Freshwater Voices
The Newsletter of Freshwater Future
Freshwater Voices is the newsletter of Freshwater Future, published four times per year. Freshwater Voices is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.
Volume 17, Number 3 • Summer 2009
Wisconsin Wetland Protected:
Migratory Flyways Win Over Runways
Great blue herons and sandhill
cranes in West Bend, Wisconsin
won’t have to look for new nesting
areas thanks to a recent decision by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
that denied an application for an airport
expansion. The nesting areas are a part of
a 258 acre wetland, 150 acres would have
been destroyed for the airport and the value
of the remaining 100-plus acres would
have been diminished by being fragmented.
The project also would have required
people in the area to lose their homes for
the project.
Watershed Watchers, a grassroots group
that monitors and protects the northern
reaches of the Milwaukee River watershed,
spearheaded the effort to protect this valuable
wetland over the last 15 years. Persistent,
and determined, Watershed Watchers
sponsored educational programs, carried
homemade display exhibits to conferences
across the state, wrote many, many letters
to local, state, and federal officials, followed
elected officials to town hall meetings, and
participated in the Fourth of July parade,
complete with a float and flyers for the
public. An Army Corps official said she
had to buy another file because of all the
mail she got from the group.
“We are very satisfied with the decision to
stop spending taxpayers’ money and preserve
the natural resources that would have
been destroyed,” said Marilyn John a member
of Watershed Watchers (as quoted in the
Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee,
Wisconsin).
In June 2005, a decision was
made to conduct a complete,
comprehensive Environmental
Impact Study of the proposed
airport expansion’s natural resources
and the purpose and need, among
other issues. The Secretary of the Department
of Natural Resources was influential
in persuading the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) and Department of Transportation
that an EIS was needed to assess
the airport expansion project’s impact on
the surrounding wetlands, woodlands,
other natural resources, and quality of life
for area citizens. Marilyn John contacted
Freshwater Future to inquire if we knew
of anyone who could help Watershed
Watchers with their review of the Environmental
Impact Study. Using our network
of nearly 2,000 individuals and organizations,
we sent out a request asking
if anyone could provide this assistance.
At least six people offered
their assistance to Watershed
Watchers and the comments
that Watershed Watchers
submitted to the FAA from
this process contributed to
the denial of the expansion.
“In addition to grants, our grassroots
group was guided, consoled, and taught
how to think like advocates by Freshwater
Future, that became very important to our
success,” shared Marilyn John.
For more information on Watershed Watchers
visit their website at www.watershed
watchers.org.
Networking–six Degrees To A Solution
So you’ve probably heard the saying that we are all only separated by Six Degrees. We’re not sure if it’s true,
but we do know that individuals and organizations working on similar issues and on protecting the environment have much in
common and grow from opportunities to share and learn from each other. Connecting with other groups in your area and throughout the
Great Lakes region is an excellent way to learn new ideas, approaches, lessons learned and successful approaches.
Freshwater Future’s network of over 2,000 groups provides an entryway to make those connections. Through our email action
alerts, newsletter, and trainings we provide a variety of ways to help groups throughout the Great Lakes connect
and learn. Contact us if you would like to connect with others on your topic of concern.
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