Milwaukee Parks Volunteering

Milwaukee County Parks has lots of volunteer opportunities available to citizens. Anyone over the age of 16 can sign up to monitor the wetlands, plant trees along the trails, help in the office, or lead activities run by the parks. Groups of people, individuals, and corporate groups are all welcome.

Wetland monitoring is important for habitat conservation for various amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. Some of these species are very susceptible to changes in the environment and the data collected will help the department learn how to better care for these sensitive species. in 2009 the parks were found to contain 400 ephemeral wetlands. The volunteers are needed in the spring when they train them and provide supplies. Then they go to their designated wetland and do fieldwork at their own pace throughout the coming few months.

Blue-spotted Salamander, a common species in Wisconsin wetlands

The Wehr Nature Center also has a lot of opportunities that are very flexible. They have options based on how often you would like to volunteer -- for events held once a year, once a week, various activities in the evenings and on weekends, or just walk in any time.
Some of the yearly events include tapping maple trees for sap and making syrup, Earth Day celebration and activities, bird watching, apple harvest and cider making, or Halloween celebration and pumpkin carving. Weekday volunteering involves walking the trails, recording observations, weeding and invasive species removal, pruning, crafts and art, collect seeds, or teaching. None of these have requirements, but they do provide training.
Milwaukee County also compensates their volunteers with an annual "thank you" dinner, volunteer field trips, library privileges, and special discounts on programs.

http://county.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/cntyParks/Natural-Areas/CitizenScience/CBWM_BrochureRev.pdf

Milwaukee River Greenway

The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition was originally a grass roots effort when it started in 2006.  The idea behind the coalition was to protect six miles of urban river from environmentally insensitive development right here in Milwaukee.  The Greenway is 878 acres of greenspace that spreads from North Avenue to Silver Spring Drive.  What makes this Greenway unique is the fact that it includes a dozen public parks as well as privately owned land.  The Coalition first received shoreline protection from the Village of Shorewood in 2006, and then the City of Milwaukee also granted protections in 2010.  With the backing of Shorewood and Milwaukee, the Coalition established the Milwaukee River Greenway Master Plan: A Vision for Recreation and Restoration in 2010.  This master plan laid out the details for a restored urban wilderness and shared recreational opportunities covering three municipalities right here in our own backyards.  The plan included the development of a 13 mile trail for non-motorized recreational use.  Throughout this trail, trail-heads are marked with recycled locally produced signs to promote a sense of community.  Another important aspect of the master plan is that it includes provisions to re-route trails where they damage wildlife habitat, trespass, or traverse the floodplain.  Habitat studies have also been completed for a more comprehensive restoration and preservation effort of the natural resources throughout the Greenway.  Some specific aspects of the master plan’s projects include:

Rotary Centennial Arboretum

·         Regions first Arboretum that was created by the Rotary Club, Urban Ecology Center, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Urban Rivers Foundation, and private landowners. 

·         Opened in September 2013 and features 1200 trees of 70 different native species

Cambridge Woods Nature Preserve

·         Most biodiverse area in the Greenway

·         Focuses on invasive species removal and native plantings

Wheelhouse Gateway

·         Turned a former industrial site into a canoe and kayak launch

PCB Removal

·         DNR, EPA, Milwaukee County, and MMSD worked together to remove PCB’s from the Lincoln Park lagoon and channel

