The state budget was finally passed on October 26, 2007. Included in the 2007-2009 biennial budget are several increases in state funding for programs important to lakes.

Polluted runoff funding Six million dollars in new funds has been appropriated to implement polluted runoff rules in addition to the base amount of $520,000 per year. These monies can be used to provide cost-sharing for farmers to develop nutrient management plans and implement conservation practices on the land. The additional $6 million dollars will be available in the second year of the biennium, and will become the base for future budget proposals.

Although $6 million is half the amount requested in the Governor's original budget and provides less than 12% of the estimated funding need, this funding increase represents much needed progress and is a good down payment towards reducing polluted runoff and helping our lakes.

Twenty million dollars of additional bond money was also approved. These monies can be used for building infrastructure (such as manure storage) that will help control polluted runoff.

Aquatic Invasive Species funding Funding for Aquatic Species grants has been increased by 250%. Eligible projects funded by these grants include AIS education, watercraft inspection activities at the boat landings, pioneer AIS population control, established AIS populations control and restoration of native aquatic plants. The total funding available in the previous budget was $3 million ($1.5 million annually). The total amount available in the 2007-2009 budget is $7.6 million.

$3.3 million will be available for cost sharing grants in 2007-2008 and $4.3 will be available in 2008-2009. Since the second year of the biennial budget becomes the base for future budget proposals, we are hopeful that a greater level of funding will be dedicated to this important issue in future budgets.

In addition to the significant increases in overall funding, the budget increased the percentage of cost share that is reimbursable for AIS grant projects by 25%. Consistent with other lake grants, up to 75% of the costs of eligible projects are now reimbursable.

Stewardship program

The State Senate voted by a 21-12 margin to pass Senate Bill 15 which restores the appointment authority of the DNR Secretary to the Natural Resources Board on January 2, 2011. The bill was approved 21-12 with Senators Breske, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Decker, Erpenbach, Hansen, Jauch, Kapanke, Kreitlow, Lassa, Lehman, Leibham, Miller, Plale, Risser, Robson, Sullivan, Taylor, Vinehout and Wirch voting in support of the bill.

Similar bills, AB 504 and AB 42--authored by Representative Scott Gunderson and Representative Spencer Black respectively--recently had a public hearing in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee. One hundred and thirty-two individuals testified in favor of the bills and eight appeared in opposition. It is anticipated that the Assembly Committee will vote on the bills in the near future.

Our lakes need effective leadership over time. Since 1995, when the DNR Secretary became a gubernatorial appointment, long-term, stable professional natural resource management has not occurred. In the past seven years (between early 2001 and October 2007) there have been four DNR Secretaries. The current three top leaders of the agency have an average of less than five months in natural resource management agency experience. In contrast, in the previous 47 years (from 1954 through early 2001) the Department had four DNR Secretaries who were career natural resource professionals. Improving Wisconsin natural resources management means entrusting decisions to professional natural resource managers.

The Wisconsin Association of Lakes supports the return of appointment authority for the DNR Secretary to the Natural Resources Board. It is in the best interest of lakes and all the people who enjoy boating, fishing, swimming, and living on lakes to have the DNR Secretary held solely accountable to the needs of the resource, the mission of the Department, and the guidance of the Natural Resource Board. The needs of our lakes are not dictated by election cycles. The challenges our lakes and lakefront property owners face-polluted runoff, poorly planned development, aquatic invasive species-are constant.

Join hundreds of citizens from every part of Wisconsin for Conservation Lobby Day on Wednesday, January 30, 2008.

This year's Wisconsin Conservation Priorities feature three issues that are important to the future of Wisconsin's lakes:

• Preventing water diversions from the Great Lakes by passing a strong Great Lakes Compact
• Taking steps to minimize the impacts of climate change on our lakes
• Restoring integrity to natural resources management

Defending the Great Lake The Great Lakes Compact is Wisconsin's best chance to maintain regional control of Great Lakes water resources and ensure water is available to support Wisconsin's citizens and economy in the future. Groundwater from about a third of Wisconsin drains to either Lake Superior or Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes and the Great Lakes Compact is important to the future of all Wisconsin waters. Learn more.

Countering climate change Scientific observations indicate that global warming may already be having an observable effect on local lakes. Our lakes are freezing later and thawing earlier, more unusual and extreme events are occurring, and there's greater variability in water levels. The Wisconsin Safe Climate act (SB 81/AB157) is one action we can take now to do our part to help avoid the worst impacts of global warming. Learn more.

