Wetlands Research, Inc. 

The business model used by Wetlands Research, Inc. is both unusual and successful! The project started as a partnership between Openlands and the Lake County Forest Preserve. Successful business entrepreneurs and government agencies worked together to start the project back in 1984. Judith Stockdale, a long-time supporter, was instrumental in working with Wetlands Research, Inc. to find a location and the funding to begin the Des Plaines River Wetlands Demonstration Project in Wadsworth, IL. Wetlands Research, Inc. relied mainly on contributions and grant funding initially. In more recent years, the mechanisms for funding research changed from grant funding to proceeds through a mitigation banking program.

 

Rather than hiring experts from each specialty (chemistry, botany, soils, etc.), Wetlands Research, Inc. assembles leading wetland scientists to study and publish cutting-edge research involving wetland restoration. This allows us to investigate a plethora of subjects including wildlife habitat, nutrient farming, public recreation, and water quality. The results of these studies have successfully demonstrated the important benefits that wetlands provide to communities and natural landscapes. The research data we produce with our university partners is then shared through a variety of publications.