Rock River Coalition 2013 Annual Report

Rock River Coalition, 864 Collins Rd, Jefferson, WI 53549-1976info@rockrivercoalition.org, www.rockrivercoalition.org

Rock River Coalition Financial SummaryFor the fiscal year ending 12/31/2013

Support and RevenueMemberships/Donations $ 15,242 Project and Programs $ 55,175Total Revenue $ 70,417

ExpensesPrograms & Projects $ 48,392Management & Operations $ 4,298Total Expenses $ 52,690

Net AssetsBeginning of the Year $ 15,530End of the Year $ 33,257Change in Assets $ 17,727

Membership continued

MissionTo educate and provide

opportunities for people of diverse interests to work together to improve the

environmental, economic, cultural and recreational

resources of the Rock River Basin in Wisconsin.

$25 to $99Todd Ambs Ronald & Nelda Bergsten Andy & Debbie Bissonette David & Darice Brumm Sarah Chase Walter Christensen City of Delavan City of Stoughton James & Jennifer Colegrove Eric Compas Samuel & Kay Cooke III Paul Dearlove Leslie DeMuth Lynne & Bob Diebel Linn Duesterbeck Patrick & Ms Lloyd Eagon Karen Etter Hale William & Mary Fogarty Fox Lake Inland Lake P&R Dist.Kevin Freber Friends of McCarthy Park Ralph Froelich Kay Gabriel Thomas Ganfield Donnell Gieb Patricia Giese Steve Grabow Green Lake County LCC Green Rock Audubon Society Debbie Hafestein Jennifer Hanneman Skip & Wendy Hein-Drew Todd Highsmith Mike Hoppenrath Peter Jacobs Joe Janczy Johnson Creek Utilities Roger & Denise Kist Ellen Klaus Scott Taylor & Kristen Kordel Ralph & Margaret Krueger John Krug Bradley & Kathleen Lake Lake Ripley Mgmt District Lake Sinissippi Improvement Association Danile Lynch Ruth Mack

Carol Mankiewicz Jeanine Mason (Campenni) Mark Micek Robert Miller Daniel Moore David & Sandra Neuendorf North Lake Management Dist. Nathan Olson David Muslof & Roger Packard Charles & Evelyn Payson Janice Redford Matt Rehwald Nate & Jessica Rice Rock Lake Improvement Assoc. Rosy Lane Holsteins LLC Doris Rusch Daniel & Jean Sable Melissa & Justin Sargent Jeanne Scherer Greg & Dianne Searle Gary & Penelope Shackelford Debora Sielski Emily Stanley Joleen Stinson Roger Luhn & Sarah Streed Aaron Stutz Tall Pines Conservancy Inc. Nicholas Tippery

The 2013 Protector and Friend awards were handed out after our Bioblitz, which culminated 6 years of citizen data collection at the Zeloski Marsh. Pictured here from left are: Nic Tippery, Pete Berres from Berres Brothers Coffee Roasters, Greg Farnham, Joe Hardgrove, Jim Lorman, Monona Mayor Bob Miller, Brad Webb and Lisa Conley.

Town of Dunn Upper Nemahbin Lake Management District Marsha Vomastic Watertown Rotary Club Brad & Royal Webb Scott Weberpahl Photography James Welsh Whispering Wings Game Farm Ken Wiesner Anthony Yuhas Roy Zastrow

Less than $25Curtis BlakewayWilliam BoettgeNelson FischerWilliam & Mary FogartyRuth HartwigJohn McKenzieElroy MittelstadtEugene RoarkRichard SchlondropCaroline Werner

2013 Rock River Coalition Highlights A special thanks to our 2013 Members, Donors and Grantors!

Rock River Basin MonitoringStream Monitoring EffortsIn 2013, we continued to strengthen the citizen stream monitoring program by increasing our volunteer base and numbers of stream segments monitored. We trained 48 citizens in all three levels of monitoring. Our monitoring coordinator worked with a total of 105 volunteers in 2013, an increase of 30 volunteers. Our volunteers monitored a total of 110 sites, an increase of 34 over the previous year. The largest growth was in Dane County.

