At Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed, we are dedicated to preserving and enhancing the Manitowoc River and its surrounding watershed. Throughout the year, we host a variety of events and activities centered around four core categories: clean, restore, celebrate, and advocate.
Happening all summer long! If you or your organization are interested in getting involved, please contact Wendy at fmrwinfo@gmail.com to coordinate a time and place that works for you.
Join FMRW in Cleaning Up the Manitowoc River Basin!
Help make a difference in your community by volunteering for our upcoming basin-wide cleanup! Thank you to Thrivent Action Teams for support of this event.
Choose Your Site & Date
Check out our list of cleanup sites to find one that’s right for your group! Once you have a cleanup site, you and your group can choose to host your cleanup either June 20th or 21st and pick your own cleanup time that works for your group volunteers.
Register Your Group
Sign up using our registration form or email us directly at fmrwinfo@gmail.com.
Pick Up Supplies
Once you’ve registered your site, email us to schedule a supply pickup between June 9th and June 19th at the Manitou Park Shelter.
Trash Disposal Instructions
Please place filled trash bags in available containers. If no containers are nearby, leave them in a central pile—we’ll notify Manitowoc County/City staff to collect them.
Post-Cleanup Follow-Up
After your cleanup event, please email us a picture or the completed information from your post-cleanup tracking form. This will help us measure our collective impact on the basin! If you have a large amount of leftover cleanup supplies, we would be happy to schedule a supplies return meeting with you as well.
Friends of the Manitowoc River Watershed and Friends of Collins Marsh welcome the public to a day of activities celebrating life at the marsh, including:
• 10:00-11:00: A presentation, “Birds of Collins Marsh” by Dr. Medhavi Ambardar, Chief Scientist at the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory. She has studied bird behavior, reproduction, and physiology for over a decade, focusing primarily on parental care in songbirds. Collins Marsh is home to migratory and resident birds. During summertime, the marsh comes alive with breeding birds as they search for mates and breeding sites and find food to feed their offspring. Come learn about the birds of Collins Marsh - and how some of them raise their young.
• Beginning at 11:00 and through the afternoon: Paddling on the Marsh. Bring your own kayak or canoe and PFDs or rent from the Marsh. 4 single kayaks and 3 canoes along with PFDs are available for a $10 rental fee (free to Friends of Collins Marsh members) for one-hour use.
• Lunch time: Food will be for sale during the lunch time period. Enjoy a picnic overlooking the beautiful watershed. You can also choose to climb the tower and hike the trails!
• 11:00-1:00 Learn about boating safety at the Coast Guard Auxiliary Booth as well as Invasive Species awareness courtesy of the Wisconsin DNR.
Collins Marsh & Nature Center, 20021 County Road JJ, Reedsville, WI 54230
The 4th Annual Lower Schuette Park Weed Pull is happening again this year with Glacierland RC&D. Join us May 17th and help remove invasive species from the park! There will be a morning session from 9:30-11:30am and an afternoon session from 12:30-2:30pm. If you are planning to help at both sessions, please bring a lunch. Volunteers will meet at the Lower Schuette Park Parking Lot. This event will take place rain or shine. Volunteers should bring their own water bottle, work gloves, and dress appropriately for working in tall grasses and high vegetation, ie work boots, long sleeves, pants and gloves. Snacks and water will be provided.
Please fill out this google form to register for the event!
This takes place at Manitowoc beaches including Silver Creek Park Beach, University Beach, Lakefront Beach, YMCA Beach, Lighthouse Park Beach. It is recommended you dress in layers because it can be cold and windy in spring. All supplies are provided by FMRW- nitrile gloves, buckets, pickup sticks and garbage bags. If nitrile gloves are not your preferred choice bring your own work gloves. To join the event, volunteers can call or text Kim at 920-242-1993 to sign up to help.
Please join us at Collins Marsh Neustadter Nature Center to meet local farmers Michael Slattery and Ryan Sullivan. They will talk about the collaborative efforts of more than 25 Manitowoc River Watershed producers who are using strategies to make successful farms, productive soil, and clean water as members of the Seven Rivers Soil Cooperative.
Interested individuals and groups can reach out to Wendy at fmrwinfo@gmail.com to coordinate a time and place that works for them.
Interested individuals and groups can reach out Wendy at fmrwinfo@gmail.com to coordinate a time and place that works for them.
The 3rd Annual Lower Schuette Park Weed Pull is happening again this year with Glacierland RC&D. Join us May 11th and help remove invasive species from the park! Lunch will be provided but please bring your own water bottle and gloves. Volunteers will meet at the Lower Schuette Park Parking Lot. This event will take place rain or shine.
Please RSVP by Monday, May 6th by completing the Google Form below.
The 2nd Annual Tree Planting is being hosted with Stantec and we will be planting over 3,000 trees! Tree planting is scheduled for April 25th & 26th with two different volunteer time slots that individuals can register for: 9:00-11:30 and 1:00-3:30pm.
Volunteers will meet at the Lower Schuette Park Parking Lot. Snacks will be provided during the tree planting event, but please bring your own water bottle, gloves, and a shovel for tree planting.
Please RSVP by Monday, April 22nd by completing the Google Form below.
