Tours and discussions with local citizens about programs and areas involving water quality and environmental enhancement throughout the region are planned. These programs require pre-registration and a $20 (U.S.) fee to cover the cost of transportation and other expenses as listed, unless otherwise indicated. Please check the appropriate box on the registration form to sign up for various tour programs.

All tours will begin and end in front of the Midwest Express Center on 4^th Street

Cedarburg Bog and Riveredge Nature Center
Thurs. 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Riveredge Nature Center is located on 350-acre sanctuary, 30 miles north of Milwaukee on the banks of the Milwaukee River and has a diversity of habitats to explore. Join Andy Larson, former executive director of Riveredge; Jim Reinartz, director of the Cedarburg Bog, University of Wisconsin Field Station; and Don Reed, chief biologist of the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission for a walking tour and history of the center and its unique environmental design.

After Riveredge you will join these leading experts on Wisconsin wetlands on a tour of one of the most outstanding natural features of southeast Wisconsin, the Cedarburg Bog. This tour will be both entertaining and educational. Please come dressed appropriately to get slightly wet and muddy. A box lunch is included. Limited to 46 people.

Fischer Creek and Saxon Homestead Farm
Thurs. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

The Fischer Creek Conservation Area is a 125-acre near-shore terrestrial complex of semi-wild habitats, dunes, wetlands, a Class I trout stream and over one mile of Lake Michigan shoreline. A coalition of private and public groups worked together to secure and purchase the site, which represents the nucleus of a proposed 1,500-acre conservancy area. The fight to preserve the area has been documented in over 100 newspaper articles and four television documentaries. The tour is co-sponsored by Manitowoc County Planning and Parks and the Fischer Creek Alliance of the Sheboygan Area Land Conservancy.

The Saxon Homestead Farm demonstrates the positive environmental effects of rotational grazing practices for dairy-based agriculture. The Bison Farm illustrates free-range techniques. Rolf Johnson of the Milwaukee Public Museum will be your tour guide. This tour is associated with information presented during Friday's "Local Watershed Management" session. Lunch is included and will be a Bratwurst Fry on the lake bluff. Come dressed for hiking. Limited to 46 people.

University of Wisconsin Great Lakes WATER Institute

The University of Wisconsin Great Lakes WATER Institute is located on Milwaukee's inner harbor and is free and available to tour anytime on Friday between 12:50 and 5 p.m. Transportation provided by shuttle bus, departing regularly from the Convention Center on 4^th St. The Institute houses the Center for Great Lakes Studies, Aquaculture Institute, Aquatic Biomedical Research Center, Wisconsin Sea Grant and other University programs aimed at service to the state of Wisconsin, the Great Lakes region, the nation and the world.

The Great Lakes WATER Institute is the only major aquatic research institution located on Lake Michigan and the largest U.S. institution of its kind in the Great Lakes region. The Institute is involved with interdisciplinary research activities that focus on complex physical, chemical and biological processes in lakes and oceans. The Institute includes a state-of-the-art research laboratory and support facilities equipped for research in physical and chemical limnology, geology, geochemistry and geophysics, aquatic ecology, microbiology, molecular biology, fisheries biology and aquaculture.

The R/V Neeskay, the Institute's 22-meter research vessel, will be available for dockside tours. It provides year-round access to the lakes with a fully functional research platform and floating laboratory.

Lincoln Creek and Havenwoods State Park
Fri. 1 - 4 p.m.

Lincoln Creek is a completely urbanized river system where nearly all the tributaries to the creek are storm sewers. Flooding and drainage problems have occurred with regularity in the surrounding neighborhoods. Because of the frequent flooding and drainage problems occurring regularly in the surrounding neighborhoods, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) has planned and implemented a major restoration project. This includes restoration of natural stream channels, deepening and widening of existing channels, restoration of aquatic habitat, construction of detention ponds and construction of a wetland at Havenwoods State Park. Havenwoods State Forest contains 237 acres of fields and woods.

Join Jim Ibach, project director and project engineer for MMSD, for an educational visit to the Havenwoods Environmental Awareness Center and a tour of this important restoration project. A box lunch is included. Limited to 35 people.

Linwood Drinking Water Treatment Plant
Fri. 9 - 11 a.m. and Sat. 2-4 p.m.

Tour Milwaukee's state-of-the-art Linwood drinking water treatment plant. The plant processes 275 million gallons of water each day. The plant is located on 24-acres of Lake Michigan waterfront property. If the fall colors are right, the view is spectacular. The plant was recently retrofitted with an ozone disinfection process making it the largest ozone retrofit for a drinking water treatment plant in the country. Limited to 40 people per tour. There is no fee associated with this tour.

