Pewaukee River Partnership Inc.

Heavy Rains Cause Flooding in Pewaukee

2009-01-19T16:06:00.006-06:00

All afternoon on Saturday, June 7, 2008, both radio and TV weathercasters warned Wisconsin of the severe storms streaming from the west. As 5:00 pm approached the dark clouds swiftly swallowed Pewaukee and the rain began. The increase in wave action gives an indication of the strength of the wind. These photos were taken only seconds apart as the storm swept across Pewaukee Lake.

River Monitor Recruitment Drive Announced

2008-04-03T06:08:00.005-05:00

A River Invitation for You -- Panel Presenters

2008-04-03T06:02:00.003-05:00

Thomas Slawski, PhD, has worked for the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) since 1998. As Principal Planner he provides stream and lake environmental management planning support to local communities in Southeast Wisconsin.

Michelle Schneider is the WDNR Dam Safety/Floodplain Engineer in Waukesha and Walworth Counties. She has worked for the DNR in both Watershed and Groundwater programs since 2001.

David White is Director of Public Works for the Village of Pewaukee. He oversees the operation of the Pewaukee Lake Dam as well as the other environmental programs in the Village.

Jayne Jenks works for Waukesha County in the Park and Land Use Department, Land Resources Division. She has worked there for 17 years on agriculture and urban runoff issues as well as storm water education.

Ray Schwabe has been a river monitor since 2005. This summer will be his third season as Coordinator of the Pewaukee River Monitoring Program.

2008-04-03T05:57:00.002-05:00

2008-04-03T05:53:00.002-05:00

Public Meeting Rescheduled

2008-02-08T09:29:00.000-06:00

The date of the Downriver Impact Initiative public meeting has been rescheduled from March 27th to April 3, 2008. Members at their last meeting (January 24th) decided since the original date fell within the week after Easter, public attendance would be adversely affected. Therefore, they voted to reschedule the meeting a week later. The meeting will be held at the Pewaukee Public Library.

Plans for the meeting have been further developed. The meeting will focus on water levels in the River downstream from the Pewaukee Lake outfall. The first part of the meeting will be a brief panel presentation from a group of speakers representing the Wisconsin DNR, Southeastern Wisconsin Plan Commission (SEWRPC), Waukesha Parks & Land Use and the Village of Pewaukee Public Works Department. That would be followed by an open discussion between the panel and the audience. The purpose of the meeting is twofold: act as a way to provide information about how the dam is operated/regulated and create a way for PRP to find ways to work with members of the local community for the protection and promotion of the Pewaukee River.

Clean Boats, Clean Waters Workshop

2008-02-08T08:51:00.000-06:00

Charlie Shong, Vice-president of PRP and Superintendent of the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District, has requested that we post this announcement. He has worked with the local Girl Scout Troop to organize this program locally as well as publicize it statewide.

Clean Boats, Clean Waters Workshop Opportunity:
Stopping the spread of invasive species… how you can help!

Workshop Location:
Geneva Town Hall N3496 Como Road, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Workshop Date and Time:
Saturday, March 8, 2008 – 9:00am – noon (registration/sign in at 8:30)

With the growing concern over the spread of aquatic invasive species to Wisconsin’s inland lakes, many lake association members and other concerned citizens are looking for ways to get involved.

The Clean Boats, Clean Waters volunteer watercraft inspection program assists Wisconsin residents in stopping the spread of invasive species. The Wisconsin DNR, UW-Extension and Wisconsin Association of Lakes are offering training and resource kits to be used by volunteers at boat landings. The resource kit aids volunteers in looking for and identifying Eurasian water-milfoil, zebra mussels and other threatening invasive species. Additionally, these materials help volunteers establish a volunteer watercraft inspection program for their lake. This program is an opportunity for volunteers to take a frontline defense against aquatic invasive species. The Clean Boats, Clean Waters inspection program encourages boaters to take preventive measures to help stop the spread of invasives from lake to lake.

Workshops are open to adults and youth. Adults or lake associations interested in participating and receiving a handbook and resource kit are strongly encouraged to work with a local youth partner.

The workshop is FREE. However, for those participants planning to organize a volunteer launch inspection program, we highly recommend purchasing a resource kit for $25.00. Resource kits are worth well over $100 and include a handbook and educational materials, a DVD, invasive species identification cards, watercraft inspection stickers, and T-shirts to wear during the watercraft inspections.

Pre-registration is required. Please contact Audrey Greene, Walworth County Land Use & Resource Management at (262) 741-7902 or agreen@co.walworth.wi.us for more information or to register.

Hope to see you there!

4th Annual Monitor Appreciation Event

2008-02-03T13:29:00.000-06:00

Each year Waukesha County, Department of Parks and Land Use, honors the volunteer river monitors in the county. This year the program will start with a planetarium show at Retzer Nature Center followed by the dinner and awards ceremony at which the Pewaukee River Partnership monitors will be among those honored. Jayne Jenks, Waukesha County conservation specialist, coordinates the program.

River Alliance Speaker

2008-01-09T07:40:00.000-06:00

Allison Werner, Local Groups Program Manager, for the River Alliance of Wisconsin will address members of PRP at their January 24th meeting. She will speak about the mission of the River Alliance in working with local groups such as PRP. In addition she will relate activities of other river groups and show how they can be related to the work of PRP.

