On December 3rd, 2019 Clean Lakes Alliance honored seven outstanding individuals and groups at the Clean Lakes Community Awards. This event, presented by Town Bank, recognizes the accomplishments of individuals, volunteers, businesses, farmers, and other entities working to protect our Yahara lakes.
How much do you know about the frozen lakes that make Madison winters so special? Test your knowledge with this quiz! Or, read more about our Mendota Freeze Contest.
As farmers across the area rush to get crops out of the fields, wet soil continues to slow this season’s harvest. In many cases, the wet soil made it impossible for farmers to get large trucks and trailers into the fields. As a result, farm equipment continues to be parked and loaded on the road.
At Clean Lakes Alliance, we’re thankful to be part of a community that is surrounded by five beautiful lakes. Our Yahara lakes provide ecological diversity, recreational opportunities, economic benefits, and endless beauty to the Greater Madison area, its residents, and guests.
Tyler Leeper has a deep connection to our lakes, and an even greater investment in their health. As the owner of Madison Boats, which includes Wingra Boats, Brittingham Boats, and Marshall Boats on Lakes Mendota, Monona, and Wingra, his family business is dependent on water quality and lake health.
All five Yahara lakes saw cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms throughout the summer of 2019. One bloom in particular on Lake Mendota was quite large, covering at least an area from Picnic Point to the Memorial Union on August 1st. The bloom was well-documented by photos from community members as having a green pea soup-like consistency.
Cyanobacteria blooms are often bright green, but can also appear in shades of brown, blue, and white. Typically, blooms are spotted on warm days with calm winds. On August 1st, Madison reported a high of 81 degrees with an average wind speed of two miles per hour.
Clean Lakes Alliance is thrilled to announce Alliant Energy has committed $100,000 to our Protect, Restore, Preserve Fund with a new Challenge Grant! Longtime partner of Clean Lakes Alliance, Alliant Energy, is helping significantly boost this fund with their gift. But we also need support from the community to help us reach our $200,000 goal.
Despite a challenging start to the season, the hot, dry weather in July helped crops in Dane County catch up to where they needed to be. We have our fingers crossed for a pleasant fall so that we may have a bountiful harvest and weather conducive for appropriate nutrient application.
With the completion of the 2018-2019 Clean Lakes Grants cycle, Clean Lakes Alliance has given out more than $1,000,000 in project support since 2011. This landmark achievement fulfills our mission of building capacity among our partner organizations and supporting on-the-ground practices for clean, healthy lakes. The Yahara River Watershed is a large and complex system and will require a community-wide effort to improve water quality.
The Yahara Clean Strategic Action Plan for Phosphorus Reduction (2012) includes 14 actions designed to meet a UW Center for Limnology recommendation for a 50% reduction in the average annual phosphorus input to each of the lakes. The recently released phosphorus report card shows total phosphorus reduction progress for 2018.
