Welcome
by
Executive Director Jim Kettler
It has been just over one year since I came
on board as Executive Director. In this last year, I’ve
really enjoyed the work especially when it means being in the woods,
fields and waterways of the Lakeshore Basin. I’d like to share some of
the highlights of our success.In the last four years the LNRP has completed three rounds of grants
awarded through the
Community Grants Program bringing the total
allocation of funds to over $88,000 and funding 38 projects throughout
the area.Funding was obtained to launch the Lakeshore
Environmental Resource Network project (LERN). LERN is a direct
effort to organize the wealthy array of individuals and organizations
involved in environmental education and research efforts in the basin.
We also launched the “We All Live on the Water” educational
campaign and were integral to the newly formed collaboration with
farmers and state agencies, the
Agricultural Watershed Improvement
Network (AWIN). Our most exciting news is the launch of this
basin-wide quarterly e-newsletter!The funding came from a DNR River
Planning Grant. We will bring you news from across the basin on what
our partners are doing to protect and restore our rivers and lakeshore.
Our continued success depends on you, those living and working in
the communities we help serve. Please support LNRP through an
individual, group or business membership. Your contribution will perpetuate the growing
success of the organization
and help us improve the quality of life
through the implementation of our vision:
The Lakeshore Natural
Resource Partnership is the leading environmental advocate
on the waters
of Northeast Wisconsin,
fostering stewardshipin the planet’s largest watershed, and taking
action to champion the environment.
The Lakeshore Basin provides an unsurpassed quality of life -
a quality
of life worth protecting and enhancing!All levels of participation and contribution are
important.
Please support LNRP with an annual membership and
continue to receive our newsletter!
Jim
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Celebrating
Four Years of
"Solutions Through Community"
by Director of
Outreach
Julie Hein-Frank
Hello and welcome to The Source as we celebrate four years of
Stewardship and Action
in the lakeshore basin!
Motivated by a vision and enthusiasm from founder John Roberts the
organization has grown. In this short time we have collaborated with
over fifty groups, local and state agencies and many dedicated
individuals working on grass roots initiatives in the basin with
projects that reach beyond county borders on issues in land, water,
agriculture and education. Our outreach support and funding provides
stewardship in area schools, scientific data collection and research
with invasive species and the search for genetic markers in waters with
e-coli outbreaks. We foster the stewardship of local artists and writers
and provide funding for the creation of new land trusts and groundwater
groups.
Our Community Grant program is proudly our flagship but we have
become much more than a re-granting organization. We
now support
four major initiatives and are working on a fourth grant round for
the fall of 2008. These new initiatives
and partnerships actively increase community involvement
and meet identified needs on a local level as we work to protect our
coastal resources. LNRP is effective at building the capacity of
local grass roots organizations with the focus to protect the natural
resources that are the fundamental source of this areas prosperity and
quality of life. We launch this newsletter to network all in the
basin that share our passion for this ecologically rich area and ask you
to join us as we bridge the gap to action on the issues that affect the
land and waters that we all depend on.
Please join us in fostering community partnerships and promoting
support for activities that advocate a balance between land use and
protection of our natural resources in the lakeshore basin:
Join our Membership.
Sponsor
a We all live on the Water Sign
Become
a Member of our Board of
Directors.
Join
our Grant Advisory Teams.
Contribute
to our
Environmental Solutions Fund.
Apply
for an
LNRP Community Grant.
Holiday Wishes,
Julie
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Tensions in the
Neighborhood
The Link Between
Cladophora & Phosphorus -- September Seminar Review
LNRP
hosted the first in our “We All Live on the Water” seminar series on September 26th
at the
Wisconsin
Maritime Museum.
The first seminar issue came out of a year-long process initiated by the
DNR that created the Lake Michigan Stakeholders. From the steering
committee review on Coastal Health,
Cladophora was named as the
“single” most important environmental issue facing the shoreline of Lake
Michigan. The presence of Cladophora has been the cause of
significant beach closings throughout the lakeshore. Although human
health concerns are still not a primary concern, there are significant
aesthetic and ecological impacts both of which are causing considerable
concerns for landowners, municipalities, land management agencies, and
the business community.
However, the
Great
Lakes Water Institute at UW Milwaukee now has a working model linking
Cladophora & phosphorus loads into Lake Michigan. The model
estimates that with a 50% reduction in phosphorus, Cladophora
levels would remain under what is considered a “nuisance” level. Field
data are supporting the model although not all feedback loops are yet
accounted for.
