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2026 Renew the Blue Council and Clean Lakes Alliance Community Board

Advancing Renew the Blue action priorities

The Renew the Blue Council – convened in early 2026 – is a coalition of municipal, governmental, and nonprofit organizations committed to protecting and restoring the Yahara Watershed. Convened and facilitated by Clean Lakes Alliance, the Council uses a Collective Impact model to build upon years of community-driven planning and science-based action. This effort expands our region’s cross-sector alliance to keep our lakes healthy and our beaches open.

Renew the Blue Council delegates gather in October 2025 at the Lussier Family Heritage Center
Renew the Blue Council delegates gather in October 2025 at the Lussier Family Heritage Center

RENEW THE BLUE: A Community Guide for Cleaner Lakes & Beaches (2022) identifies the 12 highest-impact actions for improving water quality. These strategies are grounded in science, shaped by community values, and driven by the belief that everyone has a role to play in watershed stewardship. The Council was created to coordinate and accelerate efforts to implement these actions.

As the backbone organization for the Council, Clean Lakes Alliance designs and facilitates its ongoing work and communications, provides the necessary forums for collaboration, manages external contracts, and ensures that effective governance and decision-making frameworks are in place. 

Participating organizations sign a Letter of Intent and commit to financially supporting the Council’s administration and becoming a Clean Lake Alliance Member. This commitment includes the sharing of data, resources, and participation to support the work and goals of the Council. Read the entire Renew the Blue Council Charter.

Renew the Blue Council delegates participating in feedback exercises in October 2025
Renew the Blue Council delegates participating in feedback exercises in October 2025

12 highest-impact actions

Top 12 Renew the Blue Actions
The 12 highest-impact actions identified in Renew the Blue: A Community Guide for Cleaner Lakes and Beaches in the Yahara Watershed

Participating organizations (last updated: 2/26/26)

  1. Capital Area Regional Planning Commission (CARPC)
  2. City of Fitchburg
  3. City of Madison
  4. City of Middleton
  5. City of Monona
  6. City of Stoughton
  7. City of Sun Prairie
  8. Clean Lakes Alliance
  9. Dane County
  10. Dane County Cities & Villages Association
  11. Dane County Farmers Union
  12. Destination Madison
  13. Downtown Madison, Inc.
  14. Friends of Lake Kegonsa Society (FOLKS)
  15. Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy
  16. Friends of San Damiano
  17. Friends of the Yahara River Headwaters
  18. Groundswell Conservancy
  19. Ho-Chunk Nation
  20. Lake Waubesa Conservation Association
  21. Madison Area Builders Association
  22. Madison LakeWay Partners
  23. Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District
  24. Olbrich Botanical Gardens
  25. REALTORS® Association of South Central Wisconsin
  26. Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance
  27. Sustain Dane
  28. Town of Dunn
  29. Town of Westport
  30. UW – Madison Arboretum
  31. UW – Madison Center for Limnology
  32. UW – Madison Division of Extension – NRI
  33. UW – Madison Nelson Institute for Env. Studies
  34. Village of DeForest
  35. Village of Maple Bluff
  36. Village of McFarland
  37. Village of Shorewood Hills
  38. Village of Waunakee
  39. Village of Windsor
  40. Wisconsin Department of Ag., Trade, and Consumer Protection
  41. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  42. Wisconsin EcoLatinos
  43. Yahara Lakes Association
  44. Yahara Pride Farms
  45. Yahara WINS

Renew the Blue Council 2026 meeting schedule

DateTimeLocation
Wednesday, February 4, 20262-3:40 p.m.The Edgewater
Wednesday, March 11, 20262-3:40 p.m.East Side Club
Wednesday, May 13, 20269:45-11 a.m.The Edgewater
Wednesday, August 12, 20262-3:40 p.m.East Side Club
Wednesday, December 9, 20262-3:40 p.m.East Side Club
Initial Renew the Blue Council signatories shown at 2025 Community Coffee
Initial Renew the Blue Council signatories shown at 2025 Community Coffee

Contact Us

To learn how you can get involved, stay connected, or support the Council’s ongoing work, please contact our Watershed Programs Specialist at mike@cleanlakesalliance.org

Thank you, Madison Community Foundation!

Clean Lakes Alliance is honored to receive a generous grant from Madison Community Foundation’s Community Impact Fund to support our work as the backbone organization of the Renew the Blue Council. These funds help ensure the necessary capacity to successfully launch the Council and create a self-sustaining regional coalition.

logo_madison-community-foundation

We are also grateful for the additional grant support awarded through Yahara WINS, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and The Evjue Foundation. The Council is made possible because of the financial assistance from our grant providers and the annual contributions of participating organizations.

