GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION INC

THIS YEAR, THE GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION CONTINUED TO MAKE STRIDES IN PROTECTING AND RESTORING GREEN LAKE, DRIVEN BY INNOVATIVE RESEARCH, DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS, AND THE UNWAVERING SUPPORT OF OUR COMMUNITY. TOGETHER, WE TACKLED CHALLENGES, CELEBRATED SUCCESSES, AND SET THE STAGE FOR A CLEANER, HEALTHIER LAKE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. THE GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION (GLA) HAS ORGANIZED ITS WORK UNDER FIVE AREAS: PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION, AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION, DATA EVALUATION, COMMUNITY ACTIVATION, CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURE ON PROGRAMMING WAS 954,240. BELOW ARE MANY OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR WORK IN 2024: PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION UNDERSTANDING PHOSPHORUS IN GREEN LAKE'S INLETS IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS, THE GLA IMPLEMENTS SOLUTIONS TO REDUCE THE LAKE'S INCOMING PHOSPHORUS POLLUTION-WHICH IMPAIRS GREEN LAKE'S WATER QUALITY, FUELING PLANT GROWTH AND DEGRADING CONDITIONS FOR BOTH OUR COMMUNITY AND AQUATIC ANIMALS. REDUCING PHOSPHORUS LEVELS IN GREEN LAKE IS A CRUCIAL STEP TOWARD IMPROVING ITS WATER QUALITY AND PRESERVING ITS HEALTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. THIS YEAR, THE GLA TEAMED UP WITH STANTEC AND UW-STOUT TO STUDY HOW PHOSPHORUS MOVES AND BUILDS UP IN KEY AREAS OF THE WATERSHED, SPECIFICALLY THE SILVER CREEK ESTUARY AND COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH. FIELDWORK INCLUDED 12 WEEKS OF COLLECTING WATER SAMPLES, MONITORING CONDITIONS LIKE TEMPERATURE AND OXYGEN LEVELS, AND GATHERING SEDIMENT CORES FROM THE LAKEBED. THESE EFFORTS WILL HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW PHOSPHORUS FROM DECAYING PLANTS AND SOIL ENTERS THE LAKE AND CONTRIBUTES TO ITS WATER QUALITY CHALLENGES. ONE OF THE KEY PARTS OF THIS STUDY IS LEARNING HOW PHOSPHORUS GETS RELEASED FROM THE LAKEBED UNDER DIFFERENT CONDITIONS, SUCH AS CHANGES IN OXYGEN OR WATER TEMPERATURE. THIS PROCESS, KNOWN AS PHOSPHORUS FLUX, WILL BE STUDIED IN DETAIL BY TESTING THE SEDIMENT CORES COLLECTED BY UW-STOUT. BY EXAMINING THIS DATA, WE CAN PINPOINT WHEN AND WHY PHOSPHORUS ENTERS THE LAKE, GIVING US THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO TACKLE THE PROBLEM AT ITS SOURCE. THE FINDINGS FROM THESE STUDIES WILL FORM THE FOUNDATION FOR TARGETED PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION STRATEGIES. BY IDENTIFYING THE CONDITIONS THAT TRIGGER PHOSPHORUS RELEASE, THE GLA AND ITS PARTNERS CAN IMPLEMENT EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS TO TREAT GREEN LAKE, REDUCE PHOSPHORUS INPUTS, AND IMPROVE WATER QUALITY. THIS DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH WILL ENSURE THAT OUR RESTORATION EFFORTS ARE BOTH IMPACTFUL AND SUSTAINABLE, SUPPORTING A HEALTHIER GREEN LAKE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS TO ENJOY. AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION PRESERVING GREEN LAKE THROUGH PROACTIVE BOATER EDUCATION TO PROTECT GREEN LAKE'S WATER QUALITY, THE GLA MINIMIZES THE SPREAD OF NEW AND EXISTING AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES THROUGH PREVENTATIVE MEASURES AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION. PROTECTING GREEN LAKE FROM AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS) IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF SAFEGUARDING THE LAKE'S HEALTH AND PRESERVING IT FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. LAST SUMMER, THE GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION (GLA) MANAGED THE CLEAN BOATS, CLEAN WATERS (CBCW) PROGRAM IN-HOUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME, TAKING CHARGE OF HIRING, TRAINING, SCHEDULING, AND DATA COLLECTION. SEVEN INSPECTORS COVERED THE LAKE'S EIGHT PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCHES, LOGGING OVER 1,000 HOURS AND ENGAGING WITH 3,044 BOATERS. THEIR WORK REVEALED THAT 239 BOATS HAD VISITED OTHER LAKES WITHIN FIVE DAYS OF ARRIVING AT GREEN LAKE, INCLUDING THREE FROM OUTSIDE WISCONSIN. 59 OF THE 70 LAKES PREVIOUSLY VISITED BY THESE BOATS CONTAIN AIS NOT CURRENTLY FOUND IN GREEN LAKE, WITH THE MOST COMMON SPECIES BEING BANDED AND CHINESE MYSTERY SNAILS. BY MANAGING THE CBCW PROGRAM INTERNALLY, GLA ENHANCED ITS ABILITY TO TRAIN INSPECTORS ON DELIVERING IMPACTFUL MESSAGES TO BOATERS AND STREAMLINED SCHEDULING TO MAXIMIZE COVERAGE DURING PEAK TIMES. THIS HANDS-ON APPROACH ALSO ALLOWED FOR MORE PRECISE DATA MANAGEMENT AND ENSURED ACCURATE REPORTING INTO THE DNR'S SURFACE WATER INTEGRATED MONITORING SYSTEM (SWIMS). THE INSIGHTS GATHERED FROM THIS YEAR'S EFFORTS HAVE NOT ONLY HIGHLIGHTED AREAS FOR PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS BUT ALSO DEEPENED THE GLA'S UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO PREVENT AIS FROM ENTERING GREEN LAKE. THESE FINDINGS UNDERSCORE THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUED VIGILANCE, AS THE THREAT OF AIS IS ONLY A SINGLE CONTAMINATED WATERCRAFT AWAY. THROUGH THE DEDICATION OF CBCW INSPECTORS AND THE PROACTIVE MANAGEMENT OF THIS PROGRAM, THE GLA CONTINUES TO FOSTER A CULTURE OF STEWARDSHIP AMONG LAKE USERS. BY EDUCATING BOATERS AND ENCOURAGING PREVENTIVE MEASURES, WE ARE TAKING MEANINGFUL STEPS TO PROTECT GREEN LAKE'S DELICATE ECOSYSTEM AND RECREATIONAL VALUE. THESE EFFORTS ARE A VITAL INVESTMENT IN THE LONG-TERM HEALTH AND ENJOYMENT OF GREEN LAKE FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. HARMFUL BLUE-GREEN ALGAE BLOOMS LED TO BEACH CLOSURES, BUT RAPID TESTING AND SWIFT COMMUNICATION WITH THE GREEN LAKE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT PROTECTED OUR COMMUNITY AND REINFORCED THE URGENCY OF REDUCING PHOSPHORUS. DATA EVALUATION CELEBRATING THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT OF OUR CITIZEN SCIENTISTS THE GLA GATHERS DATA AND INFORMATION THAT DRIVES THE LAKE MANAGEMENT PLANNING TEAM TO IDENTIFY WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS, INFORM SOLUTIONS, AND TRACK OUR COLLECTIVE PROGRESS. IN 2024, THE GREEN LAKE ASSOCIATION ESTABLISHED THE WATER QUALITY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM. COMPRISED OF A GROWING GROUP OF COMMITTED CITIZEN SCIENTISTS WHO COLLECT CRITICAL DATA ACROSS THE GREEN LAKE WATERSHED, THE WATER QUALITY AMBASSADOR PROGRAM IS CONTRIBUTING TO A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF WATER QUALITY CHALLENGES. THE GROUPS INCLUDED IN THIS PROGRAM ARE: - NITRATE WATCH, A NEWLY ESTABLISHED PROGRAM IN 2024, HAD 23 VOLUNTEERS GATHER 173 NITRATE READINGS, WHO UNCOVERED THAT 17% OF SAMPLES EXCEEDED THE EPA'S DRINKING WATER STANDARD OF 10 MG/L. THANKS TO THIS INFORMATION, THE GLA WAS ABLE TO PARTNER WITH THE GREEN LAKE COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND NOTIFY THE HOUSEHOLDS WHOSE WATER WAS AT RISK. SIMILAR TO PHOSPHORUS, NITRATE IS