Inside This Issue

• A Message from the Executive Director
• Introduction of Our New Staff Member
• Community Grant Program 2009 - Grantees
• Board Member Profile - Fred Depies
• Woodland Dunes - Nature Based Playground Using Champion Funds
• Update on Pine and Centerville Projects
• Great Lakes Nonpoint Abatement Coalition (GLNAC) Hosts a Video Conference Series

A Message from the Executive Director

We Need You!

At this crucial juncture in our growth, we need your support. Our goal is to become an even more effective bridge to support worthwhile groups and individuals protecting our natural resources in the Lakeshore Basin. To be effective, we must develop our staff and financial resources. 

During this 2010 Year of the Niagara Escarpment celebration, we're reaching out to attract dozens of interested people for agro-eco tours and other exciting educational and experiential events. We're spreading the word about our unique collaboration with the Water's Edge Artists, through painting and calendar sales, monthly Paint-Outs and other special events. We have other worthwhile collaborations underway to make LNRP an even stronger and more effective voice to help protect our unique and precious land and water resources.

Since our inception in 2003, demand for our programs and support has grown considerably every year. We're actively building the capacity of community organizations working in the Lakeshore Basin, forming a working alliance for information exchange, collaboration, action and evaluation. We need your support!

We have awarded more than $111,000 through our Community Grants Program since 2003 to fund creative local solutions to improve the Lakeshore Basin. We continue to reward environmental excellence through our Champions of Conservation program.

Our We All Live on the Water campaign, drawing attention to cleanup efforts in our region's waterways, has placed attractive signs on important sites throughout the region. Anyone who contributes $100 or more can sponsor a sign, helping to spread awareness of LNRP and recognition of its partners.

Through our continuing work with the Agricultural Watershed Improvement Network (AWIN), we are encouraging and helping area farmers manage their land to improve the region's environmental quality and their own profitability through practical tools they can use.

Our Explore and Restore Our Rivers program expanded in 2009 and will continue to grow in 2010.  We're working with communities on the restoration of Centerville Creek in Manitowoc County and on Pine Creek in Calumet County.  We're engaging the membership of the Friends of the Branch River through a seminar series and an invasive species eradication program as well as a number of other events.

We cannot do this alone. We are only as strong as our membership. Your generosity and assistance can help take us to the next level of effectiveness and outreach. Please consider giving us additional financial support today!

Become a 2010 Member of LNRP.

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Sherrill Anderson - New Staff Person at LNRP

LNRP is excited to introduce Sherrill Anderson as a newly hired staff person.  Sherrill brings a passion for writing, editing and capturing people's stories, part of an extensive appreciation of nature and the environment. Raised in the Detroit area, she received her B.A. from Western Michigan University in Environmental Studies and Philosophy and a M.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Land Resources with an emphasis in agricultural journalism and resource policy. She served as a VISTA Volunteer at the New Mexico Solar Energy Association in Santa Fe, editing and writing, and stayed on working with private and state government renewable energy ventures. She returned to Wisconsin in 1993 where she resides with her husband Rock, an LNRP board member.

Sherrill will focus on managing the LNRP Membership and act as a program liaison to the Water's Edge Artists and the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network.  Both are partner groups that will really benefit from additional staff resources.

Please welcome Sherrill to the LNRP family.  She will be getting an LNRP cell phone sometime soon but in the meantime can be reached at Sherrill@lnrp.org.

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LNRP's 2009 Community Grants Programs

On January 6, LNRP was pleased to award $23,100 in community grants to support seven projects from Calumet, Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties, ranging from $670 to $5,000.

Dominion®, owner of the Kewaunee Power Station, offered $15,000 as a challenge grant, partially matched by the Wisconsin Great Lakes Protection Fund and other donations. In three previous grant rounds, LNRP awarded a total of over $88,000 to 38 projects.  Projects are selected by Grant Advisory Teams composed of knowledgeable volunteers from throughout the Lakeshore Basin. The members of the three teams included natural resource professionals, scientists, teachers and leaders of environmental organizations.  These teams will also act as mentors helping review the projects at their midpoints.

