Water policy to be focus of Great Lakes event

A full slate of speakers who will address policies affecting the Great Lakes will be in Port Washington Saturday for Love Our Great Lakes Day.

The free event includes a program with three speakers in the morning followed by afternoon field site visits to sites in Port Washington, including the Valley Creek corridor, north beach and Mineral Springs.

There will be both in-person and online options to hear the morning presentations.

Love Our Great Lakes Day is for people to learn about the lake just outside their door and come to an appreciation of all it offers, Tom Mlada, executive director of the Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership, said.

“Water is really a paramount issue. In the Midwest, we’re surrounded by 20% of the world’s freshwater supply,” Mlada said. “Water has an economic impact. It has a social impact and a cultural impact on us. We have a responsibility to steward the lake and take responsibility for it.

“Being a shoreland community, we should be a leader to bring about the right change at a local level.”

The day will also help lay the foundation for the next generation of conservation leaders, Mlada said.

Jennifer Phillips-Vanderberg, director of the Western Great Lakes Bird and Bat Observatory in Port Washington, said the day will help bring focus on how federal and state water policies impact people locally.

“That can be a tough thing to grasp,” she said. “These policies have an impact on what people do here.”

State and federal funds often make it possible for local government to make the changes needed to protect the environment and, in the process, beautify natural spaces, control erosion and enhance tourism efforts,  Phillips-Vanderberg said.

“These huge programs make it possible to do things our communities need. We have more fish. The lake is cleaner,” she said.

The field visits will help people understand “what happens on land definitely impacts what happens on the lake,” she said.

Love Our Great Lakes Day will kick off with a program at Ansay & Associates, 101 E. Grand Ave.

Registration will be at 8:45 a.m., followed at 9:15 a.m. with a welcome by Mlada.

The program will be moderated by Susan Bence, an award-winning environmental journalist.

Each talk will be followed by a question-and-answer period. Between speakers, those attending can visit conservation organizations to discuss their efforts to improve water quality in the area.

Melissa Scanlan, chairman for water policy and director of the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences, will discuss “Water Management and Policy Resources” at 9:30 a.m.

At 10:10 a.m., Bill Davis, senior legal analyst at River Alliance, will discuss “Implementing Wisconsin’s Water Agenda.”

Tim Ehlinger, chairman in systems change and peacebuilding at UWM, will discuss “Navigating Community and Conflict in Water Policy” at 10:50 a.m.

The morning session will wrap up at 11:20 a.m., with afternoon field site visits set for noon to 4:15 p.m.

People may visit as many of the sites as they desire, and there will be a 15-minute transition between programs at the various sites.

From noon to 1 p.m., those participating are invited to tour the rooftop restaurant and pub space at Newport Shores, which offers expansive views of the lakefront.

Melissa Curran and Port City Forester Jon Crain will offer tours of the Valley Creek corridor, where the city is in the early stages of restoring natural elements of the waterway.

Tom Kroeger and Dale Buser of Miller Engineering will discuss the north beach bluff and beach erosion issues. Those attending are asked to park on the Upper Lake Park bluff and meet near the staircase to the beach.

Ozaukee County Director of Planning and Parks Andrew Struck will provide tours of the Mineral Springs Stream project, a long-term project that Phillips-Vanderberg  said has proven successful.

To reserve a spot for the program, visit https://tinyurl.com/2z33t3dp.