SIG Team
The Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern Stakeholder Input Group
To become a Member of the Stakeholder Input Group (SIG) we need your information so that we can communicate with you about meetings and input that you provide, as well as updates along the way. Download the SIG Membership Form and return to:
Megan O’Shea
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
2300 N Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
megan.oshea@wisconsin.gov
Background:
The SIG will be the AOC Staff’s primary and direct conduit with the communities within the AOC. The SIG will be called upon to provide feedback on project plans and strategies from an integrated community viewpoint and to serve as ambassadors to the greater community.
The committee will be a group of community representatives highly informed regarding the Milwaukee Estuary AOC and its restoration and will work parallel to, and in concert with, the technical teams and AOC restoration staff. In partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), University of Wisconsin- Extension (UWEX), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the SIG will enhance community awareness and encourage participation in restoration activities in collaboration with Sweet Water’s Watershed Action Teams and other local partners.
The SIG will be coordinated by the DNR Milwaukee Estuary AOC Coordinator with assistance from the UW Extension Natural Resources Educator.
Potential SIG members:
Members of the former Delisting Steering Committee
Educational institutions
Businesses in the AOC
Private Citizens
Landowners within the AOC
Organizations that use the AOC
Representatives of local governments within the AOC
It is hoped that many members of the Steering Committee can be integrated into the SIG. The SIG will help generate, review, and provide feedback on the delisting strategy that is being developed for the Milwaukee Estuary AOC.
Format:
The SIG will meet approximately 10 times in the next 12-18 month time period. Each meeting will address specific impaired beneficial uses. For each meeting, the first part of the time will be spent tying up loose ends from the previous meeting’s topic, the second part and majority of the meeting will focus on the scheduled meeting topic and receiving input from SIG members. Meeting materials will be prepared ahead of time and sent out to the members of the SIG approximately a week in advance so that they have sufficient time to look them over and gather their thoughts.
When available, an expert in the specific topic area will give a brief presentation meant to spur discussion among the SIG. These discussions can then be focused towards addressing the charge of the SIG, which is to provide stakeholder input into the delisting strategies and documentation.
Additionally, there will be informal technical teams focused around each impaired use that will help provide necessary technical input for the development of SIG materials and draft delisting strategy documents. These technical teams will primarily consist of key agency technical staff and resource managers.
Furthermore, the SIG will also have the ability to endorse particular projects or strategies that are discussed at its meetings. Endorsement may be requested by project applicants for proposed projects. The SIG will serve as a platform for members of the greater community and technical experts to share information and their comments and concerns about proposed actions within the AOC.
Member Expectations:
1) Actively participate in meetings you choose to attend.
2) Be a good steward of the AOC.
3) Help support SIG initiatives by providing timely feedback, generating new ideas, distributing materials, and sharing knowledge with others outside of the SIG.
