LNRP Summer Update: Shared Waters, Shared Efforts
Dear Conservationists,
One of my summer reads is the amazing book Braiding Sweetgrass, in which author Robin Wall Kimmerer weaves together Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants. Her deep discussions concerning the importance of the relationships we have with people and the land reflect the core values we hold dear at LNRP. She writes, “Restoring land without restoring relationships is an empty exercise. It is a relationship that will endure and a relationship that will sustain the restored land.” For LNRP, the work of caring for our lands and waters has only been possible because of the relationships that we’ve fostered over 21 years with passionate grassroots organizations, engaged community members, and effective government leaders.
We have an abundance to celebrate at LNRP as we approach the waning weeks of summer. The board, our partner groups, local municipal partners, and our staff have organized a summer of fantastic land and water restorations, beach cleanups, invasive species pulls, a fish release, youth water quality education, guided boat tours, presentations to community groups, tree plantings, kayak paddles, and more.
Our capstone event had to be the Lake Michigan Day celebration at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. A huge Thank You goes out to the planning and awards committees as well as the generous sponsors, all of whom provided vital resources and expertise. Here are some highlights:
Largest Lake Michigan Day gathering to-date, with 100 attendees – tickets sold out!
Inspiring speakers covering a range of timely topics, including: Tribal, rural, and youth climate action; medication take-back efforts; coastal resilience infrastructure; and PFAS research
A message from Governor Evers and a State Proclamation of August 9th as Lake Michigan Day
News coverage across our service region
In addition to taking time to celebrate, we are also engaging in a strategic planning process with support from the Ozaukee Community Development Educator from the University of Wisconsin Extension. So far this process has included gathering data from internal and external stakeholders to inform how we move forward as an organization. We will wrap up phase one of this work at our yearly Board Retreat in September.
Our grant writing and project management remains robust as we oversee almost 40 projects throughout the Wisconsin lakeshore region. And we’re continuing to grow! This fall we will welcome a Partner Projects Coordinator to the LNRP team.
As we glide into the fall season, I encourage all of us to embrace the wisdom of Dr. Kimmerer. We can restore our relationships to our shared lands and waters by caring for them, together.
In gratitude,
Mike Mullen
LNRP Executive Director