Hypothesized Changes in Littoral Habitat with Continued Water Level Decline in a Central Wisconsin Seepage Lake
(Watersheds, Groundwater, and Water Levels)

Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm

Pleasant Lake is a deep seepage lake located in the Central sands region where water levels have declined by over four feet since 1993, and 1.6 feet of this decline is estimated to be due to groundwater pumping (Kraft 2014). Concerned about continued water level decline, the Pleasant Lake Management District received a Wisconsin DNR Lake Management Planning Grant to assess the lake’s current littoral habitat and predict how it may change with continued water level decline. Natural fluctuations in lake water levels have been shown to be essential for maintaining species and habitat diversity within the littoral and immediate shoreline zones. Sustained and/or continued water level decline due to human groundwater removal disrupts these natural fluctuations. Using acoustically-derived bathymetric, substrate hardness, and aquatic plant bio-volume data in combination with aquatic plant point-intercept survey data, we were able to hypothesize how Pleasant Lake’s plant community and the habitat it provides may change with continued water level decline..

Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm​

For any part of an aquatic invasive species (AIS) strategy to work, we need to prevent the introduction of new species and the spread of existing AIS. This presentation will provide a review and update of Wisconsin’s ballast water program and a summary of our inspection results.  We will also discuss the importance of continuing to regulate ballast water as the first step in preventing new AIS from infesting Lake Michigan and provide an update on the current status on state and federal regulations.

Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm

Let’s take a look at how citizen volunteer observations made over the past 50-75 years can provide much needed data. During this study the objective was to determine whether temporal trends in lake-water clarity existed across this large geographic area and whether trends were related to the lake-specific characteristics of latitude, lake size, or time period the lake was monitored. Results demonstrate that citizen science can provide the critical monitoring data needed to address environmental questions at large spatial and long temporal scales. Learn about these collaborations among citizens, research scientists, and government agencies and how they may be important for developing the data sources and analytical tools necessary to move toward an understanding of the factors influencing macro-scale patterns.

Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm

Piers, docks, and wharves are some of the most recognizable structures that waterfront property owners place on the shoreline. The laws governing the placement of these structures are confusing at best and confounded by the fact that these laws have changed three times in the past five years. When laws change, so does the way the DNR has to administer the laws. This presentation will go over the history of pier regulation in the state, why we have regulation, and answer the number one question that property owners have about piers… “Do I need a permit?"

Friday, 1:45 - 2:25 pm

Allowable phosphorus levels in lakes are determined by relating algal productivity (chlorophyll) to total phosphorus. However, the ratio of chlorophyll to phosphorus (chl:P) varies even among lakes of a similar type. This presentation discusses the study we executed suggesting that 1) lakes that stratify intermittently are fundamentally different than other shallow lakes in terms of nutrient-productivity relationships, 2) the presence of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterial species may be associated with higher chl:P, and 3) a variety of factors (staining, macrophytes, plant management) appear to be responsible for low chl:P.  Come learn more about this relationship and the impacts to shallow lakes..

Seafood is an excellent and healthy source of protein; however, of the seafood Americans consume, over 90 percent is imported, resulting in an annual seafood trade deficit of more than $10.4 billion—second only to oil in the natural resources category. Encouraging Americans to eat USA wild-caught and farm-raised fish is good for their health and the economy. This presentation will focus on local sources of seafood found in Wisconsin. From Lake Michigan whitefish to farmed rainbow trout, we will discuss consumer perceptions of Great Lakes wild-caught and Wisconsin farm-raised fish, as well as the facts of production, sustainability, and contaminants.

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