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Local Land Trusts Host
Final Great Lake Gathering in Milwaukee
Contact Info:
Pam Foster Felt
Gathering Waters Conservancy
608.251.9131 x11
pam [at] gatheringwaters.org
Milwaukee, WI, October 7, 2008 – Milwaukee
area residents will soon have an opportunity to meet with Wisconsin
Department of Administration Secretary Michael Morgan, economic
development leaders, environmental experts, and others about preserving
and improving the ecological, economic and cultural health of their
neighborhoods and region. River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee
Area Land Conservancy and Gathering Waters Conservancy will co-host
a Great Lake Gathering on October 15th at the Milwaukee Art Museum,
from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The Gathering is an open forum focusing
on protecting natural treasures in southeast Wisconsin. The Gathering
will include opening remarks by Secretary Morgan, 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.
"With
all the attention and momentum building around the Great Lakes
Basin and its relevant issues, it is critical now to bring all
sectors of the population together to formulate a cohesive strategy
to protect this incredible resource at the local level,” says
Kimberly Gleffe, Executive Director of River Revitalization Foundation. “The
Gatherings aim to do just that, and increase the public's awareness
of the role land trusts play in this effort, in our backyard!"
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 Rich Meeusen, chairman, president
and CEO of Badger Meter, Inc. and co-chair of Milwaukee 7 Water
Council; Delene
Hanson,
board president of Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy; Kimberly
Gleffe,
executive director of River Revitalization Foundation; Ann
Brummitt,
coordinator with Milwaukee River Work Group; and Supervisor
Gerry Broderick, Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, and chair of
the Parks, Energy & Environment Committee. They will share
stories of special places already protected and the creative partnerships
needed for future 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 River Revitalization
Foundation:
River
Revitalization Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) conservation
organization and was established in 1994 by two of the larger service
clubs in Wisconsin: Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee and the Rotary Club
of Milwaukee. The Foundation was founded in response to recommendations
made by the Milwaukee River Revitalization Council to improve the
environmental quality of the Milwaukee River Basin. Today the Foundation
works to establish a parkway for public access, walkways, recreation
and education, bordering the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic
Rivers; to use the rivers to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods;
and to improve water quality.
About Milwaukee Area Land
Conservancy: Milwaukee
Area Land Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit conservation
organization, founded by local Milwaukee volunteers, that offers
alternatives in land protection. The organization works to preserve
and protect land and water resources with significant conservation
or open space value for the benefit of the public, and the wildlife
that depend upon them, in order to maintain quality of life, biological
diversity, and natural scenic beauty for future generations.
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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