·         Key in improving river recreation and overall river health

The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition is a great example of how network governance can be very effective in the protection and revitalization of waterways.  Private landowners, state organizations, and NGO’s all working together to establish and maintain this great Milwaukee greenspace.  A current list of coalition members and allies include: Urban Ecology Center, River Revitalization Foundation, Milwaukee Riverkeeper (my original blog post), Milwaukee Environmental Consortium, Village of Shorewood, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Friends of Estabrook Park, Milwaukee Friends Meeting (Quakers), and Cambridge Woods Neighborhood Association.  The River Revitalization Foundation took over the Coalition in 2013 and projects continue today.  This Greenway is a great model for river/environment revitalization taking place in an urban setting.  The following link is a video that further explains the River Revitalization Foundation

          https://vimeo.com/ivanlabianca/riverrevitalizationfoundation

This Greenway is especially important to me because I frequently mountain bike on this trail in the summer.  It’s a great workout and allows a unique opportunity to escape from the city while actually still being quite close to my house.  I’ve personally seen the development of the trails and the increased focus of removing invasive species and reintroducing native species.  This Greenway is a great asset to our community, and I highly recommend checking out the trails.  Even if hiking or biking doesn’t interest you, the Estabrook Beer Garden is located right above this Greenway so after enjoying a beer go and check out the beautiful waterfall directly below. 

 

Sources:

http://city.milwaukee.gov/Zoning-Topics/Milwaukee-River-Greenway.htm#.VkunN3arS71

http://riverrevitalizationfoundation.org/greenway/

Pollution in the Milwaukee River

Living in Milwaukee, every once in a while you'll look over to see some drunk guy jumping in the Milwaukee River. It does run along Water st. behind a lot of popular bars. But any sound minded person knows that's not the best place to go for a swim -- even if there are ladders posted every few meters. 

Karen M. Schapiro, JD, executive director of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper said on the matter, 

"The river does not meet the water quality standards of the Clean Water Act that would make it suitable for swimming. The river is far less polluted than it was decades ago, but there are still problems like bacteria and pathogens (fecal coliforms and E. coli at excessive levels) in some areas, phosphorus pollution, contaminated PCB laden sediments in some areas, etc." 

They recommend boating or kayaking if you really want to get in the river. 

The UWM School of Freshwater Sciences has looked into the fecal contamination of the Milwaukee River. These are human fecal coliforms, not cattle or pet run off. It has been detected on both rainy days and dry days where there was no chance of sewer back up. This indicates that sewer lateral lines must either be leaking into the groundwater, or sewer lines have been mistakenly connected to the storm drains instead of the municipal sanitary mains. Of course this presents serious health risks to anyone in the river. 

In the 1960's and 70's PCBs or chlorinated biphenyls were commonly used in industry as lubricants and flame retardants and as in paints, varnishes, and inks. Before the Clean Water Act of 1972 PCBs and other chemicals were freely dumped into rivers. Since then the EPA has labeled PCBs as a toxic contaminant and their manufacture has been banned. It's been shown to cause cancer in humans and other serious health effects in immune, reproductive, endocrine, and nervous systems in a variety of animals. 

The PCBs are still present in the Milwaukee River in contaminated sediments. These can be consumed by fish and the toxins bioaccumulate, making fish consumption the largest source of PBCs in people. 

In 2011 Milwaukee and the EPA began a $20 million clean up project to remove PCB contaminated sediments from Lincoln Creek, a tributary of the Milwaukee River. This area contained 70% of the Milwaukee River's total PCBs. The clean up is still continuing today, and so far 140,000 cubic yards of sediment has been removed. This included 5,000 pounds of PCBs and 4,000 pounds of PAHs -- a byproduct of burning coal or oil and probable carcinogen. 

Phosphorous pollution in the Milwaukee River comes from farm run off upstream. Phosphorous fertilizer itself has no known serious health effects, but the algae it grows does. The phosphorous in the Milwaukee River is a main contributor to eutrophication and algal blooms in Lake Michigan. These algal blooms are well known to Milwaukee beach goers, who sometimes can't set foot in the lake without being coated with green slime. Besides being unsightly these algal blooms can produce toxins that hurt marine life and sicken the people that eat the toxic seafood. This has an effect on the lake's ecosystem and our local economy. Algal blooms also limit visibility for fish and their ability to find food, and enough algae can suck the oxygen out of the water creating a dead zone. Luckily Milwaukee hasn't seen such a serious case of eutrophication yet.

