About the MALC

About Us

The Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy (MALC) is a conservation organization, founded by local volunteers, that offers several alternatives in land protection.

MALC Board

President

Linda Frank is a lawyer and proprietor of Linda M Frank Environmental, LLC.  She provides legal services in the field of environmental law and sustainability. Prior to forming her current law firm, Linda worked for 20 years in trusts and estates and general law practice.  Linda advocates for climate action, sustainability and diverse and healthy ecosystems on land and water through her positions with the Milwaukee Task Force on Climate & Economic Equity, 350 Milwaukee and the Sierra Club John Muir Chapter.  Linda serves on the Conservation Committee of the Village of Shorewood and played a key role in bringing a curbside organics collection program to that community.  She credits scientists like Edward O Wilson, author of Half-Earth, with inspiring and informing her work to save lands and natural lifeforms while we can.

Vice President

Howard Aprill

Howard Aprill is currently a Naturalist at Wehr Nature Center with the Milwaukee County Parks. He conducts environmental education and interpretation programs for all ages from pre-kindergarten through college. He has also served as a naturalist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, UW Extension, and at Denali National Park, Alaska. Howard was recognized for fostering a connection between people and natural places as the 2019 recipient of the coveted NAI Master Front-Line Interpreter Award.  In his spare time, Howard has conducted fieldwork on the distribution of the state-threatened Butler's Garter Snake in Wisconsin. He holds a BS from Michigan State University in Environmental Issues.

Treasurer

Open

Secretary

Perry Rossa

Water Resources Project Scientist

Retired, Mead & Hunt

Other Members of the Board

Lawrence Leitner

Lawrence ('Larry') Leitner received his BA in Biological Sciences from Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY; his MA in Life Sciences from Indiana State University; and his PhD from the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee, concentrating in plant ecology. For 22 years he was Principal Biologist at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, where his duties included inventorying, identifying, and evaluating the best remaining areas of the natural landscape remaining in the SE Wisconsin region. He has collected over 7000 plant specimens from Wisconsin and elsewhere.

Paul Ryan

Paul has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Aspects of Conservation from UW-Milwaukee. Along with numerous natural history field courses and more recent post-graduate studies at UW-Madison in Geographical Information Systems (GIS), he has nurtured interests in botany, stewardship and ecology into a more comprehensive career in land management. As part of a natural areas inventory, he contributed a collection of over 120 specimens to the Milwaukee Public Museum Herbarium. A current board member of Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, former secretary of the Milwaukee Audubon Society, an active member of Wild Ones, and a lifetime member of the Rachel Carson Council, he has also completed prescribed burn training with the Nature Conservancy and is a State certified and licensed pesticide applicator. As proprietor of Northern Lights Natural Landscaping, Paul's principal concern continues to be providing sustainable solutions through specialized contracting and consulting services, including native plant community restoration and maintenance, invasive species controls, botanical inventories and land management plans. Former professional positions have included Land Manager of the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center and the Koenen Land Preserve (Milwaukee Quakers).

Ann Kaminski

Ann has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Finance.  Her work background includes doing bookkeeping for Sendik’s and working for an environmental service company handling liquid waste and industrial tank cleanings. Just recently, Ann took on a new job role at Rockwell Automation in the customer care department. Ann says her call to action to get more involved with conservation happened as she experienced agricultural land and parkland being taken away for undesirable development.  She absolutely loves the outdoors and took advantage of it her entire life.  Ann says she now realizes that it takes groups like MALC to make this possible.

Our Legal Counsel and Non-Profit Advisors

Kristen Wilhelm

Kristen Wilhelm holds an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences. She worked for the Federal Aviation Administration prior to the start of her family. She credits Wehr Nature Center's Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, and outreach programs as well as the dedicated volunteers for bringing her back to her true interest. She is a long-time alderwoman for the City of Franklin and has served on the City's Environmental Commission. She was instrumental in the implementation of the City's policies regarding woodland preservation and increased wetland setbacks. She helped develop their noxious weed ordinance, storm water basin landscaping guidelines, and their first land trust conservation agreement. She previously worked for Prairie Future Seed Co. installing and maintaining native prairie landscapes and performed natural area management for the Village of Greendale. Kristen and Dr. Burch were the grant writers and driving force behind the outdoor environmental education area at Pleasant View Elementary in Franklin. Sheearned her certificate in non-profit management from the UW-Milwaukee Helen Bader Institute. She previously worked with the WDNR as a Program Assistant for the Root-Pike WIN Water Partner Team and the River Revitalization Foundation. Kristen has received state recognition for her conservation achievements and is a founding member of the Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy.