Menomonee Valley
Sat. 1 - 5:30 p.m.

The Menomonee River is one of three rivers that form the Milwaukee River Estuary. Along its 26-mile course, it flows past rural, suburban and urban parkways and older heavily industrialized landscapes. Significant rainfall events occurred in 1997 and 1998 causing 100- and 150-year flows and widespread damage forcing neighboring communities to look at watershed and basin-wide solutions such as stormwater runoff, land use conflicts, urban sprawl, restoration and redevelopment of blighted industrial areas, and broadened recreational facilities along the river.

Join Bob Boucher, riverkeeper and executive director of Friends of the Menomomee River, who will be your guide as you explore the Menomonee River from its rural source, through areas of recent commercial development, older residential and parkland areas and end in the heart of Milwaukee's industrial area. This tour is associated with information presented during Friday's "Local Watershed Management" session. A box lunch will be provided. Limited to 46 people.

Bike Trip of Milwaukee River Watershed
Fri. 2 - 4 p.m.

Enjoy a bike tour on trails along the banks of the Milwaukee River. The journey will take you along the areas of recent restoration of natural stream channels and aquatic habitat. The trail is flat, easy and enjoyable. Limited to 10 people each day. Bikes will be provided.

Bike Trip of the Lake Michigan Waterfront
Sat. 2 - 4 p.m.

Enjoy a bike tour on trails along the shore of Lake Michigan. The trail, which is flat, easy and enjoyable, provides great vistas of Lake Michigan and downtown Milwaukee while traveling primarily through park lands established early in Milwaukee County's history. Limited to 10 people each day. Bikes will be provided.

Canoe Trip of Milwaukee River Watershed
Fri. 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and Sun. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Join watershed and canoeing experts on a journey down the Milwaukee River on two different excursions. The beginners journey will take you through the heart of the city in areas of recent restoration of natural stream channels and aquatic habitat and includes a sit down lunch afterwards. The advanced trip includes a box lunch. Trips may change based on registration, weather and water level. Limited to between 8-16 people each trip.

Advanced (with Class I or II rapids) - Fri. 9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Beginners- Sun. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.

Tour Guides

• Kim Kosmitis, Riverwest Outdoor Excursions
• Ken Leinbach, Executive Director, Riverside Urban Environmental Center

Early Morning Walks
Fri., Sat & Sun. 6:30-7:30 a.m.

Here's a chance to get exercise while enjoying the lake, before you day of meetings begins. Meet at the Sunburst sculpture at the east end of the Wisconsin Avenue for an invigorating walk along Milwaukee's lakeshore led by knowledgeable local guides Maxine Appleby and Steve Skavroneck. And it's free!

Smart Ships

The following boat tours will be available and all are free of charge. Transportation will be provided by a shuttle bus, departing regularly from the Convention Center on 4^th St.

Boat Tour aboard the MMSD Research Vessel Pelagos
Fri. 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Join staff from the Milwaukee Municipal Sewer District (MMSD) for a tour of Milwaukee Harbor and the Lower Milwaukee and Menomonee rivers. Included during the tour is a description of the MMSD water quality monitoring program and demonstration of the water sampling equipment used to conduct water quality surveys on the local rivers and in Lake Michigan. Limited to 16 people and free to attendees.

Boat Tour aboard the Research Vessel W.G. Jackson

Grand Valley State University's W.G. Jackson offers one-hour tours of Milwaukee Harbor and Lake Michigan. Limited to 30 people per tour at the following times:
Friday - 1, 3, and 5 p.m.; Saturday - 1 and 3 p.m.; and Sunday - 9 and 11 a.m.

Wisconsin Lake Schooner

The Wisconsin Lake Schooner Education Association was founded in 1991 to re-establish the rich historical, cultural and environmental bonds between the Milwaukee community and its most important natural resource, the Great Lakes. To accomplish this goal, Wisconsin Lake Schooner is constructing a traditional Great Lakes Schooner, which will be 137 feet in length with three 95-foot masts. Once completed, the Schooner will operate as a floating, traveling classroom and a focal point for awareness of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Come tour the Wisconsin Lake Schooner anytime on Friday from 12:30 to 5 p.m. and witness their magnificent ship and Milwaukee's rich maritime culture. There is no person limit and no fee associated with this tour.