Preserving Memories, Restoring Rivers: Join the LNRP Legacy

Dear Friend of LNRP,

One of my favorite stories that I’ve heard a million times from my wife is the tale of her idyllic childhood growing up on Sucker Brook and the clear, cold waters of Lake Michigan. Donna and her 11 siblings were raised on a century old dairy farm near Port Washington with the lake for a backyard, farm fields all around, and a dusty lane that led to a flowing Sucker Brook.

When the summer farm chores were completed, they would hitch up their pony, Rocky, to a wooden cart and make their way to Sucker Brook. There they would enjoy an afternoon of swimming and fishing while Rocky grazed along the shore. A Norman Rockwell kind of day! In recounting these beloved memories, Donna reflects that “Sucker Brook will always be one of those places that has promoted my love of nature and connection to the land”.

For many years the holiday celebrations on Donna’s family’s farm would always include a hike down to Sucker Brook and the lakefront. It continues to be a powerful reminder of how water ties our families and multi-generational memories together – the one constant that ignores time.

Fast forward to 2024, I now have the privilege of leading LNRP and our many conservation projects – Sucker Brook being one of them! On a recent site visit to Sucker Brook, I learned about our ambitious restoration plans for revitalizing the stream. Like thousands of Wisconsin streams, Sucker Brook suffers from a legacy of unsustainable agricultural practices, resulting in high sediment runoff and a heavy nutrient loading.

LNRP is collaborating closely with local farmers to ensure we’re honoring their livelihoods while employing science-backed methods to improve water quality and ecosystem health. The restoration of this amazing stream will reintroduce its meandering pattern to resemble its natural flow before the 1940s, when stream channelization was considered necessary. Any fisherperson worth their weight in waders knows that a turn, bend, or structure in a stream is where you will find some fish! Sucker Brook was once a haven for White and Longnose Suckers, and our efforts will result in a resurgence in fish spawning. Downstream, we can also expect a cleaner, healthier Lake Michigan – the drinking water source for over 10 million people!

Through projects like this, LNRP is actively crafting new stories about Sucker Brook and the many other precious waterways that flow through our service area. Behind this endeavor stands our remarkable team of conservationists, passionately dedicated to safeguarding and enhancing our water and land resources. Our team works alongside our local municipal partners and 17 grassroots partner groups to ensure future generations can experience thriving ecosystems and build cherished memories of their own.

We invite you to join us in this vital work by making a charitable gift to LNRP or any of our 17 partner groups.

We rely on donations from conservation supporters like you to protect and restore our valued land and water resources so our children, grandchildren, and their grandchildren can enjoy them as much as we do today! As Leopold stated in his 1949 Sand County Almanac, “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot”– this is a message for those who cannot.

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Your generosity today helps us secure a better tomorrow!

With heartfelt thanks,