Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, Inc, Champions of Conservation
Lake Shoreline

News and Events

April 14, 2008

The Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership welcomes Gary Becker, Mayor of Racine to Algoma on Saturday April 26th to kick off a ½ day forum on the status of water resources in Kewaunee County. He will be joined by local experts at the Sustaining Our Water – Our Health, Our Livelihoods seminar at the Farm Market Kitchen, 520 Parkway Avenue, Algoma from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm.  The seminar will begin with coffee and conversations, followed by a series of lectures and panel discussions, and ending with an interactive lunch. 

Water is a key resource for all of Wisconsin but especially for coastal counties like Kewaunee.  Water feeds and nourishes us, and gives us opportunities for recreation.  For many, it is the source of their livelihoods.

The seminar is a great opportunity for government officials, community leaders, business professionals, and the interested public to learn more about the challenges of sustaining our waters and potential solutions that can improve our environment, keep our water supply healthy, and sustain the quality of life.

Mayor Becker will launch the day with a presentation on how the city of Racine has taken on the challenge of closed beaches and poor water quality.  Racine has earned national recognition for their accomplishments.  Other speakers will be part of two concurrent sessions. 

One session will offer Pat Robinson from the UW Extension examining the ecological history of northeastern Wisconsin and our impact on water quality, and Davina Bonness, Kewaunee County’s groundwater specialist discussing the quality of groundwater and education efforts designed to raise awareness of groundwater issues

The second session will offer Kevin Naze, a local fisherman and writer and Mike Toneys, retired DNR Fisheries Biologist exploring the state of the Lake Michigan fishery, and Andy Wallander, Kewaunee County Conservationist & Tom Konop, a local farmer sharing their views on best management practices designed to mitigate the impact of agriculture on surface waters and groundwater. 

Jay Moynihan, Shawano County UW-Extension Community Development Educator, will wrap up the sessions with a unique perspective on sustainability.  Sustainable practices offer a common sense, proven approach that can help us build a quality future for communities.  The success in combining economic, social, and environmental well-being is creating tremendous interest throughout public and private sectors.

At 12:30 lunch will be provided by the Farm Market Kitchen for $6 per person for those with reservations.  For more information, or to make a reservation for lunch, contact Jim Kettler at (920) 693-2199 or jim@lnrp.org.

The forum is being sponsored by the Lakeshore Natural Resources Partnership, UW Extension, the Farm Market Kitchen, the Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission, the Tri-Lakes Association, the League of Women Voters, and Algoma Kewaunee Area Great Lakes Sport Fishermen, Inc.

May 18, 2007

Farmers in Manitowoc and Kewaunee Counties Receive Environmental Management Systems Training

On the way to Green Tier, farmers need to move up a progress pyramid of progressive farm management. 

AWIN has provided a mechanism for farmers to leverage existing resources when available to move up the pyramid as well as providing funds when necessary to have farmers go through various training sessions.

A major emphasis of the project was to elevate farmers’ capacity for best practice environmental management and to show by results how transformation can occur from adversarial community engagement and traditional regulation into stakeholder driven environmental performance.  This emphasis will bring about the needed transparency of environmental management and its direct ties to environmental quality.

AWIN does this by helping farmers move up a progressive spectrum of farm practices including emergency response plans, winter spreading plans, nutrient management plans, comprehensive nutrient management plans, and environmental management systems (EMS). 

EMS has the market place help pay for environmental excellence and good management practices similar to the international standard of management practices, ISO 14,000.

Two farms (Meadow Brook Dairy Farms and Bob Staudinger) and a dairy farm / cheese processor (Saxon Homestead Farm) in Manitowoc County and three farms (Dairy Dreams, Ebert Enterprises, Baudhuin’s Grandview Dairy) in Kewaunee County were trained to develop a individual farm-based Environmental Management System through a series of training sessions conducted by the environmental consultant firm of Natural Resource Technology.

The EMS organizes dairy, cropping, land management, nutrient management, building and machine maintenance, and other operations in a way that gives the farmer a whole look at the entire cause-effect relationship with the environment. It allows the farmer to see where opportunity exists to change practices or invest to benefit the farm, the environment, and reduce regulation.

It shifts the focus from “inspection and enforcement” to management.  Under utilized resources can become value added.  It communicates a whole picture of farm operations to the farm owner, operation managers, employees, and customers.  It provides the tools for improvement in environmental performance and efficiency.  Finally, it builds a continuous improvement farm management system approach that must align with farm business goals.

The Agricultural Watershed Improvement Network (AWIN) is a partnership of the Wisconsin Agriculture Stewardship Initiative (WASI), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), UW Extension Service, County Soil and Water Conservation Departments, and the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership with funding provided by The Joyce Foundation.

The Mission is to improve drinking and surface water quality through a focus on enhancing environmental, community, and economic aspects of agricultural operations. 