Learn more about Renew the Blue

Volunteer Day

Volunteers remain loyal to our lakes

It was a year of obstacles for our lakes, but volunteers are dedicated to improving our waters

From cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms, to elevated bacteria (E. coli) levels, to flooding, our lakes have had a tough season. With our lakes facing so many obstacles, it makes Clean Lakes Alliance even more appreciative of its volunteers.

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A community blueprint for healthy lakes

In 2022, local partners launched Renew the Blue, a cross-sector partnership dedicated to improving the health and potential of Greater Madison’s lakes. Led by a diverse coalition of 19 community groups, the initiative provides an updated, science-based blueprint for cleaner lakes and beaches. Renew the Blue urges all lake supporters to get involved, lead by example, and help drive lasting solutions for a healthier Yahara Watershed.

RENEW THE BLUE COUNCIL – LEARN MORE

Explore Renew the Blue resources

Renew the Blue Executive Summary
Full Report – Renew the Blue: A Community Guide for Cleaner Lakes & Beaches in the Yahara Watershed
Governor's Proclamation May 2022
Renew the Blue and Yahara CLEAN Compact
Certificate of Commendation from State of Wisconsin’s
Office of the Governor

Understanding the Yahara CLEAN Compact

The Yahara Watershed and its five lakes define Dane County and Greater Madison’s sense of place. Lakes Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa contribute significantly to the region’s economic vitality, recreational offerings, and local quality of life. Clean and healthy lakes are truly a benchmark of a healthy community.

Investments over the years have laid the foundation for future water quality improvements. However, our lakes remain impaired under the Clean Water Act for failing to meet basic water quality and recreational use standards. Land disturbance and climate impacts, such as heavy rain and runoff, and other headwinds threaten our progress.

In 2019, Clean Lakes Alliance convened the Yahara CLEAN Compact, a coalition of partners and collaborators committed to improving the health and usability of our lakes and beaches. The group expanded and strengthened community partnerships and united around a clear, shared action plan. Its goal: build on past successes and deliver coordinated, timely solutions to improve water quality.

Madison Skyline, courtesy Robert Bertera
The City of Madison is located on an isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona in the Yahara Watershed. Other lakes in the watershed include Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa. Photo courtesy Robert Bertera.

A foundation for progress

Clean lakes won’t happen overnight. Progress requires a clear plan and dedicated coalition of organizations and resources. In 2008, Dane County, City of Madison, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection launched a lake cleanup partnership called Yahara CLEAN (Capital Lakes Environmental Assessment and Needs). Two years later, the group released a report outlining 70 recommendations. The recommendations sought to reduce phosphorus and E. coli contamination. Both can negatively impact water quality and close our beaches (Yahara CLEAN 1.0). The report is, A CLEAN Future for the Yahara Lakes: Solutions for Tomorrow, Starting Today.

Building momentum: Yahara CLEAN 2.0

In 2011, Clean Lakes Alliance reconvened the Yahara CLEAN partners. The task was to turn the list of 70 recommendations into a streamlined action plan with clear goals, costs, and metrics. The partners hired an engineering firm to identify the 14 most cost-effective, ready-to-implement projects and practices to help reach a 50% phosphorus reduction goal (Yahara CLEAN 2.0). The resulting planning guidance included The Yahara CLEAN Engineering Report and the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan for Phosphorus Reduction. If successful, UW Center for Limnology scientists estimated a doubling of the number of summer days when our lakes are clear and free of algae blooms.

Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan for Phosphorus Reduction

In 2016, Clean Lakes Alliance evaluated the pace of community progress in carrying out the recommended action priorities set forth in the 2012 plan. The analysis showed that we would not reach our goals anytime soon, suggesting more would need to be done at a faster pace (Vision 2025 Analysis). This understanding was reaffirmed in 2018 when the Dane County Board of Supervisors approved a Healthy Farms, Healthy Lakes (HFHL) Task Force recommendation to update our community lake-cleanup plan.

Lake Kegonsa Cyanobacteria, September 2018
Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element found in materials such as leaves, soil, and animal waste. When phosphorus enters our lakes from urban and rural runoff, it can promote the growth of algae and cyanobacteria blooms. Scientists have found that one pound of phosphorus can generate up to 500 pounds of algae. (Above: Cyanobacteria bloom on Lake Kegonsa in September 2018.)

Updating the vision: Yahara CLEAN 3.0

In 2019, after six years of promoting action and tracking our community’s progress through an annual State of the Lakes report, Clean Lakes Alliance reconvened and expanded the Yahara CLEAN partnership to update the cleanup plan. Called the Yahara CLEAN Compact (see Letter of Intent page 1 and page 2), coalition members sought to account for accomplishments and progress to date, re-evaluate phosphorus reduction targets, and set forth revised strategies and action priorities by stakeholder groups (Yahara CLEAN 3.0).

