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| WAL welcomes our new Executive Director Karen von Huene! |
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The Wisconsin Association of Lakes has a new Executive Director! Karen von Huene started her new position on July 14, 2008. Lakes and streams have played an important role in her life, and it is Karen’s great respect and love of the natural world that brings her to WAL. She has been becoming familiar with the organization and the issues that are impacting Wisconsin lakes, and looks forward to meeting WAL’s members and partners working for clean, safe, healthy lakes for everyone.
Karen comes to WAL with an extensive background in non-profit management and advocacy. She has most recently worked for a statewide grassroots advocacy organization focused on issues important to Wisconsin seniors.
Prior to moving to Madison, Karen spent many years living and working (and camping and fishing) in the southwest. She has firsthand knowledge of how drought, groundwater, development, AIS, and irrigation can impact communities and recreation. Karen now lives far from the desert, in a house along a creek, which she insists on calling a river.
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| Invasive species classification rule (NR 40) goes to public hearings |
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The DNR is promulgating a new administrative rule to classify and regulate invasive species (NR 40). These rules apply to aquatic and land dwelling species of invasive plants, animals, and pathogens.
The rule—which has been under development for the last three years—classify invasive species into two categories: prohibited and restricted. The rule also requires several preventative measures to limit spread of invasive species, and includes permit and enforcement provisions. You can download a full copy of the proposed rule NR 40 at http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/classification/.
Comments on the rule will be accepted at public hearings (see schedule below). Written comments on the rules can also be submitted to the Department of Natural Resources.
Public hearings scheduled
- August 14. 10:00 AM. Fitchburg.
Gathering Waters/Glacier’s Edge conference room. DNR South Central Region Headquarters, 3911 Fish Hatchery Rd.
- August 14. 3:00 PM. Milwaukee.
Room 141. DNR Southeast Region Headquarters, 2300 N Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
- August 15. 1:00 PM Green Bay.
Lake Michigan room. DNR Northeast Region Headquarters, 2984 Shawano Ave
- August 19. 1:00 PM. LaCrosse.
Room B19 & B20, State Office Building, 3550 Mormon Coulee Rd
- August 20. 2:30 PM Spooner
Large Conference room, DNR Northern Region Headquarters 810 W Maple St
- August 26. 1:00 PM. Wausau
Council Chambers, Wausau City Hall, 407 Grant St
Submitting written comments
You can send in your comments about these rules by e-mailing DNRNR40Comments@wisconsin.gov or sending your written comments to: NR 40 Comments, Endangered Resources-6, DNR, Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921
Written comments will be accepted until Sept 5, 2008.
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Written comments being accepted for Aquatic Invasive Species Grant rule (NR 198) revisions
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The DNR is revising its Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Grant program rule (NR 198) in response to increased funding for the program and other changes included in the 2007-2009 budget.
The proposed revisions, would increase the cost share rate to up to 75% the cost of the project (currently the cost share is limited to 50%).
Revisions also aim to expand the eligible recipients of AIS grants to include the University of Wisconsin system, more statewide conservation groups, and other state and federal agencies.
Under the proposed rules, applicants proposing chemical treatments to control invasive species would also receive higher priority if their projects achieved another environmental protection goal—like restoring habitat or helping control pollution.
Another proposed change would allow communities that are successfully following state rules and managing existing populations of aquatic invasive species to recoup the aquatic plant management permit fees they now pay.
Submitting comments on NR 198
The proposed rule and related information may be reviewed and comments electronically submitted on Wisconsin administrative rules website at http://adminrules.wisconsin.gov/.
Written comments may be submitted via U.S. mail to Mr. Carroll Schaal (608) 261-6423, Bureau of Watershed Management, PO Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921. Written comments may be submitted until Aug. 29, 2008.
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Public invited to share priorities for water quality standards
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State officials are seeking public input on 23 water quality standards for Wisconsin lakes and rivers that cover a variety of topics related to protection of public health, recreation, and fish and other aquatic communities. The standards address things such as blue green algal toxin standards, levels of dissolved oxygen, nutrients, toxic pollutants, bacteria, and others, as well as policies regulating human activities that may have an impact on water quality.
The DNR is implementing a new process to determine which of these water quality standards and guidance are the highest priorities for revisions or development. Due to limited resources, not all of the needed changes can be addressed at the same time. To help prioritize which standards and policies receive attention first, the DNR has ranked each topic according to its ecological importance, feasibility, and other key factors.
Comments will be accepted through Aug. 22, 2008.
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Conservation Scorecard tracks legislator’s voting record on conservation-related bills
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The Conservation Scorecard 2007-2008 records legislators’ votes on a variety of conservation-related bills ranging from renewable energy and protecting the Great Lakes to increasing hunting and recreational opportunities. This year’s report indicates significant improvement in legislators’ commitment to protecting Wisconsin’s natural resources—the average legislator score was notably higher than in recent sessions—however, a lack of leadership allowed several high-profile conservation issues to fail to progress despite having immense public support.
Twenty-one individual bills, including the budget, were included on the Conservation Scorecard 2007-2008. Of these bills, sixteen were bills that improved environmental and public health protections or expanded recreation opportunities in Wisconsin. The remaining five bills rolled back existing natural resource protections. Seven of the bills scored were ultimately adopted into law and all of these were pro-conservation legislation.
