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​Leadership/Communications

Petenwell Castle Rock Flowage and the PACRS (Petenwell And Castle Rock Stewards)

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

With cooperation between Adams County LWCD and various property owners (business and residential) around Petenwell and Castle Rock Lakes, a "movement" was born to finally start a study of the long-standing algae bloom problem on these lakes. Learn how this partnership PACRS was formed and how they cooperated for the well being of the entire flowage.

 

 

Northern Highlands Lakes and Wildlife Citizen Science Project/Wisconsin Bat Monitoring Program

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

Learn how the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Science Services utilizes baseline data collected by Citizen Lake Monitors. A pilot project on several lakes in the Northern Highlands will take place this year. The overall goal is to develop a lakes database that will not only include information on water quality, but also describe the status of lake-dependent wildlife associated with lakes such as loons, amphibians, and bats.

 

 

Asian Carp at the Edge of the Great Lakes

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

For about the last decade Asian carp have been expanding their range upstream in the Illinois River towards Lake Michigan. These fish, which were intentionally introduced for use in aquaculture, have escaped into the wild and are established in the major river systems of the Midwest. For almost two years we have been hearing about Asian carp DNA being found in the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal near to and on the margin of Lake Michigan, and, in June 2010, a bighead carp was captured in Lake Calumet, only seven miles from Lake Michigan. Efforts continue in the development and improvement of behavioral barriers to prevent the mass movement of Asian carp into Lake Michigan and to reduce their numbers downstream. This presentation will examine the biology of Asian carp, efforts to slow their spread towards the Great Lakes, the potential for establishment of Asian carp in the Great Lakes and challenges to the separation of the Great Lakes and Mississippi River drainage basins.

 

How's My Lake Doing? From Sediment to Satellites

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

This session will report on the condition of Wisconsin lakes and how their water quality changed during the last 150 years. We will discuss the sources of information and tools the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) uses to access our lakes’ conditions. These include sediment cores, citizen-based monitoring (CBM), staff monitoring, the 2007 National Lake Assessment and satellites. Sediment cores provide the longest record, with reconstructed water quality histories spanning the time since the lakes were formed to present day. The cores can also determine the major causes of lake water quality changes. The WDNR has been using satellite technology to monitor lake water clarity in the state since 2003.  The CBM program has been instrumental in supporting this program by collecting Secchi disk data to ground truth information collected by the satellite. In addition, previous work extends our satellite database of water clarity measures back to the early 1980s. This discussion will compare the condition of Wisconsin lakes in nearby states as well on a national scale.

 

 

Beaver Creek Reserve Meets Success in
6-County AIS Prevention Effort

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

Beaver Creek Reserve began their AIS prevention effort back in 2007 with a three year AIS survey consisting of 114 lakes in a 6 county region. Results from those surveys enabled them to plan and prioritize a cost effective regional approach to Watercraft Inspection programming. The speaker will share project challenges, partnerships, strategies and rallies that made their story successful.

 

Troubled Waters

Wednesday 4:00-5:00 pm

The Mississippi River is a vital part of the landscape in many states. It’s ecological, aesthetic, historical, and cultural significance is invaluable to Americans. Troubled Waters presents the serious consequences of farming along the Mississippi River and the efforts being made to reverse to damage already inflicted along this remarkable river.

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