In 2022, our volunteers embarked on the 10th season of LakeForecast water quality monitoring. This work involved collecting nearshore condition reports at piers, beaches, parks, and access points around the five Yahara lakes. From May through September, volunteers measured water clarity, recorded air and water temperature, identified the presence of green algae and cyanobacteria, and noted additional visual observations. Reports are entered into the LakeForecast app where all data are updated in real time.
Support clean, healthy lakes with Clean Lakes Alliance’s 10th Annual Loop the Lake Bike Ride. Join us in person on the official Monona Lake Loop by starting and ending at Olbrich Park on Saturday, June 18th. Or, choose to ride, walk, run, or paddle virtually, from anywhere Saturday, June 11th – Sunday, June 19th.
Loop the Lake is more than a bike ride – it’s an opportunity for our community to rally around our lakes! All registered participants will receive a super-soft event tee. Event proceeds will support Clean Lakes Alliance’s work to protect and improve our lakes through on-the-ground projects, educational programs, and water quality monitoring.
Join us in person on the official Monona Lake Loop by starting and ending at Olbrich Park (3527 Atwood Avenue, Madison) on Saturday, June 18th. The course will be open from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. so that riders can ride at their own convenience. Riders will travel 12 miles clockwise around Lake Monona.
About the Ride: Virtual – choose your own course (Saturday, June 11th – Sunday, June 19th)
Participants may ride, walk, run, paddle, or rollerblade along any route they choose! Share your enthusiasm for our lakes and encourage others to join by sharing photos and videos from your Loop the Lake adventure with the #LooptheLake hashtag!
Want to mimic the original Loop the Lake route? Feel free to head over to Lake Monona and follow the “Lake Loop” bike path clockwise or find a 12-mile loop in your neighborhood! You could also ride around Monona Bay, Lake Wingra, or your favorite lakeshore bike path!
Registration includes an event t-shirt, courtesy of Lands’ End. Your registration supports critical work by Clean Lakes Alliance to keep our lakes at the top of the community agenda.
Registration: $40 per in-person rider, $50 per virtual rider or in-person rider wishing to have t-shirts mailed. FREE for children 10 & under with purchase of adult registration.
Registrations are transferable but non-refundable. In the event of cancellation, registrations and sponsorships will not be refunded. Thank you for your donation to Clean Lakes Alliance!
T-Shirt Distribution
Please select your t-shirt size by Monday, May 2nd to make sure you receive your t-shirt before the event. T-shirts can be mailed to your home or business if you select the $50 ticket option. Otherwise, you may pick up your t-shirt(s) on Saturday, June 18th at Olbrich Park (3527 Atwood Avenue, Madison) from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Participant Safety
Be safe during the Loop the Lake Bike Ride! Obey all traffic laws, be careful of cars sharing the road, and wear a helmet. Participants should obey all social distancing guidelines.
If you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact our Executive Director James Tye at james@cleanlakesalliance.org or 608-255-1000.
FAQs
What is the refund policy? Registrations are transferable but non-refundable. In the event of cancellation, registrations and sponsorships will not be refunded. Thank you for your donation to Clean Lakes Alliance!
Big Swell Swim Madison and Big Swell Swim Devil’s Lake are combining into one fun event for clean lakes in 2022. Jump into Devil’s Lake for this year’s Big Swell Swim! This is a great training opportunity for competitive and recreational swimmers alike.
Schedule of events
6:30 – 7:40 a.m. : Packet and timing chip pickup (White Birch Shelter, South Shore of Devil’s Lake)
7:30 – 7:40 a.m. : Warm up in swim area
7:45 a.m. : Kids’ swim race (pending water temperature over 65 degrees)
7:55 a.m. : Race briefing on shore, national anthem, and racer staging
8 a.m. : Elite wave mass start
8:02 a.m. : Begin rolling wave starts (check your email/registration for corral)
8:16 a.m. : Final wave starts
8:30 a.m. : Estimated first finisher
10:30 a.m. : Course closes
Swim for clean lakes
When it comes to Madison’s lakes, it’s not only the fish that count on clean water for swimming. Hundreds of swimmers plunge into our lakes each year, especially as part of our vibrant triathlon scene.
Whether you are a competitive swimmer looking for a great training opportunity, or a recreational swimmer who cares about clean water, Big Swell Swim is the perfect opportunity to make a difference and help protect our lakes.
Big Swell Swim Series
A portion of your registration will go directly to Clean Lakes Alliance. Your registration supports important lake improvement projects, educational programming, and water quality monitoring.
Big Swell distances
Choose from a 1.2 or 2.4-mile race. Kids can compete in the 500 meter course.
Join us for this in-person or virtual hybrid edition of Clean Lakes 101 to learn about research to predict summertime algal abundance. Register as an in-person attendee or to receive a Zoom link through your confirmation email and watch virtually.
