Spring River Cleanup - Saturday, April 17th 9am-Noon

Registration is now OPEN for the Spring River cleanup occuring at 43 sites throughout the Greater Milwaukee area.  Register now to ensure a spot at Wisconsin's biggest single day volunteer event!  

CLICK HERE FOR SITE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER.

Meetings on UWM’s Proposed Engineering Campus on the Milwaukee County Grounds

March 5, 2010

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is proposing to construct an Engineering Campus (known as Innovation Park) on 89 acres of the Milwaukee County Grounds. Milwaukee Riverkeeper is concerned that this development is much larger than the 70 acre Economic Development Zone delineated on the Master Plan for the County Grounds.

Public meetings are to be held on Monday, March 8th and Tuesday March 9th to discuss the issue.  We are encouraging everyone available to come out and fight for the following issues:

Waukesha Public Hearing on Proposed Great Lakes Diversion

March 5, 2010

On Monday, March 8th at 7 PM, the Waukesha Common Council will hold a public hearing on its draft application for Great Lakes water in the Council Chambers at Waukesha City Hall.

Waukesha is under a state order to provide safe water by June 2018. Wisconsin, and each of the other seven Great Lakes states must approve the city's diversion application before the city could buy water from Milwaukee, its preferred supplier, or Oak Creek or Racine.

We are encouraging our members to come learn about Waukesha’s proposed diversion and offer comments, especially if you live along Underwood Creek or the Menomonee River!

For more information and talking points see below.

Pressure Mounts to Keep Asian Carp out of Great Lakes

March 4, 2010

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is demanding immediate closure of navigational locks that separate Chicago rivers from Lake Michigan.  We have been working with environmental groups from across the nation to stop the invasive Asian Carp, which can grow to over 100 pounds and wreak havoc on our Great Lakes' ecosystem. 

The Obama Administration has recently pledged $78.5 million to address the problem.  As the article below indicates however, other measures are being pursued first.

Journal-Sentinel Editorial Agrees: Hydropower "Of Questionable Value"

February 17, 2010

The Milwaukee County Supervisors have recently approved a costly plan to turn the crumbling Estabrook Dam into a hydropower facility.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper (as stated earlier in our position paper) is against the repair of the Estabrook Dam, and we see the hydropower effort as another action by the County Board to find justification for keeping a failing dam that creates a safety hazard and provides little public benefit.  To read more about our position against hydropower click here.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial staff recently agreed in an article stating, "it would require an extensive and expensive permitting process at the state and federal levels. And for what gain? To help cover the cost of extensive repairs of the dam and provide power for a small number of homes in the area."  The full article is below.

SWWT (Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust)

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is a member of SWWT (the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust).  SWWT is collaborative effort to achieve healthy and sustainable water resources throughout the Greater Milwaukee Watersheds.

Estabrook Dam Removal

Estabrook dam

Milwaukee Riverkeeper has joined with citizens, fisherman, property owners and elected officials to call for the removal of the Estabrook Dam.  Removing the dam will save millions in taxpayer money, while improving water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife.
 

Milwaukee County Grounds

Milwaukee Riverkeeper (then known as Friends of the Menomonee River) orginally formed to protect the County Grounds in Wauwatosa from overdevelopment.  Fourteen years later, we are returning to our roots to protect large portions of the County Grounds from being sold for development.

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