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Friday Concurrent Session 6
60 minutes

April 20, 2018 ~ 9:15-10:15 am

Your Lakes Convention will offer over 50 concurrent session options. Click here to view the different themes.

Agenda subject to change.

Aquatic Invasive Species - Friday, 9:15-10:15 am

General Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS):

*Two 30 minute presentations.

Aquatic Invasive Species Prevention & Clean Boats, Clean Waters in Vilas County

Vilas County is home to over 1,300 gorgeous Northern Wisconsin lakes with over 200 public access points. In order to keep the lakes in a pristine condition, these access points need to be staffed with volunteers who are trained to help prevent the spread of invasive species. Although local lake organizations volunteer their time, it is a challenge to staff these access points.  Vilas County Land & Water Conservation entered into a partnership with many local lake organizations, along with UW-Oshkosh, to help address these challenges. This partnership was able to develop an Internship program for the University, resulting in more than 7,400 hours of Clean Boats Clean Waters monitoring hours in 2017 alone.
 
Presenters: 
Cathy Higley, Lakes Conservation Specialist, Vilas County Land & Water Conservation
Emily Harrington, Research Scientist & Clean Boats, Clean Waters Internship Coordinator, UW-Oshkosh

PRESENTATION:

Detecting Invasive Species Through a Two-state, Coordinated AIS Snapshot Day

Early detection of any invasive species can result in more effective and less expensive management. Through a two-state AIS Snapshot Day, UW-Extension Lakes, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, and the University of Minnesota Extension coordinated over 350 volunteers and searched hundreds of sites for invasive species. Results of the day's efforts and feedback from participants will be shared, as well as updates for the 2018 AIS Snapshot Day to be held on August 18th.
 
Presenters:
Maureen Ferry, Statewide Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring Coordinator, WI Department of Natural Resources
Paul Skawinski, Citizen Lake Monitoring Network Statewide Coordinator, UW-Extension Lakes

PRESENTATION:

Ecology - Friday, 9:15-10:15 am

Restorative Ecology:

Bats of Wisconsin

Learn about the ecology and natural history of Wisconsin’s eight bat species. We’ll discuss the many threats that face Wisconsin’s bats including the deadly fungal disease - white-nose syndrome, wind energy development and poorly-timed evictions. You will understand how citizen-based monitoring efforts have shaped the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources knowledge of where bat populations exist and the overall health of these populations. And since bats are closely linked to water resources in addition to commonly using artificial structures like attics, barns and bat houses; you’ll learn how to protect and support bats while localizing their insect-eating appetites.
 
Presenter: 
Paul White, Bat Ecologist, DNR Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation

People, Policy & Politics - Friday, 9:15-10:15 am

Economics/Water Law:

Panel Discussion: Use & Effectiveness of Countywide or Watershed Level Economic Studies

“It’s the economy, stupid!” is an apt cliché when it comes to advocating for a particular policy, and too often we overlook its importance in discussing the importance of clean, healthy lakes. Several county lakes and rivers groups in Wisconsin, however, not only got the message, they got smart and took a deep look at the impact of local waters on their counties’ economies. We will talk to the folks who did the work to see how they did it, what they found out, and how they’ve used that information to tell the important economic story of their county’s rivers and lakes.
 
Presenters: 
Mary Knipper, Delavan Lake, Quita Sheehan, Vilas County, and Don Ystad, Adams County

Moderator:
Mike Engleson, Director, Wisconsin Lakes

PRESENTATION:

Research - Friday, 9:15-10:15 am

Citizen Data:

*Two 30 minute presentations.

Citizen Scientists Turning Data into Decisions

Since 2013, with funding from the Yahara Watershed Improvement Network (WINS), the Rock River Coalition (RRC) has run a vibrant citizen-based stream monitoring project in the Yahara River watershed.  More than 150 volunteers have monitored stream health at 65 stream stations, tracking changes in water quality as various phosphorus reduction practices are put into place across the watershed. 
While the immediate output of this project is water quality data, the RRC program coordinator and volunteers hope this effort will lead to science-based decision-making. To enable such an outcome, RRC is using data visualization software, helping to turn data into useful information, and ultimately, information into effective decisions. 
At this session, the RRC will share its experience in developing visualizations using Tableau® software. 
 
