Press Release: Gov. Evers, DOA Announce Native Shoreline Planting Completed at the Executive Residence

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 09/23/2024 01:56 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 23, 2024
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers, DOA Announce Native Shoreline Planting Completed at the Executive Residence
 
MADISON—Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA),in honor of Coastal Awareness Month, today announced the Wisconsin Executive Residence has completed the final phase of a project to restore the property’s natural shoreline along Lake Mendota by planting native flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees to provide erosion control, prevent runoff before it reaches the lake edge, enhance the wildlife habitat, and support pollinators. The project began with Phase 1 in Fall 2022, while Phase 2 was completed on Sat., Sept. 21, 2024. Photos of the event at the Residence on Saturday, provided courtesy of the Rock River Coalition, are available here and here.

“After this project stalled under the previous administration, it was important for Kathy and I to do our part to get it over the finish line to help support the health of our lakes, wildlife, native pollinators, and our entire local ecosystem,” said Gov. Evers. “We couldn’t have done it without the dedicated partners who have been committed to restoring the native shoreline and promoting sustainability in the watershed, and Kathy and I are so grateful for their hours of advocacy and planting to get this done. We hope this project will continue to serve as a model for others of how we can each play our part to protect our state’s vast and beautiful natural resources in every neighborhood and community.”

The project was first approved by the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB) in 2011 but ultimately stalled. In February 2019, SCERB approved the restoration project to move forward under its previous approval. It was developed to serve as a model for other lakeshore owners throughout the state and to improve water quality in the Yahara Watershed and expand native plantings at the Wisconsin Executive Residence.

Several environmental groups have been advocating for this project for more than a decade, including the Clean Lakes Alliance, Yahara WINS, Rock River Coalition, Jefferson County Land and Water Conservation Department, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Extension Lakes Program, Dane County Land and Water Resources Department, Resource Environmental Solutions LLC, and the Executive Residence grounds team. The project was privately funded with some assistance from the Wisconsin Executive Residence Foundation (WERF). All the plants were donated and planted by over 75 volunteers.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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