Milwaukee Riverkeeper   

Thirty years ago, the friends of the Menomonee River started as a small group of neighbors and volunteers who wanted to clean a stretch of the Menomonee River on the West Side of the city. This close-knit group quickly grew, as did its mission to protect and preserve Milwaukee’s freshwater resources, and with that growth came a new name: Milwaukee Riverkeeper.

Today, Milwaukee Riverkeeper is part of Waterkeeper Alliance, an international coalition of waterkeepers around the world.

The organization monitors, protects and restores about 900 miles of the Milwaukee River Basin through seven different counties. That’s possible thanks to the work of the Milwaukee Riverkeeper team and its crew of over 5,000 volunteers.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Earth Day river cleanup attracts thousands of volunteers each year. But in addition to that popular event, the organization protects waterways in dozens of other ways.

A core tenet of Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s work is water monitoring. Every month, around 100 volunteers collect samples along the rural, urban, suburban and agricultural parts of the river. Samples are sent to the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, and the resulting information is put into the Department of Natural Resources database to be used for further research.

“We’re a science-based advocacy organization,” says Jennifer Bolger Breceda, the executive director. “Being able to work on policy and advocate for the river, waterways and our community at large is crucial – but so is engaging the community. The more the community knows about its waters, the more they can participate in restoring and protecting them.” This year, Milwaukee Riverkeeper will mark 30 years with a celebration at The Ivy House on Oct. 9. Tickets are available on Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s website.