Stevens Point
PARTNERSHIP TEAM STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION
ATTENDEES:
Matt Duvall, UWEX
Tom Jerow, WDNR
Eric Nelson, Mauston Bass Busters
George Bartels, Conservation Congress
George Rogers, Plover River Alliance
Dan Trainer, Plover River Alliance
Nancy Turyk, UWSP Center for Watershed Science & Education
Ed Moberg, Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA)
Helen Moberg, Wisconsin Woodland Owners Association (WWOA)
Bill Ebert, Golden Sands RC&D
Amy Thorstenson, Golden Sands RC&D
Greg Lowe, Juneau County Land & Water Resources Dept.
Brian, Goepfert, Juneau County Land & Water Resources Dept.
Don Kissenger, WDNR
Steve Bradley, Portage County LCD
Dean Kaatz, Marathon County CPZ
Ron Dickrell, Marshfield Wastewater Utility
Bill Peterson, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Dave Renner, Chairman - Town of Monroe
Bob Morris, Town of Monroe
David Weitz, WDNR
Sharon Schwab, North Central Conservancy Trust
1. The first effort at planning was a round-table
discussion on the part of those attending to determine their specific
interests and then to discuss the existing status:
Group discussion indicated that originally the
partnership was to work on integrated land/water issues, broad scale
issues with the aid of the Department of Natural Resources and University
of Wisconsin Extension Service. However, at the outset, there had
been a desire to complete some smaller projects on the land to “make
a difference on the landscape” and to use that success to push
forward into broader scale work.
2. Assessment of SUCCESSES:
PLOVER RIVER PROJECT
Citizen Led
Alliance with Golden Sands RC&D
BARRIER ISLAND PROJECT
REMARK: “has legs”
3. Assessment of FAILURES:
· Poor representation from citizen groups,
municipalities, industry, mid-level politicians at meetings;
· People have “dropped” from the group;
. The “cranberry group” a private enterprise group dropped
out of the organization (ceased attending meetings); perhaps more
information is needed to determine reasons
· Insufficient dollars – let-down on establishing dollar
priorities
· Yellow River Project – individuals within the study
area perceived this as a property rights issue and opposed the project,
which is at least perceived by many as agency-driven and agency-initiated.
Clarification was made that this originally did have some citizen
support and some meetings but a fair amount of time passed after the
meetings. It now it is pending federal budget approval with no timeline
for approval.
· Little Yellow River – development issues
· Plover River – No on the ground work complete –
securing easements requires funding and additional work.
4. THE DESIRED GOAL FOR THE GROUP
(WHERE THE GROUP WANTS TO BE SOMEDAY)
After discussing original concepts, successes and failures, the group
was directed to think of where members wanted the Partnership to be
– how a collective vision of the future framed a definition
for the group.
GENERAL GOALS:
(Without Grouping)
· Help Central Wisconsin be a be a better
place to live;
· Citizen driven
· Large membership – dynamic
· Regionally important
· Unified goal – high quality of life
· Public / Private Enterprise Partnership
· Improve Water Quality
· Protect the environment
· Benefit the Wisconsin River directly or indirectly
· Budget; grants and funds
· Authority
· Recognizable by the public
· Identify issues DREAM -- work toward them
· Reliable Advocacy of groups and sustainability
· Reliable support of environmental advocacy
· Promote to, educate, and cooperate with the public
· Citizen identification of projects and citizen prioritization
of projects, actions or why not.
· Develop complete basin-wide project
· Cooperate with GS RC& D on small projects
· Link private enterprise / government/ forestry / agriculture
/ municipal / environmental
· Gather public private cooperation
· Secure political help
· School children / teachers
· Education focus on one project
· Utilize a correspondent, media person for the group
· More information-education
· Localize to “your area”
· Complete one goal before starting another
· Pull in other groups when appropriate (such as when they
have impacts where they feel there are “costs” or “benefits”
to them
· Lobbying – link with existing conservation groups
· Regional development rights purchase
· Agency and organizational financial and staff support
· Use the Worldwide Web as a communication tool
· Seek legislative action
· Know what you want
· Cooperate with the university.
GROUPING OF STATEMENTS
LEADING TO DEVELOPMENT
OF GOAL STATEMENT
REGIONAL CONCEPT:
· Help Central Wisconsin be a be a better place to live;
· Benefit the Wisconsin River directly or indirectly
· Develop complete basin-wide project
· Link private enterprise / government/ forestry / agriculture
/ municipal / environmental
· Regional development rights purchase
LINKAGE WITH GROUPS:
· Large membership – dynamic
· Public / Private Enterprise Partnership
· Citizen identification of construction projects and citizen
prioritization of projects, actions or why not.
· Cooperate with GS RC& D on small projects
· Link private enterprise / government/ forestry / agriculture
/ municipal / environmental
· Gather public private cooperation
· Pull in other groups when appropriate (such as when they
have impacts where they feel there are “costs” or “benefits”
to them
· Cooperate with the university.
