Milwaukee Riverkeeper2010 Annual Report

Members and DonorsWe are indebted to the many individuals and organizations who made donations in fiscal year 2010. Due to space limitations, we regret that we cannot list them all.

$50,000 and upAnonymousBrico FundJoyce Foundation

$10,000 and upFaye McBeath FoundationForest County Potawatomi Community Foundation

$5,000 and upLux Foundation, Inc.Steigleder (Bert L. & Patricia S.) Charitable Trust

$1,000 and upAmerican Transmission Co.Baird (Robert W.) & Co. FoundationCudahy (Patrick and Anna M.) FundDr. Bronner’s Magic SoapsEric Vogel & Megan HolbrookGordon and Nancy Perry Family FundThe Home Depot FoundationJim & Marie SederLynn Broaddus & Marc GorelickMargaret McGuireMilwaukee Community Service CorpsSusan Winecki & Richard BergholzThrivent Financial for LutheransWE Energies

$500 and upAnn TerwilligerBrian Back & Andrea WinthropBrian & Sue LanserJessie WineckiLynda Holzer-ClutcheyMike UihleinNancy Aten & Dan CollinsReinhart Boerner Van DeurenTony & Joan HandzlikWerner Family Foundation

$250 and upAnonymousAdam KapustaAnne & Fred Vogel IIIAudrey GabrovicDarcy & Larry GillDavid & Debbie CiepluchDavid FrazerEddee Daniel & Lynn KapitanEdward WernerHannah HarrisJill KortebeinJodi Habush Sinykin & Dan SinykinKaren Schapiro & Douglas FrazerKathleen BatesKathy & John DeCarloRobert Welker & Virginia LinaburyWilliam & Idy Goodman

$100 and upAndrew & Paula HolmanAngelika SpeckhardAnn & Bill BeverlyAnn BrummittAnnette HolzerBeverly SchwabeBob FullerBob HinderholtzChristopher & Barbara WhiteCraig & Noreen JordanDale & Joelyn Olen Dale SniderDale StenbrotenDan Gray & Sara VondrachekDave & Diane HartDavid & Dianne WolfsonDavid & Elizabeth LindseyDavid ZalewskiDemaris & Gontran KenwoodDiane StrelowDorothy BeckDoug Bower & Josie CusmaDr. Margo AndersonEric SteeleErika VossGareth & Lucy Moore StevensGerilynne NolanGisela & Doug Drysdale

Greg & Jean WildeHenrik MoeJanet Lew CarrJeffrey StapletonJim & Katie GennrichJohn & Sharon MuendelJohn BahrJohn MulhernJohn StilpKara Vandre-HebarKaren HuthKaren Johnson & James TothKathleen Barry & Richard SternkopfKevin Mackey & Susan LevineKevin StalheimKevin Stone & Marion LivingstoneLucille RosenbergMarian SingerMarilyn HildebrandMark & Cheryl BrickmanMike & Michele ArneyMilly SchapiroNadine BergstromNancy DesjardinsPatricia DonovanPaul & Wendy GreeneyPaul VandeveldRichard & Barbara HansenRichard A. & Joan F. AbdooRobert & Kristin FewelScott SiletSheldon & Doran GendelmanSusan Winans & Judy KrauseTed & Harriet PurtellTerry LeahyTim & Ellen MurphyTim & Jan SchaferVictor HardingWarren & Dorothy Phinney

Milwaukee Riverkeeper a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance

1845 N. Farwell Avenue | Suite 100 | Milwaukee, WI 53202www.milwaukeeriverkeeper.org | 414-287-0207

ASSETS Sept. 30, 2010 Cash and Cash Equivalents $258,558 Grants and Pledges Receivable 126.000 Rent Security Deposit 1,816 Other 1,669 Fixed Assets, net 10,168 Beneficial Interest in Assests Held by Others 34,724

Total Assets $432,935 LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS Accounts Payable 5,772 Payroll Liabilities 7756 Vaccation Accrual 7007

Total Liabilities 20,485

NET ASSETS Unrestricted 117,545 Temporarily Restricted 260,181 Permanently Restricted 34,724

Total Net Assets 412,450

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $432,935

Statement of Financial Position

2009-10 Source of Funding (cash basis)

2009-10 Use of Funds (cash basis)

Program $280,360 89%Administration 17,414 6%Fundraising 17,381 6%Total $315,155

Foundation 90,395 38%Corporate 82,867 35%Individual 35,757 15%Government 18,945 8%Event Income 6,180 2%Other 5,289 2%Total $239,433

Cover im

age by Shirley Jeffrey, Moonlight Paddle picture by Riverkeeper Staff

Anthony Handzlik, J.D.President

Dan GrayVice President

Mike Lindemann, M.B.ATreasurer

Brian Adams

Nancy Aten, M.S., M.L.A.

Howard Caplan

John Grunau

Steve Koeneke

Annette Koerten

Francisco Martorell

Susan Winecki, D. Min.

David Wolfson

Eric Vogel

Our mission is to protect water quality and wildlife habitat in the river corridors and to advocate for sound land use in the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic River Watersheds.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is a licensed member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an international coalition ensuring clean water and strong communities.

2010 Year in Review

Dear Friend of the Rivers, April 2011

This year’s annual report covers the period from October 2009 through September 2010, and what a year it was!

Our work to protect and restore the Milwaukee River Basin kept apace during the year. Together with partner groups, our advocacy efforts led the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to adopt regulations to address one of the most pressing water quality problems in our area: phosphorous and nutrient pollution. With the new rules, Wisconsin became the first state to create phosphorous standards for all streams, rivers and lakes, including the Great Lakes.

