Clean Rivers Clean Lake Conference

Sweet Water’s Clean Rivers Clean Lake Conference has been set for

Monday, April 30th, 2012

and will be held at

Discovery World on Lake Michigan

Plenary sessions will include policy updates by Susan Hedman (EPA Region 5 Administrator), Cathy Stepp (WI DNR Secretary), and a Great Lakes challenges team led by Dean David Garman (UWM's School of Freshwater Sciences). A wide range of workshops will be offered and will include updates on a new regional water construction project, new rural nonpoint pollution tactics, salt/chloride use innovations, and the water quality/business growth nexus.
 
More details will be coming in the new year.

Happy New Year!

Besadny Conservation Grant

The C.D. Besadny Conservation Grant Program provides financial support to public and private organizations or government agencies working on natural resource projects and programs at a small-scale, local level. Grants range from $100 to $1,000 and must be matched 100% by recipient organizations either through cash or in-kind donations.

Grant applications must be received in the Natural Resources Foundation office by

January 17, 2012

Funds are awarded in early March of each year.

(read full article)

Information on Teachers' Outdoor Environmental Education Fund grants here.

Root River Watershed Restoration Planning Group Upcoming Meeting

The Root River Watershed Restoration Planning Group will meet

     Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2012
     Time: 10:00 a.m. - Noon
     Location: Racine County Building (Ives Grove)
     Address: 14200 Washington Avenue, Sturtevant

     (map)

Julie Kinzelman, City of Racine, and her staff from the City of Racine Health have been collecting baseline date in the Root River. Julie will describe the factors they are monitoring, location of their sampling sites, and what the data is telling us about water quality in the Root River.

Future Meetings

Wednesday, March 14, 2012
10:00 a.m. - Noon

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
10:00 a.m. - Noon

(read full article)

Sustain Our Great Lakes Grant Funding Opportunities

Sustain Our Great Lakes will host a webinar on

January 11, 2012

10:00 a.m.

to provide information on the 2012 grant funding opportunities to be offered through through its Stewardship Grants Program and its Community Grants Program. The Requests for Proposals are available at

www.sustainourgreatlakes.org/Apply.aspx

Pre-proposals will be due on

February 15, 2012

(read full article)

John Gurda – A Region Built on Water: Milwaukee's Use and Abuse of a Vital Resource

Lake Michigan and the rivers that feed it have been Milwaukee's dominant natural resources since the days of the Potawatomi.

Join historian John Gurda for a lively look at the lake and its adjacent watersheds: how they served the community as transportation routes, recreational resources, and industrial corridors; and how they have weathered a cycle of heavy use and flagrant abuse to emerge as focal points of both celebration and concern in the 21st century.

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center (SMPAC) (map)

on

January 7

7:30 p.m.

for a lively look at the lake and its adjacent watersheds.

Join John afterward for a book signing and a pizza and dessert reception sponsored by Tazinos.

Tickets are $5 and may be purchased through the box office at

(414) 766-5049

or online at

www.southmilwaukeepac.org