The January 24th meeting will begin at 7:00 pm at the North Shore Bank (upstairs meeting room accessed from rear parking lot) located at 120 W. Wisconsin in Pewaukee. A brief business meeting will follow.

Anyone interested in river work is welcome to attend!

Person of the Year

2008-01-09T05:23:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee Chamber of Commerce has named Mary Schwister, president of the Pewaukee River Partnership, the 2007 Person of the Year. The James Murphy Ward was established in 1981 by the Pewaukee Chamber to recognize individuals who have demonstrated leadership in community or business activities. Mary will be honored at the banquet on January 23, 2008.

In her nomination letter Kelly Woldanski, director of the Pewaukee Park and Recreation Department, cited Mary's work to protect the wetlands as well as the Pewaukee River. In 2006/7 the PRP had formed a partnership with Pewaukee Park & Rec, the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District and the Wisconsin DNR to build the 400 ft. wetland boardwalk and nine informational signs in Simmons Woods Park.

This past summer PRP worked under Mary's direction to clear brush as the first step in restoring Lynn Path, a walkway along the Pewaukee River. Plans are being developed to improve the adjacent river banks and bed.

Mary has also directed the PRP sense of place project called "Pewaukee Is Our Place". A total of 35 CD recordings have been made of the memories of long-term residents of Pewaukee. One propose of the project is to collect information about the historical interaction between the Pewaukee community and the Pewaukee River & Watershed. The project will produce 100 recordings and place copies of them in the Pewaukee Public Library as well as the Pewaukee Area Historical Society.

Downriver Impact Iniative,

2007-12-22T17:35:00.000-06:00

Members of the Pewaukee River Partnership decided that an important part of the Iniative would be to involve those who either lived or worked on the River. Consequently, they decided to develop a community informational meeting on March 26, 2008 at the Pewaukee Public Library.
The meeting will feature a brief panel discussion by representatives from the DNR, SEWERPAC, the Village Public Works Department and Waukesha County followed by an question period open to the audience.
The results of the river level testing as well as analysis of available research documents will also be shared with the audience.
It is hoped that this meeting will lead to new avenues for implementing the mission of PRP to "preserve, protect, promote and enhance the Pewaukee River and its watershed..."

Analysing Collected Data

2007-12-22T17:20:00.000-06:00

Another facet of the Downriver Impact Iniative will be the analysis of data already collected by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Plan Commission (SEWRPAC).
Considerable information was collected within the last ten years as the Village investigated the impact that the dam shadow would have on the downtown area in the event of severe flooding or failure of the dam. These documents are readily available for research.

Dam Influence on River

2007-12-22T16:57:00.000-06:00

One of the areas to be considered in the Downriver Impact Iniative will be the regulation of the Pewaukee Lake Dam.

Guidelines for operation of the dam have been developed by the DNR. The Pewaukee Village Public Works Department is responsible to implementing the guidelines.

Consequently PRP will work with both to try to understand the relationship between lake levels as controlled by the dam and the fluctuation in the river levels.

River Level Testing

2007-12-22T16:47:00.000-06:00

In order for the Downriver Impact Iniative to be credible, testing of the River levels will begin as soon as the project can be set up. It will be important to do the testing at a consistent time and place at a regular interval. Atty Dan Fay has offered to have his staff do the testing as soon as the project can be set up.
Charlie Shong of the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District will order and install a staff guage on the Oakton Avenue bridge in such a position that Atty Fay's employees will be able to take readings on a daily basis. These readings will then be available for analysis.
Since the Village Public Works Department records daily precipitation events, PRP will be able to coordinate them with the staff guage readings.

Downriver Impact Iniative

2007-12-22T16:32:00.000-06:00

A new program called the Downriver Impact Iniative was drawn up at the November 29th meeting of the Pewaukee River Partnership in response to the request of Atty Dan Fay.
Members felt that this program should have two areas of focus:
1. determine the fluctuation frequency through testing
2. work with the DNR, Sewerpac and Pewaukee Village Public Works Department to understand the issues involved
3. develop a way to promote a better understanding of the issues by those who either live or work on the River.

River Request

2007-12-22T16:14:00.000-06:00

On October 23, 2007 PRP received a request from Atty Dan Fay of Pewaukee to consider investigation of the regulation of water depth in the Pewaukee River. His office is located along the River and he is concerned about frequent level fluctuations which affect both aquatic plants and animals.

Atty Fay's letter was discussed by the PRP Board of Directors at its November 8th meeting. A decision was made to forward the request to the membership at the November 29th meeting with the recommendation that a program be started to address the issue.

Pewaukee Is Our Place

2007-12-17T17:40:00.000-06:00

Thiry five recordings of personal histories related to the River or watershed have been completed. The most recent recordings focused on the Woman's Club of Pewaukee, the Pewaukee Hardware & Lumber Company, the Hansen Oil Company and the McQuire Cottage.

The project goal is to make 100 recordings. Copies of the CD recordings are being donated to both the Pewaukee Area Historical Society and the Pewaukee Public Library.

While these interviews include general history of Pewaukee, the interviewer seeks to gather information about the history of the Pewaukee River as seen by people who lived in the area.

