05/03/2026
Celebrating 25 years of impact!
Root-Pike WIN has rocked southeastern Wisconsin in the last year with milestone restoration, preservation, and education work. From stream restorations to pollinator patches to regenerative farming, our numbers tell the story of a watershed transformed.
Check out the incredible stats behind our anniversary year — proof that together, we’re making measurable progress in cleaning up our Lake Michigan watersheds!
• 58 acres restored from six completed projects
• 30 acres of wetlands restored (within the six completed projects)
• 28 acres of prairie and uplands replanted with native vegetation
• 27,000,000 gallons of new stormwater storage (from six completed projects)
• 33,153 tons of newly sequestered CO2 (from six projects)
• 740 tons of new wetland and prairie CO2 storage (from six completed projects)
• 35 acres and the 1st major restoration project in the Pike Creek watershed at Shagbark Recreational Area Fund for Lake Michigan National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
• 20–0 vote approving the Pike River South Branch restoration by the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors
• 21–0 vote approving Horlick Dam removal by the Racine County Board of Supervisors
• 1 property acquired and under restoration through, 20 acres at Campbell Woods (first Root-Pike WIN land trust property) Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
• $4.5 million voluntarily provided by Microsoft to restore Lamparek Creek, 1.2 miles of Lamparek Creek under restoration, 11 acres of wetland and floodplain reshaped and restored with native vegetation, 50% reduction in phosphorus with stream stabilization and wetland improvements
• Two Phase Two wetland projects at Neumiller Woods and Gitzlaff Park in Village of Somers
• >3,000 feet Regenerative Stormwater Conveyance (RSC) at Shoreland Lutheran High School (largest in the U.S.), and a constructed wetland installed at Shoreland LHS—the first in the Root-Pike basin
• 3,927 feet of new fencing for rotational grazing installed (grants-supported) Kenosha Community Foundation The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, 595 acres of farmland planted with cover crops (Kenosha County), 65 acres of pasture planted or enhanced with cover crops
• 225 oak trees planted at Pritchard Park Racine County Parks
• 28 volunteer events (plantings, invasive removals, trash pickups)
• 24 sessions held for water quality data collection training/monitoring
• 17 Pollinator Patches planted in the last year (students, staff, volunteers), 127,925 sq ft of new Pollinator Patches installed across the basin
• 14,000 sq ft Pollinator Patch created at Washington Park (largest to date) City of Kenosha, Wisconsin Government Daybreak Fund
• 2 churches participated in the Pollinator Patch Program for the first time Covenant Presbyterian Church
• 879 students from 12 schools participated in Pollinator Patch plantings, 1,082 students reached through classroom presentations Kenosha Unified School District, Racine Unified Schools
• 83 public events delivered by the Respect Our Waters stormwater education program, 667,914 people reached through the Respect Our Waters stormwater education program
• 127 public employees trained/certified in Smart Salting across 20 municipalities
• $11.8 million secured from federal and non-federal sources for the Pike River South Branch environmental corridor
Restoring the Root-Pike Basin Watersheds: Pike River, Root River, Oak Creek, Pike Creek, and Wind Point through EPA-approved nine-element watershed restoration plans
