About The Partners
The Story of the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners began in 2000.
For two decades a coalition of citizens and groups – perhaps some of your neighbors – have been focusing efforts to advocate for the preservation of a special glaciated landscape that traverses through Washington and Waukesha Counties in Wisconsin.
The expanse of the Kettle Moraine glacial formation stretches from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. Historically, the landscape was farmed by pioneers, but its shallow, glacial till soils and steep slopes worked against its success. By the 1920’s the Region began to be used as a weekend get-away by urban residents and becoming-naturalists, who hiked the ridges, fished the kettle lakes, camped and picnicked, and picked berries and mushrooms. Some of these far-sighted early visitors came to recognize that the best use of the landscape was for natural sciences and nature preserves for all to enjoy.
In response, the State of Wisconsin began to preserve the North and South Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in the 1930’s. By the 1960's funding dissolved, leaving a remaining 40-mile gap between the North and South Units unprotected in Washington and Waukesha Counties and otherwise known as the the Mid Kettle Moraine.
In 2000, the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners was initiated with technical support from the Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension to advance the vision to link the North and South Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forests. Today, the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners is a volunteer-run coalition of Partners advocating on behalf of the Mid Kettle Moraine Region. The Partners has adopted a Collective Impact Approach to continue its efforts. The strength of its vision mainly lies in the hands of Partner organizations and agencies that continue to formally preserve the waterways, farmlands, natural areas, and scenic values of this unique and important Region!
We welcome you to become one of our Partners.
The expanse of the Kettle Moraine glacial formation stretches from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. Historically, the landscape was farmed by pioneers, but its shallow, glacial till soils and steep slopes worked against its success. By the 1920’s the Region began to be used as a weekend get-away by urban residents and becoming-naturalists, who hiked the ridges, fished the kettle lakes, camped and picnicked, and picked berries and mushrooms. Some of these far-sighted early visitors came to recognize that the best use of the landscape was for natural sciences and nature preserves for all to enjoy.
In response, the State of Wisconsin began to preserve the North and South Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forest in the 1930’s. By the 1960's funding dissolved, leaving a remaining 40-mile gap between the North and South Units unprotected in Washington and Waukesha Counties and otherwise known as the the Mid Kettle Moraine.
In 2000, the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners was initiated with technical support from the Department of Natural Resources and the University of Wisconsin-Extension to advance the vision to link the North and South Units of the Kettle Moraine State Forests. Today, the Mid Kettle Moraine Partners is a volunteer-run coalition of Partners advocating on behalf of the Mid Kettle Moraine Region. The Partners has adopted a Collective Impact Approach to continue its efforts. The strength of its vision mainly lies in the hands of Partner organizations and agencies that continue to formally preserve the waterways, farmlands, natural areas, and scenic values of this unique and important Region!
We welcome you to become one of our Partners.
Our Accomplishments
A continuous green corridor does exist through the area, and although most of it remains without legal protections, it retains its original character and thus retains the promise for future protection. Scientists and planners have identified important natural areas, and many of these have been protected in the corridor. Additional parcels have been acquired, including the Polk Kames in Washington County. The Ice Age Trail, eventually to be a 1,000-mile long footpath across Wisconsin from Interstate State Park on the St. Croix River to Potowatomi State Park in Door County, is mostly complete through Washington and Waukesha Counties.
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Member Land Preservation & Protection Efforts ( Since 2001 )
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Partner Members
Partnership Co-Chairs Marilyn Haroldson, Town Planner Town of Merton http://www.townofmerton.com N49 W28689 Chardon Drive Hartland, WI 53021 [email protected] Angela Curtes, Owner GROUNDED LLC https://www.groundedllc.net 4190 Lily Road West Bend, WI 53095 [email protected] Members Citizen Representative & Past Co-Chair Paul G. Hayes N63 W5795 Columbia Road Cedarburg, WI 53012 [email protected] Village of Hartland https://www.villageofhartland.wi.gov David E. Cox, Administrator P. O. Box 260 210 Cottonwood Avenue Hartland, WI 53029 davidc@villageofhartland.com Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission www.sewrpc.org/SEWRPC.htm Dave Schilling, Chief Land Use Planner P. O. Box 1607 Waukesha, WI 53187-1607 [email protected] Washington County Planning and Parks Department https://www.washcowisco.gov/departments/natural_resources/parks___trails/parks Debora Sielski, Assistant Administrator for Planning 333 East Washington Street, Suite 2300 West Bend, WI. 53095-2585 [email protected] Waukesha County Parks and Land Use Department https://www.waukeshacounty.gov/parksystem Steve Brunner 515 W. Moreland Boulevard Room AC230 Waukesha WI 53188 [email protected] Friends of the Mukwonago River http://mukwonagoriver.org Pam Meyer S101 CTH LO Eagle, WI 53119 [email protected] Cedar Lakes Conservation Foundation www.theclcf.org Linda Mutschler, Executive Director PO Box 347 West Bend, WI 53095 [email protected] Waukesha County Land Conservancy www.waukeshalandconservancy.org Cheryl White, Executive Director 2065 Donmar Lane Brookfield, WI 53005 [email protected] Ozaukee Washington Land Trust www.owlt.org Steve Henkel, Land Specialist 141 N. Main Street West Bend, WI 53095 [email protected] Department of Natural Resources, Southeast Region https://dnr.wisconsin.gov Jim Ritchie, Grants & Loan Team Supervisor 2300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Milwaukee, WI 53212 [email protected] Robert Wessberg, Superintendent Kettle Moraine State Forest- Pike Lake Unit dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/pikelake [email protected] Friends of Lac Lawrann Conservancy www.laclawrann.org Gary Britton, Past President P.O. Box 755 West Bend, WI 53095 [email protected] City of West Bend Parks, Recreation & Forestry www.ci.west-bend.wi.us/departments/parks_recreation___forestry/index.php Parks & Recreation Director 3rd Floor, City Hall 1115 S. Main Street West Bend, WI 53095 Washington County Board Member & Village of Slinger Board Rick Gundrum 301 Winter Lane Slinger, WI 53085 [email protected] Ice Age Trail Alliance https://www.iceagetrail.org Mike Wollmer, Executive Director 2110 Main St. Cross Plains, WI 53528 [email protected] Tiffany Stram, GIS Specialist 2110 Main St. Cross Plains, WI 53528 [email protected] John Shank, Past President [email protected] Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, Inc. Kathy Laur, Director of Properties 2561 West Decorah Road West Bend, WI 53095 [email protected] Tall Pines Conservancy www.tallpinesconservancy.org Susan Buchanan, Executive Director P.O. Box 65 Nashotah, WI 53085 [email protected] Environmental Consultant Jill Bedford, Hunter’s Lake Association – Board of Directors PO Box 180022 Delafield, WI 53108 [email protected] Waukesha County Green Team https://www.waukeshacountygreenteam.org David Wolken, Board Emeritus [email protected] Laudato Si' Project https://laudatosiproject.com Joe Meyer, Executive Director [email protected] The Natural Realm https://awealthofnature.org Eddee Daniel 2013 Ludington Avenue Wauwatosa WI 53226 [email protected] |