FWWA staff Chris, Austin, and Kelly help teach about Conservation
This past weekend (June 8-10), the Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance was exhibiting at the Waste Management Conservation Tent for the 40th annual Walleye Weekend in Fond du Lac. Several members of our staff set up tables to talk with folks. Chris had an AIS table loaded with actual aquatic invasive species specimens and information. Austin offered information about our Lake Management Planning efforts with an awesome demonstration using Jenga. The Jenga tower represented a water body, and the different colored blocks represented different watershed impairments. As the watershed impairments became more pronounced (i.e. as the representative blocks were removed from the tower), the water body becomes increasingly weaker and weaker in regards to ecological health and integrity. Meanwhile, Kelly hosted a table talking about the RenewOurWaters campaign with the chance for people to take the Watershed Pledge! We had over 450 people talk with us over the three day festival with multiple people taking the Watershed Pledge, signing up for Lake Management Plan updates, and signing up for AIS Snapshot Day!
Along with Fox-Wolf, several other organizations talked with the public to increase awareness about issues facing our environment. Topics included information about rain barrels, clean water, recycling, backyard chicken and bee keeping!
As part of Walleye Weekend, the Mercury National Walleye Tournament takes place on Saturday and Sunday during the festival. With over 270 boats entered into this years tournament and many coming from out of state, Chris was able to speak at the mandatory rules meeting on Friday. In addition to getting the rules for the tournament, Chris and University of Oshkosh Clean Boats, Clean Waters intern Megan were able to say a few words about ensuring anglers took the time to follow the inspect, remove, and drain steps to stop aquatic invasive species. Chris and Megan handed out a lot of information after the rules meeting concerning aquatic invasive species and answered many questions concerning the Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) fish kill a few weeks ago. Fox-Wolf helped develop a guide to decontaminating boats to ensure the disease is not transferred from one lake to another and many anglers took a copy of the brochure.
Each year, Lakeside Park in Fond du Lac plays host to hundreds of vendors, food trucks, and exhibitors at its annual Walleye Weekend festival. This free event is the city’s largest festival of the year with activities for the entire family including the family fishing tournament, multiple music stages, the Mercury National Walleye Tournament, carnival rides, and much more!
Questions? Suggestions? Contact Kelly Reyer, Outreach Coordinator at kelly@fwwa.org, Chris Acy, Winnebago Waterways AIS Coordinator at chris@fwwa.org or Austin Pethan, Winnebago Waterways Program Assistant at austin@fwwa.org
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance program. The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
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.
This article was written by Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator for the Winnebago Waterways Program covering Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties.