On the science front, our work in collaboration with the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust (Sweet Water) resulted in refinement of Watershed Restoration Plans for the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers into “hands-on” implementation plans, which outline priority projects in upcoming years to reduce phosphorous, sediment and bacteria pollution in those waterways.

Throughout the year we mobilized thousands of citizens across the basin, from South Milwaukee to West Bend and beyond, in activities that tied them to our rivers and trained them to become environmental stewards. Our river cleanups, water quality monitoring programs, and “milky moonlight” paddle were filled to capacity. In fact, our 2010 Spring Cleanup was our biggest ever, with more than 3,700 participants!

We were proud to be recognized for our hard work to protect and restore the Milwaukee River Basin. In May, the Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources presented us with an award for a “Decade of River Successes.” In addition, in May, the New York Times featured Milwaukee Riverkeeper and our Urban Water Trail in a travel section article about top paddling destinations in the U.S.

Organizationally, there were several significant changes. We hired a new Executive Director, Karen M. Schapiro, an environmental lawyer with 20 years of experience representing nonprofits (including Milwaukee Riverkeeper!), government and businesses. Additionally, we brought on new talent by hiring Joe Rath as a Water Quality Specialist to invigorate our all-important work to conduct water quality sampling and train volunteer monitors throughout the basin. We also hired a talented Development Manager, Hannah Harris, to help boost our fundraising efforts.

It was a good year for Milwaukee Riverkeeper and the water environment in the Milwaukee River Basin. Your support and interest allows us to make a difference, and we appreciate your commitment to Milwaukee Riverkeeper and an improved watershed.

Thank you,

Anthony Handzlik, J.D.Board President

Karen Schaprio, J.D.Executive Director

Board Members - 2010 Staff - 2010

15th Annual Spring River Cleanup

Our 2010 Spring River Cleanup set a record-high with 3,700 volunteers participating at 49 cleanup sites! Volunteers spanned out over all three rivers; the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic and their adjoining tributaries, cleaning over 100 miles of river parkway.

Citizen-Based Water Quality Monitoring Program

Milwaukee Riverkeeper ran another successful volunteer water quality monitoring season in 2010, with more than 40 new citizen “scientists” joining our current volunteer base to sample water quality monthly at 80 sites in the Milwaukee River Basin. The volunteers collected data on dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidly and PH levels. Both Milwaukee Riverkeeper and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources rely on the data to identify and respond to problems affecting our rivers and to prioritize restoration efforts.

Great Lakes Compact

Milwaukee Riverkeeper worked hard in “watch dogging ” the City of Waukesha’s application for a diversion of Lake Michigan water, particularly its proposal to return treated wastewater to Lake Michigan via Underwood Creek. Together with partners who make up the Great Lakes Compact Implementation Committee, we succeeded in getting the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to require a complete environmental impact statement (EIS) in support of Waukesha’s application. Also, upon review of the City of Waukesha’s application, we determined it failed to meet Compact requirements for a number of reasons, including that it did not give full consideration of all reasonable alternatives to a diversion of Great Lakes water. The WDNR agreed and deemed the application incomplete, returning it twice to the City of Waukesha. We are continuing our important work with the Committee to see that any diversion of Great Lakes water meets the letter of the law and spirit of the Great Lakes Compact.

Milwaukee Urban Water Trail

In collaboration with the River Alliance of Wisconsin, over 50 paddlers from across the state descended upon a portion of our Milwaukee Urban Water Trail for a moonlight paddle in August. At sunset, we shoved off north of downtown and paddled south, out to Lake Michigan, right as the full moon rose above the horizon. In May, the New York Times featured our Water Trail as one of the top paddling destinations in the country!

River Advocacy

Among the highlights of our advocacy efforts during the year was our work with partners to pressure the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to issue new regulations to limit phosphorous pollution in Wisconsin rivers, lakes and streams, including those in the Milwaukee River Basin. Found in fertilizers, human and agricultural waste, and soils, phosphorus pollution is one of our most serious water pollution problems, causing the growth of algae (some of which can be toxic), depleting water oxygen levels, and killing fish and other aquatic life. With these rules, Wisconsin became the first state in the county to aggressively address phosphorous pollution.

Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust (Sweet Water)

Milwaukee Riverkeeper continued to play a key role in the Southeastern Wisconsin Watersheds Trust (Sweet Water), a collaboration of non-profit organizations, businesses, municipalities and individual citizens, to improve water quality through the implementation of practical and cost-effective measures. As part of our work, we solicited public input on problems facing our local waterways. With this input, we shaped the development of Watershed Implementation Plans, which target priority restoration projects in the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers for years 2011 and 2012.

Kayakers made their way to the Milwaukee estuary during our Milky Moonlight Paddle. The route tbey paddled covered a section of our Milwaukee Urban Water Trail.

Shirley JeffreyHonorary Board Member Emerita

Shirley was a founding board member who passed away on August 17th, 2010. She left a real legacy to our rivers through her photography and poems. The beautiful photograph that graces the cover of this report was taken by Ms. Jeffrey. She will be dearly missed.

Karen Schapiro, J.D.Executive Director

Cheryl Nenn, M.S.Milwaukee Riverkeeper

Paul SchwarzkopfOutreach Coordinator

Joe RathWater Quality Specialist

Hannah HarrisDevelopment Manager