Program Notes from the April 29, 2008 Meeting of LKWA
April 29, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Milton Town Hall
Chairman Rick Persson called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. There were 43 persons in attendance.
Rick welcomed everyone and introduced Terrill Knaack, our speaker for the evening.
Announcements:
- The annual picnic will be Sunday, July 27, at the Shearer home. Beverages and barbeque will be provided. Please bring a dish to pass (appetizer, side dish or dessert).
- Crescent Bay has volunteered to host an outing for our members to view and learn about the archeological dig that will be active on their property this summer. We will schedule this event after Professor Bob Jeske, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, arrives on site. It will probably be in June.
- Crescent Bay has volunteered to host an outing for our members to view and learn about the archeological dig that will be active on their property this summer. We will schedule this event after Professor Bob Jeske, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, arrives on site. It will probably be in June.
- Our May meeting (regarding the prothonotary warbler nest box program) has been cancelled because of high water, making it impossible to access the best sites to place boxes. We will schedule this outing for later this summer.
- We are still waiting for a ruling by Judge Dillon. He could refer the issue back to the Administrative law judge (ALJ) for a consideration of economic issues related to the water level on the lake. The ALJ had not ruled on this aspect of the case because we had argued that it was a secondary issue and as such could not be considered. We expect a ruling within a few weeks.
- Happy birthday to Susan Yates, our vice-chairman. Her age is undisclosed. Cake will be served after the meeting.
Sightings around the lake: Four loons and about 15 red-breasted mergansers have been resting off Carcajou Point for the past 1 1/2 weeks. The pelicans are back on the lake. A lot of Bonaparte's gulls have been sighted this spring. White-throated sparrows and yellow-rumped warblers are migrating through. The ospreys are back on the platform in Thiebeau Marsh. Otters have been spotted along the lake shore.
Linn Duesterbeck introduced the program speaker, Terrill Knaack. Terrill is a lifetime resident (third generation)of the Horicon Marsh Area and currently resides on Beaver Dam Lake. He is nationally known not only for his masterly wildlife paintings but also for his perseverance to improve and regenerate our shallow-water lakes. He has recently written three essays on the topic which were published in Wisconsin Outdoors and which he will discuss at the meeting. He studied under Owen Gromme and works both in oil on canvas and as a photographer. He received degrees in Art and Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin. He teaches Art and Wildlife Ecology at Wayland Academy.
Terrill began with a review of the history of Beaver Dam Lake. The lake was first affected by a dam built in 1913 to provide power for knitting. The dam doubled the size of the lake. Lost were hay marshes and tamarack forest. After the dam was no longer used for power, erosion increased because previous summer drawdowns were no longer done. Because of these issues, two citizen advisory groups were started. The most recent group performed a map study and demonstrated a loss of 1500-1700 acres of wetlands over 40 years. Stakeholders with various points of view met for two years and negotiated a recommendation to drawdown the lake every 7 to 8 years. In the 1980s pressure for increased water levels from real estate and boating interests stopped the advisory process. "Official" hearings were set up and "no change" was decided. However, an agreement was made to resume a spring drawdown and decrease the level of the lake by six inches. Since that time, however, the City of Beaver Dam has been in violation of the levels for 70% of the time and continues to keep the water levels higher. As a result, bays of marsh hay are now under water; the fishery is gone, with no natural walleye or Northern pike reproduction. The greatest pressure for higher water in Beaver Dam Lake is from real estate developers. In Terrill's personal experience, four of his newest neighbors from Chicago have all sold out of their property after a few years.
Terrill wished to explore with us ideas about how to translate our love of this lake (which happens to be a shallow lake) so that we can pass it on. What are the roots of the "ecological conscience" that makes people place the interests of the natural habitat and wildlife above issues of personal convenience and profit?
He referred us to his third essay entitled "How much do we really care?". Here he explores the idea that our "caring" stems from caring about the rich diversity of life that we see in the natural habitat. To quote from this essay:
"It is deeply moving to see and hear over ten thousand tundra swans stretch over large expanses of open water. Canvasbacks in rafts of tens of thousands create an image of a vast sea of flashing white backs. Thousands can be seen in flight at once as they search over water rich in aquatic life. --- The sheer diversity of life supported by a truly living river system is a marvel. This is perhaps a vision of hope for those of us who love and are concerned for the shallow lakes and riverine wetland systems that are found throughout Wisconsin."
