Community Rivers Program Coming Together For Clean Water
The Need
Pollution continues to be a serious concern in the Milwaukee River, with our friends at Milwaukee Riverkeeper recently giving the overall health of the river a “C-” on their 2020 report card, improving from the D+ grade in 2019.
The overall health grade of the Milwaukee River is increasing thanks to amazing efforts being made throughout the entire Basin to improve the health quality, but less attention has been paid to rural and suburban parts of the watershed where our Healthy River Communities are located.
We know making a river that is swimmable, fishable, and liveable for all requires the cooperation and effort of every community along its riverbanks, and we want to help do just that.
The Community Rivers Program takes a three-pronged approach to….
Inspire
We protect the things we care about. From kayaking programs to community-wide festivals to watershed tours, we want to make sure everyone sees and feels the incredible value of caring for our Milwaukee River and being a Healthy River Community.
Inform
Partnering communities are provided one-on-one property consultations, property owner workshops, family friendly programming and more that makes the problems (and more importantly, their solutions!) easy to understand and act on.
Engage
Working hand in hand with residents, land owners, elected officials, scientists, and stakeholder groups, we’ll coordinate programs, discussions, trainings, and resources aimed at empowering communities and their residents to implement best practices for keeping their river healthy and clean. This is bottom-up change emanating from community members working together to design a plan that best fits their own town, village, or city.
5 years
of partnering with rural communities to create healthier ecosystems and communities
5 Healthy River Communities
The Villages of Newburg, Saukville, Grafton, Kewaskum, and Fredonia
“I’ve never kayaked the Milwaukee River before and I was amazed with how beautiful it is. Getting in the river helped me appreciate the need to keep it clean and free of pollutants.”
– CRP Kayaking Participant
120+
programs offered (all communities, all years, combined)
3,100+
resident participants
“We are so grateful for the rain barrel we received, especially this year. It was very easy to install and it is hidden amongst our raspberry bushes!”
– CRP Rain Barrel Workshop Participant
45+
rain barrels installed
30+
stewardship projects completed in communities…everything from river clean-ups to water monitoring to prairie plantings!
50+
hours of land management consultations provided community residents
Upcoming CRP Events
Free Programming For All CRP Villages:
Rain Barrel WOrkshop
Thursday, April 27th from 6:00-7:30pm at the Riveredge Nature Center Barn
Riveredge Nature Center and the Community Rivers Program wants to help our communities take action to manage stormwater runoff and improve water quality in the Milwaukee River Watershed. Families are invited to learn about some backyard green infrastructure and stormwater collection through the use of rain barrels. Simple step-by-step instructions on how to set up and then put your rain barrel to use will be provided. 1 barrel per household. Rain barrels are limited to the first 20 families registered. Individuals who are interested in this topic can still attend and learn even though they may not be able to go home with a rain barrel. Registration can be found here.
The Village of Newburg
Storm Drain Stenciling in Newburg
Tuesday, April 11th from 4:30-6:30pm, meeting at Newburg Community Center
As the seasons change, have you ever wondered what happens to our water bodies in the spring after all our snowmelt and rain? Join the Community Rivers Program for storm drain cleanup and stenciling to prevent ‘leaf litter’ and left-over winter pollution from entering into our Milwaukee River. Along the way, you will learn more about how stormwater runoff impacts aquatic critters and plants. Sign up as a family, a group, or an individual; we provide the supplies and you provide the manpower! Children must be over the age of 6 and be accompanied by an adult.. Please use the Google Form to register.
The Village of Saukville
Storm Drain Stenciling in Saukville
Tuesday, April 25th from 4:30-6:30pm, meeting at Veterans Park
As the seasons change, have you ever wondered what happens to our water bodies in the spring after all our snowmelt and rain? Join the Community Rivers Program for storm drain cleanup and stenciling to prevent ‘leaf litter’ and left-over winter pollution from entering into our Milwaukee River. Along the way, you will learn more about how stormwater runoff impacts aquatic critters and plants. Sign up as a family, a group, or an individual; we provide the supplies and you provide the manpower! Children must be over the age of 6 and be accompanied by an adult. Please use the Google Form to register.
The Village of Grafton
The Village of Fredonia
Storm Drain Stenciling in Fredonia
Tuesday, April 18th from 4:30-6:30pm, meeting at Garton’s Co. Milwaukee Furniture Products parking lot, 225 N. Milwaukee St.
As the seasons change, have you ever wondered what happens to our water bodies in the spring after all our snowmelt and rain? Join the Community Rivers Program for storm drain cleanup and stenciling to prevent ‘leaf litter’ and left-over winter pollution from entering into our Milwaukee River. Along the way, you will learn more about how stormwater runoff impacts aquatic critters and plants. Sign up as a family, a group, or an individual; we provide the supplies and you provide the manpower! Children must be over the age of 6 and be accompanied by an adult. Please use the Google Form to register.
The Village of Kewaskum
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Our Impact
View the most recent Community Rivers Program Impact Report
Impact Report 2021-2022 -
Questions? Contact Patricia Scuglik
Watershed Education Manager and Community Rivers Program Coordinator, pgerber@riveredge.us
Email Patricia