​Aquatic Invasive Species

Evaluation of Eurasian Water-milfoil Control

Friday 3:30-4:20pm

Eurasian water-milfoil has been an ever increasing problem throughout the state of Wisconsin over the last 30 years.  Management techniques implemented during this time to control Eurasian water-milfoil have included, but are not limited to, harvesting, hand pulling, herbicide application, and biological control.  More recently, it has been discovered that the Eurasian species has been hybridizing with native milfoils, making it more difficult to manage.  Join us to hear how three organizations collaborated to better understand the effectiveness of Eurasian water-milfoil management methods.  Through the experiences of these groups, participants will learn about one option for integrating multiple management techniques to evaluate successful control of the hybrid and Eurasian water-milfoil. 

 

Strategic Organizational Planning for Lake Groups

Friday 3:30-4:20pm

Organizations must be increasingly strategic in all aspects of work to accomplish their mission.  How can strategic organizational plans help?  In this interactive session we will discuss the benefits of strategic planning, and also obstacles to planning.  We will also provide an overview of how to develop a strategic plan.  This session is for staff, board members and volunteers of all levels.

 

The Management Challenges of Impoundments: An Example from Lake Tomah

Friday 3:30-4:20pm

Lake Tomah is a 220 acre impoundment on the South Fork of the Lemonweir River in Monroe County.  While a number of management projects have been undertaken over the years to help improve this popular recreational area, it still suffers from sediment and phosphorus loading, algae blooms, extremely high carp populations, and high turbidity.  Learn how the district used a survey to gather citizens’ input on restoration options.  Find out what steps this community is now taking to conduct a lake drawdown project, and why this is a viable restoration method for Lake Tomah.  The drawdown, scheduled to begin in fall 2008, is expected to: remove carp—through total fish eradication, restore the fishery—through restocking, restore native aquatic plants, improve water quality, and reduce erosion of islands and shorelines.

 

Engaging a Lake Community: Information and Tools for Mapping

Friday 3:30-4:20pm

Moose Lake property owners teamed up with the Couderay Regional Land Trust and UW-Stevens Point’s Center for Land Use Education.  The group used the latest information and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to inventory shoreline characteristics.  The results and comparisons with previous inventories were surprising.  Superimposing ownership data from plat records provided information never previously calculated, such as miles of shoreline owned by public, private, and semi-private entities.   An effective lake management and citizen engagement tool was emerging!  Find out how these GIS-enabled findings precipitated informed discussions and actions by Moose Lake stakeholders, including private land owners, utilities, realtors, the Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Forest Service, Couderay Regional Land Trust, and the Sawyer County Land Records Department.

Presenters: Ben Niemann & Doug Miskowiak, UW-Extension/UW-Stevens Point Center for Land Use Education

 

Held in Trust: The Norwegian Bay Wetlands, Green Lake, Wisconsin

Friday 3:30-4:20pm

The Norwegian Bay Wetlands (NBW) are located along the western shore of Norwegian Bay on Green Lake, in Green Lake County, Wisconsin.  The property, which is held in trust by the Green Lake Sanitary District, comprises the largest relict wetlands contiguous with Green Lake, including nearly 700 feet of lake frontage.  A botanical study of the NBW documents 248 vascular plants growing there, of which 71 families and 157 genera are represented.  This includes 26% of the total county flora, including seven species that are recognized as county records.  Additionally, three species from the NBW are cited in Wisconsin’s threatened and endangered species list.  Based on knowledge of the present-day NBW flora, a review of the original land survey records, and anecdotal information collected from personal interviews, an overview of past land uses and changes in vegetation are presented.

 

Citizen Perceptions and Reactions to Aquatic Invasive Species

Friday 3:30-4:20pm

It is often assumed that aquatic invasive species and deteriorations in water quality are perceived by the public as problems. However, we frequently lack good data indicating the extent to which citizens perceive these environmental stressors as representing threats to their economic well being or quality of life. In a modest step toward collecting such data, several colleagues in UW-Extension have teamed up to implement a survey of homeowners in two key lake areas of Bayfield County, Wisconsin. In this presentation we discuss some of the findings of the survey, and make links relevant to lake issues in Wisconsin.

 

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