Although we as citizens can't really help if our sewer lines are leaky, we can do a few things to keep our rivers clean. Don't use chemical fertilizers or compost much before expected rain. Pick up after your pets and don't feed geese or birds. And of course support local groups like the Milwaukee Riverkeeper and volunteer!

http://onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/riverswim.html

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/human-fecal-bacteria-detected-in-harbor-water-samples-131833298.html

Health Effects| Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)| Wastes ...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/130541643.html

http://www3.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/wastemin/minimize/factshts/pahs.pdf

Clean Water Act

The Clean Water Act (CWA) was created in 1972 with the mission of "protecting all waters of the United States."  Although the CWA is often viewed as the first major U.S law to address water quality, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948 was the actual first.  The Act was amended in 1972 and the CWA was officially established.   

The specific amendments  included: 

• Established the basic structure for regulating pollutant discharges into the waters of the United States. 
• Gave EPA the authority to implement pollution control programs such as setting wastewater standards for industry. 
• Maintained existing requirements to set water quality standards for all contaminants in surface waters. 
• Made it unlawful for any person to discharge any pollutant from a point source into navigable waters, unless a permit was obtained under its provisions. 
• Funded the construction of sewage treatment plants under the construction grants program. 
• Recognized the need for planning to address the critical problems posed by non-point source pollution. 

The CWA still plays a major factor today for Milwaukee waterways.  Point-source pollution was deemed unlawful and this was an important step in reducing pollution in rivers/lakes.  Milwaukee RiverKeeper today works to make sure that the CWA and other laws that protect Milwaukee waterways are strictly followed.  The Milwaukee RiverKeeper website even has a link that allows the public to report any pollution that is found throughout the region.  Reporting pollution to Milwaukee RiverKeeper using the specific river name and closest street crossing, as well as providing a picture of the pollution, allows the information to be passed along to the EPA.  The Milwaukee RiverKeeper website also provides the contact information for the DNR spill hot-line in case of an emergency like an oil or sewage spill.  The Milwaukee RiverKeeper shows that advocating for the compliance of the CWA can be effective in reducing and preventing river pollution, but what about other waterways?  How can the CWA be amended to protect our waterways even more effectively?   In our class we often discuss the importance of words and how certain laws or topics are worded.  The CWA is no exception and this has caused wetlands, lakes and streams to be put at risk of pollution.  Two examples of the wording of the CWA being loosely interpreted by the Supreme Court include: Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County vs. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC) (2001) and Rapanos vs. United States (2006).  These are two examples of the CWA being weakened and limiting what waterways are protected under the CWA. The link below details what a weakened CWA could mean for Wisconsin.   

http://www.nwf.org/pdf/State-Fact-Sheets/Wisconsin_WeakeningTheCleanWaterAct.pdf 

What can be done to maintain the strength of the CWA?  

The National Wildlife Federation website details a potential change to the CWA that was proposed on March 25, 2014 by the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers.  This rule proposes to restore protection to all of the tributaries of waters already covered by the Clean Water Act, and all of the  wetlands, lakes, or other waters within or adjacent to the floodplains of these tributaries.  While this proposal would be an improvement, many waterways would still remain unprotected (Carolina bays, vernal pools, playa lakes).  Even though many of these waterways aren't abundant in Milwaukee, it does bring up an important fact that ALL UNITED STATES WATERS are important and need protection in order to fully combat river pollution.  Creating a more concrete definition of "U.S waters" will reaffirm the importance and effectiveness of the Clean Water Act.

