River <fc>B</fc>asin <fc>O</fc>rganization development in southeastern <fc>W</fc>isconsin: Fid-Bau Portal

River Basin Organization development in southeastern Wisconsin

Slawski, Thomas M.

This report summarizes the role and function of river organizations in the southeast region of the State of Wisconsin (USA) by comparing the history of lake and river organization formation within the State and aspects of successful public involvement/engagement as examples in protecting and enhancing water resources in the southeastern region of the State. Review of the history of lake organization vs. river organization formation from years 1895 to 2011 demonstrates that Wisconsin has a long and stable history of stakeholder participation in watershed‐based resource management activities. The changes over time also demonstrate that lake association formation became consistent on an annual basis by about the mid‐1930s, followed by lake districts (special purpose units of government) in the early 1970s and river organization formation by the mid 1980s. Hence, the emergence of stream‐based watershed groups as partners in stream‐based watershed protection and management is a relatively new phenomenon statewide, as well as in the southeastern region, especially in the period since the year 1990 when these organizations exhibited the greatest increase in their rate of formation. Comparison of lake organization vs. river organization formation over time also exhibited similarities amongst the timing of formation, rates of development and peaks of formation at the State level that seems to be associated with, or partially explained by, ongoing state programmes and funding. This recent timing of increase in river group popularity in the southeastern region is coupled with an increase in understanding and importance of expanding the focus of management issues, beyond the specific surface water lake or river itself, to the watershed scale. This has set‐up an interesting dilemma amongst river and lake organizations, particularly within the Fox (Illinois) River watershed, as they attempt to identify their respective roles and work together to meet stakeholder demands into the future.