Green Lake Association Inc

SAFEGUARD GREEN LAKE BY IMPROVING ITS WATER QUALITY, PROTECTING IT FROM CRITICAL THREATS, AND ACCELERATING ITS RETURN TO A CLEAN LAKE.

THE GLA IS ACTIVELY PURSUING STRATEGIES AND PILOT PROJECTS THAT WILL LIKELY COST TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WHILE WE WISH WE COULD FLIP A SWITCH AND IMMEDIATELY FUND STRATEGIES TO HELP THE LAKE, WE MUST BUILD UP AN ARSENAL SO THAT, WHEN WE ARE READY, WE CAN AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE THOSE INTERVENTIONS THAT WILL BEST MEET OUR NEEDS. 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 2023: PHOSPHORUS REDUCTION IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR PARTNERS, REDUCE THE LAKES INCOMING PHOSPHORUS POLLUTION BY 20% (TO 13,350 POUNDS/YEAR) BY 2027. -COMPLETED AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL INTERNAL LOADING FROM THE SILVER CREEK ESTUARY AND COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH, IDENTIFYING A PREVIOUSLY UNDETECTED SOURCE OF PHOSPHORUS LOADING THAT NEEDS TO BE UNDERSTAND FURTHER AND ADDRESSED. -COMPLETED A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION SEARCH WITH THE WATER COUNCIL, RESULTING IN MORE THAN 20 COMPANIES, RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS, AND PROFESSIONALS SUBMITTING APPLICATIONS TOTALING OVER 600 PAGES OF MATERIAL TO REVIEW. -ENLISTED THE EXPERTISE OF INTER-FLUVE TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE 12-MILE SURVEY TARGETING ERODING SECTIONS OF STREAMBANKS ALONG ROY AND WUERCHES CREEKS. THE SURVEY SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFIED 46 POTENTIAL PROJECTS FOR STREAM AND WETLAND RESTORATION REQUIRING URGENT ATTENTION, ALONG WITH AN ADDITIONAL 12 GULLY PROJECTS TO REPAIR ACTIVELY ERODING SECTIONS OF FARM FIELDS. -HOSTED A CONSERVATION FIELD DAY THAT DREW A CROWD OF 160 COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO BOERSON FARM AND FEATURED EXPERTS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON DIVISION OF EXTENSION, AND THE XERCES SOCIETY. AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION PREVENT THE SPREAD OF NEW AND EXISTING AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN BIG GREEN LAKE. -SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED THE INAUGURAL BOAT WASH STATION FOR GREEN LAKE, AT DODGE MEMORIAL COUNTY PARK, SERVING AS A DEFENSE SYSTEM AGAINST NEW AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES. THE FREE STATION WAS STAFFED FOR NEARLY 850 HOURS IN ITS FIRST YEAR. -DEPLOYED WATERCRAFT INSPECTORS AT ALL EIGHT OF GREEN LAKE'S PUBLIC BOAT LAUNCHES, UNCOVERING THAT THE LAKE WAS POTENTIALLY EXPOSED TO 19 AIS NOT PRESENTLY FOUND IN GREEN LAKE BY BOATERS TRAVELING FROM OTHER WATER BODIES. -COMPLETED THE INAUGURAL EDNA MONITORING OF POTENTIAL INVASIVE SPECIES IN GREEN LAKE. A TOTAL OF 150 WATER SAMPLES WERE COLLECTED FROM VARIOUS WATER BODIES, INCLUDING BIG GREEN LAKE, THE SILVER CREEK ESTUARY, COUNTY HIGHWAY K MARSH, BIG AND LITTLE TWIN LAKES, AND SPRING LAKE. ENCOURAGINGLY, THIS EFFORT IDENTIFIED NO NEW AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES IN ANY OF THESE WATERBODIES. DATA EVALUATION BECOME THE PRIMARY SOURCE OF DATA AND INFORMATION THAT DRIVES THE LAKE MANAGEMENT PLANNING TEAM IN IDENTIFYING WATER QUALITY PROBLEMS, INFORMING SOLUTIONS, AND TRACKING OUR COLLECTIVE PROGRESS. -DEVELOPED A COMPREHENSIVE TRACKING FRAMEWORK AND SUBMITTED THE FIRST-EVER NINE KEY ELEMENTS ANNUAL REPORT, MARKING A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE IN THE LAKE MANAGEMENT PLANNING (LMP) TEAM'S PLANNING. -SUCCESSFULLY OVERSAW THE COMPLETION OF FOUR KEY AQUATIC PLANT SURVEYS, CONTRIBUTING TO AN ONGOING LMP UPDATE. ADDITIONALLY, INTRODUCED AN INTERACTIVE TOOL DOCUMENTING AREAS OF SHORELINE MODIFICATION FOR BETTER DATA VISUALIZATION. -COMPLETED A STAKEHOLDER SURVEY SENT TO 925 SHORELINE RESIDENTS, WITH A 30% RESPONSE RATE, TO SERVE AS AN INPUT TO THE ONGOING LMP UPDATE. -CREATED AND LAUNCHED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR AN ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDY, AIMING TO QUANTIFY THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF GREEN LAKE FOR INFORMED DECISION- MAKING AND FUTURE GOVERNMENT FUNDING. -DEVELOPED AND LAUNCHED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR A