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.
If you have any questions or would like to provide input on the project, please contact Korin Doering, Winnebago Waterways Program Coordinator, at (920) 851-0948 or korin@fwwa.org.
Technical Team Progress:
Water Level Management
The Winnebago Lakes Water Level Management report is in final draft form. The second Winnebago Water Level Assessment Team (WWLAT) meeting is scheduled for September 19th, 2019. The purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the annual water level strategy public meeting held by the Army Corps each October. During the WWLAT meeting, stakeholder participants and advisory members will hear from experts about water quality data for the lakes, overview of water level fluctuations over the past year, and information about predicted impacts of climate change. The group will then discuss next steps.
We are actively looking to fill empty seats on the WWLAT. Top priority is to recruit people who can represent the boating community and shoreline property owners in the four lakes, downstream of the Menasha Dam and in the Upper Fox and Wolf Rivers. If you or someone you know would be interested in representing shoreline property owners and/or the boating community in discussions about water level management in Lake Winnebago, please contact Korin Doering at (920) 851-0948 or korin@fwwa.org.
Information about water levels, water quality, habitat, and more can be found here: CLICK HERE
Water Quality
We continue to draft the water quality report for the Lake Management Plan.
In preparation for implementation of the lake management plan in 2020, the Winnebago Waterways Committee that represents Winnebago, Calumet, and Fond du Lac counties has approved allocation of program funding in 2019 be used to develop a volunteer water quality monitoring program and begin recruiting volunteers. The program will begin in April of 2020. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Korin Doering at (920) 851-0948 or korin@fwwa.org.
Shoreline Practices
We are actively drafting the Shoreline Practices portion of the lake management plan.
Recreation
Recreation survey reports that summarize the input collection in late 2018 and early 2019 have been finalized. The next step is to begin drafting the recreation portion of the lake management plan.
Click the image to view flyer
Click the image to view flyer
Aquatic Invasive Species Tech Team
The AIS Focus Group meeting was held on August 7th, 2019. We had a great turnout from stakeholders who actively participated in engaging discussions about AIS. We received helpful input on the draft AIS Strategy and several new ideas to incorporate into the plan. We are working to incorporate their feedback into the AIS Strategy draft.
Aquatic Plant Management
The Aquatic Plant Management Strategy is in final draft form. We have received phone calls from shoreline property owners interested in doing what they can to prepare for implementation of the lake management plan by initiating the development of site-specific aquatic plant management plans for their bays and/or channels. We are assisting those groups where possible by connecting them with resources as they begin drafting grant applications to partially fund their initiatives.
Watershed Management
We began writing individual HUC12 watershed reports for each of the 32 HUC12s in the project area as part of the Nine Key Element plans that will be included in the lake management plan.
Community Engagement
Drafting the Community Engagement report has been put on hold for the time being as we work to progress other management topics.
Habitat
We began drafting the habitat section of the LMP in the beginning of August. We are currently working on the breakwall section of the report.
Project Outreach and Engagement
Our online presence through our project webpages, e-newsletter, and social media continues to grow. We are up to 707 Facebook followers!
Are you interested in having us present to your group about lake management planning efforts in the Winnebago System? Contact us at korin@fwwa.org.
We invite you to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter HERE.
Winnebago Waterways Steering Committee
For updates about the Winnebago Waterways Steering Committee including meeting agendas and notes, CLICK HERE.
Winnebago Waterways Executive Committee
The last Winnebago Waterways Executive Committee meeting was held on August 5th, 2019. The next meeting will likely take place in October although a meeting date and time has not yet been set.
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 pageor @WinnWaterways on Twitter! You can also sign-up for email updates at WinnebagoWaterways.org.
