In the fall, there’s one thing you can do when managing leaves that will help our lakes more than anything else – do you know what it is?
Rake for our Lakes
Citizen scientists and the 2017 monitoring season
2017 monitoring season
What started in 2013 as a handful of Clean Lakes Alliance board members testing the water has now grown into a network of over 70 volunteers doing weekly water quality monitoring on all five lakes.
Each week this summer, our team of monitors gathered data on water clarity and temperature. They also made visual observations on beach conditions and identified potentially harmful cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms. And what a summer it was!
2017 Volunteer Season
With 58 miles of lakeshore in our watershed, shoreline maintenance is a big job. We’re lucky to have dedicated staff and community groups working to keep our parks and beaches healthy – but sometimes, there just aren’t enough hands to get the job done. That’s where our summer volunteer groups come in!
A summer to remember
So far this season, there have been 15 Renew the Blue volunteer days, for a total of 457 volunteers and 1,481 hours maintaining our lakeshores over the season. These events serve double duty: our lakeshore parks get some much-needed TLC, and volunteers learn more about keeping our watershed healthy.
Learning about our lakes
Clean Lakes Alliance sees a future where everybody realizes that the lakes are the center of the community. Education is central to this goal! Read on for a snapshot of this summer’s educational programs.
Yahara Watershed Academy
Who it’s for:
Anyone who wants to incorporate watershed sustainability into their personal or professional life, especially those with the desire to lead.
Message from the Alliance
Partners divert 13,600 pounds of phosphorus from our lakes in 2016
Message from Clean Lakes Alliance for the 2016 State of the Lakes Annual Report
Seven years ago, our community came together and formed an alliance to improve the health of our lakes. Together, we are reigniting a movement to revitalize our lakes and beaches. Driving the movement is a vision in which the lakes are the center of our community.
Today, citizens, businesses, government agencies, scientists, policymakers, and farmers are working as one to advance new and common-sense solutions. Just look at what we’ve already accomplished together.
Letter in support of RES-059 (Nutrient Concentration System)
Dear Friends of Clean Lakes,
Clean Lakes Alliance is very proud of the progress our community has made towards enacting the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan for Reducing Phosphorus. Dane County has been a leader in supporting clean water since the start. Just this past year, a $12-million, county-funded initiative to remove phosphorus-laced sediment from 33 miles of Yahara streams over five years helped further our common goal of healthy lakes.
Frozen Assets Brings More Events to Three-Day Festival
New races, Kites over Mendota, and other family-friendly events announced
MADISON, Wis. — After unseasonable rain, the return of cold temperatures and a dose of winter white helped Lake Mendota stay solid for Frozen Assets! Back for a third year, the three-day, free family-friendly festival expects to draw near 10,000 people throughout the weekend. Frozen Assets is made possible thanks to title sponsors CG Schmidt, Hovde Properties, Lands’ End Outfitters, Spectrum Brands, and is hosted by platinum sponsor, The Edgewater.
Lake Mendota officially freezes on January 1st!
MADISON, Wis. — It was hard to call, but on January 1, Lake Mendota officially froze for the 2016-2017 winter season. The largest and deepest of Madison’s lakes joins Lake Wingra, which officially frozen on December 9, and Lake Monona, which reported “ice-on” on December 16.
James’ 7 reasons to feel optimistic about our lakes
2016 sees clearer water on Madison’s lakes
Clean Lakes Alliance volunteer monitors see improvements and mixed results
MADISON, Wis. — Clean Lakes Alliance has released results from the 2016 monitoring season on lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa. Over the past three years, the volunteer-based program has grown into an extensive 70-site effort to track water conditions near the shore, where most people interact with our lakes.
