A comprehensive fish survey is an important part of maintaining healthy fisheries in any lake. In the spring of 2023, Clean Lakes Alliance Watershed Engagement Manager Caitlin McAleavey joined a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) fisheries crew on Lake Kegonsa to learn more about what goes into assessing our lakes’ fish populations. The following is her account of the trip.
Clean Lakes Alliance’s LakeForecast water quality monitoring program completed its 11th season in 2023. This program is entirely volunteer implemented, with 90 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, extent of floating plant debris, and the severity of green algae and cyanobacteria at public beaches, lakeside parks, and private piers. Submitted data can be seen in real-time on lakeforecast.org or our free app allowing the general public to stay up to date on current lake conditions.
Join us for this in-person or virtual hybrid edition of Clean Lakes 101 to hear about Dane County’s many projects to keep our lakes clean and mitigate the impacts of climate change. Register as an in-person attendee or to receive a Zoom link through your confirmation email and watch virtually.
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About this Talk
Hear from Dane County Executive Joe Parisi and Laura Hicklin, Director of Dane County’s Land & Water Resources Department as they describe the County’s many projects to keep our lakes clean and mitigate the impacts of climate change. From more extreme weather with increased rain in the spring, to dryer, hotter summers and winters, the risks of climate change become clearer all time. These changes are exacerbating existing threats to the Yahara lakes, such as increased phosphorus runoff.
During this presentation, you’ll learn the latest information about specific projects that advance Renew the Blue such as Suck the Muck, manure treatment, and conservation cover programs, along with updates on aquatic plant management, lake levels, Yahara River sediment removal, and the ongoing efforts to combat climate change.
About our Speakers
Dane County Executive: Joe Parisi has called Dane County home his entire life. He sought out public service as a way to give back to a community that has given so much to him. Joe was first elected as County Executive, the chief elected leader of Dane County, in 2011 after 6 years in the State Assembly and 8 years as Dane County Clerk. Joe’s priority is to ensure that everyone in our community has access to the opportunity to succeed. He believes investing in people pays big dividends. Joe knows this can work because he experienced it. Now Joe believes it is his turn to give back to ensure that our children’s generation has access to the same opportunities that were available to him. Joe and his wife, Erin Thornley Parisi, raised their two daughters on Madison’s east side. With a population of more than 500,000 and an annual county budget of $600 million, Dane is Wisconsin’s second largest county. Dane County has the highest private sector job and population growth in Wisconsin.
Laura Hicklin: Laura Hicklin is the Director of the Dane County Land & Water Resources Department. The Land & Water Resources Department protects and enhances the natural, cultural, and historic resources of Dane County; provides the County’s residents with a broad array of accessible, high quality resource-based recreational services and facilities; and supports residents, communities, local governments, and other agencies and organizations in their resource management and protection activities. Laura’s goal is to bring civility to challenging discussions about natural resource management in Dane County.
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 in a confirmation email.
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.
In 2019 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.
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 Statement to Dane County Lake Level Task Force
This statement was presented by Clean Lakes Alliance Executive Director James Tye to the Dane County Lake Level Task Force on March 5, 2019.
Clean Lakes Alliance applauds the leadership of the Dane County Board and the Dane County Executive in putting $12 million toward flood recovery and lake improvement projects in the 2019 budget, and in creating the Technical Work Group and task force to address recent flooding around the Yahara Chain of Lakes. We believe these initiatives help move us toward becoming a more resilient community. But we need to work together as a community to address the increasing volume of water and runoff BEFORE it enters our lakes and waterways.
A message from Clean Lakes Alliance Executive Director, James Tye
Dear Friends,
As we close the books on a difficult year for our lakes, I want to take a moment to reflect on what went well, and what we can do to start 2019 off in the right direction.
Clean Lakes Alliance supports Dane County Executive Joe Parisi’s proposed $18 million budget to aid flood recovery. Many of the initiatives also support water quality improvements outlined in the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan for Phosphorus Reduction. These measures will move us in the right direction to reduce runoff and increase infiltration.