May 31, 2001

On Thursday evening, May 31, the doors of the Grafton Town Hall opened to welcome more than 100 guests to the Ulao Creek Partnership Open House. The Ulao Creek Partnership’s, a 501(c)(3) grassroots, community-based non-profit organization, mission is to form an alliance of concerned citizens, landowners, and public and private organizations to protect and improve the water quality and natural habitats in the Ulao Creek watershed. Volunteers were ready to greet many local area families, including land owners, city and town officials and visitors who wanted to know “what was going on at ULAO CREEK?” The goals of the partnership include:

Restoring and enhancing the creek’s natural resources
Improving water quality
Promoting comprehensive watershed planning based on landuse, natural resource protection and enhancement
Stabilizing/Moderating water flows in the watershed

The evening addressed these goals with presentations about the many activities being conducted by volunteers and technical partners throughout the 16 square mile watershed. Live reptiles and amphibians and colorful plants were displayed to exhibit the richness of our local flora and fauna.

Picture-filled displays and activities included plants of the Ulao Swamp, birds of the watershed, creek water quality monitoring, stormwater issues, fisheries research and button making for kids. Awards were presented to several volunteers and members who contributed in critical ways to help preserve the value and significance of Ulao Creek and Swamp. Many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped make the Open House a fun-filled, informative event!

For more information on the Ulao Creek Partnership, Inc., contact Andy Holschbach at (262) 284-8270 or 238-8270 (metro).

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