Meetings & Speaker Series

 

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Mark your calendar with these dates and look forward to an exciting year! Members should plan to attend. Meetings are held Thursdays at the County Office building on Expo Drive unless noted elsewhere. Public and guests are more than welcome to attend our events unless otherwise noted. MCLA is working to protect and enhance the quality of area lakes and watersheds for the benefit of all in our community.

2025 MCLA Meeting Schedule

PUBLIC WELCOME & ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND

Room 300, Soil & Water Conservation Building 4219 Expo Drive, Manitowoc, WI 54245

  • Thursday, Feb 27, 2025 – General Meeting & Presentation on Carstens Lake by LNRP & Stantec
  • Thursday, April 17, 2025 – General Meeting & Presentation by Soil & Water
  • Next Meeting Thursday, June 26, 2025 – General Meeting / Vote on Hazardous Wake Size Resolution
  • Thursday, August 28, 2025 – General Meeting
  • Saturday, Oct 11, 2025 – Annual Banquet. The 2025 MCLA annual meeting/banquet at the Viking Bow & Gun Club near Valders.
    Thank you to The English Lake Association, who has offered to host this event.
  • Thursday, November 20, 2025 – General Meeting

2025 Meeting Archive:

  • 4/17/25 | meeting minutes
    • General Meeting Agenda
      • Presentation by Manitowoc Soil & Water
        • Eric Oppermann and David Wetenkamp presented an update on department projects with an emphasis on projects impacting our county waters. Download presentation PDF
      • Tentative – presentation of MCLA donation to Seven Rivers Soil Cooperative (SRSC)
      • MCLA general membership meeting
        • Planned vote on MCLA Hazardous Wake Size Resolution (read resolution).
        • Brief report by Maria Lynch on MCLA attendance at recent Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention
  • 2/27/25 | meeting minutes
    • Meeting overseen and moderated by Maria Lynch – Vice President.
    • Status update on Carstens Lake project by Amy Lentz from LNRP and Sarah Majerus, Stantec (view presentation PDF)
    • MCLA general membership meeting

 

2024 Meeting Archive:

  • 11/21/24 | meeting minutes
    • Lake Stewardship Award presentation to Fricke Printing.
    • Wake enhancement discussion, rebuttal and short Q&A time.
      • Jeff Meessmann: Jeff is a director in the LAST WILDERNESS ALLIANCE and a founding member of the WISCONSIN LAKES COALITION, which includes WI Lakes Association, WI Wildlife Federation, Greenfire, Lakes at Stake and the Last Wilderness Alliance. Last year Jeff was awarded the WI Lakes Stewardship award for excellence in public speaking. Over the past 3 years, the LWA Hazardous Wake Task Force has conducted over 80 programs and results have added 20 communities to the existing 12 communities that have wake control regulations protecting over 200 lakes.
      • Bill Jacobs: Bill is on the Town of Rhine Town Board and was the main crafter of the Crystal Lake, Town of Rhine ordinance concerning amplified wakes that states; “The ordinance forbids the use of mechanical or other means to amplify the wake.” He will explain how effective the ordinance has been the last four years of enactment.
      • Stephen Radtke: Stephen is a member of an informal group working to educate the public to look at the data in its entirety from studies involving wake boats and surfing.  He was an Application Engineer for a Fortune 100 company and has over 15 years experience in the automotive and military shipbuilding industries. These industries are well known for their intensive testing requirements and specifications required for all applications. Stephen brings this knowledge when breaking down the studies used in this discussion.

  • 9/29/24 | meeting minutes
    • ​Annual Banquet hosted by Pigeon and English Lakes
    • Program by Shannon Davis-Faust, ​President, Wild Ones Fox Valley Area Chapter
    • General meeting with Stewardship Awards and Election of Officers

 

  • 8/29/24 | meeting minutes
    • Program by: Michael Slattery, Executive Director of Seven Rivers Soil Coop (facebook page)
    • Presentation on the Check In Check Out AIS prevention program by Jake Utrie of CD3 Systems | view slides
    • Program by: Valerie O’Connor from Glacierland RC&D  
    • Followup discussion on wake enhancement issue.

 

  • 6/27/24 | meeting minutes

    • Presentations on the Manitowoc County Boat Patrol by Lt. Mike Polich and the history of Silver Lake & Silver Lake Park by Dave Pozorski (2000 President of MCLA).

    • Enhanced Wake Size Discussion; Drafted resolution
    • Soil and Water: a committee is starting to put together a new 10-year plan. Community Survey is available to be completed (print version) (online version).

