Southern Lakes Conference

EVENT DETAILS

  • Date: May 30, 2026
  • Location: Camp Edwards, East Troy, WI
  • Hosted By: Wisconsin Lakes, East Troy Action Alliance, & Lake Beulah Natural Shoreline Alliance

Post-Event Notice:

Thank you for attending the 2026 conference! 

Explore post-conference resources, downloaded presentations, and resource toolkits below.

2026 Conference Overview & Presentation Archive

Download the slide decks from our expert panels and explore the digital toolkits referenced during the sessions.

Speaker:

Alex Latzka (DNR Fisheries Systems Biologist, WICCI) | Alex.latzka@wisconsin.gov

Topic: 

Trends and impacts to lakes and fisheries due to weather variability

📥  View & Download Presentation

Other Session Resources:

Flexible Classification of Wisconsin Lakes for Improved Fisheries Management

Speaker:

Justin Poinsatte (Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission) | jpoinsatte@sewrpc.org

Topic: 

Water Monitoring: Are We Doing Enough? 

📥  View & Download Presentation

Other Session Resources:

Action Step:

Find your regional Lake or Stream Biologist HERE and start building a relationship and getting to know them today! 

Speaker:

Lauren Haydon (DNR Watershed Protection Coordinator) | Lauren.haydon@wisconsin.gov

Topic: 

Protecting & Enhancing Your Waterfront Investment Putting the Tools Together!

📥  View & Download Presentation

Other Session Resources:

Healthy Lakes & Rivers Website (Technical guidance on the 5 Best Practices, Grants, & Promotion Toolshed)
Score My Shore – Shoreline Evaluation Tool
Why are Shorelands and Shallows Important Video: Our Lakeshore Connection

Healthy Watersheds & High-Quality Waters Video: DNR Wonderful Waters of Wisconsin  

Speakers:

Travis Motl (DNR Senior Fisheries Biologist) | Travis.motl@wisconsin.gov

Holly Baseman (Executive Director, Geneva Lake Environmental Agency) | director@gleawi.org

Topic: 

Managing Fisheries Habitat, Plant, & Animal Life

📥  View & Download Presentation

Other Session Resources:

Speaker:

Meleesa Johnson (Executive Director, Wisconsin GreenFire) | mjohnson@wigreenfire.org

Topic: 

Data Centers: Community & Watershed Impacts

📥  View & Download Presentation

Panelists:

Erin Cox: DNR Water Management Specialist for Waterways (former) | No email

John Richter: Wisconsin Lakes | jrichter@wisconsinlakes.org

Dale Robertson: U.S. Geological Survey, Upper Midwest Science Center | dzrobert@usgs.gov

Panelist Topics:

Development Pressures (Cox)

📥  View & Download Presentation

Aquatic Invasive Species (Richter)

📥  View & Download Presentation

U.S. Geological Survey Wisconsin Lake/Reservoir Science (Robertson)

📥  View & Download Presentation

Other Session Resources:

Speaker:

Arthur Watkinson (DNR Senior Water Resource Management Specialist) | Arthur.watkinson@wisconsin.gov

Topic: 

Aquatic Plant Management Rule (APM) Update

📥  View & Download Presentation

Other Session Resources:

Speakers:

Tom VanDenBogart (East Troy Action Alliance) | vandenbogarttom@gmail.com

Scott Rolfs (Lakes at Stake) | Sdr4328@gmail.com

Susan Trier (Wisconsin Lakes) | strier@wisconsinlakes.org

Topics: 

Engaging Local Governments on Stewardship (VanDenBogart)

📥  View & Download Presentation

Enhanced Wake Recreational Update (Rolfs & Trier)

📥  View & Download Presentation

Action Step:

To join the Coalition for Responsible Regulation of Enhanced-Wake Recreation, email Dan Johnson at DJohnson@wisconsinlakes.org

Conference Follow Up Actions & Subscriptions

To find grant funding opportunities…DNR Surface Water Grants
To get involved in water chemistry monitoring…Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (CLMN)
To stay infomred on Healthy Lakes & Rivers…Subscribe for Updates
To get notifications on the Aquatic Plant Management Rule…Subscribe to GovDelivery for APM Notifications

Check out this Awesome YouTube Playlist: Citizen Lake Monitoring Program Channel  

Need local assistance? Visit the DNR Surface Water Directory to locate your regional Lake or Stream Biologist.