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Health & Fitness

Environmental Leader Andrew Struck Honored as 'Wizard of Oz' by Treasures

Andrew Struck honored as "Wizard of Oz" by Treasures for his work in Ozaukee County.

There are plenty of reasons why Ozaukee County has become a poster child for environmental practices, but Treasures of Oz recognizes that this is not accidental.

The group wanted to honor the many dedicated individuals working hard behind the many scenes as environmental leaders, advancers of "green" education and geniuses of innovation and engineering with the "hope that you will enjoy getting to know some of the people who are directing their talents and energy to protecting and enhancing our resources and making Ozaukee County a very special place," according to the Treasures of Oz website.

Honored as this month’s Wizard of Oz is: Andrew Struck.

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"Andrew is everywhere that is connected to environment in Ozaukee," according to the Treasures of Oz Eco News.

The Guinness World Record doesn’t have a category for "participation in committees"or "most county programs created/maintained" but many people who work with Andrew theorize that he would hold the record — and that's just one of the reasons behind his selection, according to Treasures of Oz. The true mystery, the group says, is how he has the energy to do all that he does.

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So what does Andrew do? Here's a long list of all the things he's involved in, according to the Treasures of Oz:

  • Director of Planning and Parks for Ozaukee County: he is the brains and brawn behind the Oz park system comprised of nine parks encompassing 467.3 acres, two golf courses, one disc golf course and trails.
  • Advocate of the Interurban Trail; he has worked with a wonderful team of Ozaukee residents and the Interurban Trail Advisory Council to make the idea a reality. The trail runs the "entire length of the county, hooks with adjacent trails as part of a growing statewide network and even has its own bridge across the biggest impediment of all, I-43” writes Treasures of Oz.
  • President of the Milwaukee Audubon Society. Andrew attended the 32nd annual Audubon Natural Landscapes Conference on Feb. 4.
  • Coordinator of the Milwaukee River Watershed Fish Passage Program. Oz got time in the limelight of the world's stage when it was featured in 2011 at The World Rivers Conference in Vienna, Austria. On the home front, the program is bringing the fish back to their native waters and building eco-tourism in the county.
  • Heading up the Farmland Protection Plan for Ozaukee and setting up Working Lands Initiative to preserve our farmland. No Farms, No Food.
  • Key member with the Land Conservation Partnership of Ozaukee County, he works to increase public education and farmland preservation.  
  • As Director of Ozaukee County Planning and Parks, he is the primary person behind the creation and implementation of the Ozaukee Comprehensive Plan, the Land Evaluation and Assessment Plan for Ozaukee County, the Parks and Open Space Plan, and the Farmland Preservation Plan. public hearings, county committees, working with all the local towns and municipalities, SEWRPC and the county board to final printing. He also shepherds them to see they are adhered to. No small task.

Andrew is part of other local organizations to further environmental initiatives in Ozaukee:

On behalf of all the “Oz-lovers”, land lovers, bird enthusiasts, water drinkers and food eaters, I would like to thank Andrew and his supportive family for all that he does (and they do) to continue to make Ozaukee the place that  we love.

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