Siepmann Parking Lot Proposal

2007-12-17T09:44:00.001-06:00

Jim Siepmann, developer of the Main Street Retail Center on Wisconsin Avenue, met with the Pewaukee River Partnership last July to explain plans for developing a "summertime" parking lot between the rear of the stores and the railroad tracks.
Because the outfall from Pewaukee Lake as well as the Pewaukee River would be directly impacted by this plan, Siepmann asked that PRP actually work with him to develop the site to control stormwater run off in a way that would be compatible with the River.
Siepmann Realty has continued with the process of obtaining the necessary permits to go ahead with this project. It is hoped that work on the project will be ready to start in the spring.

Data Analysis

2007-12-16T14:14:00.000-06:00

Jayne Jenks, Waukesha County, and Charlie Shong, PRP, analysed the data collected by the PRP monitors from 2005 through 2007. They reported their findings at the November 29th meeting.
Two sites have shown high turbidity readings: Zion Creek (perhaps due to location near both I94 and a golf course) and Coco Creek after Yench Rd (perhaps due to residential development activities to the north).
One site has consistently had the lowest dissolved oxygen readings: Pewaukee River at Capitol Dr. (perhaps due to the presence of a large wetland just to the north).
The analysis team suggested arranging more intensive testing for these three sites in 2008 to try to determine what is causing the readings.

Certificates of Appreciation

2007-12-16T13:48:00.000-06:00

At the November 29th meeting, Ray Schwabe, PRP Monitoring Coordinator, presented Certificates of Appreciation to the members who monitored during the summer of 2007.

Once a month from May through October, twenty-one monitors checked river conditions at nine sites: 6 on the Pewaukee River, 1 on Zion Creek, 1 on Meadowbrook Creek and 2 on Coco Creek. The data they collected has been entered into the statewide DNR database on rivers and streams through the Waukesha County Dept. of Parks & Land Use. Jayne Jenks is our consultant from Waukesha County. That data is being used to establish benchmark readings for use in designing future river projects.

Election of Officers

2007-12-16T12:42:00.001-06:00

Members of the 2007/2008 Pewaukee River Partnership Board are:

President Mary Schwister

Vice President Charlie Shong

Secretary Amy Jo Benson

Treasurer Nancy Koepp

Directors Ray Schwabe, Paul Evert, Don Frederick

Membership Drive

2007-12-16T12:32:00.000-06:00

During the months of September, October and November PRP conducted a drive to enroll new members. Nine new members have joined our organization!
We would like to welcome our new members: Jim Willis, Mary Wehner, Bob & Linda Rohde, Michele Olshanski, Stan & Cindy Jaskowski, Dan Fay and Jody Barbeau.

The Giving Tree

2007-12-16T12:07:00.000-06:00

The October 2007 edition of the Living on the Lake magazine published by Lake Country Publications featured an article by Laura Dritlein entitled "The Giving Tree, 150-7ear-old Pewaukee Apple preserves a bushel of local history". The photos were done by Carla Seward.

The article gives a complete history of George Peffer and the Pewaukee Apple. It also features the Pewaukee Apple tree on the Dave Swan farm in Pewaukee. The photo was taken in September at picking time. This tree is approximately 20 years old and produces up to ten bushels each season.

Sale Results

2007-12-16T11:35:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has announced that a total of 36 Pewaukee Apple Trees have been sold.

Of the total, eleven trees have been donated to the Pewaukee Apple Memorial Orchard that is being established at the entrance to Simmons Woods Park.

The orchard is being created as a way to make local citizens aware of their community history. In the mid-1800s George Peffer, a local farmer, developed and promoted the process of grafting fruit trees in the State of Wisconsin. He registered one of his apples as the Pewaukee Apple. A sign will be posted in the orchard explaining the importance of George Peffer and the Pewaukee Apple. The ten Pewaukee Apple trees that have already been planted can be seen in the photo. The new donated trees will be planted in spring, 2008.

Pewaukee Apple Tree Sale

2007-09-26T10:18:00.000-05:00

Membership Renewal Time

2007-09-26T09:52:00.002-05:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership runs on a calendar year that begins on September 1. Members are reminded to renew their membership so that they can vote at the September 27th Annual Meeting.

Membership Dues Schedule

Voting Members

Single ($20) (1 vote)

Family ($30) (2 votes)

Corporate ($50+) (2votes)

Non-Voting Members

Students: k-8 ($5) 9-12 ($10) college ($15)

Adults: Single (($20) Family ($30)

Supporting Donors

Corporate Sponsors

The Pewaukee River Partnership is a 501(c)3 corporation. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

Membership dues are used to defray the costs of printing/postage of newsletters and meeting announcements as well as other expenses such as replacement of monitoring equipment when needed.

Fourth Annual Meeting

2007-09-26T09:39:00.000-05:00

Membership Renewals (dues)

New Member Enrollment

Election of Officers

Vice-President, Treasurer, 2 Directors

Lynn Path Update

Review of River Monitor Project

World Monitoring Day

September 27, 2007

North Shore Bank

120 W. Wisconsin Avenue

Pewaukee, WI

7:00 to 9:00 pm

Apple Harvest Festival

2007-08-16T11:34:00.000-05:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has been accepted as a participant in the yearly Fall festival held at Retzer Nature Center (S14 W28167 Madison St., Waukesha, WI 53188). The event will be on Saturday, September 22, 2007.

PRP will display photos of work that has been accomplished. The Simmons Woods Boardwalk along the Pewaukee River will be featured. The display will also explain the monthly Pewaukee River Monitoring Project as well as the Pewaukee Is Our Place Project.