Sources:
http://www.nwf.org/What-We-Do/Protect-Habitat/Waters/Clean-Water-Act.aspx
http://milwaukeeriverkeeper.org/
http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations/history-clean-water-act
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_bay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_Waste_Agency_of_Northern_Cook_County_v._Army_Corps_of_Engineers

Water Degradation in Green Bay

Wisconsin dairy farms produce 13.5% of all the milk the US drinks and 25.4% of all the cheese the US eats. At 2 billion pounds in 2013 alone, Wisconsin is the 4^th largest cheese producer in the world – just behind the US (excluding WI), Germany, and France. That makes Wisconsin $43.4 billion in economic activity annually. The dairy industry is huge and powerful, making them hard to govern. 

Another major issue in pollutant regulation is the Environmental Protection Agency’s weak ability to regulate non-point source pollution, or contaminated run off. The Clean Water Act of 1972 established the EPA, along with national water quality standards, and regulations on point source pollution – anything dumped directly into US waters. At the time of its legislation the agriculture industry was too powerful to attack. 

The question now is; are they still? Or is the fact that agriculture is the number one cause of water pollution in America enough to start making changes?

Dairy and beef farms are notorious for causing water degradation in Green Bay. The Green Bay watershed is the cause of one-third of the nutrients in Lake Michigan, though it only accounts for 1.4% of the lake. Manure carries a lot of phosphorous, which has been measured in the bay at up to 4 times higher than the acceptable levels. Phosphorous is the main cause of algal blooms which deoxygenate the water and block out sunlight for deeper aquatic plants. Manure also carries E. Coli and other harmful bacteria. When a drinking water source, either on the surface or underground becomes contaminated it can become a health emergency. Which is exactly what Scott Dye, a field associate with the Socially Responsible Agriculture Project, says Green Bay is experiencing. 

Studies have shown that one-third of private drinking wells are contaminated with these bacteria and other harmful nutrients. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been criticized for not enforcing management plans. They defend themselves by assuring that they are “regulating within the full authority [they] have within the current laws and rules. However, [they] are continuing to work to come to potential suggestions for the Legislature,” DNR Spokesman Bill Cosh.

Some might argue that this could be becoming more difficult since the Scott Walker budget cuts have eliminated half of the DNR’s senior science staff at 80 positions and cut conservation spending by $88 million. 

But since they can’t legally enforce much, the DNR has placed the burden on the Green Bay sewerage district. They plan on working with farmers within the next four years to employ erosion control techniques, wetland restoration, and larger buffer zones around drainages to filter out manure. They also want farmers to switch from corn to soil-stabilizing crops like alfalfa, though corn has a larger yield per acre. These practices should help Green Bay reach their goal of 0.075 milligrams of phosphorous per liter. 

But still the issue of manure contamination remains. Val Klump, director of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Great Lakes WATER Institute, says we should be holding the agriculture industry accountable for their own clean up – just like we’ve held the paper companies accountable for the PCBs in Fox River. Those companies have paid over $1 billion in restoration, and farm run off has caused much more severe problems than PCBs. But rather than paying their share of the bill, the agriculture industry is letting it fall on the tax payer, and are actually conducting a plan to produce more milk than ever. 

Although Wisconsin agriculture is the third largest contributor to US water pollution, no large scale plans have been set in place to counter our impact. In fact, with budget cuts and agricultural expansion, it would seem that our state is headed in the opposite direction. It's possible to work with this complicated mix of politics, education, and economics, but first the agriculture industry needs to take a step down. Either by realizing they're digging their own graves by destroying our nations resources and public health, or by force of new legislature. 

http://www.wmmb.com/assets/images/pdf/WisconsinDairyData.pdf
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/changes-in-americas-dairyland-foul-waters-of-green-bay-b99344904z1-274684891.html
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/news/local/2015/06/10/environmental-groups-accuse-wisconsin-dnr-failing-stop-rampant-manure-pollution/71004636/
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/environment/budget-panel-adopts-scott-walker-s-cuts-to-dnr-scientists/article_e27e7ee7-eb0e-5d9f-baaf-0f257d51a5fa.html
http://michiganradio.org/post/green-bay-developing-large-dead-zone#stream/0