The path forward

We are fortunate that our community is coming together like never before in a shared effort to improve the lakes. Through the work of the Yahara CLEAN Compact, renewed momentum and new opportunities are being leveraged, effectively building on past success and giving us all a role to play. Starting in 2025, Clean Lakes Alliance reactivated the partnership and expanded its membership as part of a Renew the Blue Council to help coordinate and fast track the implementation of top priority actions. Those action recommendations and the science that underpins them are outlined in RENEW THE BLUE: A Community Guide for Cleaner Lakes and Beaches in the Yahara Watershed.

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Community effort underway to protect Lake Kegonsa shorelands

A group of local neighbors has come together with an ambitious goal: permanently protect eight acres of conservancy land adjacent to Lake Kegonsa.

The newly formed Committee to Preserve Lot 3 Sunnyside, Inc. has secured an accepted offer to purchase a parcel located across Sunnyside Street, adjacent to Lake Kegonsa. The property adjoins Lake Kegonsa State Park, the Lower Yahara River Trail, and the Door Creek Wildlife Area. By preserving the land as permanent conservancy, this area can be protected in perpetuity for recreation, wildlife habitat, and clean water for generations to come.

Local conservation organizations are applauding the effort. The Friends of Lake Kegonsa Society (FOLKS) has voiced strong support for the project and its potential to protect the broader watershed.

Clean Lakes Alliance serving as fiscal sponsor

Clean Lakes Alliance is serving as the initiative’s fiscal sponsor. Donations made through Clean Lakes Alliance will be held in support of the land purchase until the acquisition can be completed. If the purchase does not ultimately move forward, all donations will be returned (excluding processing and credit card fees).

“We are excited to support this initiative,” said James Tye, Executive Director and Founder of Clean Lakes Alliance. “This committee’s work is another great example of local leadership within our Renew the Blue movement to protect our Madison-area lakes.” The acquisition of these types of conservation lands aligns with Renew the Blue’s high-priority action recommendations.

All donations make a difference

$920,000 in cash and pledges are needed by August 19, 2026, to complete the purchase. Encouragingly, local residents have already committed $200,000 toward fulfilling this goal.

Support the effort

Tax-deductible donations supporting the purchase of the land can be made through Clean Lakes Alliance. To make a donation by check, please designate “Preserve Lot 3 Sunnyside” in the Memo section and mail it to:

Clean Lakes Alliance
150 E. Gilman St., Suite 2600
Madison, WI 53703

2026 Frozen Assets Festival

Thank you for helping make Frozen Assets unforgettable!

Thank you for helping Clean Lakes Alliance turn frozen lakes into a full-on celebration! Our annual Frozen Assets Festival and 5K Run/Walk brought people together and put winter lake appreciation front and center.

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2026_Happy-Hour-Summit

February 4 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Frozen Assets Happy Hour Summit

Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Time: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Where: The Edgewater (1001 Wisconsin Pl, Madison)
Suggested Attire: Guests are invited to embrace the season by wearing festive,
winter-inspired indoor attire

REGISTER – 2026 FROZEN ASSETS HAPPY HOUR SUMMIT

Warm up your winter at Frozen Assets

Warm up your winter by celebrating our community’s greatest asset — our lakes! Join us for a lively happy-hour reception and forum featuring local leaders, with remarks from Dane County Executive Melissa Agard and a panel discussion with area mayors, including Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway, Middleton’s Emily Kuhn, Stoughton’s Tim Swadley, Fitchburg’s Julia Arata-Fratta, and Sun Prairie’s Steve Stocker.

Mingle and connect with neighbors from throughout the watershed and learn how broader stewardship actions are being coordinated through the Renew the Blue Council, a cross-sector coalition convened by Clean Lakes Alliance to achieve swimmable lakes, resilient landscapes, and a thriving watershed community.

2026_Happy-Hour-Summit

Clean Lakes Alliance

(608) 255-1000

View Organizer Website

The Edgewater<br>

1001 Wisconsin Avenue
Madison, 53703 United States + Google Map
6082551000

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Seed the Need

On-the-ground practices

Since 2011, Clean Lakes Alliance has provided more than $1,400,000 in grants to urban and rural partners to support on-the-ground projects designed to protect water quality in the Yahara Watershed. Engaging the community to leverage action is an effective force and catalyst for improving and protecting our lakes.

How you can help

The Seed the Need fund focuses on watershed health improvement efforts to protect areas that impact water quality. We will restore lands to improve our lakes for future generations and, through programs like Volunteer Days, we will preserve the progress made on the land through maintenance and restoration work. Moving forward, our Renew the Blue volunteers will be engaged to help with the restoration and maintenance of the land. Donate to this fund today to invest in a permanent legacy of improved water quality and reduced flooding in our watershed. Clean Lakes Alliance is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization. Your donation is tax-deductible!