This event will kick off the new fundraiser: "Plant A Piece of Pewaukee History". Orders will be taken for spring delivery of official Pewaukee Apple trees. The trees sell for $29.50 prepaid. Donations for trees to be planted in the Pewaukee Apple Memorial Orchard will also be solicited.

August 23, 2007 Meeting

2007-08-13T08:16:00.000-05:00

Parking Lot Proposal

2007-08-13T06:37:00.000-05:00

The sucess of the Main Street retail center on Wisconsin Avenue in the Village of Pewaukee has been very good for the community. However, that very sucess has created problems.

The center is wedged between the beach at the east end of Pewaukee Lake and the railroad tracks. Because of the topography of the land, the street running between the stores and the beach is only two lanes wide with angle parking. At times traffic congestion is very severe. As popularity of the stores, restaurants and beach have grown, the need for additional summer parking has become crucial.

Jim Siepmann, developer of the retail center, recently met with the Pewaukee River Partnership to explain plans for developing a "summertime" parking lot between the rear of the stores and the railroad tracks. Because the outfall from Pewaukee Lake as well as the Pewaukee River would be directly impacted by this plan, Siepmann asked that PRP actually work with him to develop the site to control stormwater run off in a way that would be compatible with the River. Since this proposal is currently being developed, Siepmann has promised to return to PRP with further ideas.

The above photo was taken at the the outfall from Pewaukee Lake. It joins the Pewaukee River at the center of the photo. The Main Street retail center is located on the right of the outfall. The proposed parking lot would be built on the left.

Plant a Piece of Pewaukee History

2007-08-03T17:36:00.000-05:00

Early Pewaukee farmer, George Peffer, established a tree nursery in the area of Highways 16 and M. In 1870 he created and registered the Pewaukee Apple tree.

Twenty years ago local residents sponsored a drive to plant Pewaukee Apple trees in our community. Once again, you are able to purchase one of these trees
to plant on your property!

Or you can donate a tree to be planted in the Pewaukee Apple Memorial Orchard!

Pewaukee Apple Trees

$29.50 per tree plus shipping/handling ($5.30 per tree)
In order to encourage pollination, you may want to plant two trees.

Trees will be shipped directly to you at planting time next spring.

For further information , call
Pewaukee River Partnership
Mary Schwister at 262-691-2341

World Water Monitoring Day

2007-08-03T14:42:00.000-05:00

Ray Schwabe, River Monitoring Chairman, has announced that the Pewaukee River Partnership will participate in the World Water Monitoring Day event again this year.

PRP sponsored one monitoring team in 2006. This year PRP will sponsor 9 teams. In addition to their usual monitoring duties, each of the teams will include PH testing for the event. They will report their monitoring results on the Internet at http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/.

This event is a program of the Water Environment Federation (WEF). "Adopted by WEF in July 2006, World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD) is an international outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world. Held annually between September 18 and October 18, the program engages communities in monitoring the condition of local rivers, streams, estuaries and other water bodies. Since its inception in 2002, more than 80,000 people have participated in 50 countries. "

Name Change

2007-08-03T13:33:00.001-05:00

The name of the Laidlaw River Restoration Project has been changed to the Lynn Path River Restoration Project.

A search into Pewaukee historical sources has revealed that the original quarter-mile long walkway was built by Jim Ackley Sr. on property he owned along the Pewaukee River in the early 1940's. It was named Lynn Path in honor of his wife, Anita Alma Luenzmann Ackley. (Her maiden name was pronounced Lynnsman.) The photo was taken about 1986 at the rededication of the path on its 22nd anniversary.

Book Publishing Team Established

2007-07-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

As an outgrowth of the work done on historical recordings, the Pewaukee River Partnership has been asked to form a team to explore the possibility of producing a book about the history of Pewaukee. Negotiations with the Arcadia Publishing Company have begun.
If feasible, the team will work with the publisher to collect historical photos, identify them and compose captions.
The team currently has 5 members and is looking for other interested individuals. This effort will be collaborated with the Pewaukee Area Historical Society.

Historical Recordings

2007-07-28T10:45:00.000-05:00

Recording of personal histories related to the River or watershed continue. Twenty CD recordings along with their supporting documents have been completed. They include memories from 3 farm families, a city planner, a realtor, a banker, a technical school director and 2 retailors as well as others. The project goal is to make 100 recordings.
Copies of the CD recordings are being donated to both the Pewaukee Area Historical Society and the Pewaukee Public Library.
The Historical Society is looking for ways to incorporate the CDs into their exhibits.
The library is setting up a special section in the Reference Department to house the CD collection. After the new bookcase is installed, the librarians will move all the Pewaukee materials from the entire library into the reference section along with the CDs. Because this location is near the bank of computers, library patrons will be able to listen to the CD recordings right there.

Transcriptions Provided

2007-07-27T09:15:00.000-05:00

Since not all potential users of the historical recordings are comfortable with using a computer,
Mary Ward has volunteered to make transcriptions of the CDs. She has completed eleven transcriptions.

The librarians are assembling the CD recordings into plastic display cases which will be accessible to the public. The cases will include the CD disk, a copy of the transcription and any other supporting documents.

Providing a typed transcription with the CD recording will make the materials more user-friendly.