Presenter: 
Nancy Sheehan, Volunteer Stream Monitoring Program Coordinator, Rock River Coalition

PRESENTATION:

Volunteer Monitoring of Emerging Contaminants in the Milwaukee River Basin

Emerging Contaminants are anything in our rivers and lakes that we do not typically monitor but could adversely impact the health of our water and the human and aquatic life that depends on it. Common classes of emerging contaminants include prescription drugs, antibiotics, herbicides, personal care products, and even cooking ingredients like vanilla. Unfortunately, little is known about the presence of these compounds in our waterways, and even less is known about their effects on aquatic ecosystems. To learn more about emerging contaminants, in 2016, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, along with several project partners, launched a citizen science based emerging contaminants monitoring program. Since then, we have been mobilizing volunteers to collect water samples from river stations throughout the Milwaukee River Basin. Water samples for this program are analyzed for over 60 compounds. Preliminary results from our study indicate high levels of several compounds including caffeine, Ibuprofen, nicotine, and many others.
 
Presenter:
Zac Driscoll, Water Quality Specialist, Milwaukee Riverkeeper

PRESENTATION:

Restoration - Friday, 9:15-10:15 am 

Citizen Data:

Great Lakes Restoration Blitz – Snapshots of Success

In 1987, the lower 14 miles of the Sheboygan River were designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) by the International Joint Commission (IJC) in accordance with the US-Canada, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. AOC’s are defined as, “up to 14 beneficial use impairments tied to contamination from industrial sources, habitat loss and eutrophication”. The Sheboygan River AOC was identified by US-EPA as a priority AOC and targeted for significant funding to drive the removal of listed AOC impairments. Approximately $5.7 million in funds from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) were approved for habitat restoration in the Sheboygan AOC in 2012. The habitat restoration included 5 project sites with a total of 41 acres and 18,300 feet of shoreline. Goals of the habitat restoration were to restore native plant communities, improve existing wetlands, and provide shoreline naturalization (invasive species removal, bank stabilization, and habitat connectivity). The project had a short time line for completion. Working on behalf of the City of Sheboygan, Sheboygan County and DNR, a group of consultants with a wide variety of expertise were hired to design and oversee project construction. Details of the projects including aspects of project design and problems encountered will be discussed. Information about habitat project establishment, monitoring, maintenance and long-term care will be provided.
 
Presenter: 
Amy Kretlow, Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring and Rapid Response Specialist, WI Department of Natural Resources

PRESENTATION:
 

Watershed Connections/Water Quality - Friday, 9:15-10:15 am

Watershed Management & Use of Best Management Practices (BMP’s) in Various Land Use Settings:

*Three 20 minute presentations.

Development of Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soils and Healthy Water

John and Robert will share the efforts Dodge County has undertaken to engage producers and residents in working together to address water quality concerns. Beginning with a Non-Point Source Task Force, established to find common ground between stakeholders, and moving towards a Soil Health Theme and the establishment of the Dodge County Farmers for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water, and the Dodge County Alliance for Healthy Soil and Healthy Water.
 
Presenters: 
Robert Bird, Conservation Agronomist, Dodge Co. Land and Water Conservation Department
John Bohonek, County Conservationist, Dodge Co. Land and Water Conservation Department

HANDOUT: What is Soil Health? (PDF)

Superior River Watershed Association

Community involvement and mutually beneficial partnerships are keys to the success of the Superior Rivers Watershed Association. For 15 years, Superior Rivers (formerly the Bad River Watershed Association) has coordinated citizen water quality monitoring and connected with area governmental agencies to effect change in the watershed. We will discuss how citizen collected data has been used by the community and environmental agencies, and how this collaboration is being applied to watershed planning and restoration work. The Marengo River Watershed Action Plan, an EPA-approved nine-element plan for restoration in the Marengo River basin, will be highlighted as a flagship example of partnerships and citizen action working together to achieve positive, tangible results.
 
Presenter:
Mariana Brewster-Brown, Citizen Involvement Coordinator, Superior Rivers Watershed Association

PRESENTATION:

Leveraging Green Lake Partnerships - Implementation of the Big Green Lake Management Plan

Effective lake management requires the cooperation of many partners and the formulation and implementation of the Big Green Lake Management Plan is no exception.  In this session you will hear how the Green Lake Association (GLA) and the Green Lake Sanitary District (GLSD) have partnered on the Lake Management Plan and other Big Green Lake activities, and how the partnerships, working relationships, and funding mechanisms have contributed to their success. 
 
Presenter:
Charlie Marks, Administrator, Green Lake Sanitary District, Crew 1 Wisconsin Lake Leaders Graduate

PRESENTATION: 

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