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This "bulletin board" web page was last updated on 23 March 2013

Spring 2013 Weed-Out Information

Help us preserve critical woodland areas in the park:
Our woods should have wild flowers, not garlic mustard!

Weeding sessions:

Saturday 27 April

Saturday 4 May
On this date we are joined by the Oak Creek High School Environmental Club

Saturday 11 May

Saturday 18 May

All weeding sessions meet at the parking lot for Picnic Area #1 (Tennis Courts), 9:00 AM
All weeding sessions run from 9 to around 11:30 AM,

Friends of Grant Park thanks our Challenge Grant donors

The recent $5,000 challenge grant (see below) inspired local residents and businesses to make donations to The Friends of Grant Park (either to FoGP, or to our fiscal agent, The Park People of Milwaukee County). We would like to acknowlege their generosity.

Community Supporters
Girard's Service

Individual Donors
Pillars ($200+)
Betsy Abert
Don Lawson and Bobbie Groth
Sustainers ($50 to $199)
Lois Schreiter
Friends (up to $49)
Bonnie Beth and Gary Lugauer
Jill Sahagian
Nancy Wucherer

New Park Benches in Seven Bridges

Last year, Friends of Grant Park received a generous donation was made in memory of Ronald Henriksen, who was a resident of South Milwaukee. After much discussion, FoGP worked out all of the details of how the donation could be used. The result is that FoGP matched the donation amount to have a very nice wood bench installed near the limestone steps and main bridge of Seven Bridges.

To match this, another local resident (who wishes to remain anonymous) has donated funds for a steel bench to be installed at the "beach end" of the Seven Bridges walking trail.

The installation work for both benches will be completed some time in May 2013.

Update on the March 2013 Pullin' O the Green

The 2013 "Pullin' O the Green" was a great time, with the 4:30 PM seating sold out, and the 6:30 PM seating nearly sold out. The quality of the corned beef (via Emerald City Catering) was outstanding, and the stew (home made by two of our members) also received high marks.

The Irish have one word that properly describes the event: Craic, meaning a fine time.

Some of the attendees enjoyed the band enough to hunt them out at a subsequent "contra dance" gig - this is a terrific compliment to our "house band" musicians! Also, the band's CD sales were respectable.
(100% of the band's CD sales were donated to the event.)

The Friends of Grant Park (FoGP) has recently been awarded a $5,000 matching grant from the Sweetwater SE Wisconsin Watersheds Trust to stabilize slopes in the “Seven Bridges” ravine. These slopes were compromised over the last few summers by the increased foot traffic of many who love and continued to use the park after a heavy storm washed out one of the critical bridges.

This restoration will result in enhanced water quality, diversified wildlife habitat, and increased woodland aesthetics, but we need your help.

Please make a donation to help us meet our $5,000 match. All donations are tax deductible and will help maintain the viability of a park that is both a historical treasure and an amazing example of urban natural areas preservation. All donors will be recognized on the FoGP website.

Hello Friends of Grant Park. We send this message in the hope that you have a wonderful family/community time on Thursday and through the weekend. If the weather holds, and you find time to walk and enjoy our beautiful and peaceful neighborhood parkland, please see the information below about some special and unusual visitors to our park this late Fall. (You might want to bring your binoculars along on the walk.) The message below eminates from a Wisconsin Birding listserve; the photos included are excellent examples of the images being taken in our very own backyard. I am not exaggerating when I say that our SE Milwaukee county parks are hosting a fascinatingly beautiful collection of very interesting migrating species this Fall and WInter. It's not often in a century that we are visited by Bohemian Waxwings and Evening Grosbeaks. Our location at the western edge of a Great Lake and the specific habitat needs being fulfilled by our native ash and maple trees, as well as the ornamental and fruit-filled crabapples, draw these fascinating wild species to our area. If you have questions or would like to visit the areas near the tennis courts ponds or the Wiloway playground with someone familiar with the avian visitors, let me know. I or other park advocay member are happy to guide interested parties, as we are able, in viewing these Canadian guests. Again, see below for narrative and pictures.

2012 Beach Cleanup
Saturday Sept 15th, 9:00-11:30 AM
This is an "Adopt-a- Beach" Cleanup in conjunction with the Alliance for the Great Lakes. We will meet at the lower Beach parking lot, and volunteers will be asked to bring back what they find to a sorting area so that we can tally the trash.
If you can help out, please re-register at http://www.greatlakesadopt.org/

2012 Fall Weed-Out
Preserve the woodland areas of our park!
Help to save our woodlands from being overrun by buckthorn and exotic honeysuckle thickets.

Weed-Out sessions in Grant Park will be on
Saturday October 6th 9:00 AM-Noon, and 1:00 PM-3:30 PM

Both sessions meet at the parking lot for Picnic Area #1 and the Tennis Courts
For more info, call 764-0612

A Special Thank-You to Austin Hartline!
Austin is a Scout with Troop 252, and in working for his Eagle rank, his Eagle Project was to rebuild the fire pit at the Wulff Lodge. FoGP provided funds for materials, but it was Austin who organized everything. The labor was provided by the scouts and a number of dads. You can get a sense of what a terrific job they did by looking at some pictures of Austin's Eagle Project.

(This is, by far, the best Eagle Project that I've ever seen, and I've seen a few;
I used to be one of the adult leaders in Troop 252. - Don Lawson)

Grant Park Watch
The Park Watch meetings are merged into the Friends of Grant Park meetings,
Second Thursday of the month, 6:30 PM
at the Grant Park Golf Course Clubhouse
Park Watch Information and Calendar

Our thanks to everybody who helped with the 2012 Pullin' O the Green fundraiser.
Our profits were approximately $1400.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Friends of Grant Park is to
preserve natural areas of the park,
enhance unique features of the park,
encourage use of the park,
and provide a mechanism for private contributions to supplement public funding for Grant Park.

Contact your elected officials, and ask them what they are doing to help our parks!
(perhaps by bringing in more funding, perhaps by improving the efficiency of County Government)

Our Fiscal affiliate (by which we have tax-exempt status) is
The Park People of Milwaukee, Inc.
(See Park People's "FoGP" page)

For more information, send an e-mail to
FoGP@copper.net