Organization: GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION INC
Mission: PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION OF BIG GREEN LAKE AND ITS WATERSHED WITH A SINGULAR FOCUS ON WATER QUALITY.
Activities: INFORMATION AND EDUCATION:THE GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION (GLA) UTILIZES VARIOUS INFORMATION AND EDUCATION METHODS TO INFORM DONORS AND MEMBERS. PRIMARY COMMUNICATION TOOLS INCLUDE: EVENTS, SUCH AS OUR ANNUAL MEETING, ANNUAL GALA, AND OTHERS; PRINTED PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING AN ANNUAL REPORT AND TIMES & TIDES NEWSLETTER; AND REGULAR EMAILS, PRESS RELEASES, AND SOCIAL MEDIA RELEASES. HIGHLIGHTS OF THESE 2019 INFORMATION AND EDUCATION COMMUNICATION TOOLS ARE BELOW. THE ANNUAL MEETING, OPEN TO GLA MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC, IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMUNICATE THE LAKE'S CHALLENGES AND THE ORGANIZATION'S EFFORTS TO PROTECT IT. THE 2019 ANNUAL MEETING HAD OVER 100 ATTENDEES. THE ANNUAL GALA IS BOTH A COMMUNICATION AND STEWARDSHIP EVENT TO FUND LAKE-PROTECTING PRACTICES. THE 2019 ANNUAL GALA HAD OVER 344 ATTENDEES AND 37 SPONSORS. THE 2018 ANNUAL REPORT, PUBLISHED IN Q1 OF 2019, SUMMARIZED THE GLA'S MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE YEAR. IT WAS SENT TO OVER 1,150 HOUSEHOLDS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE 2019 TIMES & TIDES NEWSLETTER WAS SENT TO OVER 1,550 HOUSEHOLDS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. IN 2019, THE GLA HAD OVER 121 VOLUNTEERS TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMMATIC WORK. THE GLA SENT 56 EMAIL BLASTS TO 1,700 RECIPIENTS. FIFTY PRESS RELEASES, WRITTEN EITHER BY THE GLA OR BY LOCAL JOURNALISTS, WERE PUBLISHED IN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. THE GLA FACILITATED VARIOUS EDUCATIONAL EVENTS FOR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN, INCLUDING A STORM DRAIN STENCILING CAMPAIGN WITH LUMEN CHARTER SCHOOL AND A PHOSPHORUS WORKSHOP WITH THE CUB SCOUTS. THE GLA CO-HOSTED GREEN TEAM EVENTS THAT ENCOURAGED THE COMMUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE NATURAL AREAS OF OUR REGION. THESE EVENTS GENERALLY TOOK PLACE MONTHLY. THE GLA SPONSORED AN ANGLERS YOUNG ANGLERS FISHING TOURNAMENT.
RESEARCH:THE GLA FACILITATES COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH TO INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING OF GREEN LAKE AND TO INFORM PRACTICES TO PROTECT ITS WATER QUALITY. VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES AND FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH STUDIES THAT INTEGRATE APPLIED SCIENCE WITH THE GLAS MISSION. THE MOST SUBSTANTIAL RESEARCH EFFORT IS A LAKE STUDY, FACILITATED BY THE GLA, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY AND MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY. GREEN LAKE IS LISTED AS AN IMPAIRED WATER BODY BECAUSE OF A METALIMENTIC OXYGEN MINIMA, A LAYER OF LOW DISSOLVED OXYGEN IN THE LAKES MIDDLE-DEPTHS. THE CAUSES OF THIS WATER QUALITY CONCERN ARE UNKNOWN. IN 2016, THE GLA WAS AWARDED A 200,000 WDNR GRANT TO HELP UNDERWRITE THE COST OF A MULTI-YEAR STUDY (TOTALING OVER 520,000 WHEN IN-KIND DONATIONS ARE INCLUDED). THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSES OF THIS DEAD ZONE AND TO DETERMINE PHOSPHORUS LOADING REDUCTIONS NEEDED TO IMPROVE ITS WATER QUALITYTO THE POINT OF DELISTING GREEN LAKE AND TO THE POINT OF ACHIEVING OLIGOTROPHIC CONDITIONS. THIS ONGOING STUDY WILL CONCLUDE IN DECEMBER 2020.