For more information contact Timm Johnson, Project Coordinator (WASI) at timm.johnson@datcp.state.wi.us or Jim Kettler, Project Communications (LNRP) at jim@lnrp.org.

January 2007

For more information, to make a contribution or sponsor a sign in the lakeshore basin please contact Jim Kettler Jim@LNRP.org

A newly formed coalition called Lake Michigan Partners comprised of four basin-based groups of eastern Wisconsin (Root-Pike Water Initiative Network, Milwaukee River Basin Partnership, Sheboygan River Alliance, and Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership) is launching a campaign to protect Lake Michigan watersheds. The partnership received a grant from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program to launch the campaign.

The campaign entitled: We All Live On The Water. Life Depends On It. Protect It. is the first in a series of proposed collaborative efforts of the Lake Michigan Partners. The approach of this initial project will provide a simple method for 3.5 million citizens to more easily contribute to the protection of Wisconsin’s coastal natural resources through the 1-800-TIP-WDNR hotline.

The Lake Michigan Partners will launch the We All Live on the Water campaign at a reception on Friday, March 2nd at 6:00pm at Pier Wisconsin. The event will feature several speakers and dignitaries. Several corporate sponsors will be participating including Miller.

This project will include installing 250 signs across coastal counties, at strategic river crossings, lake landings, beaches, and public access spots. The signs will provide the 1-800-TIP-WDNR hotline number to report environmental violations and to increase awareness of each participating organization as well as their individual efforts in protecting our natural resource. There will be uniformity in design and one-source printing for all signs. The sign design will be unveiled at the campaign launch on March 2nd, just five days before Great Lakes Day on March 7th.

Local cooperation and regional awareness will be enhanced by a unified, all county marketing and promotion campaign to increase visual recognition and promote the importance of citizen participation in preserving our land and water resources. Outcomes will be that over 400 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and over 4,500 square miles of coastal associated basins will have increased capacity for being protected by its local citizenry. The act of seeking cooperation for installing these signs will further engage local town and county leaders.

Underlying this first-ever collaboration between four basin-based organizations in Wisconsin will be a deliberate strategy to enhance the region’s forward capacity to engage the public. A professional marketing consultant, Cassiani & Company, will utilize this initial project as a framework from which to establish by which outcomes will surpass the combined individual abilities of these organizations to engage their constituents. The approaches and experiences of this project will be documented so that the region-wide collaboration can be repeated and can be exported.

As part of the expanded campaign, the Lake Michigan Partners are seeking funding for a broader media campaign including public service announcements on radio and television outlets, feature stories for area newspapers, the creation and placement of billboards throughout the basins. The second phase is to create a portfolio of educational materials on the Lake Michigan watershed. The goal of the Lake Michigan Partners is to make resources more available to the decision-makers who have the capacity to effect long-term protection and improvements of our Lake Michigan watershed.

For more information, to make a contribution or sponsor a sign in the lakeshore basin please contact Jim Kettler Jim@LNRP.org

January 21, 2007

A New Agricultural Collaboration is formed in Northeast Wisconsin:
The Agricultural Watershed Improvement Network

A goal to improve drinking and surface water quality has prompted the creation of a new group that will focus on enhancing environmental, community, and economic aspects of agricultural operations. The Agricultural Watershed Improvement Network (AWIN) is a partnership of the Wisconsin Agriculture Stewardship Initiative (WASI), the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP), UW Extension Service, County Soil and Water Conservation Departments, and the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) with funding provided by The Joyce Foundation.

A major emphasis of the project will be to elevate farmers’ capacity for best practice environmental management and to show by results and conversation how transformation can occur from adversarial community engagement and traditional regulation into stakeholder driven environmental performance. This emphasis will bring about the needed transparency of environmental management and its direct ties to environmental quality.

AWIN does this by helping farmers move up a progressive spectrum of farm practices including emergency response plans, winter spreading plans, nutrient management plans, comprehensive nutrient managementplans, and environmental management systems.

At least 60 farmers will receive training through AWIN on Emergency Response Plans, Winter Spreading Plans, and Nutrient Management Plans. Each farm will develop an emergency response plan, get a map highlighting critical sites for spreading, and get 2 “maximum operating level” markers for manure storage. Hundreds of additional farmers in each county will also receive critical site maps by mail. A number of other farms will be subsidized to allow their participation in the Federally-sponsored Natural Resource Conservation Service program to develop Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans. Three farms and a cheese processor in Manitowoc County and three farms in Kewaunee County will be trained to develop Environmental Management System processes and documents through a series of training sessions conducted by the environmental consultant firm of Natural Resource Technology.

A community grants program conducted by the LNRP is a second area of activity. The program seeks to expand community capacity within the project area to broaden public support for agriculture within the environmental context. Applicants submit grant proposals that focus on improving or restoring water quality. The grant proposals are reviewed by grant advisory teams made up of local community members that help guide which proposals are accepted and funded.

