Opinion Groups gearing-up for spring-cleaning local streams and rivers

There are many interesting and worthwhile organizations found throughout Sheboygan County trying to improve the quality of life of its citizens. People will often feel an interest, even an excitement, when they learn about worthwhile projects taking place in their community and, many times, wish they could get more information on how to get involved.

If you have a passion or even a passing interest in the environment, the Sheboygan River Basin Partnership is doing some good work. Peter Pittner, who has a professional background in natural resources in the private sector, is its president. The Board of Directors is made up of names readers may recognize. It includes Jeremiah Dentz, Sara Dezwarte, Dave Frank, Jon Gumtow, Andy Holschbach, Lynn Mcintosh, Pat Miles, Lori Walker and Vern Witt. The following is information about the organization, its programs and how one may get involved.

The group’s Adopt-A-Stream Program is hosting a workshop for volunteers from 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Saturday, May 15, at the Maywood Environmental Center, 3615 Mueller Road on Sheboygan’s north side, to plan for a survey to inventory stream barriers that could be creating problems for fish or other aquatic organism in the county. Workshop volunteers will survey local streams and the workshop will instruct them what to look for. To sign up for the workshop or for more information about the stream survey, call Stacy Hron, at (920) 458-6164.

A Sheboygan River and local stream clean-up is an annual event held by the Sheboygan River Basin Partnership in cooperation with Camp Y-Koda, UW-Extension and community volunteers. This year the clean-up will take place from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, May 22, with a light lunch provided after the cleanup at Camp Y-Koda. It is a good opportunity for Girl and Boy Scouts, 4-H, church groups, service clubs, individuals and others to get outside as well as complete a service project. If interested, you will need to register by May 14 to ensure the event has adequate food, plastic litter bags, river direction maps, canoes are available. Workers can walk or canoe – and that needs to be worked out prior to the event. Call Camp Y-Koda at (920) 467-6882 to get a registration form. Those under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult. For a fee, those attending can also order a t-shirt that recognizes the river work being done.

The Sheboygan River Basin Partnership also participates in the Wisconsin Ephemeral Pond Study in Sheboygan County. The goal is to study, map, and monitor shallow water ponds that have water only part of the year to see what amount of amphibians (such as frogs and salamanders), macroinvertebrates (snails and clams) and wildlife are present. A training session is scheduled for those interested in joining the study. It will be held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, April 10, at Riveredge Nature Center in Newburg. If interested in participating, e-mail your name, address, phone number to: srbp@sheboyganrivers.org. Participants need not have any specific natural resource background – they will be trained and be assigned with another volunteer.

Adopt-A-Stream Project is another effort by the Sheboygan River Basin Partnership to get organizations – conservation groups, scout organizations, landowners, service clubs and others –to adopt a stream or section of stream to improve, protect and restore. For more information, e-mail your interest to srbp(@she boyganrivers.org or contact Stacy Hron at (920) 458-6164.

This environmental group is also working on Willow Creek, Fisherman’s Creek and a number of other small and large river projects. To find out more about the organization, go to their Web site at www.sheboyganrivers.org or call (920) 528-7258. You may wish to volunteer on a specific work project of interest from time to time or join the group and participate in their ongoing efforts to protect and improve Sheboygan County’s waters.