ORAL PRESENTATION TITLE: A case study on the stormwater and economic benefits of wetland restoration in an urban landscape ABSTRACT: The protection and restoration of urban wetlands offer benefits for stormwater management and climate resiliency. Deer Grove Forest Preserve, located on 585 acres of publicly accessible lands in the heavily urbanized northwestern suburbs of Chicago, was the site of an intensive ecosystem restoration project sponsored by Openlands. Over the course of 17 years, the project provided wetland restoration, wetland enhancement, and expansive wetland buffers to enhance watershed function. I will briefly review the project purpose, site background, and long-term restoration process. I will then detail the hydrologic and economic studies we completed to assess benefits from the wetland and buffer restoration, highlighting the study methods and providing a summary of the study outcomes. For the hydrologic study, we utilized site monitoring data and readily available data and input these into a stormwater model, quantifying the reduction in site discharge that occurred with the removal of hydrologic impairments and restoration of native plant communities. We conducted the economic study to quantify both the short-term economic impacts and the long-term value provided by enhanced ecosystem services. This study projected long-term returns of 6:1 over a 20-year period due to enhanced recreational experiences, hydrologic restoration, and other co-benefits of native plant communities. I will discuss how the results can be used to promote the ecosystems services benefits of habitat restoration. BIO: Aaron Feggestad has been a practicing wetland professional for the past 20+ years, working in Wisconsin and throughout the Great Lakes Region as a consulting ecologist, volunteer, and educator. His primary expertise lies in the assessment and restoration of wetlands and other natural communities. He calls Oconomowoc and the Southern Kettle Moraine landscape home.