Over the month of December, we worked to wrap up 2017 and began preparing for 2018. Project tasks included:
- Finalizing the 2018-2019 Outreach, Engagement, and Communication plan;
- Working with Technical Team subgroups on habitat, recreation, navigation, and water quality issues;
- Submitting grant applications to request funding assistance for Phase IV of the Lake Management Planning Project.
Additional details about December’s project progress are provided below.
Winnebago Waterways Steering Committee seeks members-at-large:
To ensure that the leadership of the Lake Management Planning project represents a broad range of stakeholder interests, the Winnebago Waterways Steering Committee is seeking to fill three member-at-large positions. We invite you to read more about this opportunity and, if interested, submit an application by January 24th, 2018.
CLICK HERE for more information and to download the application.
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Technical Teams continue to make progress for lake planning:
Aquatic invasive species/Aquatic plant management Technical Team:
The Team developed a plan for full point-intercept aquatic vegetation surveys on all four Winnebago Lakes. Grant applications to request funding for the vegetation surveys were submitted to the WI DNR on December 12th, 2017. As we wait to hear whether grant funding will be awarded, the Technical Team is switching gears and will begin drafting the AIS Strategic Plan for the Winnebago System. The next full meeting will be scheduled for January 2018.
Habitat, Fish & Wildlife Technical Team:
The Team is working to develop site identification and evaluation methods for areas with potential for habitat restoration and protection in all four Winnebago Lakes. There are several sites that have already been identified by Winnebago County and area organizations in the Upper Pool Lakes as having restoration potential. The Team would like to identify additional habitat sites with potential for restoration, protection, maintenance, and/or enhancement. The Team has been working in small sub-groups to pull pieces together in preparation for a full, all-day team meeting in January 2018.
Recreational Lake Use, Access, & Navigation Technical Team:
The Team is working to develop recommendations to improve lake access and local lake use for a variety of user groups. The Team recently completed a series of online discussions to explore and identify issues and solutions for a variety of lake access topics (boats, silent sports, shoreline fishing, ice access, etc.). Those results will be used to develop a series of surveys to collect additional input from the public in 2018. A sub-group is collecting information related to navigation buoys and safety in the Winnebago Lakes (for example: locations, management, and maintenance of navigation markers). That information will be used to create a system-wide navigation buoy strategy.
Water Quality Technical Team:
The Team continues to work on adding water quality related documents and data to the project inventory. The purpose of the inventory is to have information at the fingertips of the Technical Teams as they work to develop management recommendations. Our long-term goal is to eventually make the documents and data we’ve collected available to the public.
We’ve also been collaborating with another project taking place on Lake Winnebago related to water quality. The DNR, with funding assistance from the EPA, is developing a conceptual model to better understand the drivers of water quality in the lake and help determine the potential for restoration activities with the goal of improving water quality.
Questions or suggestions about lake management planning? Please contact Korin Doering, Winnebago Waterways Program Coordinator at (920) 851-0948 or korin@fwwa.org.
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance’s Winnebago Waterways Program on our Winnebago Waterways Facebook Page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
