In This Issue

• 2013 Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Awards
• Lakes Partnership Convention
• AIS Budget Initiative
• Lake News & Notes

Recent posts from
The Lakes Policy Blog

A Fish Story That Needs To Be Told

Solving Two Big Problems

Nothing Ordinary About This High Water Mark Bill

Presenting the 2013 Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award Winners!
Wisconsin's lakes and waters are better because of their efforts

The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership (Wisconsin Lakes, UW-Extension Lakes Program & WDNR) presents these awards each year in celebration of the extraordinary volunteer and professional efforts made to protect and improve lakes in Wisconsin. The Stewardship Awards represent our best collective effort to honor and celebrate all of the incredible work that goes into ensuring the future of our state's legacy of lakes.

The 2013 Wisconsin Lakes Stewardship Award winners are:

• Citizen: Rod Olson
• Group (multiple lakes): Forest County Association of Lakes
• Group (single lake): Tomah Lake Committee
• Public Service: Martha Barton, Ali Mikulyuk, Michelle Nault, & Kelly Wagner - WDNR, Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Research
• Special Recognition for Innovative Service: Jane Malischke & Pamela Toshner - WDNR

The awards will be presented at a banquet on April 10 at the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention in Green Bay. Nominees are eligible for three years from the date of nomination. The Partnership also congratulates Margaret Mary Gerhard, Sally Murwin, and Dr. Francie Rowe as new nominees for 2013, all in the Citizen Category. 

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We're All In This Together: Celebrating Diversity

2013 Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention
April 9-11, 2013 ~ KI Convention Center, Green Bay, WI

The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention is just days away!

This year’s event, entitled “We’re All In this Together: Celebrating Diversity” will be exploring the many different aspects of our wonderfully varied lakes - our diverse flora and fauna, the diverse people who love them, and the many ways we recreate in and around Wisconsin’s waters. Join us and come together with folks from all across the state as we celebrate our differences and unite to protect, restore, and enhance our lakes.

Keynote speakers include:

• Dr. David Garman, Dean of the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences,
• Ken Johnson, DNR Water Division Administrator,
• Dr. Mamie Parker, Retired Assistant Director for Fisheries and Habitat Conservation at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and
• Allison Argo, award-winning documentary filmmaker and accomplished storyteller.

Information about the Convention and online registration can be found on the Convention’s website, hosted by our partners at UW-Extension Lakes.

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Raise Your Voice for AIS Control

Let your legislator know you support the Wisconsin Lakes AIS Control Initiative.

The Governor released his proposed state budget for 2013-15, and it contains no new funding or programs to control aquatic invasive species. But don't worry, our AIS Control Proposal is still very much alive!

We’ve been talking to many legislators about the comprehensive proposal we released last fall, developed in conjunction with DNR and other stakeholders across the state. We are encouraged legislators seem to understand the importance of combating these invaders and the threat they pose to our waters.

But we need your help to tip the scale. You will play a crucial part in whether any of the AIS Control Initiative ultimately makes it into the budget. By the simple act of writing, e-mailing, or calling your legislator, you can tip the scale and make some or all of these ideas a reality.

As the Governor and legislators continue work on the next state budget, we ask them to prioritize this natural resource issue. It is one that we can all agree on, and we are certain that solutions can be devised that we can all get behind. If you agree, please contact your legislator and the Governor and let them know you support Wisconsin Lakes’ AIS Control Initiative.

• Need to find your legislator? Do so here.
• Read more detailed blog posts on the proposal on our lakes blog.
• Read the executive summary or download the full proposal.
   

All of Wisconsin Lakes' policy work, including the AIS Control Initiative, is funded by donations from dedicated citizens like you. We're in this for the long haul, and you can help keep the momentum going with a contribution to our AIS Initiative campaign.

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Public Hearings Set on State Budget. If you are interested in a venue to tell a powerful committee of the state legislature about your feelings on AIS, or any other issue, public hearings are coming up that will let you do just that. The Joint Finance Committee, a body made up of members of the Senate and Assembly is responsible for discussing the Governor's budget proposal before it goes before the full legislature. The committee holds public hearings allowing the public to provide input on any part of the budget, and they've scheduled four of them, all starting at 10am and running much of the day. Dates and locations include: April 4 in Greendale, April 8 in Green Bay, April 10 in Lake Delton, and April 18 in Baldwin. For more information, see the Committee's page on the hearings.

Shoreland Zoning bill introduced. AB75 was recently introduced into the Assembly that would change current practice so that an unincorporated area currently under a county shoreland zoning ordinance and annexed by a city or village, or incorporated into a city or village would no longer be managed under the terms of the county ordinance. Current law requires that the county shoreland zoning ordinance remain in effect on the annexed/incorporated area.

DNR considering revisions to trolling rules on inland lakes. DNR is considering changing the rules regarding motor trolling in Wisconsin to allow it on all lakes statewide. Some member organizations of Wisconsin Lakes have expressed their concern over the proposal. The change will be on the agenda at the Conservation Congress Spring Hearings, to be held on April 8 in each county of the state. You can read about the trolling issue and all proposals regarding fishing at this DNR webpage.

Nominations sought for Invader Crusader Awards. Each year the Wisconsin Invasive Species Council recognizes special volunteers across the state with its Invader Crusader Awards. Nominations for this year will be due April 27. Check the Council's website for more information and to download nomination forms.

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Raise Your Voice to Speak Up for Lakes!

Individual members of Wisconsin Lakes receive special communications on important lake issues, including electronic Action Alerts and our print periodical the Lake Connection. Already a member? Consider a special donation.

Become a part of the chorus - donate today and speak up to keep the lake of Wisconsin healthy and protected!