Nearby Nature Tours Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District

On a recent warm and sunny afternoon, a contingent from the Sierra Club's Great Waters Group (GWG) gathered on Milwaukee's 30th Street to get a ground-level tour from Jerome Flogel of Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD).  Their goal: seeking information about green infrastructure improvements underway in the surrounding neighborhoods.  With help from a Nearby Nature initiative grant through Sierra Club, the GWG is preparing to implement a campaign to connect nature-distressed communities in the 30th Street corridor to natural areas in their midst.

The MMSD has been working in the neighborhood to alleviate flooding and sewer overflow events. Flogel stressed the importance of working with neighbors to make the project successful. The once prairie and wetland area became heavily industrialized and now cannot handle the rapid runoff occurring from heavy rains. Their solution will be to build several park-like green areas that neighbors can enjoy, but will also be engineered to handle stormwater runoff in a safer manner by storing it until it can safely be released to run downstream into Lincoln Creek.

The Great Waters Group has special interest in the nearby Lincoln Creek Greenway that was created when the MMSD restored the creek to a more natural state under a project that ended in 2001.  The entire 30th Street industrial corridor has been under study for years, seeking to find ways to bring jobs and economic revitalization to the area. Now, growing interest in greenways, trails and natural areas are being seen as a way to improve neighborhoods suffering from nature deficit and provide Nearby Nature outdoor recreation opportunities within walking distance of residents.

The Nearby Nature project is currently building an action team comprised mainly of GWG members and seeking community organizations and activists partners.  The project is part of Sierra Club's equity, inclusion and justice initiative to help break down barriers, build relationships and a stronger, healthier and more-inclusive environmental movement.