2020 Milwaukee Riverkeeper River Heroes

Boone & Crockett

Tucked quietly back along the river, Boone & Crockett dove headfirst into their role as water champions, taking their work to care for the resource at their doorstep seriously. Since becoming a part of the Adopt-A-River program, this team has gone above and beyond to hold cleanups and share their love for our waters. It’s obvious that this small but mighty team believes in a swimmable, fishable future for our waterways and they put money on it, hosting multiple fundraisers for Milwaukee Riverkeeper. Whenever we ask for help, they always step up to the plate believing in what we can build together.

In what has been a particularly difficult year for our small business community, we are proud Boonies, and thrilled to call Team Boone & Crockett one of our 2020 River Heroes.

Demaris Kenwood

Demaris Kenwood has been a passionate defender of our rivers for many years, stepping up whenever we’ve needed support. She has enriched our organization in many ways, from advocating for our rivers in public meetings and establishing our Senior Water Advocacy Network, to serving as Interim Executive Director and spending 9 years on our Board of Directors. In her time with us, Demaris connected countless people to our rivers through her enthusiasm, and her passion for educating others. We cherish her leadership, creativity, and hard work. While Demaris is retiring from our Board of Directors in 2020, we know she won’t be far from the rivers we hold dear. For her years of dedication and support, we’re thrilled to name Demaris as a 2020 River Hero!

Jeff Nettesheim

Jeff Nettesheim’s passion for protecting our waterways was evident in both his professional and personal life. As Director of Utilities for the Village of Menomonee Falls, Jeff, along with his monitoring partner and co-worker Nancy Greifenhagen, participated in Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Baseline Monitoring Program for over a decade. This team tackled not one, but two sites on the Menomonee River, which is no small feat.

In addition to monitoring, Jeff played a large role in coordinating the Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup for the Menomonee Falls community. Jeff also partnered with us on several streambank stabilization and restoration projects in Rotary Park and along Lilly Creek. His work was critical in helping expand the reach of our work. Jeff also led many projects to better manage stormwater and improve water quality in Menomonee Falls. We were devastated to learn of Jeff’s passing this summer, but we know that his passion for our waterways lives on in his family and friends. We’d like to honor Jeff’s life and legacy by naming him one of our 2020 River Heroes.

Lee Bergquist

After a long career as an Environmental Reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Lee Bergquist recently retired. During his time with the Journal, Lee did an incredible job connecting the community to the important work happening to restore our rivers and improve water quality. His true talent for translating the technical into more approachable through his reporting will be sorely missed. Upon retiring Lee translated his professional work into a personal mission to keep giving back, becoming a volunteer water quality monitor. Lee’s decades of work, and continued personal commitment to our shared resource make us proud to call him one of our 2020 River Heroes.

Patti McMair

With the woods and water of the Pacific Northwest as a childhood playground, Patti developed a view of the natural environment as a precious resource from an early age. A resource she and her family appreciate tremendously from their home is the Milwaukee River. In an effort to further protect our resource, Patti became a member of the Board of Directors and stepped up in a major way when we were left unexpectedly without a leader this year, serving as Board President. An avid environmentalist, Patti is raising her children to become water champions in their own right. Together, they found comfort in caring for our waters this year, committing to multiple trash cleanups this spring, summer and fall. Her enthusiasm, drive and dedication to our rivers make Patti one of this year’s River Heroes.

Barb Agnew

There is a special area on the County Grounds that is an important migratory pathway for birds and butterflies. If you’re lucky enough in the fall, you can witness the roosting of thousands of monarch butterflies, on an overnight stop before their migration to Mexico. Barb Agnew, or Butterfly Barb as she’s known to many, is as passionate about monarchs as they come. She has been concerned about their dramatic decline on the County Grounds in the early 2000’s.

Since that time, there have been dramatic changes to the 235 acre grounds, which have all impacted the ability of the monarchs to migrate through this area in fall as well as damaged high-quality habitat critical for repopulation efforts. Barb was fundamental to creating the 11-acre Monarch Trail, which is now protected. Barb and the Friends of the Monarch Trail group she helped create, have been critical to the protection and restoration of the Monarch Trail, as well as County Grounds Park and Sanctuary Woods.

Her work to ensure that new development projects are constructed in a way to best protect and minimize impacts on wildlife on the County Grounds–are never-ending and inspirational. Barb’s strong commitment to protecting our natural areas and wildlife has earned her a 2020 River Hero Award!

Cassie Bauer

Determined to make the community a better place, Cassie Bauer has worked hard to restore our river basin and inspires others to do the same. She led the charge at Riveredge Nature Center to increase involvement in Milwaukee Riverkeeper’s Annual Spring Cleanup, and eventually to join the Adopt-A-River program. With her help and guidance, Riveredge has engaged the community to faithfully remove trash from our rivers to restore them to their natural state. This year, Cassie went above and beyond in her work to connect the northern part of the watershed to the community downstream participating in the Annual Boat Parade. Sharing the wonders of our waterways while restoring them has made Cassie one of our 2020 River Heroes.