Letter from the Editor: Summer 2018
The future is now.
Milwaukee’s future is bright, but we must tread lightly and be careful not to sell it out. From the new Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center, The Hop streetcar, and Northwestern Mutual to all of the development that will follow in the coming years, our downtown has just started to reach its potential. That said, new buildings will eventually become old and businesses will come and go, but there is one thing that will outlast us all: Lake Michigan.
When I think of all of the exciting things happening in our city, I can’t help but think of our lake and its future. Quietly, Milwaukee has been building up its reputation as the “Freshwater Capital of the World” and leading the way are organizations like UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, Milwaukee Riverkeepers and the Milwaukee Water Council.
As we develop our city, we must also be conscious and protective of our most important natural asset. I can’t help but worry about what sacrifices we are willing to make to encourage business growth throughout Wisconsin. For example, in the coming years, Foxconn will be siphoning millions of gallons of water from Lake Michigan. What will the impact of that be? How far are we willing to go to attract new business? How will big business influence our government and natural waters? These are difficult questions we will need to both ask and answer in the coming years.
It is easy to track the new development downtown. It is much harder to see what is happening within our lake. We must not let fancy lights distract us from what is really important. We all must work together, staying diligent and united to support our position as the “Freshwater Capital of the World.”
This issue is dedicated to Milwaukee’s water stories and the industries that surround them. Unfortunately, we don’t come close to scratching the surface of this topic, but we are excited to contribute to the conversation and help push it forward.
“For many of us, clean water is so plentiful and readily available that we rarely, if ever, pause to consider what life would be like without it.” -Marcus Samuelsson
