Milwaukee River Basin Partnership: News and Events

Polluted storm water runoff is the greatest threat to our regions water resources. Rain gardens are one attractive option to curbing this type of pollution. The Milwaukee River Revitalization Council and the Milwaukee River Basin Partnership are leading an initiative to promote the use of rain gardens on university campuses in the Milwaukee River Basin. In spring of 2005, the Council and Partnership jointly developed the idea of a friendly competition between local universities to build rain gardens. Several universities have agreed to participate including Alverno College, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), Mount Mary College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, and Marquette University. In June 2006, rain gardens were installed on the campuses of UWM and Alverno College. Three additional rain gardens will be constructed at Mount Mary, Wisconsin Lutheran, and Marquette by Spring 2007.

Milwaukee River Basin Rain Garden Tour

2006
In Partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Basin Initiative and Southeast Wisconsin Master Gardeners, the second Milwaukee River Basin Rain Garden Tour was held on Sunday, July 16, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour was free to all and attracted 144 participants.

The event is designed to connect people who want to learn about rain gardens with individuals who will share their knowledge and experience designing and installing their own rain gardens. An open house, held in conjunction with the tour, was held at the Shorewood Public Library, and featured educational presentations, resources on how to install stormwater reduction practices at home or work, and exhibitors to help design and install rain gardens. This year’s tour also featured “green roof” tour. Our featured green roof, at 20,000 square feet is believed to be the largest vegetative roof on any residential development in the United States.

Participants traveled at their own pace to some or all of the Host Sites. At each garden, the “Host” and a Master Gardener were available to answer questions about the featured rain garden’s design and installation. Hosts were a mixture of homeowners, businesses, and educational facilities located in Milwaukee, Bayside and Shorewood.

Tour Schedule
11 a.m. - Open House Welcome & Sponsor Presentation
11 a.m. to 4p.m. - Open House Exhibitors, Host Sites Tour
11:30 a.m. & 2:30 p.m. - How to Build a Rain Garden presentations
12:30, 1:30 and 3:30 pm - Showcasing Private Rain Garden
1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - Highland Gardens Green Roof Tours

Thank you to our Major Sponsors:
“500-Year Flood” Sponsor ($2000) - We Energies
“Torrential Downpour” Sponsors - ($500) LandWorks, Inc. and Wild Ones

Messages stating "simple things" one can do to improve our rivers' water quality and reduce storm water flow can be found on Alterra Coffee Roasters "java jackets" (hot cup wrappers) starting June of 2005. These are succinct messages that the general public can absorb linked with attractive graphics. The four messages for summer (see below) can be found at Alterra's five locations: Lakefront Pumping Station, Prospect Ave., U.S. Bank Building (Wisconsin & Van Buren), Bayshore Mall and Mayfair Mall. The four fall messages will be available at the end of September or early October, with winter and spring arriving accordingly next year.

Milwaukee River Basin Events Calendar

The online searchable calendar will provide an inventory of all watershed related activities and events that occur daily in the Milwaukee River Basin. The activities could range from canoe trips led by a local nature center to land use planning conferences hosted by an area non-profit or government agency. Any event could be added to the calendar provided the activity offers basin residents and visitors opportunities to explore, protect, restore or preserve the natural resources of the Milwaukee River Basin.

Posting your events on the calendar is easy and it is free!! The only requirement is that you or your organization becomes an active member of the Milwaukee River Basin Partnership

Wisconsin Municipal Stormwater Management Workshop
To view the power point presentations from the 2004 SE Wisconsin Municipal Stormwater Management Workshop click on one of the names of the following speakers: -please note that large files will take longer to download)

Citizen Action through Water Quality Education 2003

The Milwaukee River Basin Partnership was awarded a Wisconsin Coastal Management grant to provide funding and technical support to 3 citizen based organizations focused on monitoring or restoring portions of the waterways of the Milwaukee River Basin. The Urban Ecology Center, the Ulao Creek Partnership, and Riveredge Nature Center have been busy monitoring streams, planting trees, and removing invasive species. Each of the organizations must develop and implement an education and outreach component of their projects to reach out to their local community members. Kimberly Gleffe, River Revitalization Foundation is the grant manager for this project.

Protecting Our Waters: A Guide to Responsible Development within the Milwaukee River Basin 2003

The website provides local governments, citizens and developers with a planning guide that encourages good land-use decisions to protect the Milwaukee River Basin water resources. While this website focuses on the 900 square mile drainage area of the Milwaukee River, including the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic watersheds, the information in the website can be applied to any township, village, county, or municipality experiencing deteriorating surface water conditions. The website is divided into 12 sections that cover a wide variety of topics like rain gardens, illicit discharges, non-point source pollution and subdivision design. To learn more about water friendly development planning , visit our new website at http://clean-water.uwex.edu/plan/. The MRBP with the help of the River Revitalization Foundation and HNTB has also produced postcards and magnets to help promote the website. Click here for a pdf (138k) of the post card.

Milwaukee River Basin Map 2003

This map will help students learn about their place and impact within the basin with regards to water quality and natural areas. The purpose of these maps is to increase the level of awareness about the correlation between land use and human activities and water and river habitat quality.

Also included with the map is a curriculum developed by Pier Wisconsin that can help you integrate the map into your regular course work. It is our hope that students will gain an appreciation for the integral tie between the land use practices and natural resource quality. Ultimately, this information could lead to more comprehensive efforts towards protecting and conserving these river corridors.

This project was funded through the Kodiak Foundation and free copies of the maps are available at local community and nature centers in the Milwaukee Basin. For more information on locations and the curriculum visit our Map Activities page.

Annual Partnership Planning Meeting Save Our Rivers; Save Our Lake November 6, 2003
The Milwaukee River Basin Partnership hosted the Save Our Rivers; Save Our Lake meeting to help the Partnership keep up to date on large scale projects and programs within the basin. Nearly 60 people, representing local government, consulting firms, builders, and small business, attended the event at UW- Washington County. For an agenda and a copy of the flyer, click here. ( doc 631k)

Annual meeting attendees (doc 43k) and comments (doc 21k).

Milwaukee River Basin Partnership Three Rivers Summit
Three Rivers Summit: Updates and Actions on the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic
Sheraton Four Point Milwaukee North
Friday, November 9, 2001
8:00am - 4:15pm

Collegiate Rain Garden Challenge

2006 - 2007

Milwaukee River Basin Rain Garden Tour

Milwaukee River Basin Events Calendar

Citizen Action through Water Quality Education 2003