Fall 2008
News from LNRP
Events Calendar
Champion Award Reception and We All Live on the Water Seminar
December 4th from 6:30 to 9:00 pm
Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc
Join us for an evening beginning with a book-signing reception with author Peter Annin who wrote the book “The Great Lakes Water Wars.” The wine and appetizer reception will be followed by the presentation of the Champion of Conservation Environmental Awards and a talk by Peter.
Drug Disposal Program
December 5, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm
JE Hamilton Community Center, Two Rivers
Unused medications present public health and safety concerns within the community. Unfortunately, wastewater treatment plants don’t remove one-hundred percent of the dissolved medications that come from local homes. Research has shown pharmaceutical chemicals are showing up in lakes and streams where they are beginning to harm fish populations.
Ridges Holiday Hike and Campfire
Ridges Sanctuary, Door County
December 13th from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Come to the Ridges for a Pre-Holiday Party! There will be a hike in the gathering dusk for the adventuresome to see how the forest inhabitants prepare for winter. They’ll also have a fire with hot cocoa, treats, and marshmallows.
The Friends
of the Branch
The Friends of the Branch, a citizen watershed group based in Manitowoc
and Brown County, is going to hold a program planning meeting on December
15 at 6 PM.
The purpose of the meeting is to establish a calendar of activities for 2009 and discuss ideas to re-vitalize the group. The Watershed Groups goal is to branch out into the community to improve and preserve the Branch River Watershed through education, communication and cooperation by providing local leadership which benefits everyone in a manner that is fair to all. If you are interested in volunteering your time or services; or would like to attend this planning meeting or offer suggestions for the group call President Terry Huske, 920-732-4371.
Events at Woodland Dunes Nature Center on Hwy 310 in Two Rivers
Winnie Smith Harvest Dinner
November 8th at 6:00 pm
Reservations required! $50
Enjoy a gourmet dinner, speaker Bill Volkert, DNR naturalist at Horicon Marsh.
Star Gazing 101
December 5th beginning at 6:00 pm
Members $1, Non-Members $2
Learn how to use the star and planet locator, then head outside to practice and learn about telescopes to view the night sky.
The Snow Ball
January 25th from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Join the staff of Woodland Dunes for a great day of mid-winter fun. Winter games, snowshoe hikes, animal tracking, and a few surprises!
For more information, call Woodland Dunes at 920-793-4007 or view their website at woodlandunes.com
Basin Partners
For a full list of River Basin Partners and useful resources, click here for the LNRP Community Resources page.
Waterfront revitalization in the City of Manitowoc
Guest Article by Helen Sarakinos
In Manitowoc, a river does run through it. Indeed, the very identity of the City of Manitowoc is defined by the coast it embraces and the river that meanders through it. Those flowing waters historically powered the progress of the city, transporting goods, flushing away wastes and generating power. In fact, Manitowoc still maintains a vibrant working harbor. But the Manitowoc – as with many industrial rivers in the Great Lakes region – is a hard-working river that’s been worked really hard.
But it looks like some help for the hard-working river is on the horizon. The city of Manitowoc is drafting its comprehensive plan and an important piece of that is the development of the Downtown and River Corridor Master Plan – an initiative to envision a renewed identity of the river and harborfront. In early 2008, the River Alliance was invited to join the Downtown and River Corridor Steering Committee.
What does good redevelopment mean? The Downtown and River Corridor Master Plan is a great opportunity to maximize the benefit of Manitowoc’s natural assets: its lakefront and riverfront. Neighboring coastal cities such as Milwaukee, Sheboygan and Racine have invested millions of dollars into major waterfront redevelopment projects along both the lakeshore and their riverfronts.
This growing interest in urban waterfront redevelopment also brings with it a need to focus not only on bricks and concrete, but also on the water itself and the people that live by it. Manitowoc has the opportunity to create a vision that will not only attract investment to its waterfront, but will make the water cleaner and enrich the quality of life for its residents by protecting people’s access to the water, creating open green spaces, developing attractive housing and businesses and making it a welcome and safe place for everyone.
A great plan is not just about the final set of drawings, it’s also about the process of how the city arrives at that vision. Getting the input of as many different stakeholders as possible is crucial to achieving economically, environmentally and socially beneficial riverfront redevelopment. Planning consultants Vanderwalle and Associates have worked hard to talk to as many people as they can about their vision for the Manitowoc waterfront. The City of Manitowoc has consistently shown its willingness to develop sustainably, from embarking on the Natural Step Program, to attracting renewable energy industries to the City. What we’ve seen in Manitowoc meets many of the criteria we look for in partnering with urban areas on river revitalization. The River Alliance hopes to make a vital contribution: bringing to the table the voices of local citizens who care about their river. We build on our strength in advocacy to educate people about the benefits of rejuvenating urban rivers and encourage effective public participation in decisions about rivers. Our partnerships with other municipalities, such as Racine, have helped generate citizen grassroots support for riverfront revitalization that puts a good plan into action.
Helen Sarakinos - River Restoration Programs - River Alliance of Wisconsin - 306 E. WIlson, Ste. 2W - Madison, WI 53703 - TEL: (608) 257-2424 ext.112 - FAX: (608) 260-9799 - www.wisconsinrivers.org
Clean up at Point Creek Natural Area
Local Business Owner Richard Larson Assists Tire Pile Clean-up at Point Creek Natural Area in Manitowoc County
In a spirit of community service and resource protection, Richard Larson, owner of GreenSky Energetics and Whitewall Tire Co., became a new supporter of Manitowoc County’s Point Creek Natural Area on October 9, 2008.
