Great American Clean Up: Scheduled Events
   

Help keep Greater Milwaukee beautiful!
Join Honorary Chair President George W. Bush as we celebrate The Great American Cleanup. This spring, you can participate locally on Saturday, April 26, 2003 and join thousands of volunteers at over 30 Public Lands Day sites, to give Southeast Wisconsin a good spring-cleaning. Or, plan your own neighborhood cleanup for anytime between March 1st and May 31st. All volunteers receive bags and "Thank You" coupons, good for admission to the Milwaukee County Zoo or a Milwaukee County Park Pool. Through a grassroots volunteer initiative, thousands of community volunteers, civic organizations and businesses work together for a cleaner, safer and healthier place to live, work and play! Call Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Inc. (KGMB) at 414.272.5462 for registration information.

KIWANIS SPRING RIVER CLEAN UP
In cooperation with Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, the Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee will again be sponsoring the annual river clean up at these locations:

South and Southwest: Oak Creek Parkway, Hale Creek Parkway, Root River Parkway, KK River Parkway
West: Menomonee River Parkway, Honey Creek Parkway
East: Caesar’s Park, Riverside Park/Urban Ecology Center, Gordon Park, Kern Park
North: Hubbard Park, Estabrook Park, Lincoln Park, Kletzsch Park, YMCA Schroeder Aquatic Center

For more information, including maps, and to volunteer, contact Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee at
276-1331, or kiwanismke@aol.com, or www.kiwanismilwaukee.org

Help Cleanup the Milwaukee River!
Saturday, April 26, 8:30 am until 1:00pm
Help as long as you want
(Where North Avenue crosses over the Milwaukee River)

Event:
Please help in revitalizing and preserving the quality of the Milwaukee River and the surrounding valley by participating in this year’s Great American Cleanup. Help pickup trash and discarded items along the banks and in the valley of the Milwaukee River.

What to do:
Meet on Saturday, April 26, 8:30am or after where North Avenue crosses the Milwaukee River on the west side of the river. You can walk to the site or you can drive underneath the North Avenue bridge by going east on Riverboat Road and go past the Wheelhouse Dinner Theatre. Riverboat Road is off of N. Humboldt, south of North Avenue. Please see map on back. Our area to clean is directly under the North Avenue bridge and as far north as we can go.

We Will Provide:
Gloves
Large plastic bags
Snacks, beverages, and COFFEE
Free coupons for Zoo entrance and Milwaukee County swimming pools

You Should:
Wear older clothing
Warm clothing in layers
Set a goal for your self or your team! (Six full bags per person is easy to do!)
Bring friends and family!
Feel good when you are done!

Please call you cleanup coordinator, Cameron, with any questions: 414-476-8390.
The River Cleanup is sponsored by Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers and the River Revitalization Foundation and facilitated by Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful.

Learn more about these organizations….
Friends of Milwaukee Rivers: www.mkeriverkeeper.org
River Revitalization Foundation: http://www.wisconline.com/greenmap/milwaukee/wmilwaukee.html
Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful: http://my.execpc.com/~kgmb/

It’s that time of year again!! Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers 8th Annual River Clean Up is Saturday, April 26 from 9am-12pm. This community event brings together members and volunteers to clean up and preserve Milwaukee’s waterways, while learning the importance of watershed health and a good stewardship ethic. The River Clean-Up also promotes community service and builds community pride.

Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers coordinates river cleanup sites at the following locations:
Hoyt, Jacobus, Hart Parks and Milwaukee County Grounds

Volunteer site captains organize additional river cleanup sites along the following rivers:
Milwaukee,Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers

If you would like to participate at one of FMR’s coordinated sites or if you would like to be a site captain and help FMR coordinate additional cleanup sites along the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers call FMR at 414.476.6042, or email us at mriver@ameritech.net. We look forward to hearing from you!

MMSD makes two major purchases to preserve open space and reduce risk of future flooding: 85 acres in Milwaukee, and 70 acres in Franklin
CITY OF MILWAUKEE: The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has just closed on the purchase of 85 acres of land that will remain undeveloped for the foreseeable future, reducing the risk of flooding in the Milwaukee area. Located along the Little Menomonee River near 124th Street and County Line Road in the City of Milwaukee, the entire property will remain open space with potential for future hiking trails.

“As this region continues to grow, we need to develop responsibly and ensure that there is enough undeveloped land to naturally store and drain rainwater,” said Dennis Grzezinski, MMSD Commission chairman.

The land was acquired as part of MMSD’s innovative flood control program called the Conservation Plan, which is designed to reduce the risk of flooding in the MMSD service area by identifying and acquiring undeveloped privately owned properties, either through an outright sale or a conservation easement. All of the properties will remain as open space, naturally holding water in critical areas that are expected to have major growth over the next 20 years. Water storage could be provided by maintaining and restoring wetlands.

The Conservation Plan is a program that complements MMSD’s traditional structurally engineered solutions to flooding by acquiring property from willing sellers. To date, MMSD has acquired 182 acres in Milwaukee County to remain as open space. This is the fourth acquisition under the Conservation Plan in the four-county area serviced by MMSD.

If the property is opened to the public, bird watchers and hikers will be able to enjoy two small lakes, extensive wetlands and frontage along the Little Menomonee River. This particular property will provide a substantial amount of natural water storage, critical in helping to reduce the risk of flooding.

