Watershed Moments: A Foot of Land a Year

If your property were disappearing at a rate of one foot a year, how long would it take until it was gone entirely? And what would you do about it?

Erosion can be a long slow process that isn’t always visible. But when Valerie and Allen Stabenow moved into their home on Lake Poygan, they noticed right away.

“We were losing a foot of land a year,” Valerie said.

On the back of their property, where the channel offers lake access to their neighbors, the problem was wildlife. Turtles laid their eggs on the shore, then raccoons came to dig up the eggs.

On the lake side of their property, the problem was the power of wind, waves, and ice. The relentless energy of weather pounded the shoreline in every season.

They knew they were losing property fast. When they saw an aerial photo of their property, through the shallow water, they could see what was likely dry ground of their yard in the recent past. And they knew they had to do something before the rest of their property was underwater or washed away entirely.

But Valerie and Allen are go-getters, raised to take the initiative to get things accomplished. “You can’t sit back and wait for someone else to do it,” Allen said. “If you do, it’s probably not going to happen.” So they got to work.

On the channel side, they added native plants with long roots to stabilize the soil. They still have turtles (and raccoons), but the shoreline is holding. On the lake side, they’ve added riprap to the shoreline and a breakwall off shore.

These big projects were not cheap. But as Allen said, “You either invest now, or you lose the property.”

Allen and Valerie were glad to get help with their projects in the form of cost-sharing grants, thanks to Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance and Winnebago County. And today, they see the impact of over a decade of improvements.

It’s also important to Valerie and Allen to share what they know. “An organization like Fox-Wolf empowers us to spread the message,” said Valerie. They invite conservation staff and students to tour their property and see what they’ve done. They let their neighbors know what they are up to and share their experiences with other shoreline property owners.

“What we’ve done here has been successful,” said Allen. But watching the two of them continue to work around their property, planting new trees and maintaining a small wetland, it’s clear they’re not done.

They’re concerned about the increase in algae blooms, more than they’ve noticed in the past.

“I’m a swimmer. I grew up on lakes. But I would not swim in this lake,” said Valerie. She is particularly concerned about the toxic blue-green algae that can foam up nearby. “I don’t want the water to get so disgusting that I can’t even kayak.”

So you can find Valerie and Allen working on water quality in other ways around the watershed. You might see Valerie in her kayak, identifying and removing invasive species, or pulling trash out of the water. Allen will talk to anyone about the work they’ve done and why it matters.

“We’re just caretakers until whoever comes after us,” they said.

When Valerie and Allen lived on the lake in Montello, they were involved in water quality improvement for the lake district there. Then they moved to Winneconne.

“We were actively searching for something like Fox-Wolf to continue our work,” said Valerie. They watched for a year or two to see how Fox-Wolf works, to see if it had momentum.

“Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is clearly the player in this area,” said Allen. “You keep an eye on the whole watershed, and all the competing interests. I’m impressed with the leadership. Some folks come and go, but you keep moving forward.”

After volunteering with Fox-Wolf programs and investing in erosion prevention, they decided to become members at Fox-Wolf. “We choose our lifetime memberships carefully,” Allen said. “Fox-Wolf is a get-it-done organization. So are we. What they do directly affects this property and also our lives.”

When you partner with Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, you are part of a community that isn’t waiting.

Members of Fox-Wolf provide critical funding that increases capacity and reach, and starts impacting the environment immediately. You support on-the-ground projects, general outreach, education, and hands-on engagement. Learn more about how you can join this community at www.fwwa.org/membership.