Wisconsin Lakes Partnership
2010 Convention Archive
Tuesday
Concurrent Sessions III
March 31, 2010
3:45-5:30 pm
Water Quality and Ecological Health along our Waterways
Long Lake Biological Surveys and Using Citizen Science Volunteers
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Attend this session to learn about the science based lake management plan developed by the Long Lake Association in Florence County. Part of the plan includes data collected from three biological surveys. During the 2009 spring through fall season, a bird, frog and toad, and a general plant survey was conducted for the Long Lake Association. Sound scientific information aids in preserving the integrity of lake environments, like shore lines and watersheds. These environments are paramount in maintaining the quality of lake based activities like fishing, swimming, boating, etc. for current users and generations that follow. This session reviews the first year of surveys, some of the protocols used, data collected, significance of this data, the importance and opportunities for citizen science volunteers, and future considerations.
Presenter: Paul Regnier, Owner and Lead Naturalist, Door County Nature and Travel LLC
Developing a Citizen-Based Protection Program for the Northern Highlands Ecological Landscape
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) Science Services is working with WDNR Watershed Management to evaluate establishing comprehensive citizen-based lake monitoring and protection program within the Northern Highland Ecological Landscape (NHEL) of northern Wisconsin. Many lake monitoring programs are currently underway in the region, directed and implemented by WDNR, non-profit, and volunteer organizations. The WDNR SS and WM team will coordinate this effort through two major objectives: to 1) organize, synthesize and analyze data previously collected by both citizen- and professional- scientists to summarize trends, guide future data collection (e.g., are there areas with critical data gaps), help determine how citizen scientists from this point forward should be trained, guide and develop future lake assessment protocols, etc. and 2) develop a new Lake Assessment Protocol to provide planning options for interested lake associations and managers. Informed by the products from Objective 1, the WDNR team will work with project and lake managers to develop a menu of superior long-term lake monitoring and assessment protocols with the over-arching goal of protecting lake water quality and ecological integrity within the NHEL.
Presenter: Mike Meyer, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Kevin Gauthier WDNR Lake Coordinator
New Knowledge on Shorelands & Shallows
Shoreland Restoration: How-to Strategies, Installation Tips, and Proven Techniques
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Come learn shoreland restoration strategies and techniques from a seasoned professional. Rob Bursik with Dragonfly Gardens in Amery, WI has been consulting and partnering with lakeshore enthusiasts on shoreland restoration projects for over ten years. During that time period, he has picked up a number of proven strategies and techniques to help make the installation of your restoration project go smoothly and effectively. He will share some of the common misperceptions, challenges, and pitfalls shoreland restoration projects face in northern Wisconsin climates and on our lakes. Also, as a business owner who specializes in growing and selling over 300 species of native grasses, herbaceous perennials, ferns, shrubs, and trees, Rob knows his plants. Tap into his knowledge for proper plants to use for rain gardens, wildflower gardening, lake edge restorations, forest recovery plans, and prairie plantings.
Presenter: Rob Bursik, Dragonfly Gardens
Building a Native Plant Program from the Ground Up: The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest Experience
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Want free native plants? Collect local seeds and grow your own! Learn how the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest started a successful native plant program to provide locally-native plant species for revegetation needs. This session will include discussion on: seeds zones, favorite species, seed collection and storage, and stratification. It will also cover grow stations, site preparations, demonstration gardens, seed production plots, greenhouses, and community connections.
Presenter: Nicole Shutt, Biological Science Technician, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
Native Plant Seed Collecting: Tricks and Tips from a Plant Enthusiast
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Are you excited by the idea of planting more native plants into your home landscape? Do you want to learn more about effectively collecting seed from native plants? Then head this way to glean helpful tips from a plant enthusiast on topics such as: deciphering seed collection dates around the state; estimating seed ripeness; storage recommendations; etiquette for selecting seed collection areas; ideas on reaching germination success; examples of popular native species used for shoreland plantings; etc. You might even walk away with some new natives species for seeds that you clean yourself. There will also be some time allotted for your questions on native plants and seed collecting. Come join in on the fun.
Presenter: Patrick Goggin, UW-Extension Lakes Specialist
Waterfront History, Policy and Regulation
2010 is Here: Planning Along Wisconsin's Waterways
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Wisconsin requires local governments to make zoning and land division decisions that are consistent with their comprehensive plans. State statutes identify January 1, 2010 as the beginning date for the consistency requirement to take effect. This presentation will highlight the status of Wisconsin counties with respect to their comprehensive plans and land use regulations in the shoreland zone. We will explore the nature and history of consistency requirements for planning and land use regulations and identify potential issues that can arise when plans and regulations are not consistent, including cases where a community fails to develop or approve a comprehensive plan. Participants in this session will gain insight into the legal basis for consistency requirements and their historic evolution. They will better understand the importance of completing and approving local comprehensive plans that meet state statute requirements. In addition, they will understand the process of creating plan modifications and updates.