CITY OF FRANKLIN: The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has acquired 70 acres of undeveloped land to remain as open space to help reduce future flooding in the Milwaukee area. With pristine wooded areas and frontage nestled along the east branch of the Root River, the property is located north of Drexel Avenue between 37th and 46th Streets in the City of Franklin.
“We’re fortunate to have secured this property in a popular area that is developing rapidly,” said Dennis Grzezinski, MMSD Commission Chairman. “MMSD bought the land from Kaerek Builders Inc., which planned to construct homes on the property, but decided to sell it instead for flood management efforts.”

“Preserving this land is good for the environment and it's good for everyone down river who will have an extra layer of protection from future flooding," said Milwaukee Mayor John O. Norquist. "This is a great example of the cooperative regional approach we need to achieve truly effective flood management. MMSD's Conservation Plan is a model for the rest of the Great Lakes states."
The acquisition of this property, located just southeast of Pleasant View School, is critical as it provides a natural open space that will continue to help reduce flooding amid the rapid growth of Franklin. It provides students and the public with areas to enjoy bird watching and, in the future, may have hiking trails along the Root River.

The Conservation Fund (TCF), which has been retained by MMSD to implement the Conservation Plan, contracted to purchase both parcels and then assigned them to MMSD. The properties are intended to remain as open space. The Conservation Fund is a national non-profit organization based in Arlington, VA, that forges partnerships to conserve America’s legacy of land and water resources.

River Revitalization Foundation and Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers Announce Strategic Alliance
The River Revitalization Foundation (“Foundation”) and Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers (“Friends”), Milwaukee’s two river non-profit groups, are pleased to announce the formation of a Strategic Alliance between the two organizations. The two groups have been exploring ways that they could build on each other’s strengths. Among the initial options considered was the potential for full merger, but the organizations agree that the concept of a Strategic Alliance will allow the strengths of each group to be maximized. The Foundation is engaged in protection of the Milwaukee River valley through land acquisition, and the Friends continues its role as the Riverkeeper® for Milwaukee’s rivers.
The Strategic Alliance will encompass activities and processes that will include programmatic and administrative coordination. Our first joint venture is a partnership in support of the Urban Wilderness project, spearheaded by Eddee Daniel, FMR Board Member, which highlights through photography and prose, a perspective of the Menomonee River and its environs. We also plan to co-sponsor an Earth Day Celebration (see flyer insert) on April 22nd to raise funds and friends for the “Beerline B” bike trail in Riverwest, participate in the annual river clean up on Saturday, April 26th, and promote National Trails Day on June 7th.

Another area of cooperation is the current flagship project of each organization. The Foundation’s Riverway Plan and the Friends’ Corridor Plan are highly complementary. Additionally, the two groups plan to work jointly as representatives in a number of regional conservation projects. This will allow staff resources to be spread more effectively across these efforts.

A key part of the Strategic Alliance will also be evaluating potential sharing of office space and back office functions. We recognize that coordination will be much easier if staff are in close proximity.
These two organizations share a joint vision for Milwaukee, and are working to achieve it through advocating for sound land use, clean water, and public access for future generations.
For more information, contact:

Kimberly Gleffe, Executive Director or Jen Linse, Executive Assistant
RRF FMR
414.271.8000 414.476.6042
riverfdn@hotmail.com, mriver@ameritech.net

Our Parks Need Your Help!
Spring 2003 Weed-Out
Dates: The first four Saturdays in May.
May 3,10,17,24
Time: 9:00am – Noon
Locations: See below, you can choose your favorite park
Contact: Beth Kyte, The Park People (414) 273-7293
info@theparkpeople-milwaukee.org

www.theparkpeople-milwaukee.orgIn cooperation with the Milwaukee County Parks System and AFSCME Local 882, The Park People volunteers have been removing invasive weeds from high quality natural areas in the Milwaukee County Parks since 1996. Weed-Out is an excellent community service project for any organization, school group, family or individual concerned about our environment or parks.

This spring will mark the eighth anniversary of Weed-Out and we will concentrate on Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) and Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis). The seeds of invasive weeds, such as these, are introduced into pristine areas when they are spread by wildlife, flowing streams, shoes of hikers, or other means. Once established, they spread quickly and can completely overrun native vegetation. Invasive weeds continue to threaten our natural woodlands by dominating the forest floor; thus decreasing the amount of native wildflowers, ferns, wildlife, tress and shrubs once commonly found in our native landscape.

This is why we need your help! Please choose your favorite park and join us in an effort to control these invasive weeds.

2003 Spring Park Locations:
Doctors Park
1870 E. Fox Lane, Fox Point. Meet at the eastern end of the parking lot.
Grant Park
Use the Wil-O-Way entrance just south of College Avenue on Lake Drive in South Milwaukee. Meet at picnic area #7.
Greendale Parks
Call Nancy at (414) 421-9304 to find out where to meet for each session.
Jacobus Park
6501 Hillside Lane, Wauwatosa. Meet at the pavilion.
Kletzsch Park
6560 N. Milwaukee River Pkwy., Glendale. Meet at the picnic area shelter.
Lake Park
2975 N. Lake Park Rd., Milwaukee. Meet at the warming house, (414) 962-1680.
Riverside Park
2808 N. Bartlett St., Milwaukee. Meet at the Urban Ecology Center.
Root River “Canal Woods”
Meet at the Milwaukee Sports Complex, 6000 W. Ryan Rd. From there we may carpool to 60th Street adjacent to this hidden treasure.
Whitnall Park
9701 W. College Ave., Franklin. Meet at Wehr Nature Center.