Lake Management Planning Technical Teams – status report as of 8/31/17

AIS/APM Technical Team

8/01/2017 meeting summary:

  • The Team will develop a plan to conduct full point-intercept surveys on all four Winnebago Lakes
  • The Team will collect existing information and data to add to the project document inventory
  • Based on common themes pulled from previously collected public comments, the public seems to be divided on their opinions about AIS issues and related solutions. AIS messaging should be consistent, communicate risk reduction instead of using scare tactics, explain the need for both prevention and containment, and educate people about both good and bad plants and animals.

Click to download the project flyer:

Lake Management Planning Webpage

Habitat, Fish, & Wildlife Technical Team

8/09/2017 meeting summary:

  1. Water levels is a topic that keeps popping up which is understandable given the impact water levels have on multiple management issues. The Technical Team proposes we invite the ACOE to present in a public format on how water levels are managed in the system (2 presentations, North/South, possibly in conjunction with October meetings).
  2. Aerial photographs from 1937, 1941, 1991, and 2016 of the Winnebago Lakes will be used to assess the change in vegetation over time which will be helpful when selecting target areas for restoration, protection, or enhancement of habitat.
  3. Build it and they will come – Increase quantity and quality of habitat throughout the Winnebago Lakes.
  4. Upland/upstream erosion has severe consequences for the Winnebago Lakes. Although the Habitat, Fish, & Wildlife Technical Team will be focused on in-lake and shoreland areas, recommendations for upland projects may be suggested to help ensure long-term success of in-lake habitat restoration, protection, and enhancement efforts.

Recreational Lake Use, Access, & Navigation Technical Team

8/30/2017 meeting summary:

  • Three big goals:
    1. Increase accessibility for lake users and local use of waterways
    2. Improve safety and navigation
    3. Take importance of tourism into consideration when developing management action recommendations for the first two goals.
  • Creating an interactive, online map or HUB for lake information and amenities would help to improve lake user knowledge of resources around the system as well as provide an outlet for communication of news about the Winnebago Lakes (such as tournaments, boat landing closures, events, safety announcements, etc…)
  • The Team began tackling issues related to lake access such as parking.
  • The Team will address navigation issues such as navigation markers at the next meeting.

Water Quality Technical Team

First meeting is scheduled for the end of September. The WQ Technical Team will focus on in-lake issues such as internal loading of sediment and nutrients.

Questions or feedback? Contact the Winnebago Waterways Program Coordinator at (920)851-0948 or korin@fwwa.org.