New Program Director Joins the LSRWA

We are pleased to welcome our new Program Director, Bethany Emond Storm.  Bethany brings to her position the perfect blend of a strong natural resources background and a personal passion to strive for environmental health. In her own words, “I fell in love with nature at an early age. My natural curiosity and love for wildlife led me into a career in natural resources.  I began by working on the southwest coast of Florida for the state Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Florida Division of Forestry, where I oversaw both small and large scale restoration projects. After moving back to the midwest, I worked for the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Illinois in the ecology department, where I worked with geographic information systems.”

Family is also a high priority for Bethany. Several years ago, she made the decision to leave her career so she could devote her full attention to her children.  “A few years back, both of my daughters were diagnosed with auto immune diseases (learned to be caused by the body's immune response to an environmental trigger). Our lives were forever changed. I had always fed them the best possible food I could. In fact, I grew much of what we ate on our quarter acre suburban lot. But I realized that was not enough, so in 2014, my husband, our two daughters, and I left the Chicago suburbs to create a homestead in the driftless region of Wisconsin.  Our goal is to rebuild the over-farmed soil on our property using native plants, livestock and perennial food crops. As a member of the Wisconsin Farmers Union, I value family-scale farms and sustainable food systems.  Besides growing food and gardening, we also enjoy getting out in nature to hike or camp.”

Bethany became acquainted with the LSRWA while attending public meetings that addressed concerns about the growing risk to water quality in our watershed.  Bethany was thrilled when she saw the kinds of data and information that the LSRWA has been collecting and organizing on its web page for several years, and was excited when she met members of the group and learned that the Program Director position was open. “The LSRWA is a priceless resource,” according to Bethany. “ I am here now to help the LSRWA get information, so diligently gathered, into the right hands. My role, as I see it, is to empower the community with the information that they need to make good decisions about our water.” 

A great place to meet Bethany will be at the LSRWA’s annual member meeting, to be held on Saturday, April 9, from 9:30 am -3:30 pm, at the Brodhead Memorial Library.  The annual meeting is open to the public. Watch for more information coming soon about featured speakers and topics, poster presentations,  and more.