMO was enacted with the intent of providing a reasonable balance between the rights of individual property owners to the free use of his/her property and the rights of present and future generations.

The Office of Water Protection (OWP), operating under the Resource Management Division is responsible for the application, processing, and review of Wetland Activity Permits and Exemption Certificates under the provisions of the Fond du Lac Wetlands Protection and Management Ordinance (Ordinance #03/06; adopted by Resolution #1165/06 of the Fond du Lac Reservation Business Committee on June 15, 2006). Exemption Certificates are available by submitting an Exemption Certificate Request Form to the OWP at least 10 days before the commencement of the activity. Please see the WPMO for details on Exemption Certificate eligibility. A link to the form(s) is here:
WPMO Exempt Form (editable pdf)
WPMO Exempt Form (MS Word file)


Public WPMO Notices
Two types of Wetland Activity Permits are available for activities that will impact wetlands. A Letter-of-Permission Wetland Activity Permit (LOP-WAP) authorizes impacts of less than 2 acres of wetlands; while a Standard Wetland Activity Permit (S-WAP) authorizes impacts to wetlands 2 acres or greater. A 30-day Public Notice for an LOP-WAP and a 60-day Public Notice for an S-WAP will be issued by the OWP to request comments regarding the issuance of such permits for a given proposed project impacting wetlands. The current Public Notices open for public comments are found below.