The Winnebago Waterways Program at Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance recently held a Healthy Lakes and Rivers Train the Trainer workshop at The Lodge in the Calumet County Park along the east shore of Lake Winnebago.
Healthy Lakes and Rivers is a statewide grant program that provides cost-share grants to help shoreline property owners pay for five different shoreline best management practices. The Winnebago Waterways Program at Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance along with other area partners are working to help property owners implement these practices around the Winnebago System.
The five shoreline best management practices include:
These simple practices help to improve habitat and water quality along shoreline properties located within 1,000 ft. of a lake or 300 ft. of a river.
The grant program provides up to $1,000 per eligible practice for each shoreline property who are enrolled. The property owners receiving cost-share assistance are then required to provide 27% in match (either in-kind or cash) for their project.
The Train the Trainer workshop provided hands on opportunities for staff and volunteers from Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, several surrounding counties, DNR, Town of Calumet, and volunteers to learn about providing technical assistance to shoreline property owners including site visits and assessments, eligibility of practices, and grant management. The Workshop, hosted by the Winnebago Waterways Program at Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, was led by Patrick Goggin, Lake Specialist with UW-Extension Lakes, and Laura MacFarland, Natural Resource Financial Specialist with the DNR.
The Winnebago Waterways Program currently has six properties enrolled in the Healthy Lakes program with a total of seven practices scheduled to be installed over the next year. Katie Reed, our Winnebago Waterways Coordinator, will provide technical assistance to the property owners as they plan, install, and maintain their projects. These projects will be located on Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, and the Wolf River.
There is an opportunity to add additional shoreline projects to this grant, so if you are interested in learning more, we invite you to contact Katie!
Program Contact: Katie Reed, Winnebago Waterways Coordinator, katherine@fwwa.org, (920) 851-6472
Winnebago Waterways is a Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance recovery initiative. Contact us at wwinfo@fwwa.org
