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WHAT'S NEW AT THE FOUNDATION Check out our events and volunteer pages for involvement opportunities; including our summer restoration project funded by the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and our restoration efforts for the Southbranch Creek parcel. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- November 29, 2007 PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kimberly Gleffe, Executive Director Phone: 414-271-8000 Email : kgleffe@riverrevitalizationfoundation.org River- focused non profit group partners with local business to leverage resources and impactMilwaukee , WI (November 29) : While real estate agents chant “location, location, location,” for non profit environmental organizations, the mantra is “partnership, partnership, partnership.” Protecting Milwaukee's rivers especially requires creative use of community resources to match the limited dollars available from foundations and government agencies. Non profits fight for dollars in an increasingly competitive market as new organizations start up every day. Creative non profit leaders get the resources they need by forming partnerships with companies and government agencies that are able to do the work needed to be done and are willing to donate their company's time and resources. A shining example of a local organization that beats the partnership drum louder than most is River Revitalization Foundation (RRF), a non profit dedicated to preserving Milwaukee's urban rivers for public access, water quality improvement, and wildlife and habitat protection. Recent RRF projects with business partners include the creation of the East Bank Trail on the Milwaukee River from Riverside Park to Caesar's Park on the East Side where Marek Landscaping and CG Schmidt donated nearly 50% of the labor and supplies for the trail construction and Prairie Nursery gave plant materials. Restoration of the habitat surrounding the Milwaukee River from North Ave. to Locust St. involved additional native plant and tool donations from Applied Ecological Services and local organizations. “Giving to RRF and other local groups has created a great sense of pride for our team,” says Mike Marek, owner of Marek Landscaping. “We work, live and play here. Knowing that we have contributed to the quality of our home for the benefit of everyone brings us closer to our community and enriches the wild places for generations to come,” added Marek. RRF recently purchased a 2.24 acre parcel in Brown Deer with funds from the WDNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund. This property is adjacent to the Southbranch Creek of the Milwaukee River where state-threatened fish may be found. Natural Resource Technology in Pewaukee donated environmental surveying services for the acquisition, and legal guidance from Cook & Franke saved RRF thousands of dollars in legal fees. Partnering with Badger Meter, an international company headquartered in Brown Deer, RRF is restoring the unique 2.24 acre wooded lot at the junction of Teutonia and Green Bay Ave. in Brown Deer into a natural area for recreation. Milwaukee County Parks will be extending the off-street Oak Leaf Trail through this property in 2008. Over the last two years, RRF and United Water partnered to bring Washington High School interns to the river to teach them about ecological restoration and the importance of native plants and wildlife to the urban ecosystem. Students were mentored by United Water employees and RRF staff, giving them rare exposure to environmental careers at their early age. “We simply can't do what is needed for protecting our threatened rivers and the fish and wildlife that depend on them, with just foundation, government, or individual donations,” says Kimberly Gleffe, Executive Director of River Revitalization Foundation. “Businesses looking to give end-of-the-year donations to non profit organizations might also consider what internal resources they have that could assist a local organization,” added Gleffe.
Above photo: ribbon-cutting ceremony for East Bank Trail on the Milwaukee River with many partners, July 2006. High resolution photo available upon request. # # # # # The MISSION of the River Revitalization Foundation is to establish a parkway for public access, walkways, recreation and education, bordering the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers; to use the rivers to revitalize surrounding neighborhoods; and to improve water quality. More information available at www.riverrevitalizationfoundation.org
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1845 N. Farwell, Suite 100 Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414.271.8000 Fax: 414.273.7293 |
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