In recent decades, cultural eutrophication of coastal waters and inland lakes around the world has contributed to a rapid expansion of harmful cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Potential outbreaks of toxin-producing cyanobacteria species have drawn concern from health officials and water managers given their negative ecological, aesthetic, and socioeconomic impacts.
Currently, little information regarding expected summertime cyanobacteria abundance is available prior to the season. With sufficient lead time, communicating the likelihood of elevated cyanobacteria abundance may be informative for proactively managing potential threats to lake and beach safety. We developed a model to issue predictions in early June of expected summertime cyanobacteria abundance for Lake Mendota. The prediction model demonstrates moderate to good skill and an ability to accurately predict summers with above-normal cyanobacteria abundance. Associated beach closure predictions also show promise but are highly sensitive to the short observational record – a limitation directly being addressed by Clean Lakes Alliance volunteer monitors and researchers at UW-Madison.
About our Speaker
Dr. Paul Block is an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. His research focuses on hydroclimatology and water resources systems, with a goal to couple climate, hydrology, and management models and knowledge to reduce risks and promote sustainability of water resources for societal benefit. He is involved in many national and international projects that promote season-ahead forecasts as a means to inform decision-making, with applications to reservoir operations, agricultural planning, water quality assessment, and disaster management. He also has extensive experience as a licensed civil engineer working on groundwater protection and extraction, landfill management, and storm water control projects.
Event Details
This event will be held at The Edgewater hotel – grand ballroom level 5 (1001 Wisconsin Pl, Madison, WI 53703). Doors open at 7:30 a.m. The program runs from 8 – 9 a.m. A Q/A session will follow the presentation as time allows. Complimentary event parking will be available at The Edgewater parking ramp. Parking spots fill up quickly and may be limited depending on hotel capacity.
A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants via the Eventbrite confirmation email.
In 2021, our volunteers embarked on the 9th season of LakeForecast water quality monitoring. This work involved collecting nearshore condition reports at piers, beaches, parks, and access points around the five Yahara lakes. From May through September, volunteers took water quality measurements. They measured water clarity, recorded air and water temperature, identified the presence of green algae and cyanobacteria, and noted additional visual observations. Reports are entered into the LakeForecast app where all data are updated in real time.
As part of our Frozen Assets week of activities, join us for this FREE virtual edition of Clean Lakes 101 to learn more about the relationships and reproduction habits of some of our most common underwater dwellers. Register to receive the Zoom link and watch virtually.
Organisms across the globe are faced with the same dilemma – how to pass on their genes to the next generation and give their youngsters the best possible chance at success. Things are no different for the creatures in the Yahara lakes. Pike, panfish, plants, and invertebrates all go to great lengths to propagate, but take wildly different approaches. What makes each strategy successful, and why? During this presentation, you’ll learn about the mating and reproductive strategies of several important species, which range from the heartwarming to the bizarre.
ABOUT OUR SPEAKER
Justin Chenevert (Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources) began his career in water resources hauling laundry baskets of invasive weeds from the muddy Charles River in Boston, MA. Despite the smell, he found he loved working with water, and moved to Madison in 2013 to pursue a master’s degree in Water Resources Management from UW-Madison. Justin worked for Clean Lakes Alliance from 2014 – 2016 in several capacities, including surveying lake users, supporting the volunteer water quality monitoring program, and analyzing water quality data. He is currently employed by the Department of Natural Resources in the Water Monitoring section, where he works on a variety of projects related to lake water quality, ecology, and citizen science. In his free time, Justin enjoys ice fishing and paddling on the Madison lakes and beyond.
EVENT DETAILS
This event will be held online via Zoom. The online talk is free and open to the public. A link to access the talk LIVE will be sent to all registered attendees ahead of the event.
CLEAN LAKES 101 LECTURE SERIES
Clean Lakes 101 is a series of educational events open to the public and a great chance for residents to learn more about the science behind the issues that affect our lakes. Each month we feature a different expert to make the science accessible and interesting to non-technical audiences.
Greater Madison businesses tee off to raise money for the lakes
A warm temperature and a sunny sky greeted golfers participating in this year’s FORE! Lakes Golf Outing, held for a third year at Nakoma Golf Club. The event was made possible thanks to platinum sponsor, Johnson Financial Group; cart sponsor CG Schmidt; scoreboard sponsors Buye Law Office, Lands’ End, and Weed Man Lawn Care; and a host of hole and green sponsors.
Over the past decade, several advancements in harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring approaches and technologies have expanded scientists’ and regulators’ ability to monitor and study algal blooms. BloomOptix is a start-up focused on innovating how we monitor and study HABs by leveraging emerging technologies and methods. The company began in 2019, using advanced sensors and drone technologies to study HABs and water quality phenomena around New York State. In 2021, BloomOptix launched a new product which uses artificial intelligence and digital microscopy to identify and quantify HAB-causing cyanobacteria in water samples. This presentation will detail past and present BloomOptix projects including use of drones for HAB studies, artificial intelligence and how these technologies can help empower decision makers, safety personnel, and citizen scientists.
