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August 31, 1998

TIME:
9 am to Noon
Monday, August 31, 1998

PLACE:
Cedarburg City Hall
W63 N645 Washington Avenue, Cedarburg

AGENDA:

1. Welcome
   Gloria McCutcheon, Southeast Regional Director, Department of Natural Resources

2. Discussion of Ground Rules
   Carolyn Johnson, Milwaukee River Basin Educator, UW-Extension
   

3. Introduction of Members

4. Contaminated Sediment Removal in the Ruck Pond
   Will Wawrzyn, Aquatic & Fish Biologist, Department of Natural Resources

5. Discussion of the Role of the Partner Team
   Frank Trcka, Land Program Supervisor, Milwaukee River Basin, DNR Sharon Gayan, Water Basin Supervisor, Milwaukee River Basin, DNR

6. Discussion of the Next Meeting
   

7. Announcements and Other Business
   
   

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August 31, 1998

Attendance:
Gary Buntrock - Wisconsin Wastewater Operators Association
Buffy Cheek - Schlitz Audubon Center
Barb Crosser - Clerk, Town of Mitchell
Jim D'Antuono - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Sharon Gayan - Wis. Department of Natural Resources
Mark Gottlieb - Village of Grafton
Andy Holschbach - Ozaukee Co. Land Conservation Department
Carolyn Johnson - U.W. Extension
Jim Lubner - U.W. Sea Grant Institute
Tom Majewski - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Peter McAvoy - 16th Street Community Health Center
John Schultz - Fed. of Environmental Technologists
Angie Tornes - National Park Service
Frank Trcka - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Claire Vanderslice - Wisconsin Conservation Congress
Don Voith - Mayor, City of Glendale

Specail Guests:
Gloria McCutcheon - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Southeast Region Director

1. Welcome and Background
   Gloria McCutcheon welcomed meeting participants to the first Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partners' meeting and congratulated the team on becoming the second Basin Partner team to become established in the Southeast Region. To provide background on the reorganization of the Department of Natural Resources, she distributed and discussed several handouts:

   1. The Spring 1998 "Horizons" which includes:

      • A directory of the Department Southeast Region staff

      • A map of the Geographic Management Unit (GMU), Service Center locations and staffing (heart of the reorganization):

        • 25 mile service radius or 30 minute drive

        • Sturtevant Service Center opened in December 97

        • Milwaukee Service Center opened in May of 98

        • 2 additional Centers to be opened in the Plymouth and Waukesha areas

      • A chart of the reorganized structure of the Department

      • The vision statement on the front cover was shared with the group

   2. The Department's "The Good Life" publication which explains

      • The history of the DNR

      • The location of the 23 water basins or Geographic Management Units (GMU)

      • An organizational chart of the DNR

      • The change from 6 Districts to 5 Regions through reorganization

   3. A portion of a letter sent by Gloria to Southeast Region staff explaining the new philosophy for managing resources was shared by Gloria. An important point of the letter is that we (the Department) can make better decisions when we receive public input.

   Gloria then discussed the August Natural Resources Board (NRB) meeting held in West Bend which is located in the Milwaukee GMU. The NRB approved 2 land acquisitions at that meeting for nearly $750,000. These acquisitions (1 at the Loew Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest and 1 in the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest) along with 2 land acquisitions in the Southern unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest approved at the previous board meeting, demonstrate the Department's commitment to protecting valuable resources in Southeast Wisconsin.

   Gloria then discussed the Kettle Moraine Task Force Report. The Kettle Moraine Task Force, co-chaired by Mr. Ody Fish and retired Congressman Henry Reuss, recommends and encourages the protection of the entire Kettle Moraine area including the gap between the Northern and Southern Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Without going into great detail, Gloria touched upon several important recommendations which are pertinent to the task of the Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partners:

   • The report encourages citizen involvement through landowners' and residents' conservation communities

   • The report recommends and encourages continued liaison between the Department and interested organizations

   • Formal groups such as the Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partner group should be brought into the decision making process

   • Staff distributed two newspaper articles on the Kettle Moraine Task Force report to members of the Partner Team. These articles are available online from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel:

   Environmentalists Push to Close Gaps in Kettle Moraine Forest Corridor

   Ice Age Trail Could Wind Up as Only Link to Forest Areas

2. Overview of Binders
   

   Gloria McCutcheon welcomed meeting participants to the first Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partners' meeting and congratulated the team on becoming the second Basin Partner team to become established in the Southeast Region. To provide background on the reorganization of the Department of Natural Resources, she distributed and discussed several handouts:

   • Today's meeting agenda

   • Milwaukee River Basin Land and Water Partner's Member list (The list was circulated for corrections to address, telephone and e-mail address)

   • Partnership Reference Manual (Not unchangeable meant as a guideline)

   • Milwaukee River Basin Maps

3. Ground Rules
   The group discussed and agreed upon the following ground rules:

   • Start and end on time

   • Minutes and agenda will be mailed before next meeting

   • Listen and respect each others ideas

   • Reach decisions by consensus

   • Draw up a tentative list of dates and locations for meetings in advance

   • Move location of meetings around the basin

   • Meetings will be open to the public, will be public noticed and will comply with open meeting laws

   • Partners will discuss items for the next agenda

   • Active participants will make decisions

   • Sharing of all points of view during discussions is encouraged

   • Minutes will give the "flavor" of discussions made

   Other concerns discussed: All points of view are put on the table. No last minute surprises.

