Manitowoc County Lakes Association

Meeting with NOAA: Manitowoc County Lakes Association’s Meeting and Speaker Series, September 28th 2017.

As guests are always encouraged to attend the MCLA Speakers Series, it was great to see so many who came to hear, and be heard by, Russ Green, the Regional Coordinator of the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. He presented the role of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration on Lake Michigan and the status of the proposed Marine Sanctuary, projected to be located offshore of Ozaukee, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, and potentially Kewaunee, Counties. Russ is also the Deputy Superintendent at the Thunder Bay, Michigan, National Marine Sanctuary, having guided that Sanctuary for the past 13 years. He has worked for the Wisconsin Historical Society as a maritime archaeologist.

Russ began his presentation by recounting the shipping history of our Great Lakes, reminding us of Wisconsin’s maritime heritage and why we would care about the many shipwrecks nearby. But, Russ stated, a sanctuary is concerned with more than shipwrecks, and more generally promotes the educational initiatives and cultural awareness which are informed by other historical resources. Creating a focused designation would promote tourism, and be of benefit to our community economically. Plans of actions include education and outreach, community engagement, and working with volunteers. Mapping of the wrecks, and potentially use glass bottom boats to allow viewing of the wrecks, are part of what would attract tourists. Russ mentioned the Thunder Bay website, https://thunderbay.noaa.gov/ as a source of further information.

Russ pointed out the interagency cooperation which will guide Sanctuary policies, with State agencies such as the Department of Tourism being involved, as well as the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.

To questions regarding potential changes in our access to shorelines and water, Russ stated that current State of Wisconsin laws prevail. For instance, ’No restrictions in regard to metal detecting on beaches will happen.’ To a question about the danger of ’mission creep,’ meaning an unchecked extension of NOAA’s powers, Russ responded with, ‘We will have meetings involving the public, like we are having now, regarding any possible later changes.’ A remarkable range of concerns was expressed by the attendees, including several about the records of past experience in other sanctuaries, the establishment of a Sanctuary Center and its location, and the impact on current institutions such as the Wisconsin Maritime Museum..

Governance of the Sanctuary would be the task of fifteen board members, and fifteen alternates, representing the range of Lake users and from the public at large. The ‘Sanctuary proposal is in the finishing stages,’ Russ said. In October/November it will be sent to Congress for approval.

The Manitowoc County Lakes Association appreciates the presentation by Russ and the commentary of all attendees. We hope that if initiated, the Sanctuary will foster further interest in bettering the quality of our waters. Should this venture encourage commitment to increasing awareness of our need – and right – for better quality of water, that in itself would be a driver of economic development.

“The Manitowoc County Lakes Association will protect and enhance the quality of area lakes and watersheds for the benefit of all.”

— Hanna Edelglass

Update: February 27, 2018

Gov. Scott Walker has rescinded the nomination to implement the proposed National Marine Sanctuary, stating that the addition of another level of federal bureaucracy will not materially advance our shared commitment to protecting shipwrecks. Those who have supported the sanctuary designation remain hopeful that the proposal can keep working forward.

You can read the Sheboygan press article here: https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/2018/03/07/wisconsin-governor-scott-walker-pulls-noaa-lake-michigan-national-marine-sanctuary-nomination/403766002/

Spotlight on the Manitowoc-Sheboygan Watershed

Thursday, September 21, 7 – 9 pm
Manitowoc City Hall

This will be a great opportunity to learn about the status of the TMDL program in Manitowoc County. View the event flyer here. For a preview of the TMDL procedures, see this flyer describing the TMDL process.

