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Friday
Concurrent Session 3
40 minutes
April 25, 2014
1:45 - 2:25 pm
Agenda subject to change.
Plants and Animals
Adaptations and Survival Strategies of Plants That Like It Wet
Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm
Aquatic and wetland plants have many adaptations that enhance their ability to survive and succeed. Various types of water-logged environments create difficulties with temperature, oxygen availability, currents, and more. This presentation will discuss some of these difficulties and how plants have adapted to face them.
Presenter:
Paul SkawinskiPaul Skawinski teaches Aquatic Plant Taxonomy at UW-Stevens Point, and is the author of the popular field guide Aquatic Plants of the Upper Midwest. He is also a Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Education Specialist for Golden Sands RC&D Council, serving 5 counties in Central Wisconsin.
, Golden Sands RC&D
People and Lakes
How to Influence Public Policy
Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm
This session will give you a better understanding of ways to influence public policy, help determine how government and agency decisions impact lakes and property, and ensure that your voice is heard. We'll discuss how best to communicate with and influence the key officials that make lake policy.
Presenters:
John Keckhaver, WI Lakes Lobbyist
Michael Engleson, WI Lakes Executive Director
Presentation: How to Influence Public Policy
Aquatic Invasive Species
New Zealand Mudsnails
Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm
New Zealand mudsnails were recently discovered in Black Earth Creek, a popular trout stream in southern Wisconsin. These tiny (up to 1/8 inch) snails are prolific reproducers and can alter food chains. Their small size makes them easily transported and a trap door over their shell opening allows them to live out of water for up to 26 days and resist most disinfectants. Following their discovery, a rapid response team was formed to revise the states cleaning guidance for recreational, monitoring, and construction equipment and determine the local and statewide distribution. The monitoring strategy includes a combination of winter sampling, citizen scientists, and testing water for eDNA. This presentation will provide background on the snails and discuss the response strategy.
Presenter:
Maureen FerryMaureen is the statewide aquatic invasive species monitoring lead with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She recently researched zebra mussel habitat selection and population dynamics with the Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. Maureen has about 10 years of invasive species monitoring and outreach experience.
, Statewide AIS Monitoring Lead, WDNR
A Citizen's Guide to Watershed Planning in Wisconsin
Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm
Are you worried about the water quality and condition of your local lake, river, or stream? If you have a vision of a cleaner, healthier water body in your neighborhood and you want to know how you as a citizen can begin the process of working toward that vision; and if you want to design a strategy to set and achieve goals toward your vision, there are steps and processes that will help you along the way. This presentation will introduce you to some of those processes, and to new materials produced by UW-Extension that you may find helpful in your quest to plan and implement a watershed restoration or protection strategy.
Presenter:
Daniel ZerrDaniel Zerr is a UW-Extension Regional Natural Resource Educator located in Eau Claire. He works extensively on watershed planning issues, along with conducting outreach and education on other topics such as sustainability, storm water control, rain gardens and rain barrels. He has a BS in biology from Northern State University in South Dakota, and an MS in environmental science from Indiana University.
, UW-Extension
Presentation: A Citizen's Guide to Watershed Planning in Wisconsin
Lake Science
Phosphorus Management in Wisconsin: Progress, Status and Future Management
Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm
Wisconsin’s recently completely Nutrient Management Strategy provides a snapshot of phosphorus- and nitrogen-related water quality issues in the state. Besides looking at nutrient management from a statewide perspective, this session will also provide information on recent enhancements to programs being implemented in most, if not all counties, including the Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Program, state agricultural performance standards, and the Natural Resource Conservation Service 590 nutrient management standard.
Presenters:
Jim BaumannJim Baumann of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, coordinated the development of phosphorus water quality standards criteria and the administrative rules for point source effluent limits for phosphorus. Most recently, he coordinated the development of Wisconsins Nutrient Management Strategy., Wisconsin DNR
Sara Walling, Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
Presentation: Phosphorus Management in Wisconsin
Climate Change, Precipitation Trends, and Water Quality
Friday, 1:45 - 2:05 pm
Wisconsin's climate is changing. Both the recent historic record and projections of future climate conditions suggest that water quality in Wisconsin's lakes and streams is at risk. Increased frequency and intensity of rainstorms, and changes to the timing of seasonal precipitation, indicate that sediment loading, phosphorus concentrations and blue green algae blooms are likely to increase for vulnerable surface waters.
Presenter:
David LieblDavid S. Liebl is a statewide climate and stormwater specialist for UW-Cooperative Extension and a member the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, where he chairs the Outreach Roundtable and co-chairs the Stormwater Working Group. He is a faculty associate in the UW-College of Engineering Dept. of Engineering Professional Development, and has lectured widely on the impacts of climate change in Wisconsin.
, UW-Extension Climate and Stormwater Specialist and member of WI Initiative on Climate Change Impacts
Presentation: Climate Change, Precipitation Trends, and Water Quality
Climate Change: Effects of Extreme Water Events and Human Health
Friday, 2:05 - 2:25 pm
Stormwater runoff and unrecognized septic and sewer system breeches are major causes of poor water quality of lakes and rivers. With increasing shoreline development and expanding impervious surfaces, lake water quality is threatened. Changing weather patterns can further exasperate these water quality impacts. This talk will illustrate the connections between water, climate and health.
Presenter:
Sandra McLellanSandra McLellan is a professor at the School of Freshwater Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee who studies the connections between environmental processes and human health. More specifically, she works in urban coastal areas impacted by pathogens introduced via stormwater runoff and sewage overflows. Using new approaches for assessing pollution sources, Dr. McLellan’s research will help develop strategies to protect the Great Lakes and human health., University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Presentation: Climage Change: Effects of Extreme Rain Events and Human Health
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