Wetland Monitoring: 2013 Bioblitz a great day at the Zeloski Marsh100 people participated in our 24 hour survey of life of the Zeloski Marsh in this scientific and educational event. More than 90 species of birds and 130 insects, spiders and their kin were found, along with bats, other mammals, frogs, turtles, reptiles, fungus and flowering plants.

RRC ChaptersThe Friends of Badfish Creek WatershedEstablished in 2008 the RRC chapter Friends of Badfish Creek Watershed (FBCW) began working with WDNR on a proposal to build a canoe landing on the Badfish at Old Stage Road. Other 2013 activities included monitoring the Badfish and controlling Japanese knotweed and garlic mustard at Riley Road, controlling wild parsnip at Old Stone Road, and an August canoe outing, attended by eleven happy paddlers.

New ChaptersThanks to a grant from the Brandt-Quirk Foundation, two new chapters will be added to our family in 2013. One from the Johnson Creek area and one from the Waterloo-Maunesha River area.

RRC Special ProjectsSend Your Legislator Down the RiverThis year’s paddle saw us in the amazing Mud Lake Wildlife Area west of Watertown. This area is the best example of what our wetlands looked like prior to European settlement.

Rock River Recovery EffortThe RRC, a member of the education/outreach and the agriculture teams, is committed to continuing to work with basin stakeholders on this important project to reduce sediment and phosphorus inputs into the Rock River and its tributaries.

Water Star Community ProgramThe RRC took a lead role in the development of this robust state program designed to inspire, guide and recognize municipalities for exemplary work in groundwater and surface water. We continue to support and publicize the program’s webinars and municipal efforts.

Rock River ReflectionsWe continue to educate about issues in the Rock River Basin through our partnership newsletter. 1800 copies are distributed four times a year, including copies to every municipality in the basin.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE2013 was a year of new and expanded projects and partnerships for the Rock River Coalition.

We were very fortunate to receive funding from a variety of partners. The Brandt Quirk Foundation funded publicity work to highlight events celebrating our 20th anniversary celebration and the development of 2 new chapters: Maunesha River Alliance and Johnson Creek Watershed Association. The Yahara WINs funded 2 years (2013-2014) of recruitment, training, and maintenance of citizen stream monitors in Dane County. Funds from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is being used to identify lands where wetland restorations are feasible. The Dane County Environmental Council contributed money to purchase stream sampling equipment. The Friends of Lake Wingra contracted with us to provide staff time to accomplish a number of shared education goals.

We partnered with many resource organizations to support a variety of events. The RRC’s Zeloski Marsh BioBlitz included partnerships with the Glacial Heritage Area, the Friends of the Glacial Heritage Area, Jefferson County Parks and Land & Water Conservation Departments, UWEX and the DNR. We also partnered with the DNR and the UW-Extension to host a Rock River Recovery Forum for participants to learn about the middle Rock River and plans to reduce sediment and phosphorus in our waters. The RRC was fortunate to be part of the Design Like Mad event resulting in a new and improved RRC website and logo.

We are very grateful for these contributions and partnerships because they make the Rock River Basin a strong, healthy area!

Patricia Cicero, 2013 RRC President

$1,000 and aboveAnonymousBaird and Associates

$100 to $999Anonymous Blue Star Dairy Farms Frank Brazelton Jane Carlson & Family Patricia Cicero City of Beaver Dam City of Beloit City of Hartford City of Jefferson City of Lake Mills City of Stoughton - Utilities City of Whitewater Bob & Lisa Conley JP Danky Greg Farnham Carl & Peggy Glassford Horicon Bank Ruth Johnson Chase Kelm James Kerler James & Mary Koepke Kunkel Engineering Group Rock Koshkonong Wetland Association Landesign By Margaret Burlingham Nasco Outlet Stores Ken Potter Rock Aqua Jays Rock River Stormwater Group SAA Design Group Taylor Conservation LLC Town of Westport UW-Extension United Cooperative Village of DeForest Village of Marshall Village of Oconomowoc Lake Village of Theresa Suzanne & Larry Wade Walworth County Metropolitan Sewerage Dist.Waukesha County Agribusiness Council Widmer’s Cheese Cellars, Inc.