rivers report winter 2011
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8/2/2019 Rivers Report Winter 2011
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WINTER
2010/11
A Voice for the River 2
Underwood Creek
Rehabilitation
3
Water Star &Volunteer Spotlight
4
Watershed Action Teams
Reach Milestone
5
Urban Conservation on the
Milwaukee River
6
Friendly Faces of the GreatLakes
7
Volunteer Stream Monitoring2010 Report
8
UWM Spring LectureCalendar
9
Fish Passage Program 10
GLRI Funds Habitat Restora-tion in the Area of Concern
11
Upcoming Events 12
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Southeastern
Wisconsin
Watersheds
tRust, Inc.
Forum Combines Environmental Restoration
and Urban Regeneration: Milwaukee’s Inner
Harbor Project draws international design talent
FORUM to page 9.
The University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee’s (UWM) Institute for
Ecological Design, housed in the
Department of Architecture, has
initiated the Milwaukee Inner Harbor Project to advance knowl-
edge about sustainability across the
spectrum of architecture, landscape
architecture and urban design. The
project is an unprecedented two-
year, collaborative effort undertaken
by the School of Architecture and
Urban Planning to create a forum
for the University, business owners,
residents, community leaders, and
the general public to envision thefuture of Milwaukee’s industrial
waterfront together.
Courtesy of UWM.
The 1,000 acre inner harbor study
area (see inset) has been the home of
foundries, fuel depots, tanneries and
rail yards. In the early 1900’s it was
an engine of Milwaukee’s industrialgrowth with active factories, rail
terminals and adjacent workers’
homes. The Inner Harbor also
contains the Milwaukee Estuary, an
inland waterway that is the mouth of
the Kinnickinnic River as well as a
direct physical and ecological link to
Lake Michigan. Recognized by the
Environmental Protection Agency as
an Area of Concern, many of the
recognized impairments are tied tothe area’s historical development
patterns and priorities. Today, the
Inner Harbor is known for its aban-
doned structures, brownfields, coal
storage and scrap metal processing.
Redevelopment has been stalled by
this visually and environmentally
deteriorated state.
Despite this, the Inner Harbor repre-
sents an untapped potential for the
City of Milwaukee, especially inlight of the Harbor’s value as a deep
water port and its emerging identity
as a water industry hub. The recent
establishment of the first of its kind
School of Freshwater Sciences at
UWM, and the imminent construc-
tion of their new facilities at
Christine Scott Thomson, Executive Director, Institute for Ecological Design
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WINTER 2010/11Page 2
By Kate Morgan, Water Policy Director,1000 Friends of Wisconsin.
Sometimes people just know when a
story needs to be told and they know
they are the ones to tell it. That’s how
it was for Eddee Daniel. The story
was about his neighbor, the Meno-
monee River. He saw a rich story
reflecting the varied relationship of
people to the river, nuanced by time
and change. It is also a story of a river
looking for a second chance. And tothis story, artist and activist Eddee
Daniel was called.
Eddee’s vision was to walk the entire
length of the river, from headwaters to
the confluence, chronicling each
stretch with word and image.
As a volunteer for the Friends of the
Menomonee River, he’d given presen-
tations about the river to various
groups and organizations. From these
presentations he learned how dis-
connected most people were from
the river and how little they knew
about the watershed in which they
lived.
This then became his goal: to help
build awareness about the river and
inspire people to discover what hedescribed as an urban wilderness
and to be enriched by that dis-
covery. He would create a book
and capture through word and im-
age the stories he discovered along
the Menomonee River. Little did
he know that the project would take
six years.
As he walked the river, he found
hidden jewels, noted the river’s
challenges, and observed change – change, both positive and negative
in its impact on the river and its
habitats. The good news he brought
back from his trek along the river is
that we are fortunate to have such a
rich and diverse natural environ-
ment within easy reach of our urban
population.
