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March 15, 2001

TIME:
10:00 am to Noon
Thursday, March 15, 2001

PLACE:
Washington County Public Agency Center
333 East Washington Street
West Bend, Wisconsin

AGENDA:

1. Opening/Introductions

2. Agenda Review

3. Partnership Management

   • Updates
     

     membership
     Website
     Listserv

   • Select and Edit Mission Statement

   • Newsletter Assignments

4. Current Projects Update

   • Conference

   • Virtual Map

5. Conference Planning Update
   MMSD and Conservation Fund
   Steve McCarthy - MMSD; Peg Kohring - The Conservation Fund)

6. Partner Team Opportunities

   • Grants
     John Masterson

   • Internships

   • Map/brochure committee

7. Quarterly Evaluation of Partnership Progress

8. Meeting Evaluation

9. Next Meeting Date

10. Adjourn

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March 15, 2001

Attendance:
Steve Books - Hawk Visions
Mary Beth Driscoll - Citizens for a Better Environment
David Fowler - Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District
Sharon Gayan - Wis. Department of Natural Resources
Jim Lubner - U.W. Sea Grant Institute
J. Scott Mathie - Metropolitan Builders Association of Greater Milwaukee
Gretchen Messer- U.W.-Extension, Basin Educator
Dave Schlling - Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Steve Seyfert - Ozaukee - Washington Land Trust
Steve Skavroneck - CBE/Independent Consultant
Angie Tornes - National Park Service
Frank Trcka - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Absent:
Ken Albinger - Ozaukee County Farm Bureau
Bob Boucher - Friends of the Menomonee River
Joe Greco - Village of Menomonee Falls
Walter Schmitt - Conrad Technologies

Excused:
Buffy Cheek - Schlitz Audubon Center

Guest:
John Masters - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Peg Koring - The Conservation Fund
Steve McCarthy - Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

1. Opening and Introductions
   The meeting of the Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partner Team Executive Committee was held at the Washington County Public Agency Center. Co-Chair Dave Fowler opened the meeting at 10:00 a.m. Steve Books was introduced as a new member, and the guests John Masters, Peg Koring, and Steve McCarthy were also introduced.

2. Agenda Review
   Sharon Gayan requested adding a review of the State of the Basin Report be added to the agenda. It was agreed that this would be covered under Partner Team Opportunities

3. Partnership Management

   Updates

   • membership.
     Gretchen Messer handed out a list of over 100 people and organizations that have been contacted regarding signing the Partnership Agreement. As the response rate is lower than desired, it was discussed that Partner Team members personally contact those people or organizations which they knew to discuss the Partnership Agreement and the value of signing the document. members were requested to identify the people and organizations that they would contact - and to make those contact prior to the next meeting.

   • Web Site. Gretchen Messer updated the group about the frequency of people accessing the Partner Team website (total of 301 sessions for the Month of February 2001).

   • Listserv. Gretchen Messer updated the group about the use of the Partner Team email listserv, and asked whether people were interested in maintaining the listserv. People agreed that it should be continued

     Select and Edit Mission Statement
     After a discussion of the Partner Team's desired mission, Angie Tornes handed out a draft copy of the Partner Team Mission Statement for review and comment. Several modifications were suggested, and the Mission Statement was accepted as revised (motioned by Steve Seyfert, seconded by Gretchen Messer). The final version is as follows:

     "The mission of the Milwaukee River Basin Partnership is to assist those who reside or work within the watersheds of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers initiate projects and exchange resource information to enable stewardship of land and water resources."

     Newsletter
     Gretchen Messer requested calendar items and news items to be included in the next Partner Team newsletter. The group discussed distribution options. It was agreed that members would get mailing lists to Gretchen Messer, or would distribute them themselves.

4. Current Projects Update

   Conference
   Angie Tornes provided an update on the status of the Partner Team workshop planned for November 9, 2001. It will be held at the Sheraton on Brown Deer Road. The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the Metropolitan Builders Association are also planning a 1-day conference on stormwater around the same time period. The idea of piggy-backing the two workshops was discussed.

