The goal of the Lake Management Planning project is to develop a regional framework for cooperation to restore and protect the health of the Winnebago Lakes. This includes facilitating communication among stakeholders (such as residents and lake users) and multiple agencies to advance regional efforts that address topics such as: water quality, habitat, recreation, and aquatic invasive species among others.
This monthly article provides a summary of project progress as we work to complete the lake management plan (LMP) and move toward implementation of management and project recommendations.
Technical Team Progress:
Water Quality Tech Team
We met with several people in June and reviewed monitoring plans from other lakes to learn about the necessary components of a comprehensive water quality monitoring program. We also began contacting people who currently monitor (or plan to in the near future) in the lakes to discuss their programs. We want to make sure the monitoring program we recommend in the lake plan is consistent with current and future efforts.
Habitat Tech Team
We reviewed the 1989 Winnebago Comprehensive Management Plan to refresh our understanding of past planning efforts. We also reviewed our notes from the January full-team meeting and set several smaller goals as we work to develop tools to score habitat quality and monitor project progress. We plan to have the habitat tools ready for the tech team to review this October.
Aquatic Plant Management Tech Team
We are working with the consulting firms to develop a standard format for the aquatic plant inventory reports. Because there are two different firms conducting aquatic vegetation sampling this summer, we felt having a template for reporting would help to ensure consistency between reports.
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Recreation Tech Team
Austin Pethan continues to meet with silent sport enthusiasts to gain insight into their wants and needs in the system. We also drafted a short list of questions for boaters/anglers to help inform the LMP process. That draft will go to the Recreation Tech Team for their review before we begin asking boaters to answer the questions. If you have recommendations for contacts for Austin, please contact him at austin@fwwa.org.
Aquatic Invasive Species Tech Team
Chris Acy, the Winnebago Waterways AIS Coordinator, continues to make progress on drafting the updated aquatic invasive species strategic plan which will be incorporated into the lake management plan. A draft version of the AIS strategic plan should be ready for the tech team to review this fall.
Watershed Management Tech Team
We continue to make progress behind the scenes in preparation for a full-day workshop with the Technical Team this fall. The workshop date has not yet been set.
Shoreline Practices Tech Team
During the month of June we sent invites to a small group of people who have shoreline management experience and knowledge. The first full team meeting is scheduled for July 12th. During that meeting, the team will review a draft version of the shoreline property owner questionnaire that we plan to distribute to 1000 property owners in the month of July.
Community Engagement
Although this tech team hasn’t been officially formed, we began drafting an organizational questionnaire. The goal of the questionnaire is to gain a better understanding of the interest and capacity of organizations/clubs from around the Winnebago Lakes to implement management recommendations outlines in the LMP. The first draft of the questionnaire is currently being reviewed by the Steering Committee.
Project Outreach and Engagement
Our online presence through our project webpages, e-newsletter, and social media continues to grow. We invite you to follow us on Facebook or Twitter!
Winnebago Waterways Steering Committee
The Steering Committee held their June conference call as planned. CLICK HERE for the meeting notes. The next Steering Committee meeting is scheduled for July 13th, 2018. The meeting will be held at the Coughlin Center in Oshkosh from 10am to 12pm.
Questions? Contact Korin Doering, Winnebago Waterways Program Coordinator, at (920) 851-0948 or korin@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 Facebook page or @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