Over the course of the 6 years, he
witnessed the transformative effect
of the Menomonee Valley and the
A Voice for the
River:
Eddee Daniel
Hank Aaron State Trail in the heart of
the city; an example of how community,
industry, and the environment can be
integrated. One of the little known
jewels Eddee discovered is a wild
stretch of the Little Menomonee River
and the Menomonee River between
Capital Drive and Silver Spring Drive.
He also witnessed the trash, pollution,
and the impact of development along the
river. He was disheartened when he
revisited unique places he’d discovered
early in the project and found them de-
stroyed by development. As he walked
the river corridor, he saw other natural
areas that had been changed forever by
an approach to development that showed
little regard for its impact on the river
and habitat.His experience and the artistic work that
came out of his river walks underscore
the import role that artists can play as
spokespersons and activists for the envi-
ronment. Artists have a different way of
communicating and reaching people;
they can capture people’s attention
through the barrage of the media; and art
can move people in a way that words
cannot. In viewing the world through
the eyes of an artist, if the art is accessi- ble and truthful, our own way of seeing
can be changed.
Eddee’s hope is that people who live in
the city engage in more experiences in
nature and come to value and appreciate
all that it provides for us. He also
believes that if we can help build a
connection between the people in our
urban region and the natural landscape
here, then Milwaukee can serve as a
model to be replicated in other placesthroughout the country. And impor-
tantly, we need to build this connection
with our youth; taking our children out
into nature, into the environment and
nurturing this life-sustaining connection.
I couldn’t agree with Eddee more. Eddee Daniel
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WINTER 2010/11Page 3
Menomonee River Watershed thatincluded plans to rehabilitate 6,600feet of Underwood Creek. In 2009and 2010, MMSD constructed reha-
bilitation improvements associatedwith the upstream (Phase 1) portion,which address a 2,200-foot segmentof Underwood Creek, located imme-diately downstream of Mayfair Roadin the City of Wauwatosa. Criticaldesign elements in the Phase 1 Pro-
ject included determining the desired
geometry and surface elevations thatdefine the rehabilitated main channeland floodplain, and the associatedwatercourse conveyance characteris-tics for a range of hydrologic condi-tions.
Key project considerations included
developing a stable rehabilitated mainchannel that allows frequent overbank events and establishing floodplainelevations at the seasonal high ground-water table. In this manner, therehabilitated main channel and flood-
plain are hydrologically connected, producing a hydrated floodplain withconditions essential to developingriparian wetlands with native vegeta-tion and associated wildlife communi-ties. Prior to rehabilitation, the concrete
-lined channel was able to convey the10-year design event discharge, equalto approximately 3,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). The conveyance capacityof the rehabilitated stone-lined channelwas selected to be 200 cfs, based uponan evaluation of long-term stream flowrecords and the desire to generate
Under w ood Cr eek Rehabilitation: Phase 1 T ho m as R . S ear , P E , C F M S eni o r P r o j ec t M anag er S ho r t E l l i o t t H end r i c k s o n, I nc .
approximately 12 overbank (floodplain discharge) events per year.
The restored floodplain wetlands provide soil stabilization and habitatfor a variety of wildlife species. Asthe vegetative communities evolve,the soil will develop a more complexstructure, as will the communitiesthemselves. Each year, biomass pro-duced by the previous year’s growth
will break down, releasing nutrientsinto the soil and contributing to itsdevelopment. In addition, duringstorm events when water levels rise,the floodplain is flushed with nutri-ents and seeds from upstreamsources, aiding in plant community
progression.
Key considerations
included developing a
stable rehabilitated
main channel that
allows frequent overbank
events and establishing
floodplain elevations at
the seasonal high
groundwater table.
T O M S E A R
T O M S E A R
Underwood Creek is a major tributary of the MenomoneeRiver, flowing nearly eight miles through a highly urban-ized, twenty square mile watershed. To improve floodwa-ter conveyance, the creek was dramatically altered in the1960s through floodplain filling, channel widening and
realignment, and the installation of concrete channel lin-ing. These changes disrupted or eliminated watercoursehydrologic functions and related aquatic and riparianwetland habitats. The increased conveyance inUnderwood Creek also contributed to downstream flood-ing along the Menomonee River that occurred in the late1990s.
