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Local Land Trusts Host
Great Lake Gathering in Green Bay
Contact Info:
Merri Oxley or Laurel Cavalluzzo
The Communication Team
(608)877-0528 or (608)663-9867
moxley@thecommunicationteam.net
Madison, WI, September 5, 2008 – Green Bay area
residents will soon have an opportunity to meet with an economic
development leader, a high-profile environmental consultant, Green
Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt, and others about preserving and improving
the ecological, economic and human health of their neighborhoods
and region. The Baird Creek Preservation Foundation, Northeast Wisconsin
Land Trust and Gathering Waters Conservancy will co-host a Great
Lake Gathering -- an open forum focusing on protecting natural treasures
in northeast Wisconsin.
The Great Lake Gathering will be held on September
16th at UW-Green Bay from 8 a.m.– 12 p.m. It will include opening
remarks by Mayor Schmitt, a keynote address by G. Tracy Mehan, III,
and a panel discussion with local leaders on ways to protect natural
resources and enhance the quality of life in the region.
This is one of four Great Lake Gatherings being
held this fall in Green Bay, Sheboygan, Mequon and Milwaukee. The
Gatherings are designed to bring together area land trusts and economic
development leaders, policy makers, business owners, landowners
and residents to discuss conservation priorities and encourage new
collaborative efforts to address those priorities.
"We are excited about the Gathering,’” says Robert
Stadel, President of Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust. “We’re eager
to expand understanding about the Land Trust and the ways we help
protect environmentally sensitive lands for future generations.”
Keynote speaker G. Tracy Mehan, III, is a principal
in The Cadmus Group and former Assistant Administrator for Water
at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. He will talk about the
role of private, voluntary action in large-scale conservation efforts.
According to Mehan, "the land trust movement is the most dynamic
trend in American conservation today. It has the potential of playing
a critical role in the restoration of the Great Lakes, both their
nearshore areas and tributaries, all of which are essential to a
healthy ecosystem.”
Panelists will include Mike Grimm, conservation
ecologist with The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, Steve Lambert,
past president of the Baird Creek Preservation Foundation, Ron Vander
Velden, former Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust board member, and
Fred Schnook, project manager/planner with Foth Infrastructure &
Environment and former mayor of Ashland. They will share stories
of special places already protected and the creative partnerships
responsible for those conservation successes.
“Many people share a common love for the natural
treasures in the Lake Michigan Basin. The Great Lake Gatherings
will introduce participants to new partners who are working to protect
our shared back yard,” says Michael Strigel, Executive Director
of Gathering Waters Conservancy. “We will connect local land trusts
with community leadership -- key businesses, elected officials,
civic organizations and involved citizens.”
The other Great Lake Gatherings being held this
fall throughout Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan Basin are:
• Sheboygan
Area: October 1, Kohler
Art Center
• Mequon:
October 8, Mequon Nature Preserve
• Milwaukee:
October 15, Milwaukee Art Museum
The Gatherings are made possible through support
from Gathering Waters Conservancy, the Joyce Foundation, WI Department
of Natural Resources, Argosy Foundation, Brico Fund, Wisconsin Coastal
Management Program, UW Sea Grant Institute and local sponsors.
For more information and registration, please
visit: www.greatlakegatherings.org.
There is no charge to attend and the Gatherings are open to the
public. All attendees will receive a “toolkit” of information and
resources to inspire them to begin implementing new conservation
projects in their own backyards and in their communities.
About Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust:
Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust is a non-profit conservation organization
dedicated to preserving and restoring the natural heritage of Northeast
Wisconsin lands and waters. NEWLT serves 11 counties and works with
landowners, other organizations, WI DNR, municipalities and businesses
to preserve the special places that contribute to the natural heritage
and sustain the quality of life in the region.
About Baird Creek Preservation Foundation:
Baird Creek Preservation Foundation is a non-profit land trust organization
working to assist the City of Green Bay in acquiring land in the
Baird Creek Parkway and to help enhance the Parkway’s value as an
ecological, recreational, and educational resource for Northeastern
Wisconsin.
About Gathering Waters Conservancy:
Gathering Waters Conservancy is a statewide
service center for Wisconsin's land trust community and works to
increase the amount of protected land in the state through private
voluntary action. Gathering Waters strengthens Wisconsin's private,
non-profit land trusts through consulting, public education and
policy advocacy. The Great Lake Gatherings are just one of Gathering
Waters' conservation initiatives.
About Lake Michigan Shorelands Alliance:
The Lake Michigan
Shorelands Alliance (LMSA) is a collaborative group of land
trusts working to protect critical land and water resources in Wisconsin’s
Lake Michigan Basin. LMSA was formed in 2003 and has undertaken
strategic conservation planning for the Lake Michigan watershed.
The Alliance has identified eighteen Priority Conservation Sites,
four of which will be the focus of the Great Lake Gatherings.
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Download
a PDF version of this press release »
Questions? Call Liz
Walsh at (608) 251-9131 x12 or email liz [at] gatheringwaters.org.
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