Laidlaw Project

2007-06-18T17:05:00.002-05:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has begun work on a new river restoration project called the Laidlaw Project. Last week Paul Evert and Clarence Gerbig began by mowing the walking path along the Pewaukee River at the back of the Laidlaw Bus Company property.

Original work on this path goes back to the 1980's. A path had been laid out and a meeting place for the local Boy Scout Troops had been constructed. Even though maintenance work has been done on and off over the years, the area is in now need of major restoration. The path will be leveled in places and wood chips will be laid down. The overgrown brush will be cut down and removed. The riverbed and bank along the path will also be restored with native vegetation.

The scope of this project will probably extend over two to three years.

Rain Garden Workshop

2007-06-18T13:57:00.000-05:00

In an effort to improve water quality in the Pewaukee River, PRP participated in the planting of the Pewaukee Public Library Rain Garden in the spring of 2006. Approximately 7,000 native perennials were planted in a large landscaped "bowl" along the west side of the new library building.

Now PRP has joined with the Kettle Moraine Garden Club, the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District, the Fox River Partnership, UW-textension and Waukesha County to sponsor a rain garden workshop entitled "Rain Gardens...a Beautiful Soluntion to Water Pollution".

This event will be held on Tuesday, June 26, from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, at the Pewaukee Public Library. Pre-registration is appreciated. Call the Library at 262-691-5670 Ext. 25 or email pwlib@pewaukee.lib.wi.us.

City Role in River Development

2007-06-18T13:01:00.001-05:00

One of the first interviews completed for the Pewaukee Is Our Place Project was with Harlan Clinkenbeard. He joined the small part-time staff of the Town of Pewaukee in September, 1979. He served in the capacity of city planner during the incorporation process which changed the Town to the City of Pewaukee. As planner he was directly involved in the development of the area that borders the wetlands that line both sides of the Pewaukee River in the corridor that stretches from Wisconsin Avenue on the north to the entrance to the Fox River just south of I94 on the south.

Wetland Fact Sheet

2007-04-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

Manmade efforts to restore wetlands are never as good as the original wetland lost. The natural water flow regime can only be approximated. The best approach is to preserve what wetlands we have left. The Pewaukee River Partnership works towards this goal. Their projects have not only preserved critical wetland functions, but have improved public access for observation purposes and education. Wetland observation sites in the watershed include: Simmons Woods Park and the Pewaukee River near the Pewaukee Lake Outfall.
This Fact Sheet has been prepared by Lee Trotta (PRP) and Jana Stewart (USGS).

Key: Pewaukee Subwatershed (yellow)

Wetlands Extent - 2000 (outlined in red)

Wetlands Extent - 1963 (light blue with white diagonals)

April Membership Meeting

2007-04-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

The April meeting of the Pewaukee River Partnership is schedule for this evening at 7:00 pm in the North Shore Bank meeting room. The agenda will focus on the start up of the 2007 Pewaukee River Monitoring Program. In addition, there will be an update of the Pewaukee Is Our Place Project. All members as well as interested individuals are encouraged to attend.

A Century of Landscape Change

2007-04-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

Dr. Michael L. Thaller, PRP member and geographer, recently completed the paper entitled "A Century of Landscape Change: A Historical Geography of the Pewaukee River Watershed." He based his analysis on three United State Geological Survey maps dated 1905/1909, 1959 and 1971.
Thaller documented the gradual change within the watershed from a primarily rural landscape with an emphasis on tourism to the present almost complete urban economy. He based his study on the steady decline of the wetlands in the watershed. His final summary examines the recent interest in reviving the wetlands and fostering of native plant species.
This study is a part of the Pewaukee Is Our Place Project which has been undertaken by the Pewaukee River Partnership to better understand ways to protect the Pewaukee River Watershed in the future.

Wetlands or Wastelands

2007-04-26T07:14:00.000-05:00

On April 19th Mary Schwister, president of PRP spoke to the members of the Kettle Moraine Garden Club at the Pewaukee Public Library. Her PowerPoint presentation, "Wetlands or Wastelands", focused on changing attitudes which are helping to protect the surviving wetlands in Wisconsin.

The Kettle Moraine Garden Club was a major sponsor of the 7,000 native plant Rain Garden installed at the Pewaukee Public Library. Club members have a keen interest in promoting the use of native species to protect the wetlands.

Monitoring Season Opening

2007-04-26T06:52:00.000-05:00

Spring is finally arriving in Pewaukee! We had a very wet snowstorm (7 inches) as recently as April 11th. However, the weather has slowly become warmer with a number of rainy days. This has affected the start of the 2007 Pewaukee River Monitoring Project. High, swiftly-moving water makes it dangerous to monitor in many of the sites. Even so, two of the teams were able to start already in April.
The official PRP monitoring months are May through October. PRP Monitors check six sites on the Pewaukee River as well as four more sites on Coco Creek, Zion Creek and Meadowbrook Creek. The data they collect is entered into the statewide database for all Wisconsin streams and rivers. This information will be used by the State as well as PRP when designing future programs.

2007 Citizen Monitoring Award -- Group Effort

2007-03-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

At their regular meeting, members of the Pewaukee River Partnership were presented the 2007 Citizen Monitoring Award in the Group Effort category.