Our Land Management Advisors

The Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy has a dedicated land management team that will be overlooking the various properties MALC owns. This team consists of three highly experienced individuals that will work to ensure the rejuvenation and continued natural growth of MALC's properties.

Richard Barloga

Please clink here to see the memorial that was held for Richard.

Richard Barloga has a degree majoring in Economics from Valpariaso University. He is a naturalist and was the first Director for the River Bend Nature Center in Racine. In 1977, he started a nature program with the Milwaukee County Parks System at Jacobus Park to aid the elderly and handicapped in learning about natural systems. His strong interest and knowledge for plant identification was further inspired by the classes he attended of Dr. James Zimmerman at the Madison Arboretum, and the sedge/grass workshops of the UW field station in Cedarburg. Over the past 25 years, Richard has inventoried and retained detailed records of almost all of the remaining natural areas in Milwaukee County and several sites throughout the surrounding counties. He is a Milwaukee Public Museum Associate and provides herbarium species to the collection of Wisconsin plants. Richard's work, and his natural area inventories, has assisted in acquiring community natural areas such as Franklin Scout Park, Deer Creek Sanctuary in New Berlin; Martins Woods and the Eagle Prairie. He frequently gives slide presentations to groups such as the Wild Ones and is seen as holding a special connection to the natural world in his ability to teach in a soft spoken and spiritual manor.

Mike Marek

Mike Marek has fifteen years experience working as a landscape design/builder and urban forester. In 1996, Mike founded Marek Landscaping, LLC with a commitment to provide sustainable design and installation services using low impact development techniques. Mike serves as Lead Designer and Project Manager for projects involving prairie and woodland restorations, shoreline stabilization, historic preservation, storm water solutions, public and private gardens, green roofs, and community gardens while tapping a wide network of engineers, scientists, and planners during design and construction phases. Mike also provides general consultation and serves as an Artist in Residence at Lincoln Middle School of the Arts (Milwaukee Public School system). Mike is a member of the Wisconsin Prescribed Fire Council and provides pre-scribed burning services to clients and volunteer groups. Formerly, Mike served as the Village Forester for the Village of Elm Grove.

Our Advisors

Tim Burch

Tim Burch, Ph.D. received his BS in Chemistry at North Central College and his doctorate in Biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He spent two years at the University of Minnesota Medical School doing post-doctoral work. Although he has always had an interest in the outdoors and natural systems, it was while in Minnesota that he began to change his focus from the laboratory to the classroom and life outside of test tubes. He taught as an adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul and the University of Wisconsin, River Falls. He also worked as a volunteer at the Minnesota Public Museum and enjoyed touring the many natural areas throughout the state. Dr. Burch has been teaching Chemistry in the Milwaukee area for 8 years. Together with Kristen Wilhelm, he helped restore a sedge meadow to create an outdoor environmental education area for Pleasant View Elementary in Franklin. He has been a member of Wild Ones (Natural landscapers) for six years. Tim is eager to help MALC educate the citizens of Milwaukee County about the importance of conserving the few remaining refuges in the area, not only for wildlife habitat but also for connecting people back to the beauty and tranquility that these areas afford. Tim is the former president of MALC.

Dennis Grzezinski - Environmental and Civil Litigation
Dennis M. Grzezinski Law Office

Arthur Harrington - Environmental and Energy Law
Godfrey & Kahn

Fred Klimetz - Attorney and Municipal Judge
Klimetz Law Office

Larry Leitner Ph.D - Principal Biologist
Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission

Neil Luebke - Curator of Botany
Milwaukee Public Museum

Peter McKeever - Attorney and Conservation Professional
Garvey McNeil & Associates, S.C.

Steven Schmuki - Attorney
Sayas, Schmuki, Rondini & Plum, S.C.

John Siepmann - VP Operations & Development Manager
Siepmann Realty Corp.

In Honor of Lorrie Otto

Lorrie hosted MALC's first meeting in her home and continued her support as a friend, advisors and member. Some of her many prior accomplishments included: Founding member Citizens Natural Resources Association, Wild Ones & Nature Conservancy, and the WI Chapter WI Conservation Hall of Frame.