Coalition Work

Strength In Numbers

Tackling Complex Issues Through Expert Coalitions

As a nonprofit, we seek to amplify the work of other water conservation and protection organizations in Wisconsin and beyond by developing and participating in issue-specific coalitions. By adding our voice to the work of others and by bringing in outside experts to our own coalitions, we can better tackle complex issues and make progress. Coalitions are crucial to our mission as they allow us to:

Create an expert task force to address specific issues
Pool our resources to drive greater impact
Drive strong advocacy efforts through a shared voice
Empower other organizations and community members to act
Approach policy makers with a strong, unified voice backed by multiple supporters
Draw public attention to key issues

Community coming together to learn about and advocate for our critical watersheds

Building & Joining Strong Coalitions

Aligning with Experts Across Our Five Core Pillars

We develop and join dedicated coalitions based the long-standing and emerging needs of the communities and the waters we serve. To ensure we are meeting these needs, every coalition we create or support must fall within our five core pillars, including:

Pollution & Public Health

Pollution and public health are deeply interconnected with the health of our waterways, as clean, fresh water is essential for survival. However, historically marginalized and intentionally excluded communities often face the greatest impacts of pollution, making its prevention not just an environmental issue, but a matter of justice and equity.

Infrastructure & Climate Resiliency

Helping communities prepare for extreme weather and flooding is essential to protecting healthy waterways. By improving stormwater, drinking water, and wastewater systems—such as storm drains and green infrastructure—we can enhance water quality, promote environmental justice, and safeguard public health.

Safe & Equal Access

Clean water and healthy ecosystems depend on community involvement. Ensuring safe, equitable access helps build a stronger, more engaged public, leading to better-informed policies, community-driven projects, and a stronger cultural connection to water conservation.

Healthy Habitats & Ecosystems

A river is only as healthy as the ecosystems that support it. Protecting and restoring habitats like forests, wetlands, riverbanks, and aquatic (underwater) ecosystems—ensures clean water, biodiversity, flood resilience, and long-term river health.

Great Lakes Preservation

The health of local rivers, streams, and wetlands is directly tied to the health of Lake Michigan and the entire Great Lakes system. Protecting and restoring the Great Lakes means safeguarding the health of local rivers, ensuring clean drinking water, supporting communities, and preserving ecosystems for future generations.

Expanding Our Impact

Milwaukee Riverkeeper Coalitions by Pillar

As you explore, you’ll see that many of our coalitions cross-apply to several of our key pillars. This is because, when it comes to water, all things are connected. What happens upstream, whether it be pollution, water diversion, or other water abuse, affects everyone and everything downstream. Pollutants leak into our drinking water, crucial riparian life is threatened, habitats and ecosystems shrivel without clean water, the list goes on and on.

We’re facing complex problems that require multi-faceted coalitions to better understand the issues, identify solutions, and demand change from our policy makers and communities. Learn more about the coalitions we’ve created and support below.

Key

Pollution & Public Health

Infrastructure & Climate Resiliency

Safe & Equal Access

Healthy Habitats & Ecosystems

Great Lakes Preservation

Key

Pollution & Public Health

Infrastructure & Climate Resiliency

Safe & Equal Access

Healthy Habitats & Ecosystems

Great Lakes Preservation

CLEAR MKE

Milwaukee Riverkeeper, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Carroll University, and the Urban Ecology Center formed an emerging contaminants task force entitled Community Leaders Engaged in Aquatic Research (CLEAR MKE) dedicated to better understanding the presence and distribution of these emerging contaminants in local streams and Lake Michigan. Since this time, CLEAR MKE has been mobilizing volunteers to collect water samples from 20 river stations within the Milwaukee River Basin, the Root River, the Fox River, and from 4 beach sites on Lake Michigan.

