Explore the Basin
Waterways
Forestry
Maps
Basin Partnership
Meetings
Agendas & Minutes
Newsletters
Issues & Projects
Basin Partnership
>also See
Member Responsibilities
Basically, the team is people like you who love this part of northern Wisconsin! Do you have a favorite, "special place" here? Our common love of the land and water can link people together across this large Basin.
In 1998, a group of citizens and natural resource professionals formed the Upper Chippewa Partner Team. Our mission is " To foster protection and enhancement of the ecological values of the Upper Chippewa River Basin and the quality of life for citizens who live and recreate in the basin." The team works through education, sponsorship, and advocacy.
Your Invitation: Contact Basin Educator
Diane Daulton
Upper Chippewa Basin
DNR Park Falls Service Center
Phone: 715/762-0036
Fax: 715/762-4348
diane.daulton@ces.uwex.edu
Membership: Our current membership includes teachers, natural resource professionals, retirees, landowners, educators, local government officials, and others. We represent and welcome people with diverse interests and of many backgrounds. We welcome you to join the team as a participating member. There are currently no dues to join. Learn about what membership entails by clicking here. Meet our (below) for this month. We encourage you to share the information in this website with friends and neighbors who may have an interest in celebrating the magic of the Upper Chippewa Basin. We also have a color brochure that you may use at your event to explain what the Basin is and who we are. Contact us for copies.
Committees: The Partner Team currently has two committees that deal with different parts of the team's mission. The outdoor skills committee promotes outdoor skills and greater appreciation of the natural resources within the Basin. The steering committee is our leadership group. They work on an annual plan of work, including programs to address the priority natural resource issues within the Basin.
To learn more about the partner team, be sure to check out:
Members in the Spotlight
June 2004
Rusk County Waters Alliance
The Basin Partner Team has yet another partner in our education efforts across the basin, the Rusk County Waters Alliance. The group was formed in November 2002 and received 501c3 (non-profit) status in August of 2003. Their mission is “ to preserve, protect and improve the waters and shorelines of Rusk County for future generations through public education and workshops, citizen led research, and by promoting the natural scenic beauty of the waterways of Rusk County.” They recently applied for the River Protection Planning Grant to help fulfill their mission. Four of its board members, Beth Bettenhausen, Bob Lorkowski, Meg Marshall and Gary Albrecht have participated in the partner team’s meetings.
Some of their successful activities include co-sponsoring a public information meeting on shoreline management issues with the Basin Partner Team. They also co-sponsored a river fisheries visioning meeting with the WDNR. (There is more information on these meetings in this newsletter.) Board members have been busy educating themselves as well on fundraising, writing action plans and attending NR115 listening sessions. Most recently, Rusk County Waters Alliance has been supporting the formation of a South Fork Flambeau River group.
An up and coming project for the group involves coordinating water quality monitoring of feeder streams of the Flambeau and Upper Chippewa Rivers. They will be working with community members, conservation organizations and public school science classes in monitoring these waters. Data from these efforts will be available to the group for its education efforts, as well as being part of a larger statewide database of water quality monitoring.
For more information on the Rusk County Waters Alliance or to join in their efforts, you can contact the group at Rusk County Waters Alliance, PO Box 361, Bruce, WI 54819. Or they can be contacted by e-mailing Ralph Heuschele, President, heuschele@earthlink.net or Beth Bettenhausen, Secretary, gofish@indianheadtel.net. The Basin Partner Team looks forward to future partnerships with Rusk County Waters Alliance.