Speakers / Panelists:

● Titus S. Seilheimer, Ph.D. Fisheries Specialist, Wisconsin Sea Grant, UW-Manitowoc

● Matt Kadow, Education Programs Coordinator, Wisconsin Maritime Museum

● Seth Hoffmeister, Northeast Organizer, Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters

● Jerry Halverson, Manitowoc County Conservation Dept Director

A representative of the area environmental organizations is welcome to briefly talk about their group and any upcoming events. Free and open to the publicLight refreshments will be served. Presented by the League of Women Voters of Manitowoc County

The meeting minutes from the July 27, 2017 MCLA meeting are now available. The guest was Pete Tarnowski. He has made his presentation on the status Manitowoc County Parks available for download. In it, he discusses recent improvements at our lakes, as well as future plans. Please take a look! Read more

If your lake no longer has a volunteer trained to monitor for Aquatic Invasive species, this is your last opportunity of the year to become a qualified monitor.

Monitors go out monthly to survey the lake for any new entries of invasive species. Early detection allows for a response to control the invasive before it spreads.

Pigeon Lake is hosting this training session
Saturday, August 12 at 1:00pm
on Pigeon Lake (9406 Pigeon Lake Road)

Tom Ward, AIS Coordinator for MCLA, will be conducting the training and handing out monitor materials.

Please email tomward@tm.net with any questions.

Joe Madison at work cleaning a trailer.

June 26, 2017—Since the Clean Boats/Clean Water Program was started in 2008 by MCLA, Tom Ward and his volunteers have engaged the boating community to reduce the potential for aquatic invasive species (AIS) infestation of the County lakes. The Clean Boats program has the goal to reduce and prevent the spread of invasive species by educating and training boaters. Boaters coming off, or about to enter, the County lakes have been informed of the dangers of invasive species, as well as the means of reducing the threat of invasives within the respective lakes. Tom and his crew have conducted boat inspections, handed out towels to increase AIS awareness, and distributed ice packs to stop the practice of moving water from lake to lake. Tom has also been the Invasive Species Coordinator for Manitowoc County, addressing a broad range of both terrestrial and aquatic invaders.

English Lake, young boaters cleaning.

All lakes are, by definition, negatively affected by Aquatic Invasive Species. AIS plants attached to boats or trailers, and AIS organisms carried to the next waterbody by boats or buckets multiply aggressively at their new home and disrupt the ecology and reduce the quality of the impacted lake. Many area lakes currently already harbor some invasives which should be prevented from migrating to other lakes, and future risks include many species coming in from other regions.  In Tom’s words, ’Invasive plants and animals, like Curly Leaf  Pondweed, Eurasian Watermilfoil, Spiny Water Fleas and Zebra Mussels, can spread easily by hitching a ride on boats and other equipment, including trailers, anchors, live-wells, buckets and bilges.  A few boaters,’ Tom adds, ‘know more than I do, but some have no idea at all.’  Most have gained some knowledge, especially if they tried walking barefoot on beaches covered with Zebra Mussels.

The towels Tom hands out serve to wipe off what can be wiped when the boat is out of the water.  The sequence of cleaning is important, to insure trailer and boat are both thoroughly cleansed. The ice packs are used to preserve the catch without taking home water, as the water from live wells carries AIS contaminants.  Several lakes in Manitowoc County have cleaning stations with signs explaining what must be done, with brushes, boat hooks and spray containers with bleach solutions for sterilization of boats and engine compartments.

All hands on deck this 4th of July weekend to stop AIS in Wisconsin!

Tom Ward at Weyers Lake

Tom Ward invites us all to participate in the upcoming Clean Boats/Clean Water annual Landing Blitz:

Going boating this holiday? You may be one of thousands of Wisconsinites to be greeted by expert and volunteer “inspectors” at boat landings around the state, who will be sharing a simple but powerful message:
You have the power to protect our waters from aquatic invasive species.

This holiday weekend, June 30-July 4, 2017, is the ninth annual Landing Blitz, a statewide effort to remind boaters and other water lovers to use their power to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species, which pose great risks to the health of our lakes and fisheries. But boaters can also easily prevent this by taking the following simple steps every time they enter and leave a boat landing:

• Inspect your boat, trailer and equipment
• Remove all attached plants or animals
• Drain all water from boats, motors, live-wells and other equipment
• Never move live fish away from a waterbody
• Dispose of unwanted bait in the trash
• Buy minnows from a Wisconsin bait dealer, and use leftover minnows only if you will be using them on that same waterbody or if no lake or river water or other fish have been added to the container.

