News

Science Forum yields Big Ideas

The first Yahara Lakes Science Forum, sponsored by Thermo Fisher was very successful… and enlightening. Many of the participants were among the initial authors of the Yahara CLEAN report and have significant knowledge about our watershed. Add to that a new mix of private sector minds and it made for great atmosphere for everyone. Thanks to the following people for their participation:

Steve R. Carpenter, UW-Madison Center for Limnology
Paul Hanson, Center for Limnology
Jennifer Hauxwell, Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
Jeffery Hirsch, Thermo Fischer Scientific
Dominic O’Donnell, ThermoFischer Scientific
Randall D. Jackson, UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
Chris Kucharik, UW-Madison College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
Richard C. Lathrop, UW-Madison Gaylord Nelson Inst Environmental Study
Jim Lorman, Edgewood College
Mark Reidel, Baird
John J Magnuson, UW-Madison College of Letters and Science
Michael Parsen, University of Wisconsin-Extension
Dale Robertson, U.S. Geological Survey Wisconsin Water Science Center

First Annual Friends of the Lakes Conference

Will be held Saturday April 2, at Edgewood College, hosted by Clean Lakes Alliance Community Board member Dr. Jim Lorman. The purpose of the conference is to gather the many grass roots organizations in the area that spend lots of time and energy to keep our lakes and streams clean and to share with each other the vision for the watershed. Information about a new endowment fund setup at Madison Community Foundation will be unveiled as well as the plans to allow for future grants to be written to these kinds of organizations to help in their efforts. Should be exciting!

Aquapalooza will be a big splash for the lakes!

The Clean Lakes Alliance and Skipper Buds are teaming up to produce the third annual Aquapalooza floating music concert near Picnic Point on Lake Mendota.
Save Sunday July 31st for some great water fun and bring your boat and party attitude. Mid Life Crisis is jammin the tunes and DL Anderson is floating the stage. Fun stuff on the water.

Clean Lakes Open House Series

Starting in the spring/summer of 2011, The Clean Lakes Alliance is planning a series of small open houses on all fours lakes. The open house(s) will be hosted by current friends, family and supporters of Clean Lakes Alliance who live on a lake. The host(s) will invite their immediate neighbors to come over on a weekday early evening to introduce them to the Clean Lakes Alliance staff, board members and start a conversation about what is needed to do to clean up the Yahara Watershed.

If you are interested in hosting a CLEAN LAKE OPEN HOUSE please contact James at james@cleanlakesalliance.com.

The Corporate Gauntlet has been thrown

Spectrum Brands is extending a challenge to the other sponsors of the Clean Lakes Festival as well as larger employers in Madison to compete “biz to biz” in a series of events the day of the festival. The competition is yet to be determined, but may include paddling, log rolling, water skiing endurance, frisbee golf. More to follow.

The challenge also extends to fundraising for the lakes. Dave Lumley, CEO of Spectrum Brands is formally challenging CEOs of other large companies to engage their employees and vendors to raise money. We all win!

Retain the Rain Workshop

UW-Extension and Sustain Dane are offering a workshop on rain gardens, rain barrels and drip irrigation on Saturday, April 9, 2011. The workshop will explain how rain gardens and rain barrels work, how to plan for and install them, as well as how to install a drip irrigation system. These simple yet effective tools help conserve water, and help water soak into the ground instead of allowing storm water pollution to make its way to our lakes and streams.

The cost for the workshop is $5 and the registration form can be found online. Registration is open to the public. Details of the Plant Dane! Cost-Share Program will also be covered for those interested in ordering plants for their gardens and yards.

Many find replacing turf and ornamental plants with plant species native to Wisconsin a rewarding landscape alternative. Once established, natives do not require the maintenance inputs that turf and ornamentals need. Yet, native wildflowers provide blooms season round and provide a home for beneficial insects and food for birds.

Space is limited, so register today!

Contact:
Marcia Hartwig
MAMSWaP Storm Water Education Coordinator
608-224-3746, hartwig@co.dane.wi.us
www.myfairlakes.com

Clean Lakes Alliance Field Trip to Milwaukee

As findings from our current Cultural Planning process show, Madisonians are broadening their definitions of art and its place in our public spaces. We are looking more and more to integrating art and the environment, and at solutions that will improve storm water handling and enhance shoreline design.

My name is Karin Wolf and I am the Arts Administrator for the City of Madison. On a recent “Art, Innovation and Water” tour, I brought Clean Lakes Alliance Development Director James Tye to see some of Milwaukee’s most successful examples of ecological art and creative design.

