GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $19.8 MILLION IN STATEWIDE MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT AWARDS
“Beerline B” Bike Trail in Riverwest Among the Awards
River Revitalization Foundation is Local Sponsor with Milwaukee County (Madison)— Governor Scott McCallum announced approval of 42 Statewide Multi-modal Improvement Program (SMIP) awards totaling $19.8 million to help complete a variety of transportation-related projects across the state including bicycle and pedestrian facilities, improvements to historic transportation structures, scenic landscaping, and public transit-related projects. The SMIP awards represent federal Surface Transportation Program funds distributed to local public sponsors. Most of the awards require a 20% local share.

Two of the grants were for Beer Line Bicycle projects. The City of Milwaukee received $572,800 grant as part of a $716,000 Beer Line Bicycle/Recreational Corridor project. Milwaukee County received $320,000 for a $400,000 conversion of the Beerline Right-of -Way to a bikeway. The Foundation has pledged to raise the remaining $80,000, or the 20% local share.

Milwaukee County will work with the River Revitalization Foundation and local property owners to build this trail linking Gordon Park and Riverwest to Commerce Street. Earlier this year the River Revitalization Foundation purchased a section of the rail corridor from CMC Heartland Partners with the intention of donating the land to Milwaukee County to become part of a trail system providing access and links into and through the Milwaukee River valley. RRF has been awarded DNR Stewardship funds for half of the acquisition costs, or $200,000.

“These projects represent a federal, state and local partnership that continues our efforts to strengthen Wisconsin’s economy and enhance our transportation infrastructure,” Governor McCallum said. “A quality and comprehensive transportation system supports economic development and makes our local communities even more vibrant places to live, work and visit.”

TRAIL NAMING OPPORTUNITY!
WOULD YOU LIKE A TRAIL NAMED AFTER YOU OR A LOVED ONE?
Contact the foundation for more information on this unique naming opportunity!

$200,000 IN DNR STEWARDSHIP FUNDS AWARDED TO RRF!
The DNR has awarded the Foundation with a Knowles Nelson Stewardship grant in the amount of $200,000 to cost share in the land acquisition along the Milwaukee River from Gordon Park to Wright Street. Acquiring and preserving this nearly 5 acre property for public access and trails will help protect the river valley and create links between existing green space and County parks from Gordon to North Avenue.

RIVER REVITALIZATION FOUNDATION RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FOR LOCAL GREENWAY
The River Revitalization Foundation received a national honor with a grant from the Kodak American Greenway Awards Program in Arlington, VA. The $1,800 grant will help with the construction of the “Beerline B” bike trail in Riverwest, creating a connection from Gordon Park to North Avenue on the west side of the Milwaukee River. In addition to this grant award, River Revitalization Foundation will be showcased as a national model for its innovative efforts to develop a greenway in Milwaukee.
The Kodak American Greenway Awards, administered by The Conservation Fund, provides small grants of up to $2,500 to nonprofit organizations and government agencies to help develop new action-oriented greenway projects. The Kodak Awards provide seed money to spark creativity in conservation, outdoor recreation, trail and greenway development.

The River Revitalization Foundation is one of only 38 groups awarded nationwide for their innovative local efforts to preserve the river valley and provide public access to the river in a dense urban neighborhood. “The Riverwest Neighborhood Association has been advocating for a bike trail for years” said Kimberly Gleffe, executive director of the Foundation. “With the renovation of Gordon Park, the land acquisition by the Foundation to link green space with other County property, and the bike trail funding, we will effectively realize our goal of protecting critical riparian areas for future generations” she said.

According to The Conservation Fund’s Chairman of the Board, Patrick F. Noonan, “The projects selected this year represent some of the best grassroots conservation and greenway development efforts in the United States. TCF supports these local initiatives because they are thoughtful, action-oriented projects that will serve as models for other communities around the country.”

The Kodak American Greenway Awards are made possible through the generous support of the Eastman Kodak Company. As the world’s imaging leader, Kodak sets the standard in traditional picture taking, while working to bring the latest in digital imaging technologies to the marketplace. The Kodak American Greenway Awards Grants Review Committee, consisted of conservation experts from around the country and was overseen by The Conservation Fund. The committee selected grant recipients from 237 applications from 47 states and the District of Columbia.

Since 1985, The Conservation Fund has protected more than 3 million acres of wildlife habitat, open space and historic sites throughout the United States. The Fund’s mission is to work with other nonprofit organizations, public agencies, corporations and private landowners to safeguard America’s land and water resources.

EPA AWARDS $46,238 TO WISCONSIN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROJECTS INCLUDING RIVER REVITALIZATION FOUNDATION
CHICAGO (Sep. 23, 2004) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 recently awarded $46,238 to support environmental education projects in Wisconsin, including an online directory of nature centers, classes about the Milwaukee River, teacher training and an environmental education conference. Recipients are the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona, the River Revitalization Foundation in Milwaukee, the Superior School District and The Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education in Stevens Point.

