Year of Water 2011

Sustainable Dunn mixes music, art, enviro-education

Naomi Vogel |

Guess which one is the musician, and which two are the experts.
 
Guess which one is the musician, and which two are the experts.

Sustainable Dunn, an environmental group focused on educating the community, has built a resourceful and momentous New Year’s resolution for the communities of Washburn, Sawyer, Polk, Barron, Rusk, St. Croix, Dunn, and Chippewa. “Year of Water 2011” represents a year-round pursuit to protect ground and surface water, particularly surrounding the Red Cedar Watershed. The reason the Red Cedar Watershed is the center of the event is because it “encompasses all the communities and counties to which the Red Cedar River drains,” said Sustainable Dunn President Linda Walsh. Many of the lakes within this area have been compromised by dangerous algae buildup, she added. Starting at 1pm, the event will include speakers such as Milwaukee Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn (right) and UW-Extension Natural Resource Educator Dan Zerr (left), a musical performance from folk singer Yata (middle), and refreshments. “I think it’s great that Sustainable Dunn folks are going to do a whole year of water-focused events and education and this will be a great way to start it off,” Zerr said. “And the fact that they are incorporating the music and the arts into it, rather than just some water quality geeks talking at the audience all day, is a great way to make it more of an event than just a lecture, and perhaps attract a more diverse audience.”