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District (MMSD)completed preliminary engineering designs in 2006 for recommended flood management improvements in the
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WINTER 2010/11Page 4
Menomonee Falls Received the
Bronze Water Star Award forWater Conservation Effortsthis past December. MenomoneeFalls is among the first Wisconsinmunicipalities to receive programrecognition for exemplary water conservation and protection efforts.The new program, Water Star,honors cities, villages, towns andcounties that have taken importantsteps to protect surface water andgroundwater, such as strengthening
stormwater controls, ensuring water quality, protecting habitats andencouraging residents to conservewater.
Water Star program sponsorsinclude the Wisconsin Departmentof Natural Resources (DNR),Cooperative Extension, MSAProfessional Services, Town andCounty RC&D,Rock River Coali-tion, UW-Extension Environmental
Resources Center, Dane County, Natural Resources Consulting Inc.and Ruekert-Mielke.
―Too often we complain about whatisn’t being done instead of celebrat-
ing the positive steps municipali-
ties are taking,‖ said SuzanneWade, a University of Wisconsin-Extension Natural ResourcesEducator and Water Star coordi-nator. ―I’m amazed at the local
wisdom that these municipal staff and elected officials have used insolving problems. Water Star isone way for them to share their good work.‖
Based on how well a municipality
meets its recommended stan-dards, the Water Star programranks municipalities with strongwater resource protections byidentifying them as gold, silver or
bronze star communities.
For more information regardingthe Village of Menomonee Fallsinvolvement in the Water Star Program, contact NancyGreifenhagen, Environmental
Coordinator at (262) 532-4417 or stormwater@menomonee-falls.org.
Also Visit:
www.Menomonee-Falls.org/Stormwater andwww.waterstarwisconsin.org
A Star Shines on Menomonee
Falls!
Jean Davidson:
A Water Sentinel
By Dale Olen, Senior Water Advo-cate Network Program Director
―When I look out my window, I see
the Menomonee River and know it
needs caring. That’s why I got
involved with the Watershed Action
Team,‖ says Milwaukee resident,
Jean Davidson. Just ending her
eighth decade on this water planet,
Jean has been around and in water
(sometimes hot) most of her life.
She grew up in Minnesota and spent
a lot of time in its 10,000 lakes and
rivers swimming, watching fish, and
enjoying the beauty.
Jean was a 4-H kid for 12 years,
which later led to her interest in soil
conservation through the University
of Minnesota Extension. As a
young woman, she remembers see-
ing people laying drain tiles in
marsh-like areas converting theminto farmland and realized she
needed to protect both water and
land. She worked at the University
of Wisconsin Ag Extension as a
home economist and with the Wel-
fare Department helping poor and
I m a g e s c o u r t e s y o f V i l l a g e o f M e n o m
o n e e F a l l s
D a l e O l e n
By Nancy Greifenhagen, Environmental Coordinator
Village of Menomonee Falls
SPOTLIGHT to page 5.
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Watershed Action Teams’
Implementation Plans approved!
Page 5
UW-Extension
single mothers manage their lives
and their children’s. She was also a
second grade teacher in centralMilwaukee for two years.
―I married a forester,‖ Jean re-
counts, ―and before we had chil-
dren, we’d go canoeing and camp-
ing frequently. We spent a lot of
time near and on the water.‖ Jean
has three daughters, one who
worked as a waste water technician,
and another who lives on a farm
with her husband, involved daily in
water and soil concerns. Jean
became more interested in ground
water issues while watching her
daughter drill a 300-foot well to get
fresh water.
As a member of the Menomonee
River Watershed Action Team, Jeanhas volunteered to recruit new
members for the group. She’d like toget more people trained to do water monitoring. ―It’s a stinky river attimes,‖ she says. ―There’s fecalmatter in the River and that concernsme.‖
When she takes a wide-angle look atwater, Jean feels the big issues aremaking clean drinking water availableto everyone, not just to those who can
pay for it. She thinks we all have to
learn to conserve water. And finally,she insists, ―We have to protect theGreat Lakes.‖ Can it be done? ―Yes,‖
she nods, ―there are more wealthy people and ordinary people puttingresources to work on these issues. Ithink we can do this.‖
SPOTLIGHT from page 4.
