rivers report winter 2011

8/2/2019 Rivers Report Winter 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/rivers-report-winter-2011 1/12

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



WINTER 2010/11

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



WINTER 2010/11

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



WINTER 2010/11

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 [email protected].

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.

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.menomonee-falls.org/Stormwater


http://www.waterstarwisconsin.org/








WINTER 2010/11

Watershed Action Teams’

Implementation Plans approved!

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

[email protected] .

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 .



http://bluethumb.org/raingardens/




http://www.swwtwater.org/








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

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



WINTER 2010/ 2011

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



WINTER 2010/11

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.



WINTER 2010/11

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



WINTER 2010/11

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.



WINTER 2010/11

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



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: [email protected]

UW- Extension

9501 W. Watertown Plank Road

Wauwatosa, WI 53226

Phone: (414) 256-4632

Web: http://basineducation.uwex.edu/milwaukee/

Email: [email protected]

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

[email protected]

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:[email protected]

http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/localgovs.htm





http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/2011CFP.htm

http://state.awra.org/wisconsin


http://www.greenenergysummit.us/


http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/Symposium/2011/symposium2011.html





http://www.wisconsinwetlands.org/2011CFP.htm




rivers report winter 2011

Documents