The Conservation Scorecard is produced by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters both as a tool to hold legislators accountable to their constituents and as a resource for voters. The Conservation Scorecard and corresponding maps are online at: http://conservationvoters.org/scorecard/
Conservation Listening Sessions to be held
Now that the 2007-2008 legislative session has ended, it’s time to start thinking about the 2009-2010 session. The Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters will be holding 11 Conservation Listening Sessions around the state in August and September. Watch your e-mail for more details.
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Final state approves Great Lakes Compact, now Congress must act
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The movement to protect Great Lakes water is shifting to Congress. In July, Michigan became the last of eight Great Lakes states to approve the Great Lakes Compact. The Compact is a regional agreement to protect Great Lakes water from being tapped to satisfy booming water demands in parched southern states.
Passing the Compact has taken on a heightened sense of urgency in light of prolonged droughts, mounting evidence of climate change and, closer to home, declining Great lake levels. States in the South and West stressed by years of straining their own water resources and prolonged drought have prompted renewed talks of water diversions to make up for their depleted water resources—and many are eying taking large portions of water from the Great Lakes as a solution for western water woes.
Now that the Compact has been approved by all eight Great Lakes states— Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, New York, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan—Congress must ratify the Compact. If Congress ratifies the Compact, then the Great Lakes Region would have the legal underpinnings to set terms of use for Great Lakes water and establish serious resistance to distant diversions.
In a letter to the eight Great Lakes governors, 53 members of Congress from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York pledged to support the Great Lakes Compact. House and Senate leaders from the Great Lakes region said they had not detected any significant opposition to the plan and would aggressively push to pass the Compact this year.
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| Studies calculate economic, ecological impact of AIS on Great Lakes on health |
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A study released by the University of Notre Dame estimates that 57 invasive species—about 185 invasive species now inhabit the Great Lakes—cost the U.S. about $200 million annually, or $2 billion per decade. The figure is a relatively conservative estimate as the study only looks at the economic damage done to the lakes’ fishing industry, businesses that tap the lakes for their water and the regional wildlife viewing industry.
The study does not include any impacts to the Canadian economy, consider property-value losses tied to invasive mussel-fueled algae outbreaks or damage to inland lakes, or factor in costs to states outside the Great Lakes region, a significant issue since zebra and quagga mussels have recently made their way into California and neighboring states.
The $200 million figure might be just “the tip of the iceberg,” said study author and Notre Dame professor David Lodge, who added that the tabulation is far from complete.
A separate report the National Research Council of the National Academies examined policy options that would both eliminate the introduction of invasives by ships and enhance global trade opportunities in the Great Lakes region. Ballast water discharges from ocean going ships are the source of most Great Lakes invaders.
This study concluded that closing the St. Lawrence Seaway to ocean going ships would significantly reduce the risk of introducing new invasives to the Great Lakes, but could not be implemented quickly and would not enhance trade as the cost of transporting goods would increase.
The report recommends creating a more rigorous oversight program for the shipping industry, and increasing surveillance to identify new invaders. It also recommends development of a rapid-response program to contain new species introductions. The study concluded that many of these actions could be implemented within the next two to three years, if Canada and the United States have the necessary political will.
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| Increase in high capacity well applications for irrigation |
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DNR has seen an increase in the number of applications for high-capacity irrigation well across the state. In 2007, DNR approved 66 high-capacity wells statewide between January and July, this year 116 have been approved. Many wells have been approved in areas where drought and irrigation are implicated in affecting the water levels of some streams and lakes.
High-capacity wells are defined as those that pump at least 100,000 gallons a day. The irrigation wells can pump as much as 1.4 million gallons a day.
The DNR has little authority to conduct environmental reviews of such wells even though recent studies show they may be damaging rivers and lakes, especially in the dry and sandy central parts of the state where many of them are being built to irrigate vegetable and corn crops. Current law sets relatively narrow parameters regarding when DNR must review potential environmental impacts of a high capacity well.
Wisconsin’s groundwater law—passed in 2003—only applies to a limited set of waters; trout streams, Outstanding Resource Waters (ORWs) and Exceptional Resource Waters (ERWs). In the case of lakes, only those lakes designated as ORWs (there are no lakes designated as ERWs) are covered under the statute. Currently there are 97 lakes and 6 flowages designated as ORWs; 99% of Wisconsin's 15,000 lakes are not covered under Wisconsin's current groundwater law.
Almost none of the new wells that have been approved by the DNR since January have fallen into any of the categories that would require an environmental review. And this year’s wetter summer has done little to restore water levels of area lakes—such as Long Lake—or the reduced rate of flow of area rivers, like the Little Plover.
Research conducted by the Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center is showing a definitive link between the large irrigation wells and the depletion of surface waters. Computer models used by the researchers also showed that substantial depletions in stream flow can be caused by wells as far as two miles away from the river. This finding is particularly significant considering that the current groundwater law only applies to those wells that are within 1,200 feet of certain lakes and streams.
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Working with you for clean, safe, healthy lakes
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The Wisconsin Association of Lakes is the only statewide organization working exclusively to protect and enhance the quality of Wisconsin's 15,000 lakes.
We represent citizens like you who care about Wisconsin's lakes as a natural resource, and who also recognize the value healthy lakes bring to property values, tourist economies, and overall quality of life.
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