Hydrilla, the VHS fish virus, spiny water fleas, quagga mussels--there seems to be a host of new invasive species that may pose a threat to the health of Wisconsin's waters on the horizon. While our fast- paced, mobile society plays a big role in bringing non- native species to new places, Wisconsin citizens are also key players in keeping these aggressive invaders out of Wisconsin's lakes.

Learn more about the newest invasive species to be on the alert for, what has been done--and what still needs to be done--to control these unwanted visitors by attending the Aquatic Invasive Species workshop set for February 16, 2008, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. Anglers, boaters, decision-makers, lake organization leaders, waterfront property owners, and lakes and rivers enthusiasts all have a valuable role to play in protecting our waters from the next wave of aquatic invasive species.

The all-day Saturday event will explore the aquatic invasive species prevention and management tools available to fully address the concerns posed by new invasive species with the potential to gain a foothold in Wisconsin's waters, such as hydrilla. Scientific information and control experiences throughout the Upper Midwest will be featured at the workshop, as the first step in identifying and designing an appropriate holistic response to any potential water resource impacts associated with hydrilla and other aquatic invasive species in Wisconsin.

More event information on WAL's website

For more information: visit WAL's website, email info@wlmd.org, or telephone Tom Slawski or Jeff Thornton at the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission at 262 547-6721. Registration information will be available beginning December 1st on the Wind Lake Management District website, www.windlake.org. The workshop registration fee is $35.00 before January 31, 2008 and $40.00 thereafter; which covers all meals and workshop materials.

The Groundwater Coordinating Council (GCC)--a nationally unique, multi-agency institution established in Wisconsin in 1984 and charged with overseeing and orchestrating all state-supported groundwater research and monitoring efforts--has released a report summarizing two decades of Wisconsin groundwater research progress.

The report cautions against taking Wisconsin's finite groundwater resources for granted. Not all of Wisconsin's groundwater is accessible or suitable for consumption, and less than 30% of our annual rainfall percolates down to recharge the state's aquifers. The report cites groundwater quantity issues-- such as declining groundwater levels and the effects of groundwater pumping on surface water resources-- among its growing concerns.

In areas where demand and use exceed sustainable rates, groundwater quantity is being threatened. Groundwater levels in aquifers in some areas of southeastern Wisconsin have dropped more than 450 feet below original levels due to intensive pumping. Declining groundwater levels can affect surface waters. Intense pumping and lower water tables can also reduce the flow of groundwater into lakes and streams and reduce critical supplies of surface water for fish and other wildlife, especially during dry periods.

The growing need to understand how groundwater quantity issues will affect Wisconsin in the future is reflected in the GCC's priorities for future research, which include:

• Learning more about the adverse impacts from groundwater withdrawals
• Understanding potential effects of climate change on groundwater supplies
• Studying land use management and its impact on groundwater resources

The Center for Land Use Education and the USGS Wisconsin Water Science Center have launched a new website called Protecting Wisconsin's Groundwater Through Comprehensive Planning The website incorporates data from 16 federal, state and local agencies, and is intended to make Wisconsin groundwater information and data accessible and usable, and encourage government officials and planners to incorporate groundwater into their comprehensive planning processes.

Website users can learn more about how groundwater is used in Wisconsin and what scientific researchers have found about how groundwater moves and how it can be contaminated. Additional sections provide reports about groundwater in each of Wisconsin's 72 counties and offer guidance to communities about integrating groundwater into their comprehensive plans.

Who are the people, groups, leaders, and businesses that have made a positive impact to your lake this summer?

The Wisconsin Lakes Partnership gives out these awards each year in celebration of the extraordinary volunteer and professional efforts given to protect and improve lakes in Wisconsin. The Stewardship Awards represent our best collective effort to honor and celebrate all the incredible work that goes into ensuring the future of our state's Legacy of Lakes. Please join us in that spirit by nominating a deserving person or group today.

This year's nominees and winners will be celebrated at the 2008 Wisconsin Lakes Convention, to be held in Green Bay on April 17-19, 2008. Stewardship Awards nomination guidelines and online nomination form are online at the UW- Extension Lakes Program website. For more information on the awards or for nomination materials in another format, please contact the Wisconsin Association of Lakes office at 800-542-5253 (toll free in Wisconsin) or at 608-661-4313, or email us at wal@wisconsinlakes.org.

Nominations are due no later than February 22, 2008.

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
• Join Us in working for clean, safe, healthy lakes for everyone.