A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTOR TO POLLUTION THAT DEGRADES GREEN LAKE'S WATER QUALITY. - SECCHI DEPTH MONITORING, WHICH DATES BACK TO THE 1920S, PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY'S ANNUAL WATER QUALITY ASSESSMENTS. IN 2024, VOLUNTEERS RECORDED AN AVERAGE DEPTH OF 14 FEET-TWO FEET BETTER THAN LAST YEAR. - SALT WATCH VOLUNTEERS MEASURE SALT POLLUTION THROUGHOUT THE GREEN LAKE WATERSHED TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT MIGHT IMPACT OUR WATERWAYS. IN 2024, PARTICIPATION ROSE FROM 17 TO 29 INDIVIDUALS. - THE WATER ACTION VOLUNTEER (WAV) PROGRAM, WHICH WAS PREVIOUSLY ORGANIZED BY LOCAL DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS ERIC GODFREY & TOM IN 2024. 23 VOLUNTEERS WORKED LAST YEAR TO ESTABLISH A ROBUST BASELINE OF WATERSHED HEALTH, MONITORING 18 SITES AND CONDUCTING MONTHLY PHOSPHORUS SAMPLING AT ASSEMBLY CREEK, A LOCATION FOR WHICH WE LACKED HISTORICAL NUTRIENT DATA. THE COLLECTIVE IMPACT OF THESE INITIATIVES IS REMARKABLE. ACROSS THESE FOUR PROGRAMS, 70 VOLUNTEERS CONTRIBUTED A TOTAL OF 578 HOURS TO WATER QUALITY MONITORING, WHILE GLA BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS DEDICATED AN ADDITIONAL 416 HOURS. TOGETHER, THEIR 1,000 HOURS OF SERVICE UNDERSCORE THE POWER OF COMMUNITY ACTION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING GREEN LAKE'S WATERSHED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. WE CONDUCTED 11 FOCUS GROUPS TO LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, GATHERING VALUABLE INSIGHTS TO INFORM THE FUTURE OF GREEN LAKE. ADDITIONALLY, OUR WATERSHED EDUCATION PROGRAM EMPOWERED LOCAL TEACHERS TO INTEGRATE A LAKE-CENTRIC CURRICULUM INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS, INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF LAKE STEWARDS. COMMUNITY ACTIVATION FOSTERING COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP WITH WATERSHED MARKERS THE GLA CULTIVATES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE HEALTH OF THE LAKE BY MOBILIZING OUR MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, AND PARTNERS TO ACT ON GREEN LAKE'S BEHALF. WE WELCOMED US SENATOR TAMMY BALDWIN, STATE SENATOR JOAN BALLWEG, AND WDNR SECRETARY'S DIRECTOR CONNIE ANTONUK TO GREEN LAKE, SHOWCASING THE PROGRESS AND CRITICAL NEEDS OF OUR WATERSHED. WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THESE VISITS ALONG WITH THE SUPPORT OF MANY LOCAL GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES WHO DEDICATE THEIR TIME TO MAKING PROGRESS FOR OUR LAKE. IN 2024, THE GLA COLLABORATED WITH GREEN LAKE AND FOND DU LAC COUNTIES TO INSTALL MORE THAN 20 WATERSHED BOUNDARY AND STREAM CROSSING SIGNS, STRATEGICALLY PLACED TO MARK THE WATERSHED'S BOUNDARIES AND HIGHLIGHT THE STREAMS THAT FLOW INTO GREEN LAKE. THESE SIGNS NOW STAND AS VISIBLE REMINDERS OF THE INTERCONNECTED WATER SYSTEMS WE RELY ON AND THE SHARED RESPONSIBILITY EVERY COMMUNITY MEMBER HAS IN SAFEGUARDING OUR ENVIRONMENT. THE GREEN LAKE WATERSHED IS VAST, SPANNING 60% OF GREEN LAKE COUNTY AND EXTENDING 40% INTO FOND DU LAC COUNTY. RECOGNIZING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD AWARENESS, THE GLA WORKED CLOSELY WITH COUNTY PARTNERS TO MOVE THE PROJECT FORWARD. IN FEBRUARY, FOND DU LAC COUNTY ENDORSED THE INSTALLATION OF BOUNDARY SIGNS, AND BY APRIL, THE GREEN LAKE COUNTY HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT HAD COMPLETED INSTALLATIONS IN THEIR JURISDICTION. THESE SIGNS ARE MORE THAN INFORMATIONAL TOOLS-THEY ARE INVITATIONS FOR INDIVIDUALS TO CONNECT WITH THE WATERSH