This past summer, Clean Lakes Alliance volunteers participated in this long-distance collaboration. Equipped with portable digital microscopes generously shipped all the way from London company Iolight, volunteers collected microscopic images of algae and cyanobacteria cells. These images are being used to train an AI mobile app to quickly differentiate between harmless green algae and toxin producing cyanobacteria.
Meet our Speaker
As an innovator within Ramboll, Igor Mrdjen is currently leading BloomOptix, a team focused on using technology to change how we monitor algal blooms. Through innovation, BloomOptix is developing an AI-assisted cyanobacteria monitoring tool, methods for drone-based hyperspectral and multispectral remote sensing of harmful algal blooms, sediment plumes and various factors impacting water quality, and introduced new technologies such as submersible ROVs to increase water work safety at Ramboll.
Igor has a widely interdisciplinary research background in Environmental Health Sciences. He has led, designed, and conducted research on various water quality and health phenomena including: microcystin toxicity and carcinogenicity in mammalian models; ecological and health impacts of harmful algal blooms; role of microplastics in toxicology; microbial source tracking of fecal contaminants; and development of novel remote sensing methods for imaging of terrestrial and aquatic phenomena.
Event Details
This event will be held online via Zoom. The online talk is free and open to the public. A link to access the talk LIVE will be sent to all registered attendees ahead of the event.
Support clean, healthy lakes with Clean Lakes Alliance’s 9th Annual Loop the Lake. Choose to ride, walk, run, or paddle, from anywhere Saturday, June 12th – Sunday, June 20th.
Loop the Lake 2021 is more than a bike ride – it’s an opportunity for our community to rally around our lakes! Due to COVID-19, we are offering a chance to ride from anywhere for our 2021 Loop the Lake Bike Ride. We invite you to bike, walk, run, paddle, or simply MOVE for our lakes from Saturday, June 12th through Sunday, June 20th.
All registered participants will receive a super-soft event tee. Event proceeds will support Clean Lakes Alliance’s work to protect and improve our lakes through on-the-ground projects, educational programs, and water quality monitoring.
2021 Loop the Lake details
Saturday, June 12th through Sunday, June 20th, 2021 ANYWHERE! $35 per rider FREE for children 10 & underwith purchase of adult registration
About the Ride: Virtual – choose your own course (Saturday, June 12th – Sunday, June 20th)
Participants may ride, walk, run, paddle, or rollerblade along any route they choose! Share your enthusiasm for our lakes and encourage others to join by sharing photos and videos from your Loop the Lake adventure with the #LooptheLake hashtag!
Want to mimic the original Loop the Lake route? Feel free to head over to Lake Monona and follow the “Lake Loop” bike path clockwise or find a 12-mile loop in your neighborhood! You could also ride around Monona Bay, Lake Wingra, or your favorite lakeshore bike path!
Registration
Registration includes an event t-shirt. Your registration supports critical work by Clean Lakes Alliance to keep our lakes at the top of the community agenda.
Registration: $35 per rider. FREE for children 10 & under with purchase of adult registration.
Registrations are transferable but non-refundable. In the event of cancellation, registrations and sponsorships will not be refunded. Thank you for your donation to Clean Lakes Alliance!
T-Shirt Distribution
Please select your t-shirt size by Monday, May 10th to make sure you receive your t-shirt before the event. T-shirts can be mailed to your home or business for an additional $5 fee. Otherwise, you may pick up your t-shirt the week of the event. (Details coming soon!)
Participant Safety
Be safe during the Loop the Lake Bike Ride! Obey all traffic laws, be careful of cars sharing the road, and wear a helmet. Participants should obey all social distancing guidelines.
Why did the event change? Due to COVID-19, we are offering the opportunity to participate from anywhere.
What is the refund policy? Registrations are transferable but non-refundable. In the event of cancellation, registrations and sponsorships will not be refunded. Thank you for your donation to Clean Lakes Alliance!
Sponsorships
If you would like to learn more about sponsorship opportunities, contact our Executive Director James Tye at james@cleanlakesalliance.org or 608-255-1000.
$35 $35 for adults, free for children 10 and under
In 2020 water quality monitoring took place at piers and beaches around the five Yahara lakes. Volunteers measured near-shore water clarity, air and water temperature, and noted several visual observations during the monitoring season, which runs from May to September.
Support clean, healthy lakes with Clean Lakes Alliance’s 12th Annual Loop the Lake Bike Ride, presented by Lake Ridge Bank. Loop the Lake is an at-your-own-pace bike ride around Lake Monona on Saturday, June 15th that raises funds to protect and preserve Greater Madison’s lakes. Make a day of it while you enjoy entertaining and educational activities at many parks along the route.
Fun and educational stops (see information below) Super soft t-shirt, compliments of Lands’ End Food cart item Free beer or seltzer, courtesy of Bell’s Brewery (21+)
Fun and educational stops (see information below)