Thank you for supporting our lakes through Seed the Need!

Donate

2025 nearshore training

LakeForecast water quality monitoring in 2025

Clean Lakes Alliance’s LakeForecast water quality monitoring program completed its 13th season in 2025. This program is entirely volunteer implemented, with more than 100 trained monitors assessing water quality conditions from nearshore and offshore locations across all five Yahara lakes (Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa).

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, volunteers recorded water clarity, air and water temperature, waterfowl presence, the extent of floating plant debris, and the severity of green algae and cyanobacteria at public beaches, lakeside parks, and private piers. Submitted condition reports were able to be tracked in real-time on Lakeforecast.org or our free app, allowing the general public to stay up to date on current lake conditions.

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2025 Founders Day - Stewardship

Stewardship: A Celebration of Vision, Leadership, and Legacy

Join us for an exclusive Founders Day Luncheon honoring the pioneering spirit, stewardship, and enduring commitment of the board members, founding organizations, and individuals who helped shape Clean Lakes Alliance — and those who will carry our mission into the future.

Event Details

Date: Friday, November 14, 2025
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Location: The Edgewater | Grand Ballroom
Attire: Elevated Cocktail
Setting: Classic American Elegance
Experience: Conversations, libations, and heartfelt tributes — all with a stunning view of Lake Mendota

This invitation-only gathering will bring together 150+ distinguished guests, including long-standing partners, civic leaders, and environmental visionaries, to celebrate our founding legacy and chart a bold course forward for cleaner, healthier lakes.

RSVP – Make a gift
2025_Founders-Day-Luncheon_Header

Celebrate 15 Years of Impact

Help us launch the 15th Anniversary Campaign with a suggested gift of $1,500 — a tribute to 15 years of progress. Your support fuels initiatives like:

  • $1.4 million in grants for on-the-ground lake improvement projects
  • Successful policy advocacy for cleaner lakes
  • Increased county funding for lake protection

What’s Ahead

This luncheon marks the start of an exciting anniversary year, concluding in late 2026, featuring:

  • Renew the Blue Watershed Council: 40 partners united for clean water
  • A statewide roadshow to engage civic and business communities
  • A new community fundraiser: Liquid Assets (Summer 2026)
  • An expanded Lake Partner campaign to triple business engagement

Reserve Your Place

By Invitation
Suggested Donation: $1,500 to honor 15 years

RSVP – Make a gift
2020 Frozen Assets Ice Thaw Networking

2026_State of the Lakes_header

May 13 @ 7:30 am – 9:30 am

Clean Lakes 101

Please join us for our State of the Lakes, on Wednesday, May 13, at The Edgewater. This year, we’re excited to feature the State of the Lakes — an annual health synopsis of Greater Madison’s five Yahara lakes (Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa).

REGISTER – STATE OF THE LAKES EVENT
2026_State of the Lakes_header

Event details

Save the date: Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Time: 7:30 – 8 a.m. coffee and conversation, 8 – 9:30 a.m. continental breakfast and program
Location: The Edgewater (1001 Wisconsin Ave., Madison)

About this event

Please join us for our State of the Lakes, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026! This year, we’re excited to feature the State of the Lakes. The report is an annual health synopsis of Greater Madison’s five Yahara lakes (Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa, and Kegonsa). Focusing on major drivers and indicators of water quality, the analysis summarizes lake and watershed health factors, trends, and the likely causes of observed conditions.

We will continue the tradition of bringing together our watershed’s premier scientists, business and organizational leaders, heads of government, and officials from the Ho-Chunk Nation to learn more about the lakes (originally known as Teejop) and new opportunities for continued collaboration and progress. 

Clean Lakes Alliance and its fellow Renew the Blue Council members will highlight the latest science and Renew the Blue stakeholder guidance that will direct future cleanup actions.

Sponsor a table

Table sponsors receive name recognition on promotional materials, email marketing, and the Clean Lakes Alliance website. A table seats 8 people. Please contact Executive Director, James Tye, to sponsor a table at 608-255-1000 or james@cleanlakesalliance.org. Learn about all 2026 sponsorship opportunities.

Event parking

This event will be held at The Edgewater (1001 Wisconsin Place, Madison, WI 53703). Event parking will be available at The Edgewater. Parking spots fill up quickly and may be limited depending on capacity.

2026 sponsors

2026 State of the Lakes Sponsor Footer

Clean Lakes Alliance

(608) 255-1000

View Organizer Website

The Edgewater

1001 Wisconsin Place
Madison, WI 53703 United States + Google Map
(608) 535-8200
View Venue Website

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