We invited the
principle author of the model, Harvey Bootsma, Associate Professor of
the Great Lakes Water Institute, to be the keynote speaker for the
seminar. His presentation included
a simulation of the "Cladophora
animation" model with information on phosphorus loading into Lake
Michigan from Wisconsin river-basins. Manitowoc County had some of the
more heavy loaded rivers in the State including the Manitowoc River,
Fischer Creek, Point Creek, and the East and West Twin Rivers.
Key findings from
the research showed:
- The primary
factor responsible for the recent increase in Cladophora
abundance appears to be increased water clarity, resulting from zebra
and quagga mussel filtration.
- A secondary
factor may be a moderate increase in nearshore dissolved phosphorus
concentrations in the past decade. Mussels are the major source of
dissolved phosphorus in the nearshore zone but agricultural lands are
showing higher phosphorus in the same time frame.
- We may need to
lower the nearshore target phosphorus concentration to compensate for
increased light availability.
- The
Cladophora model suggests that, at depths greater than 22ft, a 50%
phosphorus reduction would result in a significant decline in
Cladophora abundance. At shallower depths, the response is less
certain.
Perhaps the most
important message was that reducing phosphorus concentrations in
Lake Michigan is a long-term process, due to large stores of phosphorus
in watershed soils, and the lake’s long phosphorus residence time.
We followed
Harvey’s talk with a panel of speakers that provided insight on the best
management practices. Sources of phosphorus were identified from
homeowners, construction sites, and agricultural operations along with
the best management practices in each area. Janet Sosnosky is the
storm-water coordinator in Manitowoc and provided a municipal and
homeowner perspective. In October 2006, the city received a storm water
discharge permit and is now working to fully comply with the DNR
regulations. Janet also spoke on the variety of things a homeowner can
do to reduce phosphorus including keeping anything from running into
storm drains, eliminating phosphorus from any lawn fertilizer or
detergent product, and mulching leaves back into the lawns and gardens.
Jim Reif represented the Home Builders Association providing a series of
best management practices that are in place for many builders and
promoted by the Association. Steve Hoffman is an agricultural
consultant in Manitowoc county and shared practices that farmers are
putting in place including buffer zones, nutrient management plans, and
better manure management.
What followed was a
lively discussion that illuminated the tensions between the agricultural
and non-agricultural community. It is clear that the non-agricultural
community is looking for results for lowering run-off and the
implications to the cladophora problem being experienced on Lake
Michigan. A number of participants felt that the majority of phosphorus
is coming from agriculture, that there is a lack of enforcement, and
that there are insufficient punitive damages for transgressions.
Although there have been a number of nutrient management plans completed
for farms in Manitowoc County, there are few dollars available for cost
sharing in getting farmers to volunteer to do a nutrient management plan
and even less for a comprehensive nutrient management plan.
Our challenge is to
work constructively within that tension to allow us to find solutions to
problems that damage our quality of life. Already, the Manitowoc
Herald Times Reporter took a strong editorial position just four
days later with a call to ban phosphorus in lawn fertilizer. LNRP
will continue to work to facilitate a dialogue with plans to hold a
two-session series with Centerville Cares. The Steering Committee
is looking for other ways to continue the dialogue and search for
community-based solutions. If you are interested in participating
in this process, please contact Jim Kettler
jim@lnrp.org or call
920-693-2199.
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Partnering to Make Waves in
the Basin
Notes from UWEX
Basin Educator, Debbie Beyer
Hello! There is great momentum building for
increased public awareness and engagement in watershed work in this part
of the State. So many people and organizations are involved in so many
wonderful initiatives. Some of the projects with which I’ve been
involved over the past year include:
Stormwater education and awareness – I’ve been
working behind the scenes to help Woodland Dunes Nature Center in Two
Rivers and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc engage citizens in
stream monitoring (in the Manitowoc, East Twin and West Twin watersheds)
and learning sessions about water resource issues, with the help of WDNR
River Planning grants. We’ve discussed a few new approaches for
targeted education in the upcoming year – watch for details in future
newsletters!
Silver Lake and Park Restoration – I’ve worked
with Manitowoc County’s Tom Ward and WDNR fisheries biologist Steve
Hogler to develop a series of 14 outdoor exhibits to interpret the death
and rebirth of Silver Lake. Look for beautiful exhibit panels to be
installed this spring!
Woodland Owner Education – I’ve coordinated with
WDNR foresters, Woodland Dunes Nature Center, Brillion Nature Center,
Maywood Nature Center, Glacierland RC&D, Kewaunee County Conservation
Department and others to direct mail forest management information to at
least 5,500 woodland owners in Calumet, Kewaunee, Manitowoc and
Sheboygan counties. By the end of this year, we will have hosted more
than 46 programs in the four-county area since September 2006. This
work was supported with two grants from the Wisconsin Environmental
Education Board and much enthusiasm in all of the partners. Thank you to these and other education partners
for great work over the past year. I look forward to continued
collaborative successes in the next year!