Kyle Zenz, basin educator for natural resources, University of Wisconsin-Extension made the presentation. She explained that the work of the Monitors was very important in establishing a baseline for future measurements of the Pewaukee River.

Sponsors of this statewide award include the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Water Action Volunteers (WAV).

Over the past two years, the 23 Pewaukee River Partnership volunteers have monitored the Pewaukee River, as well as Coco Creek, Zion Creek and Meadow brook Creek. They have measured dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, stream flow, habitat and completed the biotic index.

Monitoring Award Winner

2007-03-05T11:22:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has been named as the winner of the 2007 Wisconsin Stream Award in the organized group category. This award is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Extension, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Water Action Volunteers (WAV) Program.
Through out the State of Wisconsin, local citizens are involved in monitoring the health of their streams and rivers. Over the past two years the 23 PRP volunteers have monitored the Pewaukee River as well as Coco Creek, Zion Creek and Meadowbrook Creek for approximately 130 times. The resulting information has been entered into the WAV database to be used by the DNR as well as PRP to improve our waters.
Presentation of the award will be made at the next Pewaukee River Partnership meeting on Thursday, March 22, 2007.

2007 Citizen Monitoring Confluence

2007-03-05T10:05:00.000-06:00

Ray Schwabe, PRP River Monitor Co-ordinator and Larry Wehrheim enjoy lunch while discussing ideas developed during the morning session of the 2007 Citizen Monitoring Confluence held at Lake Mills on Saturday, March 3rd.
The program featured a keynote address given by Todd Ambs and Andy Paulios, both from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The rest of the day was devoted to three breakout session covering eight different topics.
The Rock River Coalition in Jefferson County organized the program.

Board Withdraws Offer

2007-03-05T08:47:00.000-06:00

At its meeting on March 1st, the Pewaukee River Partnership Board of Directors voted to withdraw the offer made to the Village of Pewaukee to finance and build a rain garden on the site of the new Village Hall. They also postphoned developing plans for a river walk on the site. A Letter of Withdrawal dated March 3, 2006 has been sent to Chuck Nichols, president of the Village Board, as well as each of the trustees.
The Village will not be ready to install a rain garden and/or river walk until some time in 2008. The Board suggested that the Village contact PRP at that time to consider resubmitting the offer. Taking this step gives PRP the freedom to move ahead on other conservation projects in the watershed. Whether PRP resubmits the offer in the future will depend on the availability of resources at that time.

River Monitor Recruitment Drive

2007-02-25T11:57:00.001-06:00

Ray Schwabe, Pewaukee River Monitor Co-ordinator, has announced the Recruitment Drive for New Monitors. PRP members have volunteered to distribute posters to local business announcing the Drive.

A training session for new as well as returning Monitors will be held on Thursday, March 22, 2007. Since there will be a large number of people attending, the meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at the Pewaukee City Hall (W240 N3065 Pewaukee Rd., Pewaukee).

At the meeting new Monitors will be introduced to the project through a powerpoint presentation. The regular PRP meeting will follow the training session. The entire program should last from 7:00 pm to approximately 9:00 pm.

Anyone interested in becoming a Pewaukee River Monitor is encouraged to attend. Please call Ray Schwabe (262-691-2737) for further information and to register for the training session.

New Board Member

2007-02-25T11:50:00.000-06:00

Ray Schwabe has been appointed to the PRP Board of Directors effective February 21, 2007. Ray has coordinated the Pewaukee River Monitoring Project since last fall.
He will fill the position vacated by Donna Baldwin-Haut for the remainder of the term which ends in September, 2007.

Pewaukee Is Our Place

2007-02-25T11:41:00.000-06:00

Jennifer Stoltz, director of the Pewaukee Public Library, has notified PRP that they would accept the personal historical accounts on CDs being produced by PRP.
Since a computer is needed to view them, the CDs will be made available to the public to use in the Library. They will be housed in the Pewaukee history section on the lower level across from the reference desk.
PRP hopes to produce 100 CD focusing on Pewaukee history with an emphasis on the Pewaukee River.

Members Review

2007-02-25T10:52:00.001-06:00

The regular meeting of PRP was held on Thursday, February 22nd. Members were updated on the results of the meeting with the Village of Pewaukee Board of Trustees.
Because delaying the construction of the rain garden would seriously impact on PRP's activities for the 2007 summer, members asked that the PRP Board meet to review the situation and return to the March meeting with recommendations as to how to proceed.

Village Board Meeting

2007-02-25T10:40:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, February 21st, Mary Schwister, president of the Pewaukee River Partnership, appeared before the Village of Pewaukee Board of Trustees to outline their two step plan.
Since the approved site plan for the new Village Hall already included plans for the construction of a rain garden, PRP offered to supply both funding and labor for the rain garden portion of the project.
In addition, Schwister explained that since the river walk was not on the already approved Village Hall site plan, PRP would make a proposal to the Village Plan Commission as soon as details for the river walk could be finalized.
The Board of Trustees suggested that PRP wait to implement any of these plans until 2008 due to the recently revised directives received from the Wisconsin DNR regarding management of storm water during the construction period.

Partnership Expanding

2007-02-05T11:16:00.000-06:00

At their recent quarterly meeting, members of the Pewaukee Area Historical Society (PAHS) agreed to work with PRP on the Pewaukee Is Our Place Project. PRP will provide CD recordings of the personal histories of long-time residents with an emphasis on the impact of the Pewaukee River to the community. These recordings will be displayed at the Clark House Museum. PAHS will also seek ways to use the recordings as a part of the displays being planned for the Grand Opening of their new exhibit building later this year.

