About Us
The Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, Inc. (LNRP) has been actively working throughout the Lakeshore Region since 2003. The Lakeshore Region has 12 primary watersheds defined by the Niagara Escarpment, and with its many rivers, creeks and associated wetlands, are a primary focus of LNRP’s conservation activities.
As a diverse group of people, we use education and coordination to support local community efforts to maintain or improve the health of our natural resources. We do this by fostering partnerships, providing funding, promoting a forum for discussion and supporting activities advocating a balance between land use and natural resource management, conservation and protection.
LNRP is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
We work with communities in Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Door and portions of Calumet, Brown, and Sheboygan counties.
Our Vision
We envision a Lakeshore region in Eastern Wisconsin where:
- Clean, safe waters for drinking and recreation are the norm for all residents and visitors;
- Existing fragile ecosystems are adequately protected and historical ones re-established;
- Recreational opportunities in natural areas are widely available; and
- Lands are used in environmentally sustainable ways.
Our History
The Formation of the Partnership
The notion of “basin partnerships” was developed in 1998 during the administration of George Meyer, then the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). His idea had several facets. One was to create a partnership between citizens and DNR staff in order for citizens to have input into the work plans of the DNR and for the DNR to have a sounding board for their ideas about the most urgent environmental problems. Another facet was that the DNR staff would be organized as interdisciplinary teams that worked together within the watershed areas or basins. Meyer also worked out an arrangement with the University of Wisconsin Extension (UWEX) whereby the DNR paid 50% of the salaries of an educator in each basin and the basin educators served as conveners and facilitators for basin partnership teams. Finally, the DNR provided funds for Limited Term Employees in many of the basins to help the partnerships get off the ground.
The Lakeshore Region Partnership Team was formed in September of 2000. At the end of 2000, the natural resource issues that the partnership members perceived as most important in the lakeshore region were identified and prioritized. Thirty-five natural resource issues were considered and narrowed to a top-10 list using a nominal group process.
From there, LNRP went on to form several work groups to begin to address the issues. Among the most productive were organized day-long workshops in the management of small forest lots and a traveling PowerPoint presentation on threats to drinking water. In addition, another presentation was created that focused on the critical role of wetlands.
Until December 2001, the Partnership Team had no formal structure. Its meetings were organized and supported by the UWEX Basin Educator. However, it was felt that for its long-term survival and effectiveness, the Partnership Team should have a structure and by-laws. To that end, a group of citizens and agency people volunteered to devise and recommend a basic organizational structure and statement of purpose.
This group proposed:
- the “Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership” (LNRP) as the name
- an executive committee to govern the LNRP
- a vision statement
- a mission statement
When the Executive Committee met February 25, 2003 to adopt the proposals
of the volunteer group, they were briefed about changes coming from Madison
that could threaten the existence of the basin partnerships all across the
state. The Executive Committee considered the idea of forming a non-profit
corporation to take over the work of THE Partnership Team. John Roberts
was at this meeting and he had a set of by-laws he had developed for a similar
organization. He had also completed the paperwork for filing as a 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporation.
The decision of the Executive Committee was that the Roberts by-laws be re-shaped to fit the Vision and Mission of the LNRP and that the LNRP itself should be adjusted to carry on as a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) corporation. A by-laws subcommittee was appointed from among the members of the Executive Committee. By early March of 2003, the subcommittee had re-shaped the by-laws.
The Executive Committee met on March 24, 2003 and unanimously agreed to support the formation of the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, Incorporated by private citizens residing in the basin. It was agreed that the Executive Committee would stay intact for a year as a “safety net” for the new corporation.
A year later, on April 13, 2004, the original DNR-supported Partnership Team was officially dissolved in view of the success of the LNRP, Inc.