State grant helps group trying to get Green Bay declared a national reserve

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – A group hoping to get the bay of Green Bay named a national reserve received a big grant from the state Thursday. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is working with local and national agencies to get part of the bay named a “National Estuarine Research Reserve” (read Jeff Alexander’s report from March). If the area receives the national reserve designation, it could bring in more than $1 million per year for research, education and training on how to continue protecting the area’s ecosystem. The Wisconsin Department of Administration gave the group a grant for almost $50,000 as part of an effort to protect the waters. The bay is the largest freshwater estuary in the world.

“That’s what the future looks like, and that’s what the future of this region looks like if we get those kids connected to this resource,” Joel Brennan of the Dept. of Administration said.In April, we interviewed UWGB biology professor Matt Dornbush, who has a background in restoring ecosystems.

Source: State grant helps group trying to get Green Bay declared a national reserve