Reflections article

The winter issue of Rock River Reflections, the quarterly newsletter of the Rock River Coalition, leads with a nice article about Water Star.

Download the full newsletter (pdf) here.

Introducing Water Star

Imagine your mayor, stepping up on stage to accept an award for all the work your town has done to improve its water quality. The crowd cheers as the mayor makes a long-winded thank you: “And none of these changes would have been possible without the dedicated efforts of our citizens, our businesses, our city council, and Water Star.”

The Water Star Community Program is a new project to reward communities for making environmental improvements in five areas: surface water, groundwater, habitat, land use and human health. In January 2008, the Rock River Coalition started the pilot project stage of Water Star, working with four other Wisconsin non-profits and the Department of Natural Resources.

The pilot project will proceed in two phases. During the coming months, five working groups will meet to discuss and finalize the elements included in the program. A steering committee will meet monthly to work out the program structure and logistics. Later in the spring of 2008, three communities in the Rock River watershed will test out the program and identify ways to improve it. Eventually the RRC intends to introduce the program statewide.

The Rock River Coalition has hired Michael Forster Rothbart to coordinate this initial phase of the Water Star Communities Program. Forster Rothbart comes to the program with a background in urban planning and river activism. He served for three years on the Madison Plan Commission and is a founding member of Friends of Starkweather Creek in Madison.

“There are so many ways we hurt our lakes and rivers without even realizing it,” says Forster Rothbart. “I’m excited to be working on this program. Water Star will encourage communities to actively protect their water resources. I hope to get input from a lot of different people across the state to help make Water Star a success.”

Volunteers are welcome to get involved. Currently the best way to help is to join a Water Star working group. See www.wiswaterstar.blogspot.com for more information, or contact Michael Forster Rothbart at 608-881-4308 or waterstar@rockrivercoalition.org.

What is Water Star? FAQs

What is Water Star?
• Water Star is a program that rewards communities for preserving and improving their local water quality.
• Water Star has 5 main components:
  - surface water
  - groundwater
  - land use
  - habitat & wildlife
  - health & recreation.
• There are 5 general types of activities in Water Star:
  - education
  - planning
  - physical improvements
  - improving municipal ordinances
  - improving municipal programs and operations.

How does Water Star work?
• Water Star community residents and local governments work together on the issues they identify as local priorities.
• Water Star is a voluntary program, based on incentives, not regulation.
• Water Star provides a framework for communities to address water quality issues, offering guidance and examples from elsewhere in the state to make preservation, conservation and restoration easier.
• Water Star communities earn points for their activities, and then earn recognition for their achievements.

What results will Water Star have?
• By helping to improve water quality, Water Star helps communities to:
  - protect fish and wildlife
  - protect lakes and rivers for public enjoyment
  - increase local quality of life
  - maintain property values
  - save municipalities money.
• Water Star communities will be eligible for state programs and incentives.

What is happening now?
• Water Star is currently a 6-month pilot project in the Rock River basin (in south central Wisconsin). Initially, it will be tested in 3 communities.
• Water Star will eventually be a statewide program for local governments (towns, villages, cities and lake districts) across Wisconsin.
• The Water Star pilot project is organized by the Rock River Coalition in partnership with 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, Town and Country Resource, Conservation & Development, and the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.
• The Water Star pilot project is funded by a Wisconsin DNR River Planning grant.