LAKE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, EMPHASIZING OUR COMMITMENT TO EFFECTIVE LAKE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES ARTICULATED IN AN UPDATED LAKE MANAGEMENT/NINE KEY ELEMENTS PLAN. -SPONSORED THE INSTALLATION OF THREE NEW US GEOLOGICAL SURVEY STREAM SAMPLERS STRATEGICALLY POSITIONED ALONG KEY STREAMS IN THE WATERSHED (ROY CREEK, WUERCHES CREEK, AND THE PUCHYAN RIVER) TO ENHANCE OUR CAPABILITIES TO MONITOR WATER QUALITY TRENDS AND OUR PROGRESS. -HARNESSED THE ADVANCED CAPABILITIES OF BLOOMOPTIX TECHNOLOGY TO RAPIDLY DETECT BLUE-GREEN ALGAE POPULATIONS ON GREEN LAKE. THE GLA COLLECTED AND ANALYZED OVER 70 LAKE SAMPLES FOR HARMFUL BLUE- GREEN ALGAE BLOOMS UTILIZING A SPECIALIZED MICROSCOPE. -INITIATED A NEW MONITORING PROGRAM AT TWO SPRINGS FLOWING TO DAKIN CREEK TO COLLECT DATA TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE HEALTH OF SPRINGS AND STREAMS IN THIS SPECIFIC WATERSHED REGION. THIS EFFORT ADDRESSES THE LACK OF BASELINE DATA REVEALED IN THE SKUNK HOLLOW MINE APPEAL. COMMUNITY ACTIVATION CULTIVATE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE HEALTH OF THE LAKE, AND MOBILIZE OUR MEMBERS, VOLUNTEERS, AND PARTNERS TO ACT ON BEHALF OF GREEN LAKE. -ENGAGED OVER 55 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS IN LAKE CLASS, AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING EXPERIENCE FOCUSED ON GREEN LAKE. NEW THIS YEAR, THE PROGRAM INCLUDED A COLLABORATIVE WORKSHOP WITH EDUCATORS IN THE GREEN LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT, FACILITATED BY A PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM DESIGNER. TEACHERS DEVELOPED CROSS- CURRICULAR LESSONS, INCORPORATING GREEN LAKE AS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE, REACHING 150 STUDENTS. -ORGANIZED RAKE FOR THE LAKE, INVOLVING OVER 85 VOLUNTEERS WHO CANVASSED THE STREETS OF GREEN LAKE AND RIPON TO RAKE LEAVES OUT OF THE STREET AND ONTO THE GRASSED TERRACE. THIS COLLECTIVE EFFORT AIMED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF GREEN LAKE'S WATER QUALITY. -HOSTED A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL ANNUAL MEETING, DRAWING A SOLD-OUT CROWD OF ENGAGED AND COMMITTED COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THE EVENT PROVIDED A PLATFORM FOR THE GLA TO BROADLY SHARE OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, FOSTERING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND AWARENESS. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE BUILD THE ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE GOALS OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN. -SUCCESSFULLY DEVELOPED AND RECRUITED MEMBERS FOR SEVERAL COMMITTEES, INCLUDING THE CAMPAIGN STEERING COMMITTEE, FINANCE AND AUDIT COMMITTEE, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE, AND SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, STRENGTHENING OUR ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. -ENGAGED IN NUMEROUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES, INVOLVING ATTENDANCE AT VARIOUS CONFERENCES AND TRAINING SESSIONS ACROSS WISCONSIN AND OTHER STATES. -BENEFITED FROM A SERIES OF STAFF LUNCH & LEARN SESSIONS FACILITATED BY BILL MINER, A FORMER BOARD MEMBER WITH EXPERTISE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S HAZARDOUS WASTE PROGRAM. MINER SHARED INVALUABLE INSIGHTS INTO THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS GUIDING OUR WATER QUALITY WORK DURING THESE INFORMATIVE SESSIONS. -CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS WITH 60 CANDIDATES FOR THE CAMPAIGN'S TEST CAST STATEMENT, SHOWCASING OUR COMMITMENT TO THOROUGH CANDIDATE ASSESSMENT AND SELECTION. -ACHIEVED A SIGNIFICANT MILESTONE BY REACHING 8.9 MILLION IN THE GLA'S OUR LAKE, OUR LEGACY CAMPAIGN, A TRANSFORMATIVE INITIATIVE DEDICATED TO SAFEGUARDING GREEN LAKE. -ATTAINED FINANCIAL SUCCESS BY REACHING ALL-TIME HIGHS IN VARIOUS AREAS, INCLUDING MEMBERSHIP, BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP, MEMBERSHIP REVENUE, LEADERSHIP, FUNDRAISING PROGRESS, CAMPAIGN PROGRESS, FUNDRAISING CASH, AND CAMPAIGN CASH, REFLECTING ROBUST FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE. -EXPANDED AND RENOVATED THE GLA OFFICE, PROVIDING A MORE EFFECTIVE AND CONDUCIVE WORKING ENVIRONMENT FOR THE TEAM, FOSTERING INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY AND COLLABORATION.