Entering Milwaukee along the Hank Aaron State Trail, we saw examples of interpretive signage, public art (like kathryn e. martin’s “A Place to Sit,” a grouping of high-back chairs that honor the spirit and people of Wisconsin’s American Indian tribes), shallow marsh plant and prairie restoration projects, and how well designed overlooks and resting spots can be used to enhance a multi-use path.

We then went to the Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. Here, we were able to witness connections between innovation, science, technology and the environment in interactive exhibits. We also walked along the pier that is used all summer as a floating classroom for water education and conservation programs, day and night sail launches, and private receptions. Â From there we visited Sweetwater Organics, an urban farm located in an unused warehouse in the Bay View neighborhood, that uses aquaponics to grow fresh, safe produce and fish for local Milwaukee residents, restaurants and groceries. While there, we had the opportunity to talk with UW Milwaukee art students who, as part of a service learning project, are designing the educational classroom spaces that will allow Sweetwater volunteers to teach Milwaukee public school students about urban agriculture, nutrition, and water.

We concluded the visit with a trip to the Urban Ecology Center, a neighborhood-based, environmental education, nonprofit. The Center, which transformed a formerly underutilized urban park into an active learning center, inspired us with their green building techniques and creative uses of storm water for everything from flushing toilets to creating an attractive pond. There students can learn about the environment in ways that are creative, hands on and fun.

Following a very full day, James and I headed back to Madison inspired by the integration of art, history, ecology, and planning. As Madison continues to define and refine their creative vision for our shoreline I am happy they have expressed that art and design should be a core part of that vision.

Karin Wolf
kwolf@cityofmadison.com

Congratulations to Stephen Carpenter

Limnologist Stephen Carpenter, a scientist and Stephen Alfred Forbes Professor of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been awarded the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize — the top award for scientists studying water-related activities.

The award, which comes with $150,000 and a specially designed crystal sculpture, honors individuals and organizations “whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of water resources and to improved health of the planet’s inhabitants and ecosystems,” according to the group.

Children’s Museum makes lakes a priority

Thanks to the generous and supportive efforts of the Madison Children’s Museum, a portable lakes exhibit will be created to help with education at the K-4 level and will mark the return of “SeeMore the Bluegill”. The exhibit is set for initial display at the Clean Lakes Festival and will be available for use by groups and schools within the watershed area.

Talks are underway for an expanded watershed exhibition at the museum too. Mad fun for the whole family!

All Aboard!

Betty Lou Cruise Boats are going to be running non-stop at the Clean Lakes Festival, thanks to the generous accommodations of the Von Rutenberg Family. A schedule will be published and advance reservations will be taken. These rides are a big hit and we are thankful we can offer extended service.

Save the Date!

Don’t miss the Clean Lakes Festival this summer on Saturday August 27, 2011 at Olin Park.

The CLF Planning Committee is in full swing with a complete reorganization of the grounds and a revised timetable for events. Four bands are booked and the beer is ordered. The boats are just waiting for the ice to melt.

Meet the Clean Lakes Alliance Community Board

The Community Board is comprised of a vast cross section of stakeholders, community stewards and government agencies that represent the Yahara Watershed and steer the efforts of the Clean Lakes Alliance. It is a growing and evolving group of community leaders and organizations. Members, and/or proposed positions, have been identified through interview and referral by other members. The board is purposefully seeking high-ranking officials, owners, and policy makers to ensure that the process moves efficiently and effectively. The vacancies indicated on the attached list should be filled within the next 60/90 days.

Community Board Member List

New Members of the Alliance

Sandy Ager

Dennis Presser

Skipper Buds

Bob Sorge

University Book Store

Clean Lakes Festival Sponsors

Lands’ End

Spectrum Brands

DeJope Gaming

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Skipper Buds

Alliant Energy

MG&E

The Gialamas Company

UBS The Burish Group

Baird and Associates

Wisconsin Distributors

John Roach Projects

Clear Channel Radio

Thanks Gialamas!

For our generously donated offices and utilities.

Contact us Anytime!

Don Heilman
don@cleanlakesalliance.com

James Tye
james@cleanlakesalliance.com

Phone:608.836.6973

This is the second issue of the Lake-O-Gram and it is intended to keep our members and partners up to date with our current efforts. If you have any suggestions to improve our Alliance or this newsletter, please let us know.

 

Thank you for your support of our lakes.

 

Striving to return to a clean and thriving watershed.