By Kate Morgan
1000 Friends of Wisconsin
Is one of your favorite winter activi-
ties pouring over seed catalogs and
planning your spring garden? If so,
consider adding a rain garden.
Rain water from your roof is redi-
rected from the storm sewer to the
rain garden. The rain garden absorbs
this extra water keeping it out of our
storm sewers and helping the pipes
from overfilling during rain events.
The flowering plants that flourish in a
rain garden are nature’s beauties at
work. This specific group of native
plants have the wonderful capacity to
capture the rainfall with their deep
root systems. In addition, you’ll find
these native plants a favorite of birds
and butterflies. Need some inspira-
tion?
Check out these links:
http://clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/
Rain Gardens: A How-to Manual for Homeowners & A Household Way to Improve Water
Quality in Your Community
http://bluethumb.org/raingardens/ Blue Thumb: Planting for
Clean Water
For more information, contact
UW-Extension: 414-256-4632
gail.overholt@ces.uwex.edu .
The Watershed Action Teams for the Menomonee and
Kinnickinnic Rivers achieved an important benchmark in November, finalizing reports on Priority Projects and Im-
plementation Plans for their respective rivers.
After 18 public meetings seeking ideas and review from more than 400WAT members and interested community members, the groups presentedtheir final work for approval by the Sweet Water Steering Council and tothe Joyce Foundation (the primary funder).
Kudos to Ben Gramling, Sean Folz, Cheryl Nenn and Gail Epping Overholtfor jobs well-done for leading the charge. All this could not have beenaccomplished without all those WAT members who will now move projects
forward to execute the recommendations of the plans into on-the-groundrestoration of these two river systems. To view the implementation plansand for updates on current restoration projects, visit the Sweet Water web-site at www.swwtwater.org .
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This fall was an exciting season for the River Revitalization Foundation,
Milwaukee’s urban land trust. First,in partnership with MilwaukeeCounty Parks, RRF celebrated thecompletion of the Beerline Trail inOctober; offering community mem-
bers access to the river and runs fromGordon Park to RRF’s recent pur-
chase — the former Wheelhouse res-taurant.
Demolition of the former Melanec’sWheelhouse restaurant on N. River-
boat Road was completed on November 6th, followed by newtopsoil and native prairie seed mix.RRF is currently working on a site
plan for the 5 to 8 year-phasedrestoration, which will transform the
blighted lot into public greenspace.Restoration of this site will protect650 feet of shoreline, provide a
primary entrance to the river valley,and offer nature-based education andrecreation opportunities for Milwau-
kee’s residents. In addition to thedemolition of the building on site,two large impervious parking lotswere also removed, which willsignificantly reduce stormwater run-off into the Milwaukee River. RRF
purchased the 2.8-acre parcel inDecember 2009 for $1.4 million,
with partial funding from a Nelson-Knowles Stewardship Grant and
MMSD’s Greenseams program.
These two projects serve as the―Gateway‖ to the recently
protected 800-acre MilwaukeeRiver Central Park and will be playan integral role in implementinga vision for a unique urban wilder-ness, complete with restorednatural communities, shared-use
recreation opportunities, and protection of critical habitat. In anenvironment that is surrounded
primarily by pavement, projectslike these engage the communityand foster greater awareness to
protect the invaluable land andwater resources of Milwaukee.
Urban ConservationAlong the Milwaukee River
Page 6
Theresa Morgan, Conservation Specialist,
River Revitalization Foundation
KIMBERLEY GLEFFE
Wheelhouse before demolition. T H E R E S A
M O R G A N
Wheelhouse demolition, day 2.
