BBQ On The Banks: Sustainably Delicious
Join your pals at the River Alliance on Saturday 7/23 for an old-fashioned barbecue at beautiful Willow Creek Farm.
Before dining on a tasty feast of locally-raised meat we'll take a short tour of this family farm and learn about Sue & Tony's humane and ecologically thoughtful approach to raising Berkshire hogs. 
Saturday July 23, 2011 3:00 - 7:00
Willow Creek Farm
E5293 Ohio Rd.
Loganville, WI 53943
Registration for the event is $35 and can be done online or by calling the River Alliance offices at 608-257-2424 ext. 116.
Proceeds from the event will go to support River Alliance programs.
Yep! sign me up for BBQ On The Banks! »
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Bad Beaches Are Bad For Business
A sultry summer weekend is upon us and like clockwork, the beach closings have begun. With two Wisconsin beaches appearing on the Top 10 "Repeat Offenders" of the NRDC list of worst beaches in the nation and local news outlets throughout the state warning families to avoid favorite swimming spots due to blue-green algae blooms, there is little doubt that Wisconsin's tourism industry is suffering from our state's noncommittal approach to phosphorus management.
 Why are our waterways choked with algae? The leading cause is phosphorus found in fertilizer, manure and wastewater is flushed into streams and lakes through polluted stormwater runoff and through discharge pipes. Just last summer the state adopted new rules to limit how much phosphorus can enter water, but Governor Walker and some legislators have indicated they want to block the rules before they've even had a chance to work.
The Walker administration has made support for businesses and jobs a priority, but bad water hurts business. Clean water is key to Wisconsin's $12 billion per year tourism industry and the local economies dependent upon hunting, fishing and boating. "Does the algae affect the value of my business? You're damned right it does," says Tom Dorsey, owner of Bay Rest Resort on Lake Petenwell in Adams County. The River Alliance of Wisconsin talked with business owners impacted by the plague of algae; hear what they have to say about the importance of moving forward with the state's phosphorus rules .
Sick of getting booted off the beach? Contact your legislators today and tell them we need to adopt the phosphorus rules for real this time! Click here to find your state legislators.
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Dale Druckrey Advocacy Grant
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The River Alliance is pleased to announce the formation of the Dale Druckrey Advocacy Grant program. Named for a long-time friend of the River Alliance and funded with a bequest following his untimely passing, these small grants are available to river groups that need help to establish or grow an existing local, regional or state-wide water-related advocacy effort.
We are equally pleased to share the inspiring story of the first grant recipient, the Bad River Watershed Association. The BRWA had a pressing issue, a proposed iron mine that was getting a lot of attention and they needed to gin up their advocacy skills, fast.
Read about how BRWA made use of their Advocacy Grant and learn more about their successful effort to advocate for community input on the proposed mining operation.
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Help River Alliance by Saying "Yes" to CHIP
When you shop at either Willy Street Co-op location (east or west side), River Alliance benefits every time you say "yes" to CHIP. When you CHIP, 1% is added onto your bill (for example, a dime for a $10 purchase).
But the dimes add up. Last year CHIP donors raised nearly $120,000 to support the 65 CHIP nonprofits.
CHIP is a sister organization of Community Shares of Wisconsin, which raises funds for River Alliance both on its website and through workplace giving campaigns.
Thanks in advance for saying "yes" to CHIP! (And you might thank the Co-op staff for offering the CHIP program - they do a lot for our entire community.)
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Kudos
It's not like us to brag (or maybe it is?) but we thought the following message amounted to more than simple praise, it is a worthy endorsement of our strongly held belief that everyone, including our business community, benefits from a highly-functioning and independent natural resources agency:
Mr. Caneff:
Bob Martini's article in the Spring issue [of the River Alliance newsletter, FLOW] hit all the nails on their heads. The article should be reproduced and widely distributed throughout the state.
DNR's role is to be a regulatory agency protecting the public's resources, whether found on public or private land, for the public. DNR's role is not to simply be an expeditor for anyone who wants to use public resources for personal use.
Please thank Bob for me for his past and present work. Well done!
Dan Pubanz
Wolf River Forestry, LLC
Shawano, WI
Not a River Alliance member? Didn't get a print copy of the FLOW? Join today to receive a quarterly copy of this valued publication.
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Big Thank You to this Bunch of River Rats!
Every year River Alliance member Ron Kaminkow gets together with a group of happy paddlers for a canoe trip down the Wisconsin River. As a way to show their appreciation for the health and beauty of our state's "Mother River," they take up a collection to provide a donation to the River Alliance. We really appreciate their thoughtfulness and encourage others follow in their wake (so to speak).
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Milky Moonlight in Milwaukee:
Photos from an evening paddle in the heart of the city
On Thursday July 14 the River Alliance and Milwaukee Riverkeeper hosted our 6th annual "Milky Moonlight in Milwaukee." As always, it was memorable event--a hearty armada of boats, a rainbow over the river at sunset, a full moon rising over the big lake, and the passage of a giant laker ship, over two football fields long.
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Join Us for a Little Manitowish-full Thinking on Aug. 20 
John Bates and Mary Burns are the kind of people with whom you want to spend a day on a river. They know rivers, they know plants, they know northern Wisconsin history. After an afternoon paddling the river, we'll pull up to John and Mary's place on the banks of the Manitowish for an evening dinner. Click here for details |
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