This year, EPA is awarding $190,000 to 23 recipients in the Midwest. More than 150 organizations competed for funds. As required by law, most of the awards are for grass-roots programs costing $5,000 or less.

In the past 10 years, Region 5 has awarded more than $1.5 million in educational grants to academic institutions, nonprofit groups, park districts and tribes in the Midwest. EPA is awarding these funds under the 1990 National Environmental Education Act, which gives EPA the authority to support and create environmental education programs nationwide.

River Revitalization Foundation’s project, entitled “Take Me To The River: Kids for Stewardship” will engage Milwaukee Public School students in field trips, art projects, and journal writing about environmental topics involving the Milwaukee River. The nine MPS schools selected for participation include: Elm Creative Arts, Fratney, Gaenslen, Hartford, Hawley Environmental, Golda Meir, Milwaukee Education Center, Palmer and Pierce. The project will impact over 300 students during the 2002-03 school year.

Students completed projects will be highlighted on the Foundation’s web site in June 2003. RRF Featured in American Rivers Case Study publication River Milwaukee River Community Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

River Issues
Sections of the Milwaukee River have been highly prone to flooding because much of the river has been routed through concrete channels. Water quality has been poor due to the manipulation of the river and industrial waste, threatening fish and wildlife.

*Encroaching development along the Milwaukee River is threatening existing natural areas, few of which remain in the dense urban areas of downtown Milwaukee. This development provides no buffer zones or a balance between the built and natural environment. Because much of the construction is abutting the Milwaukee River, this may contribute to problems of runoff and stormwater management, degrading the quality of the river as well as reducing green space.

What Has Been Accomplished
Appointed in 1987, the Milwaukee River Revitalization Council advises state and local officials on issues pertaining to the Milwaukee River. In recent years, the Council has worked to build support for a master plan for a river trail system that would transform the waterfront into an environmental corridor of public parks and open spaces. The Riverway Plan (1991) document contains recommendations, goals and action plans to improve the environmental quality of the Milwaukee River Basin.
Based on the recommendations in this plan, the River Revitalization Foundation was created in 1994 to implement the suggested strategies. The plan proposes that the greenway extend from the mouth of the Milwaukee River (Lake Michigan) to the headwaters of the basin in Fond du Lac County. The Foundation works closely with the neighborhood groups along the river as well as the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, the WI Department of Natural Resources, the National Park Service – Rivers and Trails, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and many other conservation organizations concerned with similar issues. The Foundation hosted a River Summit on November 9, 2001, the third conference for the community. Attendance in the past has included representatives of the corporate community, elected officials and members of the community.

As part of the master plan, the Foundation’s immediate focus includes land acquisition to preserve the river valley as a continuous environmental corridor, is working with the Milwaukee County Parks Department to develop a bike trail along the river linking neighborhoods and other bike trails with it, and is supporting the City’s efforts to build a pedestrian bridge over the North Avenue dam site, providing public access to the river and connecting the east and west banks. The bridge also will mark the transition from the hard, urban edge of the waterfront to its more natural upstream reaches, and serve as a catalyst for new expansion of the riverfront into downtown Milwaukee and its outlying communities.

Benefits to the River and Community
Polluted runoff from agriculture and sewage overflows have been controlled, and sometimes eliminated altogether. Salmon are now commonly visible in the river, as are other game fish. Other forms of wildlife such as river otters and herons can be spotted along the shoreline. In addition, members of the community are more engaged by the riverfront, creating new recreational and aesthetic amenities that will further link communities to the river.

*Preservation of the river valley for the public and future generations will benefit the entire community, as well as wildlife habitat. Providing opportunities for public access to the river and natural areas will encourage stewardship for further protection. Sustainability and balance between the built and natural environment also have economic benefits. Water quality will continue to improve, wildlife will have a continuous natural corridor for migration, and property values will increase. Milwaukee is an attractive place to live and work.Source: American Rivers Case Study, reporting an update of the issues and progress made in the Milwaukee River Basin through the efforts of the River Revitalization Foundation and Friend’s of Milwaukee’s Rivers.

UPDATE ON THE NORTH AVENUE DAM PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE
As part of the Beer Line Tax Incremental District improvements, a bridge will be built over the remnants of the North Avenue dam. A selection committee is recommending the Chicago based architectural firm of Holabird and Root be selected for their simple but elegant design for a pedestrian bridge linking Caesar’s Park and the west bank of the river at the dam. The budget for the bridge is $500,000, and the money must be spent before the end of 2003. Next year at this time expect to be able to stroll across this new link between neighborhoods.

“It would be great if additional footbridge links were built up stream linking Gordon and Riverside Parks and linking UWM with Riverwest between Capitol and Locust Streets”, said Vince Bushell of the Riverwest Neighborhood Association.

Additional trails and links are being proposed by the Foundation in collaboration with the Urban Ecology Center, the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development, the Milwaukee County Parks Department, and the National Park Service Rivers and Trails. An east bank trail would connect Caesar’s Park and the new pedestrian bridge with Riverside Park and the Urban Ecology Center. The County Parks Department is applying for a WI Coastal Management grant for trail construction.