Dane County Regional Airport Earns FAA Environmental Award

November 21, 2006
Sharyn Wisniewski (608) 661-6485 or (608) 712-1950 cell
Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration, Great Lakes Region, has presented its first Outstanding Achievement Award for Environmental Stewardship to Dane County Regional Airport, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk announced today. The award cited the “extraordinary measures” the airport took to protect the environment while improving the runway safety area off the end of Runway 14, the airport’s secondary runway. DCRA was the only award recipient for environmental stewardship. “We are committed to both aviation safety and protecting the environment,” said County Executive Falk. “This award recognizes that our airport excels at both.” During 2005 and 2006, while extending the runway safety area, the airport had to relocate a number of major structures, including an active rail line, a creek bed, a perimeter road, and a two-lane highway, while working in an environmentally sensitive wetland area that is home to 512 out of 2,800 native Wisconsin plant species, some on the endangered species list. “This was a complex project that took skill and creative solutions to accomplish,” said Bill White, Airport Commission chair. “We are grateful to the FAA for acknowledging these efforts.” The airport’s solution included constructing a 3,100-foot railway bridge over the wetland to reduce the railway’s “footprint” through the wetlands and to preserve the hydrology of the marsh. Construction of the bridge was performed from the bridge itself, keeping all construction equipment out of the marsh and preventing damage to this sensitive area, part of the Cherokee Marsh State Natural Area. Flow and water quality of Starkweather Creek were improved and a floodplain was developed. Dogwood trees were planted along the newly designed creek bed, to help keep the water shaded and cool which improves water quality. Fish are thriving in the improved habitat, and since the open water is now further from the runway, birds are less likely to interfere with aircraft operations. As part of the wetland mitigation, nearly two miles of adjacent ditches were cleared of invasive brush and filled with native grasses. As an added benefit, County Highway CV, along the northwest end of the airport property, was realigned to take out a dangerous curve. “The airport’s managers and consultants developed extraordinary measures to protect the environment while at the same time, accomplishing a critical airport safety project,” said FAA Airports Division Manager Jeri Alles. “The commitment that Dane county Regional Airport demonstrated reflects outstanding innovation and leadership in the area of airport improvement, and the FAA felt strongly that these efforts should be specially recognized.” The FAA Great Lakes Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. # # #