|
Ozaukee Washington Land Trust Co-hosts
Great Lake Gathering in Mequon
Contact Info:
Pam Foster Felt
Gathering Waters Conservancy
608.251.9131 x11
pam [at] gatheringwaters.org
Mequon, WI, September 29, 2008 – Mequon
area residents will soon have an opportunity to meet with Wisconsin’s
Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Rod Nilsestuen,
Mequon Mayor Christine Nuernberg, economic development leaders,
environmental experts, and others about preserving and improving
the ecological, economic and human health of Lake Michigan, their
neighborhoods and the region. Ozaukee Washington Land Trust
and Gathering Waters Conservancy will co-host a Great Lake Gathering
-- an open forum focusing on protecting land and water resources
in southeast Wisconsin.
The Great Lake Gathering
will be held October 8th at the Mequon Nature Preserve, from
5:30 p.m. – 8:30
p.m. It will include opening remarks by Mayor Nuernberg, a keynote
address by Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
Protection Secretary Rod Nilsestuen, and a panel discussion with
local leaders on ways to protect natural resources and enhance
the quality of life in the region. Tours of the Mequon Nature Preserve
will also be held from 4 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
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 these
priorities.
"We are excited about this upcoming Gathering,” says
Shawn Graff, Executive Director of the Ozaukee Washington Land
Trust. “We have a very diverse group of experts and community
leaders coming to talk about land conservation, and we also want
to expand everyone’s understanding about our Land Trust and
its role for the whole region. Hopefully, we can begin new discussions
and work together to protect our area’s land and water resources
for future generations.”
Keynote speaker Rod Nilsestuen,
as the Secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Agriculture,
Trade, and Consumer Protection, has led the charge to preserve
Wisconsin’s working agricultural and forest lands. According
to Nilsestuen, “this Gathering will be an opportunity to
discuss the ways we can join together to preserve our land. I have
seen how groups of leaders with a shared interest in keeping Wisconsin’s
working lands in production and healthy can make a lasting, positive
impact on our state. This forum is an ideal way to share these
true stories and creative ideas with a larger audience.”
Panelists
will include Tony Warren, president of West Bend Mutual Insurance
Company; Marcus White, director of Community Partnerships with
the Greater Milwaukee Foundation; Shawn Graff, executive director
of Ozaukee Washington Land Trust; and Claus
Dunkelberg, water industry
specialist with Milwaukee 7 Water Council. 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 the Joyce Foundation, WI Department of Natural Resources,
Argosy Foundation, Brico Fund, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program,
Sheboygan River Basin Partnership and many others.
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 Ozaukee Washington
Land Trust: Ozaukee Washington
Land Trust was founded in 1992 by a group
of Ozaukee County residents concerned about the excessive growth
and the rapid loss of our natural areas, farmland and open spaces.
The Trust offers services to property owners and communities throughout
Ozaukee and Washington Counties in the areas of land conservation,
education and stewardship. Since 1992, more than 2600 acres of
forests, wetlands and open space have been protected through acquisition
and conservation easements.
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.
******
Download
a PDF version of this press release »
Questions? Call Liz
Walsh at (608) 251-9131 x12 or email liz [at] gatheringwaters.org.
|
