Grant will support freshman seminar on Baird Creek restoration

A new freshman seminar will study the grassroots, citizen-driven restoration of the nearby Baird Creek Parkway thanks to a $5,990 grant to Associate Prof. Mathew Dornbush, principal investigator, and the UW-Green Bay Natural and Applied Sciences academic unit. The award is part of a larger grant made to the private Baird Creek Preservation Foundation by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The Foundation says the subcontract to UW-Green Bay will be helpful in promoting further Baird Creek preservation and restoration. The seminar course to be led by Dornbush during the 2014-15 academic year will mix classroom and field work for the several dozen students, and include on-site activities coordinated by the Baird Creek citizen group. An aim of the project is to familiarize UW-Green Bay freshmen with this local success story and the potential benefits of citizen-initiated land-conservation efforts. It is also hoped the project will help Baird Creek Preservation Foundation develop an effective long-term strategy for recruiting new volunteers and members.