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Two working group teams have been created to begin organizing information for an effective educational campaign. If you are interested in participating in these efforts, please contact Matt Duvall at 715-261-1254 or matt.duvall@ces.uwex.edu. Thanks!

CENTRAL WISCONSIN BASIN PARTNERSHIP
February 25, 2004 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Portage County Annex, Conf. Room

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Meeting Purpose: To decide what the Partnership is going to do and how we are going to know if we did it.

Meeting Outcome: Clarification of direction/niche for partnership

Partners present: Matt Duvall, UW Extension; Don Kissenger, WDNR; George Bartels, Conservation Congress; Dan Trainer, Plover River Alliance; George Rogers, Plover River Alliance; Amy Thorstenson, Golden Sands RC&D; David Renner, Town of Monroe; Bob Morris, Town of Monroe; Nancy Turyk, UWSP Center for Watershed Science & Education; Kevin Masarik, UWSP/UWEX; Ron Dickrell, Marshfield Wastewater Utility; Dean Kaatz, Marathon County Conservation, Planning & Zoning; Bill Ebert, Golden Sands RC&D; Brian Goepfert, Juneau County Land Conservation District; Tom Jerow, WDNR.

Darin Harris facilitated the meeting.

I. INTROS/AGENDA REVIEW/WARM-UP
Partners shared their answers to the following questions: What do you care deeply about in the Central Wisconsin basin? What are you passionate about in this watershed? Why?
- Wisconsin River Basin
- Producers----we can’t forget about them---fruit, trees, food and the risks and gains they make with the resource
- Quality of life and the air, water and soil that sustains it
- Enhance the resource. Pay special attention to education and resources for public and landowner, especially at the local level
- Plover River: wildlife, drinking water comes from this important source
- Sustain resource for children (high quality environment, strong community, strong economy)
- Quality of life= water table, resources and recreation
- Ground water ties us all together
- Wisconsin River: leave behind resource in better shape for children

II. CLARIFICATION OF NICHE
The group held a dialogue about the following questions:
What is a niche based on 1) needs in the basin, 2) what are we skilled/uniquely qualified to deliver, 3) passionate about doing?

They were asked to reach a decision about what their specific niche would be in clear and measurable terms.

Brainstormed Ideas:
- Focus on groundwater and water table
- Preserve water quality—using education on point and non-point issues
- Stormwater= connection between cover and run off. Education and action to preserve project or plot of land
- Make basin our community: how do we get people to feel part of the basin? Awareness
- We need to be the ones who “pull pieces together” to do basin-wide work
- Stimulate public with information about basin
- Let’s focus on positive issues to stimulate interest in basin
- Use basin plan to create public friendly document
- “Identity around watershed”
- Sense of place about basin
- Make connections between rules and effect of action
- We can be the umbrella that pulls together little groups and act as a political “block”—play an advocacy role
- Catalyst role: hold conference on certain agreed on subject
- Spawn local watershed groups
- Local involvement to identify needs and issues
- Health check and assessment of basin

Next the group looked back at their prior mission statement and found that it was covered most or all of the information brainstormed. What is different now and why are we rehashing this?
- We need to expand group—preaching to choir
- Lack of local leadership
- Vision too large
- Group needs to take on new issue
- Not oriented towards education and coordination, focusing all energy on projects
- Follow-up role not clear and leadership (project management, details, and making good local decisions)
- The group came to the conclusion that they need to emphasize water quality through EDUCATION and COORDINATION as their niche!!!

DECISION: Partners reached consensus on elements of this draft niche statement:
The Central Wisconsin Basin Partners are devoted to sustaining water quality in the basin by focusing on public education and coordination of local groups.

Why is this important?
- We need to advocate for the basin level!
- Need interaction with community
- Must find a compelling message about water quality to share
- Need good water quality and quantity baseline data

III. DEVELOP ACTION PLAN AND TIMELINE

The group brainstormed a list of “measures” that will show how well they are meeting their niche:
1) Create a network of scientific monitoring stations
2) Number of municipalities sharing accomplishments (best practices, experiences) at basin level
3) Number of issues identified and conveyed to public
4) Number and kinds of participation at annual conference
5) Create digestible basin report for public
6) Develop sense of place strategy

Other ideas brainstormed (process rather than measurable) were:
1) Create marketing strategy
2) Must find $$$
3) Hire a director
4) Concentrate on political support (esp. in Madison)

The group decided to work on the following activities until Feb. 2005:
Increase the public’s sense of place in CWB by:
- Collect and share water quality accomplishments and shortfalls. Matt (coordinator), Tom, Amy will work on this and complete by Aug. 2004
- Create digestible basin report. Dean (coordinator), Amy, Nancy, Don, and Dan T. will work on this and complete by Aug. 2004
- Relay compelling information to public through outreach and marketing strategy. Matt and Nancy will complete this by______.

IV. NEXT STEPS/EVALUATION/CHECK-OUT
The following next steps were committed to by the group:
- Complete all work items by end of calendar year
- Interim update via e-mail around August
- Next meeting was scheduled for Sept. 15th from 9 a.m - 12 noon.