Fund for Lake Michigan

05/28/2026

Who has the right to walk along the Lake Michigan shoreline? It's a question that sounds simple - but a case making its way through the Wisconsin courts right now shows it's anything but.

A Shorewood resident was cited for trespassing after walking along the lakeshore north of Atwater Beach. He's appealing, arguing that the public has a right to access the shoreline under Wisconsin's Public Trust Doctrine. The case could eventually reach the state Supreme Court.

However it's resolved, it's a conversation worth paying attention to. The relationship between people and their lakefront is at the heart of everything we care about. Read more from WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR.

Some people don't give up easily, including Village of Shorewood resident Paul Florsheim. He thinks everyone has the right to enjoy Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan shoreline. Here's where his case stands.

05/26/2026

From our friends at Milwaukee Riverkeeper on their WORLD RECORD BREAKING Spring River Cleanup:

"Final totals from our 31st Annual Spring Cleanup!

Volunteers - 4,923
Trash weight - 111,452 pounds (over 55 tons)!
Wild finds - 3 toilets, 2 mattresses, 5 fire extinguishers, 39 tires, 11 construction barrels, 6 construction signs, 6 shopping carts, and 1 golf bag (with clubs)!"

05/19/2026

We're delighted to see all the great work Multicultural Coalition, Inc. has been up to!

05/14/2026

Sturgeon are returning to the Milwaukee River - and the communities who have always known these waters are writing that story.

Join a free afternoon at Kletzsch Park on Saturday, May 16, from 2-4pm to celebrate the connection between ecological and cultural restoration along the river.

Learn and play traditional lacrosse with Wisconsin Indigenous communities, watch a social game played in the traditional style, and spend time by the water where real recovery is underway. Open to the public - bring your own chairs.

Hosted by the Community Advisory Committee - CAC MKE, whose awesome work we're proud to support.

05/13/2026

A river ribbon cutting - our favorite kind. Kenosha County just celebrated the completion of Pike River Phase III at Petrifying Springs Park, and the results are something to see: new trail connections, an ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge, a new playground, and 50 native trees in the ground.

This is the kind of project that does double duty - it makes a beloved park more accessible and enjoyable for people while improving the ecology of the Pike River and the quality of water flowing to Lake Michigan. It also builds on years of restoration work upstream in Racine County, a reminder that healthy rivers are a shared effort across communities.

We were proud to be part of the partnership that contributed over $1.4 million in grants to make this work possible. Congratulations to Kenosha County!

05/12/2026

A great opportunity to learn about all the work that went into the new launch at Bender Park in Oak Creek!

Join us on Tuesday, May 19th, at noon to celebrate the reopening of the Bender Park Boat Launch! 🚤
Learn more about the work that went into this project by visiting https://www.mkecountyparks.org/bender-park-sediment-abatement

05/07/2026

Twenty-five years of work in the Root and Pike River watersheds — and what a year to celebrate it. Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network just posted their anniversary numbers and they are staggering: 58 acres restored, 27 million gallons of new stormwater storage, nearly 4,000 feet of fencing for regenerative grazing, the largest regenerative stormwater conveyance in the country at Shoreland Lutheran High School, and close to 900 students getting their hands in the dirt planting pollinator patches.

This is the kind of sustained, on-the-ground work that changes a watershed - not in a single headline, but over decades of showing up. We're proud to be one of the partners helping fuel it. Congratulations to the whole Root-Pike WIN team on 25 remarkable years.

05/05/2026

Twenty years of raising and releasing sturgeon into the Milwaukee River is a story worth telling - and worth hearing from the communities who made it happen. We're proud to support these upcoming free community conversations exploring the stewardship, culture, and collaboration behind one of Wisconsin's great conservation efforts.

Coming soon! 🎉 Free Community Conversation events throughout the Milwaukee River watershed that will dive more deeply into the stewardship. cultural importance, and collaboration across communities involved in 20 amazing years of sturgeon conservation! Watch this space for more details very soon about how you can participate.

These programs are generously supported by the Fund for Lake Michigan and funded in part by a Converse + Connect grant from Wisconsin Humanities with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin.

04/30/2026

Save the date! The Green & Healthy Schools 10th Annual Conference is coming up on Friday, August 7 at Morse School for the Gifted and Talented in Milwaukee. Over 500 attendees, 20+ sessions and workshops, a summer youth showcase, and awards recognition - all in one day. More details to come.