Stormwater May 2012 : Page 46
The Conservation Fund acquisition.” Preserving this type of wetland “is not only a cost-effective approach to managing future fl ooding downstream in the city of Milwaukee, it protects wildlife habitat and contrib-utes to the overall quality of life in the Germantown area.” Eventually the public will have ac-cess to parts of this area for hiking, cross country skiing, and birdwatch-ing. Knowing that these open areas will stay that way and that former farmland will not be turned into hard concrete This former farm field is now part of the Greenseams program. Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund, which is administered by the Wiscon-sin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). This state program provides 50% matching grants to projects that involve the DNR, local governments, and various environmental nonprofi t organizations. The North American Wetlands Con-servation Act (NAWCA) has also pro-vided funding. The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have funded resto-ration on some Greenseams properties. The Conservation Fund is a nation-al nonprofi t organization that forms partnerships between various govern-mental and municipal agencies and MMSD/Milwaukee Public Information Part of the Menomonee Valley Stormwater Park environmental associations to protect land and water. Nation-ally it has helped to preserve 6.5 million acres of land and water. While Greenseams is The Conservation Fund’s fi rst storm-water program, the organization has been involved in a number of similar greenbelt programs. One such program, the Ann Ar-bor (MI) Greenbelt Initiative, is designed to link parks, open ar-Near the headwaters of the Menomonee River eas, and working farms, to curb urban sprawl. One Greenseams acquisition is 302 means a lot to the landowners who sell acres of a large wooded basin—a low-properties to Greenseams. “I just like the idea so much more land forest ecosystem—that forms the headwaters of the Menomonee River, that it’s going to be maintained in a in the village of Ger-natural way,” says landowner Law-mantown. Offi cially rence Hoerig. “My daughter especially known as Wilderness said she’s so glad that it’s not going Park, the site is known to be houses and she can walk down by residents as the Ger-there later on and see where we used to work on the farm.” mantown Swamp. Shafer’s favorite Greenseams site is “The swamp is one of the last remain-on Victory Creek in Franklin. “It is ap-ing large open space proximately 75 acres of close to pris-complexes remaining tine wetlands and wooded areas,” he in this highly urban-notes. This site adjoins a new offi ce izing watershed,” said park development. ”We were able to Hrobar. “While the preserve this natural piece of property majority of the core of for fl ood control, and it also allows the swamp is protect-development to still occur. For me, it ed, additional acreage really shows that good environmental around the perimeter stewardship can go hand-in-hand with is proposed for future economic development.” 46 May 2012 www.stormh2o.com
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