Larson agreed to load, haul, and properly dispose of the tires that lay abandoned for years on this Lake Michigan shoreline property, now known as Point Creek Natural Area (PCNA) since its purchase in 2001. The Point Creek site, located in the Town of Centerville, is a research and educational area with public passive recreation that has been undergoing work to restore it back to a habitat of mixed native species.
The connection to environmental health is clear in Larson’s GreenSky Energetics business, which offers consultation and solar solutions for residential and commercial water and space heating. An example of their solar air heating system has been installed at Woodland Dunes Nature Center in Two Rivers. GreenSky’s future plans include offering PV solar panels and small-scale turbines, along with anaerobic digesters.
“We couldn’t have done the project without Richard Larson’s generous donation,” explained Glacial Lakes’ Executive Director, Vickie Hall, chair of the PCNA management committee. “Once we realized that the property’s boundaries included the old tire piles, we knew we had to get rid of them, but without funds, it was nearly impossible.”
Point Creek Natural Area has an innovative management group including Manitowoc County, UW-Green Bay, UW-Sheboygan, UW-Manitowoc, a local resident, and Glacial Lakes Conservancy, the local land trust that holds a conservation easement agreement on the property.
The long search to dispose of the tires ended when Larson stepped up to the plate to do a good turn for the community and charitably cover the tire disposal costs. However, the estimated 500 tires turned out to be over 1300 – a significant difference.
As Manitowoc County staff and volunteers kept turning up with more and more tires discovered under tall grasses and shrubs or around trees, the project grew in scope from a one day project into two days.
“It was incredible. I did not expect the number of tires we hauled away but I was glad to participate in the project,” said Larson.
“This environmental clean-up at PCNA became so much more expensive than we estimated,” said Hall, who added, “I hope that other local businesses or residents might consider donating some funds to this project area to help cover site restoration costs at whatever they can afford. It will all add-up and help.”
Point Creek Natural Area
About Point Creek Natural Area (PCNA):
Point Creek Natural Area resulted in 2001 from the Point Creek Watershed Initiative, a project of the Sheboygan Area Land Conservancy’s Fischer Creek Alliance, who worked diligently to fundraise to save this 39-acre shoreline parcel from development in order to preserve its estuary, wetlands, coastal bluffs, and wildlife habitat. The site is also heavily used each year by thousands of migratory waterfowl along the Lake Michigan flyway, including a large annual congregation of Great Blue Herons. The property was purchased for $1.9 million in 2001 with Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program funds and a Wisconsin Coastal Management Grant, along with generous private foundation and individual donations. The parcel is now owned by Manitowoc County, who donated a Conservation Easement to the Sheboygan Area Land Conservancy, known since 2004 as Glacial Lakes Conservancy. The PCNA Management Plan and innovative Management Committee, forms the basis on how PCNA is being protected and restored. The Management Committee includes one voting representative from Manitowoc County, Glacial Lakes Conservancy, UW – Green Bay, UW – Manitowoc, UW – Sheboygan, and an area community resident. Since 2003, PCNA has had a reforestation project, bird and plant surveys by graduate students, as well as invasive species treatments and trail building days using volunteer assistance.
Glacial Lakes Conservancy
About Glacial Lakes Conservancy (GLC):
Glacial Lakes Conservancy is a private, non-profit, land trust conservation organization dedicated to preserving and protecting working, urban, and natural lands that contribute significantly to the ecological integrity, agricultural sustainability, scenic beauty and recreational enjoyment of our five-county area. Glacial Lakes envisions a legacy of permanently protected lands and land-use policies that sustain and enhance a regional quality of life defined by the beauty and productivity of its working lands and natural resources and is supported by memberships and contributions from those who share in this vision. The Conservancy achieves its goals at this time primarily through the use of donated conservation easements, advocating for resource protection, and entering into project partnerships. GLC is part of the Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance, the nine land trusts within the Lake Michigan watershed basin. For more information, contact Glacial Lakes Conservancy at 920-273-1143 or info@glaciallakes.org.
Want to donate?
I would like to make a tax deductible donation.
Hopefully you have found our newsletter to be helpful and worthwhile. I want to thank the DNR and a River Planning Grant for providing funding for the first year of the newsletter and the beginning of our We All Live on the Water Seminar Series. As that funding is ending, it creates another reason for the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership to further develop our membership.
Artists (from left) Mary Rypel Anderson, Pam Clausen, Russ Schwindt, Mara Pionek,, Sandra Murzyn, and Bonnita Budysz pose with Rahr-West Director Barb Bundy-Jost (fifth from left) and Jim Kettler, Executive Director of LNRP (far right).
The Water’s Edge Artists have chosen prominent and otherwise overlooked creeks, streams, lakes, rivers and wetlands to feature in their paintings. The calendar hopes to capture the essence of these important places through the painters’ direct contact with nature. Sales of the calendar go directly to LNRP’s efforts to protect and restore the waterways of the Lakeshore Basin. 
The new Champion of Conservation environmental award program was launched this fall as a collaboration between the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) and Dominion.
George has lived and farmed in Door County all of his life. In his early years he was a dairy farmer, but in more recent times he has raised grain. He was the first blueberry farmer in Door County. He used drip irrigation, a technology that was developed in Israel and now copied all over the world. His daughter’s Cherrydale Farm produces vegetables organically, especially lettuce. She also produces maple syrup and with a heated green house, organic food production continues through the winter months. 
The We All Live on the Water seminar series brings timely discussion of water-related issues to residents of the basin, featuring speakers of acknowledged expertise and encouraging a public dialogue to elicit and enlighten all points of view. LNRP also recognizes that the seminars further cultivate our partnerships with local groups and other organizations. 
This year LNRP is also launching the Champion of Conservation Environmental Award Program. The award banquet will also showcase nationally recognized speakers as a further development of the We All Live on the Water campaign.
Kewaunee County