Beverly Smith and Rosalie Shier presented "Rachel Carson: a Voice for the Earth", as part of the LNRP 2009 Community Grant Award Program. Using an interview format, Rachel Carson -- writer, scientist and ecologist --comes alive in a 45-minute dialogue.  Carson's book, "Silent Spring," created worldwide awareness on the dangers of pesticides such as DDT.  Bev and Rosalie are co-directors of the Go Green Action Group that presents programs on environmental issues.

LNRP will be offering another Community Grant Program in 2011 with requests for proposals announced in the Spring 2011 Newsletter.

Grantees this year included the following:

The Kewaunee County Groundwater Guardians will use their $5,000 grant for their annual Groundwater Festival and the printing of a county-specific "Protect the Water You Drink" publication. 

A $1500 grant will help Woodland Dunes Nature Center enhance their water stewardship educational programs for elementary school students, allowing them to purchase additional microscopes and wading boots for examining aquatic species.

Crossroads at Big Creek, located in Door County, will use their $2500 grant to present a variety of programs related to their 2010 educational theme, "The Year of the Niagara Escarpment".  These programs will underscore the importance of improving and maintaining water quality throughout the Lakeshore Basin.

Detroit Island is one of the Grand Traverse Islands located south of Washington Island, three miles off the tip of Door County. Detroit Harbor Preserve, which includes DI's Pedersen Bay, remains one of the most productive areas for spawning Smallmouth Bass in northern Green Bay. Through a $5000 grant in collaboration with the Door County Soil and Water Conservation Department, shorelines will be treated to manage and eliminate the invasive species phragmites.

The Sturgeon Bay Community's Garden is a collaborative project undertaken by Door County Memorial Hospital, the City of Sturgeon Bay, the UW Extension, Crossroads at Big Creek, The Master Gardeners of Door County and the Door County YMCA.  The $670 award will help them further develop their extensive garden and use the facilities for public education.

A $4930 grant will help the Calumet County Land and Water Conservation Department and Calumet Groundwater Guardians join forces with UW-Extension to create an informational water brochure for private well-owners and landowners within Karst (fragile soils) areas in Calumet County. 

These two organizations will also offer well testing at a discount for residents of the towns of Rantoul and New Holstein with a $3500 award. This information will allow monitoring of problem areas and adding the data to the county's database.

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LNRP Board Member Profile - Fred Depies

Fred Depies, LNRP Board Member since fall of 2008, is passionate about bringing together farmers and consumers. Growing up in New Holstein, this seed was planted 60 years ago when his vegetarian uncle (owner of Depies' Feed Mill), and Fred's father who worked with his uncle, would take him along to deliver chicken feed. His uncle's food consciousness, he says, rubbed off on him, and his family to a certain degree, and he grew accustomed to dealing with small farm operators and nutrition. In the 1980s, he and his wife Kathleen ran a health and natural foods store in Chilton. After it closed, they began searching for local quality food sources and developed a relationship with Grassway Organic Farm south of New Holstein after he initially saw their sign, "Farm Fresh Brown Eggs for Sale".

That association birthed the Farm Fresh Atlas of Eastern Wisconsin based on an existing publication from the Madison area. Working on the Atlas, now in its seventh year and 40 pages in length, "brought me in touch with small farmers and their need to find consumers, and consumers wanting to buy direct", Fred says, and "that became my mission."  The Atlas now has 15 Sponsors/Supporters and paid listings from over 100 farms and businesses.

Depies' local food mission has since branched out in many directions and arenas.  He initiated and developed the Fall Food and Energy Festival at Ledge View Nature Center in 2005, again connecting farmers and consumers, adding a renewable energy component in 2007.  In 2005 and 2006, he started Farm -to-Chef events at UW-Fox Valley and subsequently sought to start local food groups to connect people with local sustainable food in their communities.

"My next big interest," Fred explains, "was in food policy councils," so he brought in local food policy expert Mark Winnie, author of Closing the Food Gap, and invited him to speak at EarthFest in Sheboygan and interested communities in Northeast Wisconsin. Food Councils have formed since at the Oneida Nation, Sheboygan, Door and Fond du Lac counties. More recently, he has helped launch a 17-county plus Oneida Nation northeast Wisconsin regional food group called NEW Foodshed. He worked with slow food chef Bob Wall establishing a website www.newfoodshed.org . Wall, former head chef at Lawrence University in Appleton, introduced local food to the students and started a community garden.