4. Introduction of Group Members
   Members of the Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partner group introduced themselves, described what they do, who they represent, and described one of their favorite places in the basin.

5. Cedar Creek Ruck Pond Tour
   Will Wawrzyn gave a tour of the Ruck Pond in downtown Cedarburg. The pond was dredged of all material down to bedrock in order to remove PCB contaminated sediment. The Ruck Pond accounted for approximately 18% of the PCBs transported in Cedar Creek. The project removed approximately 95% of the PCB mass from Ruck Pond. The responsible parties are preparing a feasibility study which will identify the means to manage PCB contaminated sediment from the remainder of Cedar Creek and its impoundments.

   A discussion of effective strategies for water quality improvement were discussed. Will stated that proper land use and installation of best management practices are what is needed.

6. Role of the Partner Team - Water Team Leader Comments
   Sharon Gayan discussed the philosophy behind the Basin Partners concept and how it builds upon past efforts:

   • Many citizens and agencies have been involved in land and water resource management in the Milwaukee River Basin including more than 300 people who participated in advisory committees for the priority watershed plans

   • The focus of the new Basin Partners will be to look at land and water issues together in an integrated approach to resource management (Ecosystem management)

   • The group includes new people with new and different viewpoints and ideas

   • The new focus will allow the group to pool its resources and not duplicate efforts from past and be able to address issues that are of concern today.

   • Other groups working on land & water should be viewed as a resource to help the group reach its own goals and achieve success in its own projects

   The First Thing To Work On:

   There is $50,000 of Great Lakes Protection grant funds earmarked to be used in the basin for water quality improvement.

   A subcommittee of volunteers are needed to develop a meaningful proposal to be submitted by September 21.

   This funding can go to a wide range of projects and is not limited to one project.

7. Role of the Partner Team - Land Team Leader Comments
   Frank Trcka described the roles and responsibilities of the Partner Team

   • Encouraged everyone to reference the GMU Partnership Manual for guidance

   • Explained that partnerships are one of the cornerstones of the Department's reorganization

   • The Department will allocate time and resources to the Partner Team and hopes that the other members will also allocate time and resources to projects appropriate to the mission of the partner team

   • Long term goals for the group will be self determination of leaders, members and projects

   • The DNR is an equal partner (no more or less)

   • The group must be aware that:

     • The group is NOT an advisory committee to the DNR, but rather a collaborative effort to address land and water resource management

     • The team must abide by all local, state, and federal laws

     • Projects sponsored by the team must obtain applicable state and local approvals or permits

     • Purchases using state funds or funds donated to the Department must follow state purchasing guidelines

     • The team will follow open meeting laws and public notice meetings as required

     • The team will NOT be involved in DNR regulatory actions

     • State employees on the team must abide by laws regarding the solicitation of funds or other items of monetary value

     • Partnership involvement in work planning for Department staff must not infringe on core time for regulatory and enforcement decision making

     • Projects implemented on state land may require State Building Commission or Department of Administration approval

8. Team Comments on:
   

   • Funding and Donations:
     How?
     Through donations from partners, grants, etc.

   • Tackling Issues:
     How?
     Through smaller work groups that can pull in other disciplines or groups. The group will build liaisons with
     (e.g. Bring in people from the Commerce Dept. if working on failing septic system issues)

   • Education to what has happened to date within the Basin:
     Will the group be advised as to what has happened in the past with other groups?
     After the group has selected its high priority issues, U.W. Extension, DNR, and members of the group will help inform the group on those issues. This will help prevent duplicating efforts of others.

   • Effective Projects:
     If a project has no discernible responsible party (i.e. non-point pollution), where do we go with what the group has come up with in terms of a solution?
     Go to agency Boards, federal agencies, private industry (use the members from the smaller work groups). Come up with a plan and go to the sources.

     It is not the funding but the commitment and vision of the group that will cause the changes.

9. Discussion of Team Responsibilities

   • Each member is expected to take issues and projects back to their constituents for feedback and report back to the group.

   • How will we inform the public of what we are doing?
     One possibility to inform the public is to put updates of the partner team's progress in the local community papers.

     A Web Page for the Milwaukee River Basin Land & Water Partners is being developed. The web address will be:

     http://basineducation.uwex.edu/milwaukee/

     Once developed, meeting minutes, agendas, list of members, and other information will be available there.

10. Next Meeting
    The next meeting will be held:
    Wednesday October 28th 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
    

    This will be an all day workshop facilitated by consultants with expertise in organizing and evaluating watershed partnerships.

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