V I N C E B
U S H E L L
MilwaukeeArea of ConcernCoordinator
Megan O’Shea
Megan O'Shea is excited to be joining the Milwaukee team after working for the DNR on the St.Louis River Area of Concern for thelast three years. A native of Wisconsin, Megan completed her undergraduate work at LawrenceUniversity in Appleton, WI, withmajors in geology and environ-mental studies and a minor inanthropology. She then went on toobtain a Master of Science degreefrom Arizona State University ingeological sciences, specializing inwater resource management and
policy in Arizona.
Megan has developed interests ininternational/transboundary water issues, the roles of information anduncertainty in decision-making
processes, and toxic sustances. Shelooks forward to meeting and work-ing with partners in the MilwaukeeRiver Basin to devise strategies tocontinue clean up and rehab of theestuary and its contributing rivers.
W i s c o n s
i n D
N R
WINTER 2010/ 2011
W i s c o
n s i n
D N R
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WINTER 2010/ 2011 Page 7
Steve Galarneau has been selected as theDirector of the Office of the Great Lakes.
Steve will be the WDNR representative in both multi-state and international manage-
ment. Steve has over 20 years of water resource management experience with muchof that working on Lake Michigan and its’tributaries.
Steve’s educational training was on the
Great Lakes – MS in biology from theUniversity of Wisconsin Milwaukee, Center for Great Lakes Studies.
He has been with the WDNR in theWatershed Bureau since 1994 as a Water Resources biologist in Southeast Region and
as the Lake Michigan Program Coordinator from March 2007 to present.
This is an exciting and challenging time for Great Lakes with new opportunities for res-toration and key policy issues and we areexcited that Steve will be playing a key role.
Friendly Faces of the Great Lakes
GL Monitoring
Coordinator: Andy Fayram
Andy will be responsible for overseeing the development,implementation and coordina-tion of the Great Lakes Moni-toring program for the DNR.
Andy will assist DNR staff in developing monitoring plans related to projects for aimed at restoring the waters in Wisconsin’s Areas of Con-
cern (AOCs), Lakewide Management Plans (LaMP) initiatives, Wis-consin’s Great Lakes Strategy and the Great Lakes Restoration Initia-
tive (GLRI).
Andy will be the state lead for implementing the restoration and protec-tion components of the Wisconsin Great Lakes Strategy covering
both Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Director, Office of Great Lake
Steve Galarnea
Kendra Axness joined the Office of GreatLakes as the Lakewide Management Plan(LaMP) and Area of Concern (AOC)
Coordinator. She will facilitate coordina-tion and communication among theWDNR staff working in the five Wiscon-sin AOCs and on the Lake Michigan andLake Superior LaMPs. One of her highest
priorities is to advance progress toward delisting Beneficial Use Im- pairments within the AOCs. Initially, she will focus on learning aboutthe needs and priorities of each AOC, and to identify processes or pro-
jects where coordination and/or consistency across the AOCs would bemost beneficial. One project Kendra is tackling right away is workingwith the Office of the Great Lakes staff, WDNR AOC Coordinators,and UW-Extension Natural Resource Educators to
develop guidance for writing Beneficial Use Impairment ―delistingstrategies.‖ She will also be working with the AOC Coordinators and
Basin Educators to develop education and outreach programs.
Before joining WDNR, Kendra developed educational programs andmaterials as the UW-Extension Basin Educator in the Upper Green Bayand Lower Fox River Basins for the past nine years.
Statewide LaMP &AOC Coordinator
Kendra Axness
U W - E x t e nsi o n
W i s c o n s i n D N R
W i s c
o n s i n D N R
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Milwaukee Riverkeeper had another
successful volunteer monitoring
season in 2010. On May 1st, the
Village of Menomonee Falls hosted
our Level II volunteer stream monitor
training with the aid of the River
Alliance of Wisconsin. Riveredge
Nature Center hosted and helped us
with the training of our Level I Water
Action Volunteers (WAV) on May
22nd.
We trained 24 new Level I (WAV)
and 10 new Level II volunteer stream
monitors to form a formidable team
of nearly 80 citizen scientists, moni-
toring roughly 80 sites monthly in the
Milwaukee River Basin, which
includes the Milwaukee, Meno-
monee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers and
their tributaries.