"I started to connect with people at UW-Green Bay, specifically Lynn Walter at the Center for Food in Community and Culture," Fred says. "Now we have four of their interns working on the Atlas." He became part of the organic advisory committee for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) in Green Bay, assisting with their sustainable food and farming program. In 2008, NWTC introduced their first series of classes. Fred connected with LNRP Board Member and Adjunct Professor Chris Goebel on a group service project at Lakeland College. He also works with UW-Fox Valley's Joy Perry and Greg Peter on their sustainable living courses. In 2009, he met Diane Chapeta, from the NEW Farm to School Initiative, who uses the Atlas to find local suppliers. They cooperatively hold meetings and workshops.

"Over the last eight years, I've had a strong desire to start area ag-tours," he adds, "so LNRP's coach tour development now underway with the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network is very exciting to me, bringing the message of sustainability through food, fiber and art." His other major project this year involves forming a food distribution cooperative to bring local food to restaurants and retailers.

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Woodland Dunes Nature Center Playground Already Invites Imagination

The Helen Dicke-Krivacek Children's Little Wings Playground at Woodland Dunes Nature Center and Preserve in Two Rivers, funded in part with a $2,000 Champions of Conservation award in December 2008, is well underway. Although it's only half-way finished so far, children already are enjoying its features.

Named for the late 2008 Champion of Champions, Helen was a founder of Woodland Dunes and was a board member and the education chairperson for many years.  Helen was a "giant" in the Woodlands Dunes group.  Although her health had begun to fail, she continued to encourage and inquire, just as she did when helping to found Woodland Dunes more than 35 years ago. Naturalist and Director Jim Knickelbine explains she was a rare, beautiful person who left the world a better place because of her presence, and who lives on in all the wild things, including children, who live in or visit the sanctuary. Her family donated the award, which was added to other individual and corporate donations to Woodland Dunes to create a natural playground.

To help honor Helen's legacy, "We wanted to engage the younger kids in activities that tickle their imaginations and allow them to play in a natural setting," Knickelbine says. "We started doing research into nature-based play areas and visited the Schlitz Audubon Center in Milwaukee and others." After connecting with UW-Madison Landscape Architecture professor Sam Dennis, Dennis assigned his spring class to design the play area. Gleaning from their creativity, a play area was designed and mapped out, and construction began last season carried out almost entirely by volunteers. The area lies directly in front of the Center's office and community building.

One of the most interesting features consists of a limestone slab that serves as a spring with water bubbling up and over the rocks, with stepping stones. "The kids really love it," Knickelbine says. They also enjoy playing at the large art table with rocks and pine cones, as well as around the large Mulberry tree in the center of the area. Other areas in place include a deck, orchard and prairie maze. The remaining half, including berms, a climbing area, a shelter-building area, and sand feature, will be completed this summer.

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LNRP Project Reports

Two significant creek restoration projects were launched in fall 2009.  Both drain into Lake Michigan and are part of our efforts to restore and rehabilitate surface waters leading into the Great Lakes.  Our Explore and Restore program will continue to focus on existing projects throughout 2010.  However, stay tuned for "Explore" events in the upcoming year when LNRP will invite members to local lakes, rivers and wetlands to engage with local and regional experts.

Abandoned Millpond on Centerville Creek - Manitowoc County

The Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) is working with the Village of Cleveland to develop a framework for tying together a comprehensive approach for restoring the abandoned millpond and enhancing Hika Park. 

A spectrum of plans have been explored to restore and rehabilitate the millpond, establish a recreational and environmental corridor to Hika Park; and enhance Hika Park through a series of educational, recreational, and cultural facilities.

This project will restore over 2000 feet of Centerville Creek by removing the sediment and creating a gradient to restore flow.  In the late 1800's, a dam was created and formed the 12-acre millpond.  Prior to dam removal, approximately 8-10 feet of sediment had accumulated behind the dam, and much of this sediment remained in place following draw down and removal of the dam.  Since the dam removal, the stream continues to erode the sediment, releasing tremendous amounts of fine sediment into Lake Michigan, destroying fish habitat and causing aesthetic and public safety concerns revolving around cladophora algae.

An active "Friends" group will act as an Advisory Committee.  The group contains both village and town residents.  The role of the advisory committee is to guide the design process, offer insights to potential opportunities and challenges, and provide recommendations to the Cleveland Plan Commission through the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership.