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As
one looks across the Lakeshore Basin, it does not take long to realize
that probably the leading water resource issue today is what is referred
to as “non-point source pollution.” The term “non-point” refers to
pollution that comes from a wide variety of sources in many different
places across the landscape. There is no one “point” from which this
pollution flows.
A few of the sources for non-point pollution
include toxic particles in car exhaust; tiny bits of rubber that wear
off of tires; oil or other fluids leaking from motors; toxins in soot
from chimneys; nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous in excess lawn
and crop fertilizers; toxic chemicals in lawn, garden and agricultural
pesticides; phosphates in our dish soap; bacteria in untreated poop from
cows, horses, cats, dogs or other friends; bacteria from leaking septic
tanks and sanitary sewer systems; and soil eroded from our fields and
construction sites.
We all experience the effects of our non-point
source pollution. It may be the sight of our rivers, streams and
lakeshore waters running brown with mud after rain, the horror of our
drinking water being contaminated, or the disgust in our beaches being
smothered in algae or contaminated with high bacteria levels, or
disappointment in our favorite trout streams no longer hosting trout.
Knowingly or not, we all contribute to non-point
source pollution and we are all responsible for reducing it, whether we
live in the country or in the city.
Ten pointers to lessen our impacts:
- Limit driving – car pool, walk or bike
- Recycle auto oil
- Wash your car on your lawn or at a car wash
- Sweep grass clippings, leaves and fertilizer
from pavement
- Pick-up pet waste
- Direct downspouts to onto lawn
- Install rain barrels
- Choose no-phosphorous fertilizer
- Use little or no pesticides
- If you wouldn’t drink it, don’t dump it!
There is increasing emphasis placed on cleaning up
stormwater runoff on our urban and rural lands. By working
together, we can decrease our contributions to non-point pollution,
improve our waters and restore our defining Lake Michigan lakeshore.
Consider joining forces with your neighbors and other citizens.
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Developing a Stewardship Ethic through Art
The LNRP December Seminar -
Free
We All Live on the Water - Developing a Stewardship Ethic through Art
Explore the connection between art and watershed stewardship with area
artists as they share samples of their work and explain how it expresses
their stewardship ethic. Together we will discuss the challenge of
developing and incorporating a stewardship ethic in the Lakeshore basin.
We will also consider the value of working with those who manage
environmental resources: state agencies, organizations, communities and
our neighbors. Hot
cider and cookies will be served.
Wednesday, December 5th
6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
Woodland Dunes Nature Center & Preserve
just west
of Two Rivers on Highway 310 (920) 755-3147
Featured Artists:
Bonnita Budysz ~
plein air painter Bonnita Budysz has been
a featured artist in the national "American Artist" and "Art of the
West" magazines, as well as being selected for the International Artist
Magazine’s book series, “How Did You Paint That?”. Bonnita’s lush and
luminous paintings are consistent award winners in the top national and
international juried exhibitions; most recently at the American
Impressionist Society’s National Juried Exhibition in Rockport, Texas in
April, 2006 and the National Juried Barns ‘N Farms Exhibition in
Kewaunee, Wisconsin in July, 2006. She is an awarded signature member
of the American Impressionist Society and the Pastel Society of the West
Coast; an associate awarded member of the Oil Painters of America as
well as an active artist member of the California Art Club and the
Portrait Society of America. She paints plein air year-round primarily
in her native Wisconsin, the Southwest and California, as well as abroad
where she led a workshop group of 20 students to Ireland in May of 2006.
Intense study with masters of the Russian Impressionist school has
enhanced her joyfully vibrant style with the radiant color found in her
award winning landscapes, still lifes, and commissioned portraits, all
of which are widely collected and exhibited in fine galleries and
museums (including the Cultural Galleries in Petropavlosvsk, Russia and
the Pasadena Museum of California Art), as well as in private and
corporate collections worldwide. She shares her love of art by
conducting annual workshops, demonstrating, and lecturing at prestigious
learning institutions worldwide.
Jean Biegun ~
poet, member of Woodland Dunes'
education committee Jean Biegun is a
volunteer Teacher-Naturalist at Woodland Dunes Nature Center and enjoys
writing poetry for the quarterlyDunesletter. She is glad to
serve on the Board of the Education Committee, too, having retired to
Two Rivers from a long career with the Chicago Public Schools. She
begins and ends each day with inspirational views of the East Twin River
from her living room and never takes for granted the grand natural
beauty of the rivers and the lake that drew her husband and her to this
area. Contributing to the preservation of that beauty and its
ecological message is vitally important to her. ...You must
give to the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother -- this
stewardship plea of Chief Seattle voiced over one hundred and fifty
years ago Jean feels must be shared even more urgently today, and she
knows the arts can help convey that concern.
