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​Leadership/Communications

Lake Association Stew: A Recipe for Success

Wednesday 11:10-11:50 am

This presentation is aimed at those who plan to form or are having trouble forming a lake association. We'll cover how the Friends of Moose Lake got a fully functioning lake association up and running in just 5 months. Participants will receive a recipe to help them succeed in turning lake association "stew" into beef bourguignon.

Presenter: John Baker, Friends of Moose Lake

 

Mussels 101

Wednesday 11:10-11:50 am

Wisconsin has 50 species of native mussels (also known as clams), half of which are listed as threatened, endangered, or special concern. Declining water quality and habitat alterations, as well as the presence of invasive mussels pose major threats to the existence of our native mussels. Learn how mussels are important as the natural filters of our freshwater systems, clearing up the water and concentrating contaminants. Since they are sensitive to changes in water quality, they are good indicators of changing environmental conditions. They provide food for fish, mammals, and birds, and the shells provide spawning and hiding habitat for fish and other invertebrates. The life history of freshwater mussels is surprisingly complex, requiring a host species (usually a fish) to compete their development. Since this is such a critical link to their survival, many mussel species have developed amazing ways to attract their host species.

 

Partnering with Law Enforcement to Strengthen AIS Efforts

Wednesday 11:10-11:50 am

In the fall of 2009, new aquatic invasive species (AIS) regulations took effect in Wisconsin. Water guards, field wardens, and state and local law enforcement agencies can now enforce these rules and regulations and ensure compliance. This presentation will cover the role of these agencies in the enforcement of AIS rules and regulations, including: the water guard work plan and strategies for the 2011 season, an initiative to provide training to state and local law enforcement agencies on the enforcement of AIS rules and regulations, partnerships with organizations in support of their efforts to prevent the spread of invasive species, and a pilot project involving the use of a pressure washer made possible by a grant by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

 

 

Monitoring for Phosphorus and Dealing with It Too: Developing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for Reservoirs in the Wisconsin River Basin

Wednesday 11:10-11:50 am

Learn about an intensive water quality monitoring and modeling effort that encompasses the entire Wisconsin River Basin. Several impoundments on the Wisconsin River from Lake DuBay to Lake Wisconsin experience summer algal blooms due to excessive phosphorus loading. See how this monitoring effort will be used to develop TMDL's for these types of systems and how they can be used in similar systems around the state.

 

 

The Town Lakes Committee – A Successful Link to Effective AIS Management

Wednesday 11:10-11:50 am

Session attendees will learn about how a Town Lakes Committee can work effectively to prevent AIS infestations through education, watercraft inspection, lake monitoring, communication, a “Lake Steward” program, purple loosestrife action planning, efficient administration, and strategic planning. The speaker will also review results from a 2010 AIS Community Survey – you’d be surprised.

 

Journey to Planet Earth - Hot Zones

Wednesday 11:10-11:50 am

Hot Zones shows just how closely human health is dependent on that of the environment. With the outbreak of thirty previously unknown diseases in the last two decades, the film examines the human consequences of altering global and local ecosystems. In this program, we visit Kenya, Peru, Bangladesh and the United States where changing climates, uncontrolled development and loss of natural habitat have led to an increase in infectious disease. We also explore how cutting edge use of remote sensing data and new epidemiology studies are assisting health and ecosystem scientists predict and ultimately control serious epidemics. 

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