Gathering Waters Conservancy - Wisconsin land trusts



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Great Lake Gatherings: Milwaukee
October 15, 2008 • 8am - 12pm
Milwaukee Art Museum • Milwaukee, WI

fishing River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy and Gathering Waters Conservancy invite you to join us on October 15th for the Milwaukee Great Lake Gathering. The Gathering will be from 8am to 12pm at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Everyone who shares a common love for the natural treasures in the Lake Michigan basin is encouraged to attend: business owners, elected officials, landowners, economic development organizations, conservation groups, chambers of commerce, community organization members, and the general public. The Great Lake Gatherings will introduce participants to new partners who are working to protect that treasure in our shared back yard.

Agenda

8-8:45am

Registration & Continental Breakfast Reception

8:45am-Noon

Program

Welcome	Secretary Michael Morgan Wisconsin Department of Administration
Keynote	The Role of Land Trusts in Great Lakes Restoration G. Tracy Mehan, III Principal with The Cadmus Group and former Assistant Administrator for Water at the US Environmental Protection Agency
Panel Session with Q & A
	Local Conservation Successes Delene Hanson, Board President, Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy Kimberly Gleffe, Executive Director, River Revitalization Foundation Ann Brummitt, Coordinator, Milwaukee River Work Group Supervisor Gerry Broderick, Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, and Chair, Parks, Energy & Environment Committee Rich Meeusen, Chairman, President and CEO of Badger Meter, Inc. and Co-chair of Milwaukee 7 Water Council

12:30-2:00pm

Optional Field trip (limit 50 people)

Seminary Woods Property
This revered woodland is located near Lake Michigan in the southeastern portion of Milwaukee County in the City of St Francis. This southern mesic forest contains 68 acres of giant trees, rare ephemeral flowers, migratory birds, and a wide variety of wildlife. The footpaths that crisscross the vast woods have been used by generations of neighbors and distant visitors.

Speakers

Michael L. Morgan was appointed Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) by Governor Jim Doyle in December, 2006. As secretary, Mr. Morgan is responsible for overseeing a cabinet agency involved in virtually every aspect of public administration at the state level including the development of the state budget and the provision of services to state agencies.

Secretary Morgan also has significant experience at the local government level. He served as the Commissioner of the Milwaukee Department of City Development where he helped to usher in a period of reinvestment and redevelopment including: new river walk housing, commercial and retail development in the downtown, neighborhood development and job formation in the Menomonee Valley.

In addition, Secretary Morgan worked as the Program Related Investment Officer for the Helen Bader Foundation, an organization focused on improving the quality of life for citizens in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Israel. He also served a board member for the River Revitalization Foundation.

G. Tracy Mehan, III is an attorney who has worked on natural resources and environmental issues for almost 20 years. He is a principal in the consulting firm The Cadmus Group, and served as Assistant Administrator for Water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and as director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Office of the Great Lakes. He is a member of the Environmental Law Institute, the Water Environment Federation, and the Potomac Conservancy. Mr. Mehan also is an Adjunct Professor of Environmental Law at George Mason University School of Law.
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Delene Hanson is the President of the Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy (MALC), a conservation organization, founded by local Milwaukee volunteers, that offers several alternatives in land protection. Delene is the past president of the Wehr Chapter Wild Ones, a volunteer at Wehr Nature Center, the past president of the Hales Corners Historical Society, has served on the Historical Society board, has worked for Prairie Future Seed Co. as a Natural Landscape Consultant for 10 years, has done natural area restoration in the Village of Greendale, and is the former president of the Hawthorn Garden Club. Delene is a Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist. As the former Vice President of Stahl Conrad Homestead, a historical property in Hales Corners and the MALC office location, she is working to recreate the site's native historical landscape. In addition, she serves on the Village of Hales Corners Environmental Committee and Historic Preservation Commission.

Kimberly Gleffe is Executive Director of the River Revitalization Foundation and has earned degrees in Psychology, Sociology and a Masters in Cultural Foundations of Education. The River Revitalization Foundation was established in 1994 by two of the larger service clubs in Wisconsin: Kiwanis Club of Milwaukee, and the Rotary Club of Milwaukee, in response to recommendations made by the Milwaukee River Revitalization Council to improve the environmental quality of the Milwaukee River Basin. These recommendations are found in the Riverway Plan (1991), the Foundation's guiding document.

Ann Brummitt is Coordinator of the Milwaukee River Work Group (MRWG), a coalition of organizations concerned with the Milwaukee River, including representatives from the Urban Ecology Center, Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, and River Revitalization Foundation, along with other state and federal agencies, businesses and individuals. The coalition advocates a comprehensive plan that includes public policy, zoning, preservation guidelines and a stewardship plan for the future. Together, they are recommending these specific goals for the creation of a Milwaukee River Central Park.

Gerry Broderick was elected to the County Board of Supervisors in a special election held in July 2002 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2008. Supervisor Broderick represents Milwaukee's 3rd District, which includes portions of the downtown, east side and Shorewood communities. He is currently Chairman of the Parks, Energy and Environment Committee and is a member of the Judiciary, Safety and General Services Committee and the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. Supervisor Broderick has been very active in activities aimed at improving the east-side community. He is a member of the Murray Hill Neighborhood Association, the Lake Park Friends, and has served as chairperson of the Oakland Avenue Business Improvement District Board.

Rich Meeusen is Chairman, President and CEO of Badger Meter, Inc. and Co-chair of Milwaukee 7 Water Council. The Milwaukee 7, launched in September 2005, was formed to create a regional, cooperative economic development platform for the seven counties of southeastern Wisconsin: Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Waukesha and Washington. Its mission is to attract, retain and grow diverse businesses and talent. The The Water Council was formed after the first Water Summit in July, 2007. Led by Co-chairs Paul Jones of A.O. Smith and Rich Meeusen of Badger Meter, the Council is working to align the regional fresh water research community and water-related industries to establish the Milwaukee 7 Region as the global capital for freshwater research, economic development and education.

Hosts

The River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, and Gathering Waters Conservancy, with the support of the Lake Michigan Shoreland Alliance, are hosting one in a series of open forums this fall in four Wisconsin communities: Green Bay, Sheboygan, Mequon and Milwaukee.

Land trusts play an important role in preserving and improving the ecological, economic and human health in the area. One goal of the Gatherings is to encourage community leaders to look to their land trusts as a resource.