The project leaders hope to link people throughout the project area to develop a proactive “yes we can” strategy that links good farming practices with economic and environmental incentives.

For more information contact Timm Johnson, Project Coordinator (WASI) at Timm.Johnson@datcp.state.wi.us or Jim Kettler, Project Communications (LNRP) at Jim@LNRP.org.

October 2006 Farm

LNRP To Announce Environmental Solutions Fund Community Grant Round. Applications available in late October 2006

LNRP Launches the Champions of Conservation Campaign

As a regional leader in facilitating environmental stewardship, we empower organizations in the lakeshore basin to create a sustainable future for our communities, our environment and the Great Lakes.

We support community-based conservation and stewardship in one of the most inspiring and unique areas of Wisconsin. Serving Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Calumet and portions of Brown and Sheboygan Counties.

We do this through our Environmental Solutions Fund, by providing community grants to support local activities and grass roots efforts that balance land use, natural resource management & conservation with the needs of people.This fund fosters community partnerships and promotes forums for discussion to improve the health of our natural resources.

To continue awarding community grants, we need you to become a Champion of Conservation!

To further our mission to support local community efforts that improve the health of our natural resources, the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership is embarking on an ambitious and imperative "Champions of Conservation" Campaign, a five year, 2 million dollar initiative to maintain the community grants program, launch our educational outreach network and support administrative needs.

The title of this campaign reflects our desire and commitment to challenge communities and business leaders to rise up and “champion” the conservation needs of the lakeshore basin; our home, our community, our responsibility.

January 21st 2006

2005 Grant Awards Announced:

The 2005 Fall Grant Cycle was a Success (2005 grant recipients)

$9,000 in grants awarded to 9 projects in Lakeshore Basin

The Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) has just announced the award of $9,000 in grants to groups working on natural resource protection in the Lakeshore Basin.

LNRP will award grants to 9 projects from Calumet, Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties.

LNRP is a new initiative seeking to promote wise stewardship of ground and surface waters, forests, soils and wildlife habitat. It encourages community partnerships and offers funding and other assistance to projects that help protect and improve the watershed. Eligible projects and research must occur in the Lakeshore Basin watershed, which encompasses Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties and the eastern portion of Brown and Calumet counties. in 2004 LNRP awarded $50,000 to 17 projects from Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties.

Proposal review and evaluation for the LNRP grants was conducted by Grant Advisory Teams composed of knowledgeable volunteers from throughout the Lakeshore Basin. The 20 members of the four teams included natural resource professionals, scientists, teachers and leaders of environmental organizations.

30 August 2005

2005 Grant Cycle Announced:

Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership Will Offer Grants for Environmental Protection and Education

The Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, Inc. (LNRP) will award grants to non-profit organizations working to preserve, promote and protect the water and other resources in Northeast Wisconsin. Grants will range in size up to $1,000.

LNRP seeks to promote wise stewardship of ground and surface waters, forests, soils, wildlife and habitat. It does this by fostering community partnerships, making grants, and offering other assistance to projects designed to protect and improve the watershed.

Organizations eligible to compete for grants are grassroots groups with limited revenue that are located in the Lakeshore Basin, the watershed that includes Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties and the eastern parts of Brown and Calumet counties.

Grant proposals should focus on one of the following four areas of concern:

Grant Advisory Teams composed of environment professionals and dedicated private citizens with substantial qualifications and experience from throughout the basin will be available to assist organizations in developing their applications.

Applications are due by October 1 and funding decisions will be made by mid-December.

Organizations interested in applying for a grant or learning more about LNRP should visit the LNRP web site at www.lnrp.org where application guidelines, instructions, and forms are available. Also on the web site are progress reports about the projects carried out in the last round of LNRP grants. Additional information is available from Julie Hein-Frank at 920-746- 2886 or by e-mail to grants@LNRP.org.

2005 Fall Grant Cycle to be announced in August

The 2004 Spring Grant Cycle was a Success (grant recipients)

July 7th 2004

$50,000 in grants awarded to 17 projects in Lakeshore Basin

The Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) has just announced the award of $50,000 in grants to groups working on natural resource protection in the Lakeshore Basin.

LNRP will award grants to 17 projects from Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties.

LNRP is a new initiative seeking to promote wise stewardship of ground and surface waters, forests, soils and wildlife habitat. It encourages community partnerships and offers funding and other assistance to projects that help protect and improve the watershed. Eligible projects and research must occur in the Lakeshore Basin watershed, which encompasses Door, Kewaunee and Manitowoc counties and the eastern portion of Brown and Calumet counties.

See the successful projects in the lakeshore basin

Proposal review and evaluation for the LNRP grants was conducted by Grant Advisory Teams composed of knowledgeable volunteers from throughout the Lakeshore Basin. The 21 members of the four teams included natural resource professionals, scientists, teachers and leaders of environmental organizations.