The Water Council Partners With Wisconsin Historical Society To Record Real Time History

The Water Council recently announced that their organization has formed a partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society (Society) to document the water initiative happening in Wisconsin that they believe will shape the economic future for the state. It was decided that the significance of the water movement being spearheaded by The Water Council would one day be viewed as a part of Wisconsin’s history, and thus should be well documented now, while the individuals responsible for The Council are still around, and able to contribute to that process. “The Water Council idea is new, just a few years old, so the records are fresh. The people are still there, the people who created it, they have memories, records; so the idea was to do this now [rather than later],” said Ellsworth Brown, director, Wisconsin Historical Society.

The Wisconsin Historical Society will hire a historian to be housed in The Water Council’s office at the Global Water Center, recently opened in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood. This historian will link Society staff and resources in Madison with The Water Council, providing assistance and training with records management and archival documentation, as well as access to the extensive water-related research collections, including maps, images and primary sources that tell the story of the western Great Lakes and Wisconsin’s water sources. The Society and The Water Council have plans to partner in providing outreach and educational programming in the future.

“There is no question that water will be shaping the future, not only where people choose to live but where people do commerce,” said Dean Amhaus, president & CEO, The Water Council, “therefore, the importance of water in Milwaukee, and Wisconsin will take an even more significant role in shaping our future.”

About The Water Council
The Water Council, the only organization of its kind in the United States, was established in 2009 by Milwaukee-area businesses, education and government leaders. With more than 150 water technology companies in the Milwaukee area, the region’s water industry is a $10.5B dollar market and accounts for four percent of the world’s total water business. The non-profit organization, consisting of more than 160 members, is linking together global water technology companies, innovative water entrepreneurs, acclaimed academic research programs and, most importantly, some of the nation’s brightest and most energetic water professionals. The Water Council is capturing the attention of the world and transforming the Milwaukee region into a World Water Hub for freshwater research, economic development and education. For more information, visit www.thewatercouncil.com.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.