Kathryn Gahl ~
writer, poet Kathryn Gahl loves red
lipstick, the Tango, and cooking up a storm inher country kitchen. A
poet and writer, her works appear in overthirty literary journals. She
has received honorable mention from theCouncil of Wisconsin Writers and
was a finalist at both Glimmertrainand Margie. In 2007, Wisconsin
People & Ideas names her a finalist in the statewide poetry and fiction
contests. She lives with her secondand last husband on 42 acres near
the West Twin River.
John Roberts ~
founder of LNRP, renowned for his
stewardship and spellbinding stories of life in the outdoors.
John Roberts brings
to LNRP his experience as a career dairy veterinarian, part owner of a
dairy farm and a passionate concern for the environment. John is a long
time resident of both the northern and southern ends of the lakeshore
basin. The foundational philosophy of “solutions through community” was
his initiative as LNRP’s first president. John is an avid canoeist,
kayaker, bird watcher, botanist and has spearheaded the most
comprehensive scientific study of any river system in the basin. He
understands the people, the agricultural backbone and the local
environmental concerns that are part of the fabric of living in this
beautiful and productive lakeshore region.
He knows that LNRP is an
essential and proven way to make things even better.
Seminar Host
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Beetle Mania
Lyon Recognized as an Invader
Crusader
LNRP
would like to introduce Terri Lyon as one of our Champions of
Conservation!
Terri received one of the inaugural
Invader Crusader Awards presented by the
Wisconsin Council on Invasive Species. The Invader Crusader
Award was created to honor Wisconsin citizens and organizations for
their significant contribution to the prevention or eradication of
invasive species that harm Wisconsin’s land and waters.
The spread of invasive
species like purple loosestrife is a growing crisis in Wisconsin.
Awareness alone is not always enough to generate action. Terri’s
involvement began because of control needs on the lake where she lives.
There are three strategies for
controlling purple loosestrife: hand-pulling, chemical treatment, and
biological control with the Galerucella Beetle.
She and her mother began with manual pulling, but the loosestrife began
to spread into areas they were unable to access. When the biological
control program was offered through the DNR, they sent a check for $100
to obtain 100 beetles and began a beetle raise & release program.
Through some years of learning the process and perfecting some rearing
techniques, Terri found it critical to produce these beetles in much
greater numbers by asking individuals and groups to participate in the
program.
The Lakeshore Natural
Resource Partnership provided funds through our Community Grants Program
to Terri and the Manitowoc County Lakes Association to expand a program
to educate, train and involve the public in the bio-control method,
which has proven to be most efficient and least costly for larger
infestations of loosestrife. Beetle Mania had three main project
objectives: 1) increase public awareness through educational programs to
schools, clubs, lake associations and other groups; 2) educate and train
individuals and groups in eradication methods through workshops and
hands-on clinics; and 3) establish local insectories to raise and
release beetles for on-going control in loosestrife-infested areas.
Partnering with groups
that include the Wisconsin Wetlands Association and the Viking Bow and
Gun Club, the Manitowoc County Lakes Association mobilized a number of
groups to rear and release beetles, and to establish two new insectories
in the Lakeshore Basin. The Beetle Mania project recruits,
coordinates and supports individuals and organizations, interested in
conservation efforts that control invasive species using bio-control
methods. Beetle Mania uses predator beetles that only eat purple
loosestrife.
Beetle
Mania utilizes education and
awareness programs at area workshops about why it is important to
control purple loosestrife. One-day training sessions provide the
necessary information to set-up and carryout a successful project. Once
trained, groups or individuals who have committed to starting a project
for one, two, or three years will receive free supplies to host a
project. Three participation outings are required for the program: Rootstock collecting, Beetle collection
and Beetle releases.
Cooperators then raise
the purple loosestrife plants in cages as food for the beetles, add the
beetles and wait for their new beetles to develop and emerge. They
release their newborn beetles at sites in need.The success of beetle
release locations is measured through annual photographs. Purple
loosestrife sites are photographed at peak bloom in the initial year.
Each consecutive year follow-up photos are taken to measure the
reduction of blooming. It starts to look very dramatic at year
three, because beetles have compromised the loosestrife enough to reduce
the production of flowers.