Both Level I (WAV) and Level II
volunteers monitor air and water tem-
perature, water clarity and dissolved
oxygen. Level I volunteers also
assess stream habitat, stream flow
velocity and macroinvertebrates.
The macroinvertebrate results are
used as a long-term biotic indicator
of stream health, complementing
physical/chemical data. Level II vol-
unteers use more sophisticated
equipment to conduct their monitor-
ing.
The Wisconsin Department of Natu-
ral Resources (DNR) and other
agencies use Level I (WAV) data as
part of an initial assessment to iden-
tify waterbodies that have potential
water quality problems. Level II
data is entered into a DNR database
(Surface Water Information Man-
agement System, SWIMS) and is
used along with DNR-collected
data for status and trends monitor-
ing, and to make management deci-
Another Successful Volunteer Stream MonitoringSeason for Milwaukee Riverkeeper
sions (e.g. identify locations for
stream restoration projects, fish
stocking, etc.) as long as the moni-
tors follow the correct monitoring
protocols. Citizen monitoring data is
especially important now as state
funding for DNR monitoring efforts
continues to be reduced.
Monitoring data is also very impor-
tant to Milwaukee Riverkeeper. We
use it to help us identify and respond
to problems affecting our rivers,
which is why we greatly appreciate
and depend on the continued support
of our volunteer monitors! Increas-
ing our volunteer base is more
crucial now than ever as we and our
partners at the Southeastern Wiscon-
sin Watersheds Trust, (Sweet Water)
begin to implement restoration
projects and programs identified in
the Sweet Water Implementation
Plans for the Menomonee and
Kinnickinnic River Watersheds in
2011.
Example of a Continuous Temperature Chart created from a thermistor log.
By Joe Rath, Milwaukee Riverkeeper
If you are interested in
attending Milwaukee
Riverkeeper’s training for
the 2011 stream monitoring
season, please contact Joe at
joe_rath@milwaukeeriverke
eper.org or 414-287-0207
ext 234. You will be added toour email distribution list
and will receive details
about the training as it
approaches.
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Greenfield Avenue are already catalytic
investments in the area with the poten-
tial to advance the future of the Inner
Harbor as a whole.
The Milwaukee Inner Harbor Project
will undertake a process to broaden theredevelopment discussion by illustrating
the potential to combine ecological res-
toration and economic redevelopment.
The project will create redevelopment
visions for Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor as
a net-zero carbon and net-zero stormwa-
ter discharge redevelopment zone. The
Inner Harbor Project will combine
education, research and public outreach
to demonstrate how the redevelopment
process can be used to simultaneouslyaccomplish environmental goals and
focus investment, leading to both
restoration of natural communities and
revitalization of the urban landscape.
Forum from page 1
UWM’S SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
& URBAN PLANNING
2011 SPRING LECTURE SERIES:
Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor Project
FEB 11: Atelier Dreiseitl
FEB 25: JJR
MAR 11: Perkins + Will Architects
APR 15: Bohlin, Cywinski, Jackson
All lectures are held at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee’s AUP Building at 2131 E. Hartford Ave, Milwaukee, WI from 4:30-6:00 p.m.
on Friday’s from January to May. Lectures associated with the
Milwaukee Inner Harbor Project are sponsored by UWM’s Institute
for Ecological Design.
Level I (WAV) volunteer stream monitor training at
Riveredge Nature Center.
Courtesy Milwaukee Riverkeeper
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Ozaukee County’s Fish Passage
Program (Program), funded in 2009
by a $5.2 million American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act grant from the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), will con-
tinue throughout 2011. The Program
is reopening over 158 stream miles to
aquatic species within the Milwaukee
River Watershed by removing dams,
constructing fishways, and remediat-
ing other barriers on many rivers and
streams in Ozaukee County. Barriers
include undersized or improperly
installed culverts, reaches of invasive
vegetation, railroad ballast accumula-
tions, log jams, and small dams. Many
road crossing improvements also
reduce local tax burdens by replacing
failing infrastructure in the process of
restoring fish passage.