 

  • 4/25/24 | meeting minutes
    • Update on panfish regulations and revised Wilke Lake Walleye limits by Jason Breeggemann, DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist.
    • Update on Carstens Lake project (more info)  View presentation slides

     

  • 2/15/24 | meeting minutes

    • Presentation on the History of the Wilke Lake Area: For the past 20 years, Bob Domagalski has been compiling the history of 80 sq miles of southwestern Manitowoc and eastern Calumet Counties. His presentation included just some of the detailed history of the farms and the people who have lived along the shores of Wilke Lake.

 

2023 Meeting Archive:

2022 Meeting Archive:

Annual banquet, Guest Speaker Jerry Englebert, Pier & Waterfront Solutions, LLC

Presentation: A Review of Shoreline Regulations
Pete Tarnowski – County Planning and Park Manager, and Reed Gaedtke – County Code Administrator, will review Shoreland regulations covering some history of shoreland regulation, setback requirements, impervious surface and filling and grading regulations. They are hoping to provide the audience with some clarity and information on what’s required for permitting. They will entertain some general questions but they will not be taking site specific questions pertaining to any individual’s projects. Individuals may contact their office with specifics about projects.

Read the Valders Journal Article about this presentation.
Call (920) 775-4431 to subscribe to the Valders Journal. Serving the community since 1940. Single copies on sale at Cenex and Weber’s BP in Valders and M&K Quick Stop in St. Nazianz. Mailed every Wednesday.

Read the Valders Journal article about this meeting

Presentation: Carstens Lake Water Quality Improvement Project

Proposed Sedimentation and Treatment Basin with Sorption Technology

Jim Kettler, Director of Projects, Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership

Sarah Majerus, Environmental Scientist, Stantec

Lakeshore Natural Resource Partnership (LNRP) and partners at Stantec and the UW–Stevens Point are working on a design for water quality treatment along Pine Creek, a direct tributary to Carstens Lake. The project was initiated as a result of a 3-year study by MCLA (2012-2014), which identified high levels of phosphorus (>40 ppb) in Carstens Lake. The subsequent 2018 Carstens Lake Comprehensive Management Plan recommends offline structures adjacent to Pine Creek for water quality treatment to mitigate phosphorus loading in Carstens Lake, and was the catalyst for this project. Read more

 

 

2021 Meeting Archive:

  • 9/24/2021 | meeting minutes
    Annual banquet, awards presentations and elections of officers.

This will be the first meeting for MCLA since 2020 when COVID-19 restrictions were in place and we have a lot of catching up to do! We’ll have an update on Lake Projects from this past year, and the MCLA business meeting will follow. If you wish to come early at 5:00 pm there may be pontoon rides available to tour Cedar Lake. Public and guests are encouraged to attend!

Kayak Demonstration:
Thomas Koeppen, a Kayak instructor, and his team with the “Kayak Connection Program” will discuss the different types of Kayaks, their purpose, types of paddles, strokes and equipment and demonstrate safety and paddle techniques. If you are considering purchasing a Kayak or want to improve your skills this program is for you.

Aquatic Invasive Species Program 2021:
Jake Divine from Glacierland RC&D, the new AIS coordinator will update us on this year’s boat inspection program and AIS activities.

 – – – –

2020 Meeting Archive:

Valders Journal coverage of guest speaker presentations

    • Ice Fishing Manitowoc County Lakes: Clint Ward will discuss the latest trend in technology and ice fishing methods that have occurred in recent years. A life long resident of Manitowoc County and avid fisherman, he will discuss ice fishing opportunities on area lakes.
    • Your Food Choices and Water Quality: Representatives from SLO Farmers Co-op, a producer marketing cooperative in northeastern Wisconsin, will speak on farm practices that protect water quality and reduce carbon emissions. Helping to connect the dots with the positive environmental impact of creating a micro-market for local farm products.
    • Conservation Congress: Larry Bonde, currently state Chairman of the Conservation Congress, will talk about the role the Congress plays in advising DNR and the Natural Resource Board on Fish & Game laws and other conservation issues. He will also discuss proposals or up-coming questions on the Public Hearings scheduled for April and held in every County of the State.
  • 4/23/2020 [cancelled]
  • 6/25/2020 [cancelled]
  • 8/27/2020 [cancelled]
  • October Banquet [cancelled]
  • 12/3/2020 [cancelled]

2020 Meetings Cancellation: COVID-19 Statement

 

Meetings & Speaker Series Archive:

2019 meetings / 2018 meetings / 2017 meetings  /  2016 meetings  /  2015 meetings

 

 

Updated: April 22, 2025 — 7:13 am