Bob Lorence, FOCB Membership Chair
By this time, you’ve probably received a letter or e-mail asking you to become a member of the Friends of Cedarburg Bog. Members support our mission to do active conservation work, support research, educate the public, and provide public access to the Bog.
In becoming a member, you are likely to have concerns about how our organization is run and where your donations go. As a board member, I am familiar with how FOCB operates and appreciate how much of the money received by FOCB goes directly into our Bog preservation efforts and public outreach. Everyone involved with FOCB, including our board, volunteers their time. We have only one part-time paid administrative assistant. Our administrative expenses are low. Nearly all the money received by FOCB through donations and grants goes directly to activities benefiting the Bog and our educational programs. I often say that FOCB is a “generous organization” run by “generous people.”
To illustrate FOCB’s generosity, it provided more than 20 educational programs in 2024 on a wide variety of environmental topics, including plants, stars, trees, birds, insects, owls, geology, and Native American cultures. 2025 will be just as exciting. Everyone is welcome and there is never an admission charge. While a donation of $5.00 is suggested, this is never pushed and in my experience is often never mentioned. Our knowledgeable and highly respected instructors leading these programs volunteer their time as well.
One of our most popular events is the Winter Hike through the heart of the frozen Bog to Long Lake and Donut Lake, followed by a potluck chili dinner prepared by our members. The entire event is free to the public unless people choose to donate. Come join us for our next Winter Hike on February 2, 2025.
FOCB thrives with donations from its members and grants awarded by governmental agencies and private environmental organizations. While donations are important to us, our big-ticket items are funded by grants and are used to control invasive species in the Bog. A strong membership is vitally important to secure those grants to show public support for our natural area stewardship of the Bog.
In collaboration with the Southeastern Wisconsin Invasive Species Consortium, we recently received grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the WDNR Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Fund to control buckthorn on over 200 acres of the Bog. Over the past 20 years, FOCB has already controlled buckthorn in over 600 acres of the Bog. Buckthorn is the Bog’s worst invasive threat.
Basic membership in FOCB has remained $25 for over 20 years. Many people contribute more, and their generosity provides us with greater flexibility in funding projects. However, the most important thing is that our membership grows so that more people support the preservation of the Bog and our educational mission. We are proud of our organization and encourage you to join. The Bog is 2,200 acres of natural wilderness only 30 miles from Milwaukee. Join us and enjoy this treasure.