Nomination

2007-01-23T06:35:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has been nominated for the Wisconsin Stream Monitoring Award. Applications were posted January 16th.

Hundred Year Old Map

2007-01-16T06:14:00.000-06:00

Mike Thaler, retired geography professor and member of PRP, has located a 1905 map of the Pewaukee watershed. It will be used as a reference document in developing our Historical Profile of the River. This map clearly shows the course of the Pewaukee River as well as the local wetlands. Mike also located maps dated in the 1940s and 50s. Even a brief study of these maps reveals the significant impact the installation of drainage ditches had on the River and surrounding wetlands.

January Meeting

2006-12-26T16:04:00.000-06:00

The next meeting of the Pewaukee River Partnership will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2007 in the meeting room above the North Shore Bank at 120 W. Wisconsin Ave., Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
Anyone interested in working to preserve or protect the Pewaukee River is invited to attend. For more information, please call 262-691-2341.

Pewaukee Village Hall

2006-12-12T09:18:00.000-06:00

The Village of Pewaukee is currently working on plans to build a new Village Hall. The site is located along the Pewaukee River. Charlie Shong, vice-president of PRP, recently met with the landscape architect to discuss preliminary landscape design ideas for the site. PRP has volunteered to work on building a river walk along the River at the south end of the property. Also discussed were plans for a rain garden. PRP is currently looking for donors or a corporate sponsor to share in the cost of this project.

Pewaukee Is Our Place

2006-11-30T15:15:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has recently joined with the Pewaukee Public Library, the Pewaukee Area Historical Society and the Pewaukee Chamber of Commerce to work on a Sense of Place Project called Pewaukee Is Our Place.
This project is designed to collect approximately 100 digital recordings of the historical recollections of local citizens. Each recording will be stored on a CD and assembled with other relevant items into a kit. The Library will catalogue the kits and house them in the Pewaukee reference section of the Library. An additional copy will be kept in the Clark House Museum.
As a result, these original resources will be conveniently available to the public for research purposes.

Meeting Date Change

2006-11-08T10:20:00.000-06:00

Members of PRP voted to change the November meeting date due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Pewaukee River Partnership

Regular Membership Meeting

Thursday, November 30, 2006

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

North Shore Bank Building

(upstairs, use rear entrance)

120 W. Wisconsin

Pewaukee, WI 53072

This meeting will recognize the work done by the Pewaukee River Monitors during the past summer. All Monitors are encouraged to attend.

2006 Monitoring Season Ends

2006-11-07T08:33:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee River Monitoring Project focuses on collecting data from May through October. Over the course of the past summer, 23 monitors checked the River and its tributaries for six different elements: dissolved oxygen, temperature, turbidity, stream flow, presence of macroinvertebrates and habitat at 9 different locations. The testing was done on more than 130 occasions. The project is coordinated by Jayne Jenks from the Waukesha Department of Parks and Land Use. All the data collected is entered into the statewide data base on rivers and streams. For further information, check out www.waukeshacounty.gov , go to water quality monitoring.

Village Hall Riverwalk

2006-11-07T08:01:00.000-06:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership has volunteered to work with the Village of Pewaukee to build a riverwalk along the Pewaukee River at the rear of the the new Village Hall site. Mary Schwister, president, and Charlie Shong, vice-president, recently met with Scott Gosse, Village administrator, to discuss plans for cooperation. Construction of the new building will begin in early 2007. The proposed parking lot will extend from the building to the River. PRP offered to seek funding sources, secure necessary permits (DNR), develop the design and finally to build the riverwalk. The project would also include restoration of the the riverbank along the site. PRP also will look for ways to partner with other local groups to implement this project.

World Water Monitoring Day

2006-10-19T15:40:00.000-05:00

Pewaukee River Monitors, Dan Vircks and Richard Johnston, check the dissolved oxygen level in the River in observance of World Water Monitoring Day. Their results have been submitted to the Water Environment Federation website as a participant in the World Water Monitoring Day project. Since 2002 more that 80,000 people have participated in 50 countries.
Dan and Richard also monitored the River for temperature, turbidity and stream flow. In addition, an assessment of the macro invertebrates present in the water was done.

Meeting Announcement

2006-10-18T05:44:00.000-05:00

October 26, 2006

7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

North Shore Bank

(upstairs meeting room - use rear entrance)

120 W. Wisconsin Avenue

Pewaukee, Wisconsin

Agenda Items

Update on Village Hall Riverwalk

Membership Report

Completion of Simmons Woods Boardwalk

World Water Monitoring Day Report

End of Season Directives - River Monitors

Sense of Place

Opportunity for Membership Renewal

or New Membership Application

List of Officers

2006-10-14T12:28:00.000-05:00

A number of changes
have recently occurred
on the Pewaukee River Partnership Board of Directors.

Two members, Russ LaFayette (vice-president) and Donna Baldwin-Haut (director), resigned -- both due to "conflict of interest" issues: Russ because of job related guidelines and Donna because of her work as Trustee in the Village. Both will continue as members of PRP.
Russ and Donna will be missed on the Board for their willingness to lead our partnership.

