Thursday Concurrent Session 3
40 minutes
April 19, 2018 ~ 1:45 2:25 pm
Your Lakes Convention will offer over 50 concurrent session options. Click here to view the different themes.
Agenda subject to change.
General Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS):
Eurasian Watermilfoil - The Plant We Love to Hate
Eurasian watermilfoil thrives in areas subjected to both natural and manmade disturbances. This presentation and discussion will cover various management options and strategies for lake organizations to consider when controlling new and established populations of Wisconsin's favorite invasive aquatic plant.
Presenter:
Carroll Schaal, Lakes & Rivers Section Chief, WI Department of Natural Resources
PRESENTATION:
Fisheries:
WDNR Fish Stocking Program Overview- Practices, Procedures and Policies
Increased anthropogenic changes have had a profound influence on fisheries habitat, water quality and fish population dynamics. Most notably, significant changes to some Wisconsin waters include increased nutrient loading, increased eutrophication and aquatic invasive species introductions. These changes to fisheries habitat and water quality have resulted in the increased need for supplemental stocking of desirable gamefish populations to maintain species diversity and abundance. The WDNR Bureau of Fisheries Management takes into consideration a broad array of factors when making stocking decisions including genetic conservation, natural reproductive success, interspecies competition, forage availability and cost effectiveness. The purpose of this presentation is to inform the audience of the WDNR’s current practices, procedures and policies and how they help guide sound fisheries management decisions.
Presenter:
Benjamin Heussner, Fisheries Biologist, WI Department of Natural Resources
PRESENTATION:
Capacity Building:
Open Networks in Environmental Initiatives
When faced with uncertainties and challenges or unforeseen opportunities and growth many businesses turn to the tried and true method of designing a strategic response using Strategic Planning. But for many organizations, groups or people wishing to tackle environmental challenges they find little value in that model. Strategic Planning should not be the only tool in your organization’s toolbox. In a regional setting addressing concerns such as “everything water related” there simply is no one controlling entity to work with? Instead of using a strategy design process (Strategic Planning) that relies on a hierarchical structure or “top down” structure for success, consider adding two additional tools to your box that rely almost entirely on Open Networks of people working together as equals. As a practitioner, I have not yet perfected the two models of “Strategic Doing” nor “Collective Impact”, but taking their guidance I have had some success in addressing environmental concerns within Oconto County.
Presenter:
Dale Mohr, Community and Natural Resources Agent, UW-Extension Oconto County
PRESENTATION:
Decades of Findings:
Long-term Changes in Water Quality Across the Upper Midwest and Northeast United States: How Does Wisconsin Stack Up?
Despite past reductions in point source pollution, many threats to water quality still exist, including diffuse anthropogenic nutrient loading and climate change. It is unclear if and how lake nutrient concentrations are changing in response to modern stresses. We used total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP), and chlorophyll (Chl) data from 2,913 Midwest and Northeastern U.S. lakes that had observations in both halves of our timeframe (1990-2000, 2001-2011) to assess how lake water quality has changed. Our analysis revealed that on average across all lakes, TN declined −1.1% per year, while TP and Chl did not change significantly. For the small number of lakes that had water quality trends in Wisconsin, TP trends were variable and Chl was primarily increasing, which reflected the larger scale patterns in water quality trends. Our results suggest that water quality in this region has not overwhelmingly degraded or improved in recent decades.
Presenter:
Samantha Oliver, Data Scientist, United States Geological Survey
PRESENTATION:
Whole Lake Habitat Restoration Activities:
Success Story – Working Together, Working with many and Making a Difference
This presentation will outline the success of collaborating with multiple organizations in order to improve Pewaukee Lake, the lake’s inlet and outlet rivers and the watershed as a whole. People are able to help in a variety of ways, some financially and some physically. Often times these people are unsure of how or where to start. Here sample projects will be provided as well as how each organization plays a role in the end goal.
With positive attitudes, it’s contagious and things get done. The main point is to understand that no project is too big to tackle. Team up with other non-profits to get the word out. Usually people are more than willing to help, and that makes all the difference.
Presenter:
Tom Koepp, Manager, Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District
PRESENTATION:
Understanding Watersheds:
Can Improving Soil Health Improve Your Lake?
Soil Health is a big buzzword these days, and means different things to different people. This presentation will focus on how small and moderate changes to land management can increase rainfall infiltration, which reduces runoff, which increasing recharge and may increase stream base flow. Land management also impacts sediment and nutrient losses. Bring your jacket! We will be stepping outside to see the impacts firsthand with a rainfall simulator in the parking lot.
Presenters:
Kevin Erb, Director, Conservation Professional Training Program, UW-Extension
Justin Morris, Soil Health Specialist, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
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