Presenter: Eric Olson, UW-Stevens Point/UW-Extension Center for Land Use Education
Making plans real: Waupaca County's intergovernmental implementation project
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Waupaca County successfully completed a county-level comprehensive plan in 2007 with 33 of 34 communities adopting plans. The process was designed to build plan documents and coordinate a long term implementation strategy. The plan building process tied in fundamental components of intergovernmental coordination to both local and county implementation responsibilities. Come learn how communities are working together to save money and build local implementation policy through county code revisions. See how planning can lead to results if there is leadership followed by ownership. Hear how one county and its communities are making things happen.
Presenter: John Williams, AICP/Project Manager, Foth Infrastructure & Environment, LLC
Economics of Shoreland Management
The EPA National Assessment Protocol for Shoreland Assessments
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Presenters: Tim Asplund, WDNR Limnologist; Paul Garrison, WDNR Research Scientist; Neal Kamman, Environmental Scientist, Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and Richard Mitchell, Office of Wetlands, Oceans & Watersheds, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Water Quality in Nearshore Areas of Northern Wisconsin
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
The effects of shoreline development on water quality and nutrient yields in nearshore areas of four lakes in northern Wisconsin were investigated from October 1999 through September 2001. The study measured surface runoff and ground-water flows, nutrients and loads from paired developed and undeveloped catchments adjacent to four lakes in northern Wisconsin. In this session, Steven Greb will discuss results of this study and explain how these results can be applied to choosing appropriate landscape position for lawns in sloped areas to reduce the adverse effect of lawns on shallow ground water and the lake.
Presenter: Steven Greb, Research Hydrologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Land and Water Interface
Structure and Functional Dynamics of Coarse Woody Habitats in Littoral Zones of Lakes
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Submerged trees may be important structural habitats for fish and wildlife in the littoral zones of north temperate lakes, but our fundamental understanding of the actual role they play, their natural recruitment patterns, and how to restore these habitats is clearly lacking. The purpose of this presentation is to explore these questions as they relate to a series of research projects conducted in our research program. Studies were conducted to elucidate relations between the architectural structure of trees and fish in order to understand how fish use and partition these complex habitats. Additional studies were conducted to forecast how varying land uses affect the sustainable recruitment of trees from riparian areas to littoral zones of lakes. Submerged trees in the littoral zone of Lake Katherine, Wisconsin were surveyed by SCUBA and snorkeling. Differences in branching complexity of crowns were the most important feature of submerged trees in explaining differences in fish distribution. Attend this session for discussion on how common fish species partition submerged woody habitats. Differences in land uses showed clear differences in the recruitment potential of woody habitats into littoral zones of lakes and effects of future recruitment lags can be averted if proper management is applied. These results provide biologists with insight into the value trees have and aid in protection, restoration, enhancement efforts.
Presenter: Mike Bozek, Professor and Coop Leader, Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, UW-Stevens Point
Fish Sticks: The Eau Claire Chain Lakes Project
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
2007, Bony Lake (Bayfield County) property owners began a whole lake shoreline restoration project, as a part of this project, whole trees from adjacent upland areas were placed in the water to replace wood that had been removed over the years. In 2008, the Eau Claire Conservation Club became involved with the Fish Sticks habitat project by funding and helping to place wood on the shore of willing landowners on Upper Eau Claire Lake. 2009 saw a continued effort on Bony, Middle Eau Claire and Upper Eau Claire Lakes. This past winter the project continued on Middle and Upper Eau Claire Lakes and expanded again to Lower Eau Claire Lake. The project this past winter was funded through federal stimulus grants and local conservation club dollars. To date, over 750 trees from upland sources have been placed in the Eau Claire Chain of Lakes. This presentation will give a quick history of this citizen lead project and discuss implementation and lessons learned along the way.
Presenter: Scott Toshner, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fish Biologist
Human Dimensions of Shorelands and Shallows
Water Star Program
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Deep under and around your lake is a world that is hard to fathom. It is the complex world of groundwater, the major source of water to most of Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers. Critical to lakes, but often ignored, this vital resource should be studied, understood and managed. This session will explore how the Rock River Coalition, along with several lake groups, took a watershed view of their lake and of regional groundwater flow through the development of a Rock River Basin GFLOW model. This powerful computer model is just one of many steps a lake district or municipality can take to understand and protect groundwater resources. A new program called Water Star Community will also be described that is working to inspire, guide and recognize municipalities who are taking actions regarding groundwater as well as surface water.
Presenter: Suzanne Wade, Upper/Lower Rock River Basin Educator, UW-Extension and Rock River Coalition
Protecting and Restoring Shorelands and Shallows: DNR Grants are Here to Help
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Interested in helping shorelands and shallows around your lake but feeling like you don't know where to start? This session will share DNR grant funding opportunities and example partner projects. Learn about grant options that fund small steps like developing and sharing informational materials, gauging property owner project interest, and developing a plan. Understand how lake protection grants fund larger steps like lakewide ecosystem restorations and land purchases.