When we feel a desire to change the habitat, we should ask, "Do we care about the lake or do we care about our own interests?" To understand the relationship of humans to the natural world of Wisconsin, we should note the strong correlation between mound builders and shallow lakes. For the earliest human inhabitants of this area, the diverse plant and animal life of the shallow lakes provided a rich life.
A modern day "cultural problem" is the variance in our vision of what lakes should be.
The program was then opened for discussion.
Q. Looking at our ecological conscience, what do we do?
A. See the land through time and try to translate our love of the place to others.
Q. Why was the lake (Beaver Dam) the way it was? How do you solve problems of the lake by drawing it down?
A. The system has adapted to periodic low periods to regenerate (compact the bottom sediments and allow emergent vegetation to reproduce). Terrill recommended a book by Albert Hochbaum, "To Ride the Wind: Story, Paintings and Drawings." Hochbaum was a student of Aldo Leopold and wrote about the great marsh region (Delta Marsh) on the southern shore of Lake Manitoba. In that setting, it was clearly shown that submergent plants must go through a hydrologic cycle with low water. In Beaver Dam Lake, exotic vegetation is now taking over. These plants grow earlier in the season and do not take up nutrients, especially phosphorus, like the native vegetation. When these exotic plants die they release nutrients. After the solstice, this abundance of nutrients produces an algal bloom. Recently both a neighbor's dog and Terrill's own dog died because of the toxins produced by the blue-green algae.
Terrill: We need to recognize that this place is here to support life. There is a sacred aspect to this beautiful creation.
Q. Are the white pelicans going to decrease the quality of the fishery?
A. No. Pelicans only feed on schooling fish and carp are the only fish in our lakes to do this.
Q. How did you form the Citizen's Advisory Committee?
A. The University of Wisconsin Extension and the DNR helped. All stakeholders were included. Facilitators ran the meetings. However, Terrill warned that although education is great, politics takes over!
Terrill suggests trying to create a shared vision through the history of the lake. The connection between all the stakeholders is "love of place." Recognize that the lake has been shaped over tens of thousands of years as a wonderful marsh, not a deep water boating lake. One might refer to the Smart Growth Plan, which includes a Natural Resource Inventory as a basis for preservation.
Q. Why not work to make the lake cleaner (rather than focusing on water levels)?
A. To make the lake cleaner, submergent vegetation is needed. The great bass fishing of the past (in Beaver Dam lake) was because the power company used to draw down the lake in late summer, allowing the submergent vegetation to regenerate. This provided habitat for bass to flourish.
Terrill acknowledged that we can't go back to the 1880s or the 1860s. There is too much development around the lakes. He feels that to protect the lakes for the future, we need to get kids out on the lakes. A huge problem is that many children now have no direct experience with nature. Children are losing the ability to observe. He recommended sponsoring field trips for children.
Q. What do you see happening in the next 50 years?
A. Without action, the fate of the shallow lakes will be a disaster. Global warming will increase the water temperature and invertebrates will die as well as all the life that depends on them (fish, birds, etc.). Siltation from the river (Rock River) will increase if more land is taken out of CRP and planted in row crops. This will worsen water quality and make the lake shallower. Dredging is extremely expensive. If the wetlands flood all year, the nutrients trapped in them will be released and worsen the water quality (algal blooms).
Comments from the audience.
- Shallow lakes have 8- to 10-year cycles of a need for low water or they will never renew. For example, Lake Puckaway, after a drawdown, had clear water and vegetation regrowth in the 70s and 80s. Now there is great pressure again for higher water at all times.
- Big Muskego Lake had an 18 month drawdown in 1995-96. The lake district and township supported it and all benefited from the improved water conditions.
A key approach is to work with a consortium of citizens with varied interests. We must strive to translate the love of the lake to caring for its diversity of life. Cleaner water, better fishing and a beautiful environment will follow.
Respectfully submitted,
Penny Shackelford, Secretary-Treasurer