· Reliable Advocacy of groups and sustainability
· Reliable support of environmental advocacy
PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE / SUPPORT:
· Citizen driven
· Large membership – dynamic
· Regionally important
· Unified goal – high quality of life
· Public / Private Enterprise Partnership
· Recognizable by the public
PUBLIC EDUCATION / OUTREACH
· Recognizable by the public
· Gather public private cooperation
· School children / teachers
· Education focus on one project
· Utilize a correspondent, media person for the group
· More information-education
· Localize to “your area”
SECURE CITIZEN / POLITICAL SUPPORT:
· Recognizable by the public
· Citizen identification of construction projects and citizen
prioritization of projects, actions or why not.
· Lobbying – link with existing conservation groups
· Secure political help
· Pull in other groups when appropriate (such as when they
have impacts where they feel there are “costs” or “benefits”
to them
. Seek legislative action
· Know what you want
· Cooperate with the university
5. Following the grouping of statements a first draft of a goal statement
was made:
“To protect the environment using an integrated
approach to establish citizen-driven goals, using public-private cooperation,
a broad membership and to promote lobbying for sufficient funds to
serve to aid groups advocating for the environment and to support
them.”
Comments made directly about the draft included
that care should be taken not to upset property-rights groups and
that emphatic mention of lobbying could have a negative connotation
for some people.
A committee was formed to polish the draft goal
statement. That committee consists of Tom Jerow, Ron Dickrell, George
Bartels, Dan Trainer.
6. The next meeting, scheduled on Feb. 25, is
to affirm the goal statement and to list how people believe the organization
can attain its goals.
INDIVIDUAL WRITTEN CONCEPTS UTILIZED IN DEVELOPING THE BROADER MAJOR
GOALS IN ROUNDTABLE FASHION.
. This group should be a reliable advocacy group
that supports existing entities committed to promoting ecologically,
socially and economically sustainable natural resource management
within the Wisconsin River Basin
. Improve water quality in Central Wisconsin
. Protect the environment as best we can
. Joint participation in on-ground projects and groundwater projects
. Make a difference on groundwater quality
. Get private enterprise involved
. Get some political people involved
. Citizen driven organization with thousands of members to provide
political clout for natural resource protection and enhancement
. Diverse people, private, government, agriculture, municipal both
elected and staff, forestry and environmental and resources to provide
increased awareness of regionally important natural resources issues
. Unified passion by all stakeholders to maintain a high quality of
life by protecting and improving all environmental resources and increase
public awareness to support this goal
. The Central Wisconsin Basin Partnership serves as a gathering of
public and private entities, which supports various conservation projects
throughout the basin. Members share their strengths to further partnership
projects both through constructive criticism of project design and
methodology and through shared financial resources and grant opportunities
. Don’t really have any object in mind. Would like to help Central
Wisconsin be a better place to live.
. Addressing NEEDS pertinent to GENERAL PUBLIC
. CITIZEN DRIVEN via individuals, citizen organizations and private
industry
. Citizen driven
. CW is a good place to live and play
. Feedback loops
. Integrated landscape scale
. Feedback loops
. $$$$$$$$$$$$
. Regionally recognized as an organization that does good things
. Start informing people through news outlets about the successes
and direction that we want to go. State what the results of the plans
will accomplish.
. Active diverse group with budget and authority to attack projects
agreed upon by membership (Legislative Authority). State, federal,
municipal, agencies, private citizens conservation organizations.
. Recognition by general public
. Contain representatives of the Wisconsin River Basin including children
and teachers, citizens and citizen groups, businesses, agencies (local
state federal) municipalities to identify issues and dreams and work
towards addressing these issues.
. Showcase what the partnership has done – incorporate ‘fun”
or social with meetings at least once a year.
. One or two “big” meetings per year; a number of smaller
subcommittee meetings
. I think you need to focus on one issue or project
. Secure funding prior to discussing the project
. Improve public opinion and awareness
. Website? Linked on DNR, WWOA, etc. designate one person to write
articles in local newspapers so this group gets more noticed
. Have one goal (project) completed before attempting another.
. CONCEPT: A resource for large-scale projects, people / groups with
ideas know they can come to CWBP to get a project larger than their
capabilities started
. A project conception group for basin-wide projects; hatch the idea
& bring in necessary / pertinent groups to develop further. WPS
/ Paper Companies don’t need to be at every meeting. Get them
here when a project involves them or would benefit from their participation
. GOAL / DIRECTION: To promote area (basin) wide landowner and area
citizens with resource education on how to preserve and protect our
resources as well as inviting them to the table and get their resource
concerns.
. Take their concerns and projects to an agency that can make these
projects happen (RC&Ds, LCD, DNR, etc.)
. Develop and complete broad-scale projects within the basin in cooperation
with Golden Sands RC&D that are primarily citizen-driven. Projects
should have agency, organization and citizen financial and staff support.
. Grants should not be sought until two projects are clearly defined.