We have begun to develop a working list of potential sources of funding.  Several sources have been identified with exploratory conversations taking place.  Primary sources of funding are likely to come from the Sustain Our Great Lakes Fund and the  Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

PCB Remediation on Pine Creek - Calumet County

A fish-consumption advisory has been posted for Pine Creek since 1991 due to PCBs.  The remediation plans for the project incorporate the restoration of the creek and adjoining floodplain to near pre-existing conditions, using state of the art methods, including biodegradable coir block bank reconstruction and the installation of large woody debris.TRC Environmental Corporation was awarded the work in December 2004 from the Tecumseh Company. Removal of PCBs required extensive overbank soil and sediment removal.  In places, the entire stream channel is being reconstructed. 

LNRP received a DNR River Planning grant in July 2009 to assess landowner interest in developing complementary restoration work to the work being completed by TRC.  To date, two panel discussions have been held (Oct 21, 2009 and Jan 21, 2010).  The first provided historical background and the context of the PCB remediation.  However, both panels spoke to best management practices associated with stream, wetland, and woodland restoration that are available. 

Natural resource professionals from TRC Environmental Corporation, the Department of Natural Resources, Calumet County Land and Water Conservation Department and Planning Departments, Glacierland RC&D, and Natural Resource Conservation Service have participated in these events.

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Great Lakes Nonpoint Abatement Coalition (GLNAC) Hosts a Video Conference Series

GLNAC is an Association of County Land Conservation Committees in Wisconsin of the Lake Superior and Lake Michigan drainage basins. Our Mission is as follows:

The mission of the Great Lakes Nonpoint Abatement Coalition is to develop, promote, and support nonpoint source pollution control programs for implementation at the local government level, which seek to protect the water quality of the Great Lakes.

Please plan to attend the first program of our compressed video conference at a site near you on Monday February 15, 2010, starting at 3:30 to 5:30 pm.  

Meeting the phosphorus index of 6; what does that mean to producers; conservationists and water quality? What is a TMDL?

NR 151, the DNR's Runoff Management Standard that is out for public comment will require producers to meet a phosphorus index of 6 as a condition from the phosphorus strategy of a 590 nutrient management plan. Producers located in a TMDL watershed may need to meet and index of 4 to meet phosphorus goals.

Many people in attendance were unclear about the functions and purpose of a phosphorus index. Professor Chris Baxter from UW-Platteville will present the research and background of the phosphorus index.  How will producers meet this strategy and address the impacts on water quality? He will share his findings from the UW Pioneer research farms on phosphorus runoff.

River Alliance's Denny Caneff will discuss his organizations concerns with phosphorus runoff and share examples of threats to our state's water quality from phosphorus sources. Denny will discuss policy issues and potential strategies that may be necessary to improve our water quality. Denny will be sure to challenge our thinking.

This will also be an opportunity to network and discuss these issues with your fellow colleagues at each location.

1.     Monday February 15, 2010.  Starting at 3:30pm ending 5:30pm. Hearings on changes to NR 151 Runoff Rule Standards began this month. Many questions and misunderstandings of the rule's proposal requiring cropland to meet a phosphorus index of 6 will be discussed by Professor Chris Baxter from UW-Platteville as well as phosphorus issues that are facing surface waters by Denny Caneff from River Alliance.

2.     Monday, March 15, 2010. Starting at 3:30pm ending 5:30pm. This session will feature presentation on the DATCP Working Lands Initiative and how it will impact our local LCC Departments. Many counties applied for grants from the Great Lakes Initiative. Hopefully we will gain insights as to the types of projects funded and future application periods.

3.     Monday, April 19, 2010. Starting at 3:30pm ending 5:30pm. This session will focus on ground water issues in the Great Lakes Basin covering draw downs in our aquifer and non-point contamination. For our northern forested segments of the basin we would like to have a report on a study being conducted in the Superior drainage basin on forest management impacts on water quality of a watershed.

4.     Monday, May 17, 2010. Starting 5:00 pm ending 7:00pm. This last session will feature local efforts to monitor water quality and explore some of those findings.

Contact Tom Ward for locations at UW Fond du Lac and UW Green Bay.  Tom can be contacted at  tomward@tm.net or at 920.588.0047.

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