The Legislature Assembly and Senate Agricultural Committees are expected to schedule a joint public hearing on the Manure Management Discharge Rules (NR 243) which were unanimously approved by the Natural Resources Board this May.

NR 243 affects how Wisconsin’s largest farms (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations or CAFOs) handle, spread, and store their manure. Manure runoff has contaminated drinking water, killed fish, and contributes nutrients to our lakes which can lead to chronic algae blooms and declining water quality.

Many citizens and lake groups are investing in stream and lake improvements to keep our lakes clean, safe, and healthy for everyone. Manure pollution can undo this work. Too many nutrients from sources such as manure can mean lake groups spending limited money on continual management of algae and weeds rather than focusing on preventing invasive species, improving fishing, and other issues that are important to the future of the lake.

Most of the largest farms already take many of the steps called for in the proposed revision. The changes would bring operations that lag behind in their practices up to the same standards to reduce the likelihood of manure incidents that can contaminate private wells, pollute streams and lakes and kill fish.

We need your help

The proposed revisions to NR 243 are necessary to keep lakes manure free. Our Assembly and Senate leaders need to hear from citizens concerned about the impact manure pollution can have on their lake.

We encourage you to take a few minutes to contact (by phone, letter, or e-mail) the Chairs of the Assembly and Senate Agricultural Committees and your legislator to support NR 243 in its current form to protect our waters from manure spills by limiting poor manure handling practices, fully counting all animals, and continuing to allow DNR to bring enforcement action against large farms that have large manure spills.

• Background on NR 243
• Talking points
• Model letter
• Tips on effectively communicating with your representative

Find the names, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the people who represent you.

In a case released July 6, the Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed a DNR order requiring modifications to a pier on Big Green Lake. The Court's ruling in Hilton v. DNR confirms the State's authority to protect navigation and the public’s rights on lakes and streams from oversized piers that damage fish and wildlife habitat or interfere with navigation.

“We are very pleased with the Court’s decision to preserve everyone’s right to enjoy our lakes. This ruling prevents a few people from satisfying their personal wants at a cost of everyone else,” says Peter Murray Executive Director of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.

The plaintiffs in the Hilton case—38 back lot owners who collectively own a 77 foot wide piece of lake frontage—installed a 249 foot pier and 22 boat hoists.

A state administrative court judge ruled that this pier interfered with public rights on public waters and ordered the back lot owners to reduce the length of the pier and remove some of the boat hoists. The back lot owners claimed this court order constituted a “taking” of property and the plaintiffs should be compensated by the state.

The Wisconsin Association of Lakes argued that the reduction or removal of piers that interfere with public rights on public waters does not constitute a taking. Although the Court did not decide the pier owner's "takings" claim, it emphasized the critical habitat in lake shorelines and shallow areas and the need to protect them from excessive piers and other structures.

“The Wisconsin Association of Lakes is always pleased when the courts find in the interest of protecting the lakes of Wisconsin. All users of the lakes will benefit from this decision,” says John Molinaro Wisconsin Association of Lakes President.

The Natural Resources Board unanimous voted to designate 1,100 miles of northern Wisconsin rivers and streams as Outstanding or Exceptional Resource Waters at its June meeting.

The Outstanding or Exceptional Resource Waters classification is how the State identifies Wisconsin’s healthiest waters, and commits to keeping them clean. In general, lakes and rivers that are designated as Outstanding or Exceptional provide outstanding recreational opportunities, support valuable fisheries, have unique features and settings, and are not significantly impacted by human activities.

The primary intent of the Outstanding or Exceptional Resource Waters classification is to prevent point-source pollution – dirty wastewater flowing out of a pipe. To be classified Outstanding, there can’t be any point-source discharges into the river. To be classified Exceptional, there may be some point-source discharges, but they can’t be causing impacts to the quality of the river. There are no other activities prohibited by the Outstanding or Exceptional Resource Waters classification. If you have property on an Outstanding or Exceptional Resource Waters river you can build a house, mow your lawn, install a pier, or drill a well, subject to all the normal regulations in place right now.

The 45 rivers proposed to be added to the list were first identified through the DNR’s Northern Rivers Initiative as providing excellent fish resources and recreational opportunities. Water quality and fisheries data confirms these 45 rivers are indeed outstanding and exceptional. Classification as Outstanding or Exceptional Resource Waters will help keep these rivers as they are today. There are currently 97 lakes and 6 flowages that are designated as Outstanding or Exceptional Resource waters.

The Wisconsin Association of Lakes signed and supported the petition to add designate these rivers as Outstanding or Exceptional.

The emerald ash borer has been discovered in Illinois about 35 miles from the Wisconsin border. A native of Asia, the emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green beetle. Its larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. Since its presence was first confirmed in 2002, more than 20 million Midwestern ash trees are dead or dying.

30% of trees in Wisconsin cities and towns are ash trees. Southeastern Wisconsin could be a prime entry point for the destructive pest because of its abundance of ash trees and proximity to states where the bug has become well established. The emerald ash borer has spread into northern Indiana, the Michigan, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, and Maryland.

The ash borer is an effective hitchhiker and is often transported within firewood that contains the invasive beetle. Wisconsin has emergency rules that ban all firewood from coming into state properties. Signs of infestation include:

• the presence of metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or around ash trees,
• thinning and yellowing leaves,
• D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches
• shoots growing from the base of the tree.

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.

• Learn about our statewide voice for strong lake policy
• Learn about our lake education events
• Learn about our lake publications, The Lake Connection and E-lake Letter
• J oin Us in working for clean, safe, healthy lakes for everyone.