   Virtual Map and Brochure
   members of this project sub-committee were meeting with Larry Witzling from PDI, a Planning and land use consulting firm in Milwaukee, to discuss design options and use of the proposed maps.

5. New Initiatives

   MMSD and the Conservations Fund
   Peg Kohring, with The Conservation Fund (TCF), presented the project she's been contracted by MMSD to oversee in order to reduce flooding by acquiring riparian lands which could store flood waters. Over a period of 5 years, $15 million, along with additional sources of money, will be expended to acquire fee-simple title and conservation easements along the Menominee River (and tributaries), Root River, and Oak Creek. The overall project will be broken into 6 phases; TCF is funded for the first two phases. The first phase entails data collection and field checking sites to identify site priorities such as manageable blocks of hydric soils; brownfields will also be considered. This phase should be complete by the end of April 2001. An advisory council will be established; a high priority of the project is to work cooperatively with other land managers. The second phase entails strategic planning.

6. Partner Team Opportunities

   Grants
   John Masterson, Southeast WDNR Rivers Protection Grant Program Contact, described the Rivers Protection Grant Program, applications for which are accepted through May 1st. There is a total of $300,000 to allocate this year into 2 categories: planning (maximum $10,000) and protection (maximum $25,000, included land acquisition). Past grant recipients include:

   • $10,000 - Ozaukee Washington Land Trust : identify critical non-point source pollution areas and conduct educational outreach on land protection on the mainstem and N. Branch of the Milwaukee River

   • $40,000 - Ulao Creek: protection and preservation

   • $30,000 - Waukesha Land Conservation Department: video production, UWM professor Tim Ehlinger spoke about outstanding resources

   • $36,000 - Waukesha: headlands of Genesse Creek wetlands protection via tile breaks

   • $10,000 - Sheboygan Trout Unlimited: restore trout stream into natural channel, habitat.

   Angie Tornes reminded the group that one of the benefits of the partnership was information sharing particularly with respect to funding. She encouraged all council members to keep this in mind and share such information via the list serve and at meetings. She informed the group of several grant opportunities :

   • River Network's Partner Grants ($500-$3000, due June 29th: www.rivernetwork.org)

   • Conservation Fund & Kodak Grants for Greenways ($500-$2500, due June 1st: www.conservationfund.org)

   • Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat fund ($500 - $3500, due March 31, September 30, 2001: www.glhabitat.org)

   • Conservation Fund & Kodak Announce Recyclable Cameras for Community Visioning Projects (contact 703.525.6300) Angie Tornes reported that she prepared a grant application to the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board for assistance in funding our the basin partnership's conference in November. Co-sponsors include the River Revitalization Foundation, MMSD, UWEX, and WDNR. Outcomes will be announced in May.

   Angie Tornes reported that she prepared a grant application to the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board for assistance in funding our the basin partnership's conference in November. Co-sponsors include the River Revitalization Foundation, MMSD, UWEX, and WDNR. Outcomes will be announced in May.

   State of the Basin Report:
   Sharon Gayan gave an update on the State of the Basin. It is in draft form and includes water quality reports (status, impairments) and the issues and actions of the Milwaukee River Basin Partnership. Public input will be sought in late April in Cedarburg. It will be completed in mid-July and be available on the Partner Team website.

   Other
   Frank Trcka reported that the WDNR is holding a series of public hearings regarding the Land Legacy Project and encourage partner members to attend.

   Angie Tornes updated the group on the University of Wisconsin Landscape Architecture graduate studio she's been working with to develop a trail concept and management plan for the Milwaukee River Corridor from North Avenue to Hampton.

7. Next Meeting Date
   The next Executive Committee was scheduled for:

   9:30 am - 11:30 am, June 26, 2001
   Harrington Beach State Park

8. Adjourn
   The meeting was adjourned at 12:00 noon.

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