PILLAR PROJECTS: THE GLA HAS THREE PILLAR PROJECTS THAT HELP FULFILL OUR MISSION BY IMPROVING GREEN LAKES WATER QUALITY: PROJECT CLEAN STREAMS, PROJECT GREEN ACRES, AND PROJECT INVADER DEFENSE. IN 2019, FUNDS FOR THESE PILLAR PROJECTS WERE PRIMARILY COLLECTED THROUGH THE ANNUAL GALA. 1. PROJECT CLEAN STREAMS 1A. STREAM RESTORATION PROJECT CLEAN STREAM FOCUSES ON STREAM AND WETLAND RESTORATION IN THE GREEN LAKE WATERSHED. A VAST NETWORK OF OVER 140 MILES OF STREAM FLOWS INTO BIG GREEN LAKE; THE GLA HAS CO-CONDUCTED FIELD STUDIES TO ESTIMATE THAT OVER 11 MILES OF ITS BANKS ARE ERODED AND ARE ACTIVELY POLLUTING THE LAKE WITH SEDIMENT AND PHOSPHORUS. THE GLA AND OUR PARTNERS ARE MAKING URGENT REPAIRS TO STREAMBANKS TO LIMIT PHOSPHORUS POLLUTION IN GREEN LAKE. OUR AIM THROUGH PROJECT CLEAN STREAMS IS TO REPAIR A MINIMUM OF ONE MILE OF ERODING STREAM BANKS EACH YEAR. THE GLA AND OUR PARTNERS HAVE RESTORED 4.8 MILES OF STREAM SO FAR, INCLUDING A TOTAL OF 1.2 MILES IN 2019 ON ROY CREEK AND DAKIN CREEK. IN PARTICULAR, THE DAKIN CREEK STREAM RESTORATION WORK WAS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE PHOSPHORUS POLLUTION AND BRING BACK THE BROOKIES. BROOK TROUT HAVE NOT BEEN DOCUMENTED BY THE WDNR IN DAKIN CREEK SINCE THE 1950S. BROOK TROUT ARE A NATIVE SPECIES THAT INDICATE CLEAN WATER; THEIR ABILITY TO SURVIVE IN DAKIN CREEK WILL SHOW ENCOURAGING PROGRESS TOWARD CLEANER WATER MAKING ITS WAY TO GREEN LAKE. BEGINNING IN 2019, THIS PROJECT WILL UTILIZE STREAM RESTORATION, STREAMBANK STABILITY EFFORTS, TWO CULVERT REPLACEMENTSONE THAT BLOCKS FISH MIGRATION UPSTREAM, AND A SECOND CULVERT THAT CONSTRICTS STREAM FLOW AND IS CONTRIBUTING TO EROSIONAND CONCLUDE WITH A WDNR LED EFFORT TO RESTOCK BROOK TROUT. IN 2019, THE GLA WAS AWARDED A 16,000 PATAGONIA GRANT FOR THIS PROJECT AND APPLIED FOR A 50,000 WDNR GRANT, WHICH WILL BE AWARDED IN 2020. 1B. COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH APPROXIMATELY 20% OF GREEN LAKES PHOSPHORUS LOADING COMES FROM THE COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH SUB-WATERSHED. THE GLA FORMED AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO DETERMINE STRATEGIES TO UNDERSTAND AND HELP RESTORE THIS MAJOR INLET TO GREEN LAKE. THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THE INSTALLATION OF A TURBIDITY CURTAIN PILOT PROJECT TO HELP INFORMATION ITS RESTORATION. PLANS ARE FOR THIS TURBIDITY CURTAIN TO BE INSTALLED BY PARTNERS IN 2020. IN 2019, AT THE REQUEST OF THE WDNR, THE GLA COMPLETED MONTHLY SAMPLING FOR HARMFUL BLUE-GREEN ALGAE IN THE MARSH. 1C. LEGACY PHOSPHORUS RESEARCH THE GLA PARTNERED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISONS NELSON INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES ON A COMPARATIVE WETLAND STUDY. THE INSTITUTE IS COMPLETING OTHER RESEARCH STUDIES, INCLUDING A LEGACY PHOSPHORUS BUDGET FOR THE GREEN LAKE WATERSHED. THIS EFFORT INCLUDED SEDIMENT SAMPLING IN THE SILVER CREEK ESTUARY AND COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH, WHICH WILL BE ANALYZED FOR NUTRIENT CONTENTS AND SEDIMENT AGE VIA CARBON DATING. 1D. COMPARATIVE WETLAND STUDY THE NELSON INSTITUTE COMPLETED A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE SILVER CREEK ESTUARY (PREVIOUSLY RESTORED WETLAND) AND THE COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH (DEGRADED WETLAND). THIS STUDY ASSESSED LESSONS LEARNED AND TO INFORM FUTURE RESTORATION EFFORTS, WHICH WERE OUTLINED IN A GRADUATE-LEVEL THESIS BY S. FULLER. 