Presenter: Pamela Toshner, Lake Coordinator for the Northern Region of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Lake Organization Capacity Building
The Politics of Lakes: Citizen Participation
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
In this discussion, we will examine environmental issues facing Wisconsin lakes, then explore different options for citizen participation. Environmental issues will span invasive species, non-point source pollution, PCBs, water supply issues, and climate change. Participation issues will start with gathering information then move to different forms of local, state, federal and, in our case, international, forms of participation.
Presenter: Wendy Scattergood, Professor & Analyst, St. Norbert College
Working with Citizens for Healthy Shorelands
Erosion Control Techniques 101
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
This presentation will focus on identifying various causes of erosion (geologic, vegetative, climatic, hydraulic, human) and the effect of these factors (runoff, waves, groundwater seeps, freeze/thaw, ice, human access, etc.) on the landscape and shoreline areas. Once the causes of erosion are known, it is then possible to select techniques to help control or eliminate erosion potential. We will share engineering standards, conceptual drawings, material samples, and photographs to depict these techniques and where they are useful and applicable. Design standards, construction efforts, and lessons learned will be discussed. Successes and challenges will be mentioned with each case study.
Presenters: Stacy Dehne, DATCP Conservation Engineer and Carolyn Scholl, Vilas County Land and Water Conservation Department
Erosion Control Techniques in Reservoirs with Fluctuating Water Levels
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Shoreline erosion control techniques used on natural lakes are not always suited to the dynamic nature of man-made reservoirs. WVICs reservoirs experience water level fluctuations with changing wave attack elevations and highly variable moisture conditions. To address shoreline erosion control on WVIC reservoirs, an Erosion Control Demonstration Project was initiated in 1992 at Rainbow Reservoir. The objectives were to determine suitability of a variety of techniques, learn associated installation procedures, and evaluate cost effectiveness. Based on results from the Rainbow project and subsequent installations over the past 15 years, WVIC has employed many different techniques and combinations thereof that effectively control shoreline erosion. To date, WVIC has protected more than 6,000 ft of shoreline over several reservoir shoreline sites. Cost (materials and labor), fish and wildlife compatibility, aesthetics, and amount of bank disturbance caused by the installation differ significantly between techniques. The projects WVIC has completed provide a wide variety of reservoir shoreline erosion control techniques for other users to consider.
Presenter: Cathy Wendt, Environmental Specialist, Wisconsin Valley Improvement Company
Bioengineered Erosion Control at Michigan DNR Boating Access Sites
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Green Initiative calls for MDNR land managers to promote environmentally-friendly management practices and products on state recreational lands, including boating access sites. Shoreline bioengineering, and associated no-mow zones, forward MDNR goals by: restoring fish and wildlife habitat, reducing mower-generated CO2 emissions, and reducing Canada goose activity. The Michigan State University Extension Land & Water Unit at Kellogg Biological Station was contracted by MDNR Division of Parks & Recreation to develop and deliver a targeted 1.5-day in-service training on bioengineered shoreline erosion control. This presentation will highlight the outcomes of this educational program, management challenges for BAS program managers and recommendations for the future of bioengineering on MDNR boating access sites.
Presenter: Jane Herbert, Shorelands Specialist, Michigan State University Extension
Aquatic Invasive Species
EWM Management Strategies on McDill Pond
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Management of Eurasian water-milfoil (EWM) in McDill Pond in 2009 involved several intense strategies, including a 12-foot winter drawdown, hand-pulling in the middle of winter, and snorkeling/diving to hand-pull EWM in the summer. During the 2008 aquatic plant survey (point-intercept), EWM was seen at 259 sites out of 370. In 2009, the July aquatic plant survey found EWM at 0 (Zero!) of the points. But in late summer, EWM again started to show its ugly head. Thanks to vigilant volunteers, the EWM was detected early, and management actions were quickly initiated. This presentation will focus on the successes and challenges of the 2009 EWM management at McDill Pond.
Presenters: Paul Skawinski, Regional Aquatic Invasive Species Education Specialist, Golden Sands RC&D, and Krista Olson, McDill Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District
Coordinating and Evaluating a Successful AIS Control Project
Wednesday 3:45-5:30 pm
Conducting a successful AIS control program begins with the collection of proper baseline information and creation of a realistic plan. Once a control strategy is devised and implementation begins, the continued monitoring of the target AIS and evaluation of treatment effectiveness are critical in achieving long-term success. During this presentation, Tim and Eddie will discuss the process they have used to conduct, coordinate, and evaluate successful Eurasian water milfoil and curly-leaf pondweed control projects on Wisconsin lakes. Methods for creation and monitoring of treatments will be presented along with brief case studies of successful projects from northern and central Wisconsin lakes.
Presenters: Tim Hoyman and Eddie Heath, Aquatic Ecologists, Onterra, LLC
Skip to main content
