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Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps
To Begin Sampling Pike River Tributaries
Root-Pike WIN is Partnering with GLCCC to Assess
Pike River Tributaries That Are Undergoing Dramatic Changes
Fully equipped with waders and water test kits, Frances Tempesta collects water samples from the Somers Branch.
The Pike River watershed will experience significant changes in the next decade. We will see a dramatic conversion of agricultural land to commercial, industrial and residential developments. While this was anticipated and documented in our Nine Key Element Pike River Watershed Restoration Plan, the speed and specifics of these land changes is likely to be breathtaking. As keepers of the watershed, we have partnered with the Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps (GLCCC) to begin monitoring the water quality of four tributaries likely to receive the most impacts. Our goal is work with the developers, landowners and municipalities in their planning to ultimately and measurably improve the water quality of these tributaries. We believe a cooperative and mutually-beneficial approach creates more places where people want to be – work, live play and invest in.
The GLCCC was conceived by an assembly of 25 CCC alumni at the 75th anniversary event of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 2008 to address regional social and physical challenges in southeastern Wisconsin. Great Lakes CCC serves the Greater Milwaukee region of Kenosha, Walworth, Racine, Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Ozaukee counties. Their mission is to leverage resources among Great Lakes communities to train and educate disadvantaged populations for credentials that close the skills gap, improve water quality, build habitat, grow the legacy of the original Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, and make the region more competitive in the global economy. 

Haley Avery and Frances Tempesta collect water samples from the Lamparek Ditch.
Based on the recommendations in the Pike River Plan and guidance from Root-Pike WIN, Corps members will be collecting samples to assess phosphorus levels and monitor other water quality criteria. Assistance is also being provided by the Department of Natural Resources’ WAV Nutrient Monitoring Program. Results will be published once the data from the sampling sites has been collected and analyzed. Data will also be used to compare water quality before and after developments and restoration projects have been completed.

Frances Tempesta, Haley Avery, Samuel Kirby and Adam Sailor collect water samples from an unnamed tributary in the Village of Somers.
We applaud the efforts of the GLCCC to improve the lives of their members and our watershed community. For more info about the GLCCC, contact Chris Litzau, President, at investinyouth@wi.rr.com or (262) 880-4811.
Dave Giordano
Executive Director
Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network
262-496-2199

The Root-Pike Basin Watersheds
Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network
Office: 800 Center St Room 118, Racine, WI 53403
Mail: PO BOX 044164, Racine, WI 53404