Following these steps also helps boaters comply with Wisconsin state law, which prohibits the transport of aquatic invasive species. Inspectors will be on hand at boat landings around Manitowoc County to give demonstrations of the prevention steps or answer questions about invasive species.

If you use social media, help us spread the word about the importance of aquatic invasive species prevention by posting your photos and messages using the hashtag #CleanBoatsCleanWaters.

You can also share where and how you protect our lakes and rivers from aquatic invasive species by contributing to a Story Map that will showcase photos and messages from water lovers around Wisconsin. Contributions can be made at this link: http://arcg.is/2o9YIU9

To learn more about invasive species and their impacts to Wisconsin’s waters and economy, visit http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/invasives/

The war against invasives will not be won, it is an effort requiring constant vigilance. After the end of the current three year successful boat inspection program, even more needed now, as the invasive species are spreading and reducing biodiversity, and affecting fishing and recreation, the future of funding requires a revisit and revision of the grant program which funded previous work, involving a regional approach.

Our waters are not separated by county lines!  An educational grant as well as a grant for implementation will be pursued. We thank Tom for his dedication over the previous grant cycle. The work is not finished.  Towns and property owners and their friends and families will also have to step up to take part if the initiatives are to be successful.

by Hanna Edelglass

Attention all AIS monitors and those interested in monitoring. Mark your calendars for Thursday May 25th, 6:30pm at the County Offices on Expo Drive, for the next MCLA meeting. Tom Ward will conduct a review of the photo documentation procedures and provide an ID book; it would be helpful to have a count before the meeting (email tomward@tm.net). AIS monitoring kits will be ordered from this meeting for the active monitor lakes and delivered on May 30, when Paul Skawinski conducts training on Cedar Lake.

The AIS monitoring has some significant updates and new equipment for our monitors. 

Read more

by Hanna Edelglass

Have you ever wondered how sloshing around, ankle deep in water, on top of a sheet of ice, helps you to get to know your lake? We were drilling holes into the ice, angling for plants and small organisms, finding where the fish are and why they are there and each answer only brings more questions. Such as, why are these plants here? And what is their effect on the water, on fishing, on boating and swimming, property values, even the local economy? We explore and work to find out how all this relates to what flows into this lake, which can create positive or negative change, upsetting or healing its natural balance. This is the purpose of our scientific endeavor. I learnt some of that on the ice with Manitowoc County’s Cedar Lake residents and Paul Skawinski (an Aquatic Biologist and Outreach Specialist for UW-Extension) in February of this year. And yes, I wore warm, waterproof boots. Read more

March 22, 2017. (Updated April 21, 2017). Bruce Riesterer, Resource Conservationist at the Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department, has created a new, interactive, watershed mapping tool.

Visit http://manitowoc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=c38b2149d3b947eb9bd120f5480c4a1e to use it to view your lake’s watershed.

Private and public lake watersheds are displayed, with a choice of base maps that includes terrain, street maps, satellite and others.

The new mapping shows the watershed land area and boundaries quite clearly. Because the water quality of each lake is affected by things happening in this area, this new level of precision is quite helpful!

To the right is a great example of the new level of detail this tool provides, as evidenced by the watershed boundaries for Tuma Lake. The light blue area is the watershed according to previous maps. The bright green is the watershed as drawn by the new mapping tool.

The boundaries are now more accurate because of new lidar-generated elevation data recently made available.

On the actual mapping tool website (http://manitowoc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=c38b2149d3b947eb9bd120f5480c4a1e) the user can zoom in to show an extreme level of detail, as shown in the second image.

Detail of watershed boundary of Tuma Lake.

Bruce asks that people take a look at the watershed for their lake(s) and let him know immediately if they see something that doesn’t seem accurate (e.g., placement of culverts).

You can contact him at bruceriesterer@co.manitowoc.wi.us

Map images ©2017 Manitowoc County Soil & Water Conservation Department