2. PROJECT GREEN ACRES PROJECT GREEN ACRES FOCUSES ON IMPROVING THE ADOPTION OF AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PRACTICES IN THE WATERSHED, WHICH ENCOMPASS 65% OF THE WATERSHEDS AREA. THE GLA AIMS TO PARTNER WITH AGRICULTURAL NEIGHBORS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO EDUCATION, FUNDING, AND RESOURCES TO INSTALL BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN THE GREEN LAKE WATERSHED. 2A. DEMONSTRATION FARM IN CLOSE PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, THE GLA LAUNCHED A DEMONSTRATION FARM IN THE WATERSHED. THE LANDOWNERS WORKED WITH AGRONOMISTS AND OTHER AGRICULTURAL EXPERTS TO TEST NOVEL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES. THE FARM WILL SERVE AS A PLACE-BASED DEMONSTRATION OF CONSERVATION PRACTICES TO INCREASE THEIR ADOPTION AMONG OTHER FARMERS IN THE WATERSHED. MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS AVAILABLE HERE: WWW.CO.WAUPACA.WI.US/UFWDFARMSNETWORK/POLLACK_VU.PHP 2B. CONSERVATION FIELD DAY AN ANNUAL CONSERVATION FIELD DAY WAS CO-HOSTED WITH THE GREEN LAKE COUNTY FARM BUREAU. THIS IN-THE-FIELD WORKSHOP IS INTENDED FOR A BROAD AUDIENCE TO DEMONSTRATE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES THAT ARE GOOD FOR FARMERS AND GOOD FOR WATER QUALITY. THIS YEARS EVENT HAD OVER 116 ATTENDEES, INCLUDING AN EVEN REPRESENTATION OF FARMERS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND PARTNERS. 2C. FUTURE FARMER SCHOLARSHIPS THE GLAS FUTURE FARMER SCHOLARSHIPS ALLOW STUDENTS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN AGRICULTURAL CAREERS THE CHANCE TO ATTEND CONFERENCES AND LEARN ABOUT TESTED, RELIABLE, ECOLOGICALLY SOUND AND ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES, THAT BENEFIT THE FARM, THE LAND AND THE WATER IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN 2019, THE GLA AWARDED TWO FUTURE FARMER SCHOLARSHIPS TO LOCAL STUDENTS (WHO ATTENDED GRASSWORKS GRAZING CONFERENCE) AND UNDERWROTE THE COSTS OF 18 ATTENDEES TO A LOCAL GRAZING WORKSHOP, HOSTED BY UW-EXTENSION. 3. PROJECT INVADER DEFENSE PROJECT INVADER DEFENSE FOCUSES ON AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT AND PREVENTION, ASINVASIVE SPECIES PERMANENTLY IMBALANCE THE LAKE AND DEGRADE ITS WATER QUALITY. 3A. CARP REMOVAL IN 2019, THE GLA COST-SHARED THE REMOVAL OF OVER 89,000 POUNDS OF INVASIVE CARP FROM GREEN LAKE AND THE COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH. CARP ARE A NON-NATIVE SPECIES THAT MIGRATE FROM THE COOL LAKE TO THE WARM WATERS OF THE COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH TO SPAWN DURING SPRINGTIME. ONCE IN THE MARSH, THEIR ABRUPT SPAWNING AND DESTRUCTIVE FEEDING MOVEMENTS DISRUPT THE SHALLOW BOTTOM AND DUMP PHOSPHORUS-LOADED SEDIMENT INTO GREEN LAKE. 3B. PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCH SIGNAGE PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCHES SERVE AS A PRIMARY PATHWAY TO INTRODUCE AN AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS) INTO GREEN LAKE. IN 2019, THE GLA WORKED WITH GOLDEN SANDS RC&D, LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES, AND OTHER PARTNERS TO INSTALL IMPROVED AIS SIGNAGE WITH CLEANING TOOLS AT SEVEN PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCHES.
Religious classification: None