With no flowers, there
are no seeds. With no seeds, purple loosestrife cannot spread. To
determine if additional releases are required at release sites, beetle
activity is monitored each spring for returning beetle populations.
Larger sites are further developed for insectary potential for use as
beetle collection sites in future years. If there are no more purple
loosestrife plants, the beetle population dies off.
Many towns and counties
are unaware that a program exists for purple loosestrife control.
However, Terri has been very successful in getting the word out on the
program and when towns find out they are receptive to beetle releases in
infested areas and they love the fact that it costs them nothing, which
fits into their ever-tightening budgets.Beetle
Mania will offer beetles to area
residents interested in distributing beetles to infestations in their
communities. Property owners along riverbanks can help to control
purple loosestrife by obtaining these very effective beetles. Beetle Mania
has also developed into a program well beyond just beetle raising and
release. This season Beetle Mania will survey purple loosestrife
in three counties and will:
- Help to identify areas that
require control to develop future release plans for Calumet, Manitowoc
and Sheboygan Counties.
- Present infestation
information to local Land Conservation Departments for invasive
species planning at the county level. This will include a new
invasive, known as Phragmites that is becoming increasingly visible in
our landscapes.
- Provide survey results to
the Department of Natural Resources for reporting on internet
websites.
Beetle
Mania will also study the
effectiveness of re-introducing various native species at some
second-year control areas. This will help determine if native
species can effectively compete once the loosestrife is
bio-controlled. The results of the study will determine if native
restorations will be a part of a more sustainable program in the
future. If you’re
interested in getting involved or have purple loosestrife in your
neighborhood, please contact Terri at
tlyon@volrathco.com. We want to
commend Terri as an LNRP Champion of Conservation!
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Testing the Waters
Groundwater
Guardians Reach Hundreds of Students
Hundreds
of fifth-graders throughout Kewaunee County learned a
valuable lesson about the
environment. In a county where 28 percent of wells are currently
contaminated, a volunteer group is reaching out to children and
educating early. It's a lesson outside the classroom on groundwater
contamination. "A lot of students don't even know that the groundwater
we drink out of our faucets comes from the ground. They think it comes
from Lake Michigan or from this imaginary Canadian river underground,"
Davina Bonness of Groundwater Guardians says.
Three
years ago, Bonness, who works for the county's land conservation
department, founded Groundwater Guardians through a grant from LNRP.
It's strictly a volunteer organization that writes grants to pay for
educational programs, like the annual Groundwater Festival held at the
Kewaunee County Fairgrounds. The Annual Groundwater Festival is a one-day,
fun-filled event for Kewaunee County 5th grade students and
their teachers to gather together and learn about Wisconsin’s
groundwater resources. The purpose of the festival is to enhance
the ability and motivation of students and their teachers to understand
and take responsible action regarding environmental issues affecting
groundwater and water resources.
Through hands-on activities, students learn how fast
contaminants travel through different kinds of soils. They also learn
about the watershed concept, how everything flows downhill to our lakes
and streams. "We learned how dirt and pesticides pollute the water, and
how to stop it with vegetation," a fifth-grader from Algoma said.
Students from Luxemburg-Casco High School assisted with the
demonstrations. And by educating students, parents are learning, too.
"Our children are the hope. If we can reach them and they can learn one
thing, then we're doing our job."
WISCONSIN GROUNDWATER GUARDIAN PROGRAM
Jen Kingsley is the Statewide Groundwater Guardian Program
Coordinator at the UW-Extension Central WI Groundwater Center in the
College of Natural Resources at UW-Stevens Point. Groundwater Guardian
is a national program which connects and recognizes communities that
take action to protect groundwater and educate the public about
groundwater. It is sponsored by the Groundwater Foundation in Lincoln,
Nebraska.
Links of Interest:
The Groundwater Foundation
http://www.groundwater.org/gg/gg.html
Wisconsin Groundwater Association:
http://www.wgwa.org/
The U.S. Geologic Survey - Water Cycle website
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercycle.html
Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center
http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/gndwater/info/index.htm
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Connecting Partners Across the Basin -
Send us your Events- We'll help spread the word!
In
each issue of The Source we will list a calendar for all basin
river groups and organizations to share their resources, upcoming
events, work parties, seminars and meeting times. If you would like to
participate and be featured in the newsletter events calendar, please
send a list of your events to us by email. We are also interested in
hearing about field seasons, projects - and happenings along the
lakeshore- you are welcome to submit articles, anecdotes or send along
information about your group for the "Featured Organizations" section.
Please list the county of the event and send any website links and
other contact information readers may need to
julie@lnrp.org
Submissions for the Spring Issue due March 1st 2008
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