During 2010, the Milwaukee Commu-
nity Service Corp (MCSC) removed
over 110 small-scale barriers to fish
and aquatic life movement on 9 Ozau-
kee County tributary streams to theMilwaukee River. The MCSC is a
non-profit vocational
training organizationthat educates, employs,
and provides life-
training skills to at-risk
Milwaukee youth. The
MCSC worked in varied,
often adverse conditions,
and learned a great deal about re-
storing natural resources. Ms. Lind-
say Krchma, MCSC supervisor, said
―there is nothing more rewarding
than witnessing a change in mind-set. My crew members, many of
whom have never been closely in-
volved in environmental restoration,
are now recognizing identified bar-
riers and taking action rather than
waiting for my instruction. I see
development in them, an under-
standing of proper human interces-
sion and our team’s important role
as part of the Program."
The Mequon-Thiensville Fishway
was completed in fall of 2010 and
provides a natural like, meandering
fishway to allow fish and aquatic
life to bypass the adjacent dam. A
pedestrian bridge over the fishway’s
inlet provides an excel-
lent viewing area and a
connection between the
Village park and down-
town area. The dam is
jointly owned and oper-
ated by the Village of
Ozaukee County, Milwaukee Youth, and
Partner Organizations Continue
Successful Fish Passage Program By Matt Aho , Fish Passage Program - Milwaukee River
Watershed, Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department
Milwaukee Community Service Corps members adjust
the Mequon-Thiensville Fishway during a November 16,
2010 volunteer event.
Thiensville and the City of Me-
quon. Mr. Mark Lloyd, MequonPublic Works Deputy Director,
commented on the fishway: ―the
environmental and aesthetic im-
provements are tremendous. The
project has transformed an unus-
able area into a fish and wildlife
habitat. It also has created a com-
munity asset that will provide a
pedestrian connection between the
Village Park and the downtown
area. Everyone benefits.‖
The Village of Grafton’s Lime
Kiln Dam was removed in Novem-
ber 2010. This allows the Milwau-
kee River to flow freely, restoring
access to biologically important
habitat. A series of dynamite
blasts were used to fracture the
aging, dilapidated structure origi-
nally built to power operations at
an adjacent limestone quarry. The
Ozaukee County Highway Depart-
ment preformed the removal and
steps to maintain site access for
recreational anglers and monument
the site’s unique history are under-
way.
A dynamite charge detonated in Lime Kiln Dam on
November 17, 2010 re-opened the Milwaukee River to
native fish passage, as well as recreational canoeists
and kayakers.
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The Urban Ecology Center (UEC)recently received a grant award from theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA)
through the Great Lakes RestorationInitiative (GLRI). The UEC has part-nered with Milwaukee County, City of Milwaukee, Rotary Club of Milwaukee,River Revitalization Foundation,Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition,
private businesses and local landownersto protect and restore 40 contiguous acresof land along the Milwaukee River as anarboretum of native plant communitiesand improved wildlife habitat (includinghabitat of the state-threatened Butler’s
garter snake).
This project was also chosen by theMilwaukee Rotary Club in planning of the club’s upcoming centennial celebra-
tion to be named the Rotary CentennialArboretum. The Arboretum is within theMilwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern and its creation will address theEPA-identified beneficial use impair-ments of 1) loss of fish and wildlife
habitat, 2) degradation of fish andwildlife populations, and 3) degradationof aesthetics. This reach of the river ishighly visible and extensively used bythe surrounding community for recrea-tion. Over the three year scope of this
GLRI Funds Assist Habitat in the Milwaukee River AOC By Kimberly Forbeck, Urban Ecology Center/ Senior Land Steward
GoogleMaps&AnneReis(U
EC–
GISSpecialist)
project existing native plants and plant communities will be surveyedand inventoried. Over 5 acres of barren industrial land will be planted
with young forest and savannah trees, 6 acres of Reed Canary Grassmonoculture on the river bank will be converted to a mosaic of nativewet and mesic prairie. In addition, 15 acres of forest and savannah will
be restored to high quality habitat and an additional 13 acres of degradedforest and trails will be managed for invasive plant species, increasedvegetative cover, increased native biodiversity, and soil conservation.Restoration efforts will be carried out by the UEC’s volunteer -drivenCommunity Land Stewardship Program. Monitoring the effects of resto-ration efforts on local wildlife will be carried out by the UEC’s Citizen
Science Project.
