Manitowoc County Lakes Association

Next MCLA Meeting Date: Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018

Manitowoc County Office Complex, Room 300
4319 Expo Drive, Manitowoc
Meetings are at 6:30pm — Public and guests welcome and encouraged to attend!

Our guest speaker will be Ted Rulseh, a former resident of Manitowoc County and author, editor and publisher of several books on the Great Lakes region, he is the author of On the Pond: Lake Michigan Reflections. He recently released a book called Lakeside Companion which presents the science of lakes in an enjoyable way, with real world examples. He explains how little things that shore residents do on their property can have a large impact on the lake’s ecology. Ted J. Rulseh writes the newspaper column “The Lake Where You Live” and is active in lake-advocacy organizations, including the Wisconsin Citizen Lake Monitoring Network. He lives in the lake-rich region of northeastern Wisconsin.

Following the program Gene Weyer will review the lake monitoring data for each lake in the MCLA monitoring program. We now have enough data to start to identify long term water quality trends in our lakes.

by Hanna Edelglass

The Manitowoc County Lakes Association hosted its 20th annual Banquet this October 12th at Gill’s in Whitelaw.

Our Guest Speaker was Jim Knickelbine on “Birds of Our Waters” — view his presentation here.

Before an appreciative attendance, President Tom Ward welcomed attendees. He thanked Chuck Kiehn of Long Lake for arranging the banquet, and the Long Lake Association for sponsoring the dinner.  Tom expressed our appreciation of all who helped with the Fair Booth in August: Marcia Salm and her granddaughters, as well as Hanna Edelglass, Dave Pozorski, Jerry Corfman, Beth Kohlman, Chuck Kiehn, Scott Haberman and Al Klingheisen.

Six Lake Stewardship Awards were presented, reflecting achievements of the MCLA and its members.

MCLA Awards recipients for 2018, left to right, are:
Eugene Weyer, June and Frank Scharenbroch, and Tom Ward.

Read more

Our Guest Speaker for the October 12th MCLA banquet was Jim Knickelbine; Naturalist, Writer, and Director of Woodland Dunes Nature Center.

Jim is an experienced birder with years of experience observing and writing about the natural world. At the banquet, Jim shared his knowledge about our migratory feathered friends that inhabit and visit our county lakes and wetlands.

Read a summary of this presentation by Hanna Edelglass

Download a PowerPoint Show of the Birds of our Waters Presentation (9MB)

The September 2018 MCLA meeting featured guest speakers Pete Tarnowski, Senior Planner Manitowoc County Planning & Zoning Department and Reed Gaedtke, Code Administrator.

Read more

Two July 2018 articles by Emma Dill of the Valders Journal highlight the spread and prevention of Phragmites and Eurasion Milfoil in Manitowoc County, with quotes from MCLA president Tom Ward and Pigeon Lake Association President Gus Gospodarek.

Read the article here:
Phragmites and Milfoil Weed Articles Valders Journal July 2018.pdf

Read more

A July 19, 2018 presentation summary by Hanna Edelglass

Have We Made Progress Protecting the Environment as Agriculture Grows?

Jerry Halverson, from the Manitowoc Co. Soil and Water Conservation Department and Scott Gunderson, of the Manitowoc Co. UW Extension, presented how we can be ‘Working Together to Improve and Protect our Natural Resources to Enhance the Quality of Life for Present and Future Generations’, as part of the bimonthly Manitowoc County Lakes Association meetings at the Manitowoc County Office Complex on July 19, 2018. Read more

From left to right, Dick Jens Cedar lake, Cathie Erickson WLA President, Dave Pozorski MCLA Vice President, John Brotz Cedar lake, Tom ward MCLA President, Phil Knauf and Scott Otterson Cedar Lake.

The Manitowoc County Lakes Association (MCLA) was one of seven individuals and groups awarded a Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Award for 2018 at the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention in Stevens Point. The awards are given annually by the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership in celebration of the extraordinary volunteer and professional efforts made to protect and improve lakes in Wisconsin.

MCLA’s award came in recognition of their efforts to, in the words of their mission, “protect and enhance the quality of area lakes and watersheds for the benefit of all.” Over two decades, MCLA has provided a voice for all the water resources large and small in the county, and provided an important conduit between property owners and lakes users. “MCLA deserved this award,” said Wisconsin Lakes Executive Director Michael Engleson, “because of their amazing work on shoreline restoration projects, fighting to prevent the spread of invasive species, and perhaps most importantly, working to educate the residents of Manitowoc County about the importance of sound lake stewardship.”

The Wisconsin Lake Stewardship Awards are presented each year in celebration of the extraordinary volunteer and professional efforts made to protect and improve lakes in Wisconsin, and represent the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership’s best collective effort to honor and celebrate all the incredible work that goes into ensuring the future of our state’s lakes and waters. “This year’s winners, like all the past years’ winners, are an inspiration to us all,” said Engleson. “Our lakes are that much better because of the hard work put in by the winners and nominees of this award.” The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership has brought science, education and citizens together to empower people to work together to care for our lakes since the early 1970’s.

A delegation of conference attendees presented with award was Tom Ward MCLA President, Dave Pozorski Vice President and Phil Knauf, Dick Jens, John Brotz and Scott Otterson from Cedar Lake. Tom Ward commented that The County Lakes Association celebrated its 20th anniversary this past year, and the successes would not have been possible without the outstanding Leadership of many past officers and support of the MCLA membership.