The current list of Board members is as follows:

President Mary Schwister
Vice-President Charlie Shong
Secretary Amy Jo Benson
Treasurer John Haut
Director Paul Evert
Director Tom Beck
Director Vacant - to be filled

World Water Monitoring Day

2006-10-08T17:39:00.000-05:00

The Water Environment Federation has announced October 18, 2006 as the World Water Monitoring Day. This international outreach program seeks to build public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the word. Held annually, it encourages communities to perform basic monitoring tests of local rivers, streams and other water bodies. Since its inception in 2002, more than 80,000 people have participated in 50 countries.

The Pewaukee River Partnership will participate by sponsoring a river monitoring demonstration site at the Outfall behind Chocolate Factory in the Village of Pewaukee. Ray Schwabe, PRP Monitoring Coordinator, explained that the Partnership will have a display showing how the Pewaukee River and its tributaries are monitored each month for temperature, clarity, stream flow and dissolved oxygen. Members of the Pewaukee River Partnership will be available along the river bank to answer questions from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm on October 18th.

Pewaukee River Monitoring Project

2006-10-04T23:11:00.000-05:00

During the past week the River Monitors completed their September testing. They monitor the River once a month from May to November for four indicators: temperature, dissolved oxygen, speed of the water and turbidity. During June and September they also assess two additional indicators: the condition of the habitat and inventory the presence of macro invertebrates.
The data tabulated is entered into the statewide database of All Rivers and Streams. This data will be used as a basis of future projects proposed by the Partnership to the public.

In the Media

2006-09-30T13:38:00.000-05:00

Today Waukesha Freeman, weekend edition reporter, Justin Kern, began a two-part series entitled 'Not Your Typical River' about "how Lake Country communities are working to increase the visibility of the rivers that flow through them."
The vote passed at the meeting of the Pewaukee River Partnership on Sept. 28th was highlighted in the article.
"The Pewaukee River Partnership, which has brought monitoring and grant money to river projects since 2004, voted Thursday night to pursue building a riverwalk in the village" said Charlie Shong, director of the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District and a partnership board member.
Mary Schwister, president of PRP, explained "the river will always be over-shadowed (by the Lake), but can have its own draw. It's an asset that's been in hiding."

Profile the River

2006-09-29T07:56:00.000-05:00

Members of PRP also voted to adopt the River Profile Project as a long-term project. We will begin informally collecting information about the River that eventually will be used to develop the Profile.

Riverwalk Project in Village

2006-09-29T07:39:00.000-05:00

Members at the Sept. 28th Annual Meeting reviewed the three projects that have been proposed for 2006/2007: Profile the River, Develop a Canoe Route or Build a Boardwalk/Riverwalk.

After open discussion the members voted to revise the third proposal and focus on developing a Riverwalk along the River at the back of the site for the new Village Hall. In addition there may be some necessary shoreline restoration work involved with the project.

Because archectitural plans are currently being developed for the Village Hall, it was felt that this part of the Boardwalk/Riverwalk proposal was the most urgent. (Plans for building a Boardwalk in Village Park were temporarily put on hold.)

Members felt that we should also look for ways to work with the Village on plans for the parking lot adjacent to the Riverwalk. The Village will be looking for ways to implement requirements of the Clean Water Act. We would like to explore new ideas for storm water management relating to parking lot situations. We also felt that we would like to explore grant funding opportunities that could be helpful in financing this project.

Election Results

2006-09-29T07:21:00.000-05:00

President: Mary Schwister
Vice President: Charlie Shong
Secretary: Amy Jo Benson
Treasurer: Nancy Koepp
Director: Paul Evert
Director: Ray Schwabe
Director: Don Frederick

Charting Our Course

2006-09-27T08:34:00.000-05:00

During this past summer, we have taken time to explore possible projects for the coming year.
Three possibilities have emerged as possible projects. A Powerpoint presentation entitled: "Charting Our Course" will be used at the September 28th Annual Meeting to outline them.

Profile the River

Develop a Canoe Route

Build a Riverwalk/Boardwalk in the Village

After open discussion, PRP members will vote on which of the three projects they want to implement during 2006/2007.

2006-09-27T08:07:00.000-05:00

Second Annual Meeting

September 28, 2006

7:00 to 9:00 pm

North Shore Bank

120 W. Wisconsin Ave.

Pewaukee, WI 53072

(use back upstairs entrance)

Membership Renewals

New Member Enrollment

Election of Officers

Vote on New Project

Review River Monitor Project

All Members, All Monitors, All Potential New Members

All Interested Observers

Welcome to our website!

2006-09-23T16:04:00.000-05:00

The Pewaukee River Partnership officially began operating in September of 2004. Currently we have about 35 members who share a common desire to protect and preserve the Pewaukee River and its Watershed.
The first project undertaken by PRP was to work with the Village and the City of Pewaukee to have river signs erected at all street intersections.
The River Monitoring Project was started in 2005. Currently we test the river for six different indicators (temperature, turbidity, stream flow, dissolved oxygen, macroinvertebrates and habitat once a month from April through October.
In 2005/2006 PRP worked with Pewaukee Park & Rec and the Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District to build an 800 ft. boardwalk in Simmons Woods Park.
At our September Annual Meeting members voted to explore building a riverwalk at the back of the new Village Hall site.
We are incorporated and have obtained 501(c)3 non-profit status.