Coalition for More Responsible Transition

Coalition for More Responsible Transit (CMRT)

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is a member of the Coalition for More Responsible Transportation (CMRT), which is composed of more than 25 organizations representing local and state non-profits, businesses, faith, environmental, and justice organizations that are building a public case against WisDOT’s proposed highway expansion. We are advocating for reconstruction and spot improvements of the highway in its existing footprint, and believe that expansion of I-94 is a project that the community does not want, need and cannot afford.

Lincoln Creek Greenway Coalition (new!)

A Milwaukee Riverkeeper-based coalition advocating for the preservation and development of a greenway along Lincoln Creek, with the goal of creating a natural recreational space similar to the well-established “Milwaukee River Greenway” which is managed by the Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition; essentially aiming to protect and enhance the natural corridor of Lincoln Creek for public use.

One Water Our Water

One Water Our Water is a Milwaukee Riverkeeper-based organization focused on connecting community members, other organizations, and businesses with new ways to conserve and protect our water.

Sturgeon Protectors

A Milwaukee Riverkeeper-based coalition dedicated to engaging with local community members, other organizations, businesses, and government entities to identify risk threatening our sturgeon population and to develop solutions to support a healthier sturgeon population.

Great Lakes Plastic Cleanup

A multi-state, multi-organizational coalition spanning the Midwest, dedicated to removing plastics from the Great Lakes and driving policy to limit further pollution due to plastics.

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Coalition on Lead Emergency

Milwaukee Riverkeeper joined the Coalition on Lead Emergency (COLE), to help prevent and respond to lead poisoning in Milwaukee through partnerships with families impacted by lead poisoning, faith leaders, neighborhood- based organizations, environmentalists, health care systems, academics, workforce development providers, non-profits, community activists and dedicated volunteers.

Great Lakes Compact Implementation Coalition

Milwaukee Riverkeeper worked in collaboration with groups locally and throughout the Great Lakes Region to advocate for passage of the Great Lakes Compact, to protect Lake Michigan and the Great Lakes from water diversions and other threats to lake health. We continue to monitor the implementation of the compact locally.

The Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition

Milwaukee Riverkeeper has been helping to create the Milwaukee River Greenway between North Avenue and Silver Spring Drive as part of the Milwaukee River Greenway Coalition, which seeks to create a special zoning district that will protect the Milwaukee River Corridor to keep the wild character of the area intact.

Plastic Free MKE

Milwaukee Riverkeeper partners with MMSD, Partners for a Cleaner Environment and a wide range of nonprofits, government agencies, faith-based groups, and businesses to identify and execute new ways to reduce single-use plastics throughout Milwaukee.

Waterway Restoration Partnership

The Waterway Restoration Partnership is a group of long-standing, trusted partners in the community who have been working together for years to improve water quality in the area. With a once in a generation opportunity on the horizon, the organizations are formalizing their partnership and redoubling their commitment to work together to clean up the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern.

Wisconsin Salt Wise

WI Salt Wise is a coalition of organizations from across Wisconsin working together to reduce salt pollution in our lakes, streams and drinking water. Our primary goals are to: educate residents, leaders and winter maintenance professionals on salt pollution and solutions, provide training and promote best practices to reduce salt pollution and recognize those committed to minimizing their salt footprint.

Learn More

Meet Our Regional, National, & Global Partners

Waterkeeper Alliance

Milwaukee Riverkeeper is part of a larger organization known as the Waterkeeper Alliance, which works to aid all Waterkeeper groups in connecting with each other to help organize the fight for clean water into a coordinated global movement.

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Healing Our Waters

Milwaukee River is part of The Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition, a coalition of local, state, and regional advocates working together to establish Great Lakes restoration and protection as a national conservation priority.

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River Alliance

Milwaukee Riverkeeper belongs to the River Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering people to protect and restore our water through political, grassroots, and community action.

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River Network

River Network has been at the forefront of expanding national interest in protecting US waters, encouraging diversity in the environmental movement, and helping community members and local organizations take a stand for their waters.

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