All of this very important work could not beaccomplished without the help of our many volunteers!
Kimberly Forbeck
8/2/2019 Rivers Report Winter 2011
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rivers-report-winter-2011 12/12
C O N T R I B U T I N G E
D I
T O R S
G a i l E p p i n g O v e r h o l t , U W - E x t e n s i o n
J e f f M a r t i n k a , S w e e t W a t e r
K a t e M o r g a n , 1 0 0 0 F r i e n d s o f W
I
600 East Greenfield Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53204
Phone: (414) 382-1766
Cell: (414) 477-1156
Web: www.swwtwater.org
Email: martinka@swwtwater.org
UW- Extension
9501 W. Watertown Plank Road
Wauwatosa, WI 53226
Phone: (414) 256-4632
Web: http://basineducation.uwex.edu/milwaukee/
Email: gail.overholt@ces.uwex.edu
PARTNERS
SoutheasternWisconsin
Watersheds
tRust, Inc.
Expanding upon previous local govern-
ment outreach, the Wisconsin Wetlands
Association (WWA) has developed
detailed recommendations for how local
governments can amend land use
ordinances to improve local wetland
protections.
By February 2012 local governments
are required to update their shoreland
zoning ordinances to comply with new
requirements under Chapter NR 115 of
the Wisconsin Administrative Code.
Though the new rule does not substan-
tially change minimum standards for
shoreland-wetland protection, the ordi-
nance revision process provides an
opportunity to make local land use
regulations more consistent with, or
even more effective than, federal and
state wetlands laws.
WWA’s recommendations are based
on findings from recent research
where we reviewed the zoning andsubdivision ordinances of Wiscon-
sin’s 15 Coastal Counties and evalu-
ated how these counties use land use
policies to facilitate wetland protec-
tion. While our research was limited
to coastal counties, the findings and
recommendations derived from it
have applications for counties, cities,
villages and towns across the state.
In addition to helping local govern-
ments improve the protection of localwetlands, WWA’s recommendations
include tips to help local governments
more efficiently administer local wet-
land protection policies.
Developed with grant support of the
Wisconsin Coastal Management Pro-
gram, the zoning recommendations will
be sent to every county zoning office
statewide and can also be viewed or
downloaded for free from WWA’s web-
pages at: www.wisconsinwetlands.
org/localgovs.htm.
Questions about these recommendations
or assistance for your community in pro-
tecting local wetlands contact Policy Spe-
cialist, Kyle Magyera at 608-250-9971 or
kyle.magyera@wisconsinwetlands.org
Wisconsin Wetlands Association is dedi-
cated to the protection, restoration and
enjoyment of wetlands and associated ecosystems through science-based pro-
grams, education and advocacy. WWA is
a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
Feb 16-17 Wetlands in the Landscape: 16th Annual Wisconsin Wetland Association
Conference Baraboo, WI . Visit: http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/2011CFP.htm
Mar 3-4 Wisconsin’s Role in Great Lakes Restoration: 2011 AWRA Annual Meeting
Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Appleton, WI. Visit: http://state.awra.org/wisconsin
Mar 9-11 Green Energy Summit Visit: http://www.greenenergysummit.us
Mar 24-25 2011 Citizen-Based Stream Monitoring Symposium Madison WI .
Assessing Agricultural Impacts in Your Watershed.
Visit: http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/Symposium/2011/symposium2011.html
Upcoming Events
Now Available — Shoreland and Wetland Zoning Recommendations!
Wisconsin DNR
2300 N Dr ML King Jr. Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53212
Phone: (414) 263-8625
Web: www.dnr.wi.gov
E-mail:megan.oshea@wisconsin.gov
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