|
|
|
Join us for the
annual reunion of Wisconsin's lake family |
|
|
The Wisconsin
Lakes Partnership will host the 30th Annual Wisconsin Lakes
Convention on April 17-19th at the KI Convention
Center/Regency Suites in Green Bay. Learn about lakes
and meet more experts and enthusiasts in these three days than
you can in months of web searches, emails and phone
calls. This is one of the largest gatherings in the
nation of people interested in lakes. Come for one
day or all three.
The Wisconsin Lakes Convention
will cover a wealth of information on lakes and lake issues
such as water law, lake science, lake organizations
management, citizen involvement, wildlife and fisheries,
aquatic invasive species, and the value of lakes. Thursday’s
twelve hands-on workshops will explore topics such as
groundwater and low lake levels, aquatic plant identification,
early detection of AIS and rapid response, getting grant
dollars for your lake projects, running an effective
organization, and Lake District commissioner training. Join
our field trip exploring some of the finest remaining coastal
wetlands along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and choose from
more than 40 concurrent sessions.
Keynote speakers
include:
- Chad Pregracke "From the Bottom Up: One Man's Crusade to
Clean America's Rivers”
- Jeff Bode, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
"Protecting in Partnership"
- Bill O'Connor, "The Nature of Lakes"
- Governor Jim Doyle
(invited)
- Representative Garey
Bies
- Secretary of the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), Matt Frank
|
|
|
Top |
|
|
|
|
Legislative
updates: what happened and what didn't |
|
|
March 13th was the final
day regular legislative session. WAL has been working on many
bills this session. The list below details where various bills
ended up in the legislative process. Bills that did not get
passed by the full Senate and Assembly died at the end of the
session.
Regulation of piers in navigable
waters
(Companion Bills AB
297/SB169)
What would it do: The subject of
piers has been controversial in recent years, and the
legislature has considered bills to regarding pier placement
in navigable waters the past two sessions. This bill exempts
certain piers and creates a pier permitting process.
Where in the process: Passed by
the full Senate and Assembly. This bill will be sent to the
Governor to be signed into law or vetoed.
Statewide ban on
phosphorus in lawn fertilizer
(Companion bills SB
197/AB 396)
What would it
do: This bill would institute a statewide ban on
phosphorus in lawn fertilizer (with reasonable exemptions)
modeled after Dane County’s successful ordinance. WAL
supported this bill.
Where in the process: Passed the
Senate, Amended by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
Full Assembly failed to schedule a vote on the bill. Bill
died in the Assembly.
Illegal to
transport
(Companion bills SB
454, AB 821)
What it would do: This bill
would make it illegal to operate motor vehicles and
recreational trailers on highways if they have aquatic
plants attached.
Where in the process: Passed the
full Senate, referred to two Assembly Committee on Natural
Resources. Bill died in the Assembly Committees.
Restoring independent DNR
Secretary
(AB
504)
What it would do: Restore the
authority, starting immediately upon passage of the bill, to
appoint the DNR Secretary to the Natural Resources Board
rather than the Governor.
What happened: Assembly Natural
Resources Committee amended bill and voted to send bill to
full Assembly. Bill referred to another Assembly committee,
dies in the Assembly Committee with the end of the
session.
Restoring independent DNR
Secretary
(SB
15)
What it would do: Restore the
authority, starting January 2011, to appoint the DNR
Secretary to the Natural Resources Board rather than the
Governor
What happened: Passed full
Senate, bill dies in the Assembly Natural Resources
Committee with the end of the session.
Slow no wake within 100 feet of
shoreline
(SB
385)
What would it do: require boats
to operate at slow wake speeds within 100 feet of shoreline
(local opt out provision included)..
What happened: Full Senate
passed the bill. Bill dies in Assembly Committee on Tourism
with the end of the session.
What it would do: ratify the
eight state agreement to protect the Great Lakes water from
being diverted outside of the region. WAL supports this
bill.
What happened: Passed by full
Senate, public hearing held in the Assembly Natural
Resources Committee. Bill dies in the Assembly Natural
Resources Committee. The Governor may call a special
legislative session on this issue.
How does a bill become
law
Once a bill has been introduced, it
is referred to the appropriate legislative committee within
each house of the legislature for consideration. Because the
breadth of Wisconsin law is expansive, legislative committees
focus on narrower topic areas. For example, the Senate
Committee on Natural Resources considers the details of bills
related to natural resources.
Often the same bill may have two
different bill numbers, an Assembly Bill (AB) and a Senate
Bill (SB). When the bill language is identical, these are
called companion bills.
The
committee must then hold a public hearing on a bill. The
committee must then hold an executive session where committee
members vote on whether the bill should be sent to the full
Assembly or Senate for consideration. In order for a bill to
become law, the bill must be approved by both the full
Assembly and the Senate. After the full Senate and Assembly
have passed the bill it is sent to the Governor to be signed
into law, or vetoed. |
|
|
Top |
|
|
| Shoreland zoning rule (NR 115) rule
revisions set to go to NRB |
|
|
After a five
year revision process, the DNR anticipates sending proposed
revisions of Wisconsin’s 40 year old shoreland management
rules to the Natural Resources Board (NRB) for final approval
this spring. Once the NRB approves the proposal, the rules
will move to the legislature for review and
approval.
WAL has been
closely involved with this evolving rule package. WAL seeks
standards for local shoreland regulations that respect both
the property rights of lakefront owners and the habitat and
water quality that drew us to lakes in the first place.
Public hearings
were held on the most recent NR 115 draft in summer of 2007.
This past winter WAL and some other key stakeholders met with
DNR staff to resolve differences over the proposed draft.
These discussions focused on:
- rule provisions
that address existing lots that do not meet area and width
standards,
- restrictions on
the coverage of lots with impervious surfaces,
- limitations on
the expansion on existing non-conforming structures, and
- management of
runoff water.
|
|
|
|
| Public listening sessions seek comment on
Stewardship Program access rule |
|
The
passage of the state budget last fall ensured continued
funding of Wisconsin’s popular and successful Stewardship
Program. Stewardship program funds have enabled lake groups
and land trusts to protect water quality and fisheries and
expand outdoor recreation opportunities by preserving lands
around lakes and other valued Wisconsin places. Since 1990 DNR
has acquired 447,000 acres and local governments and
conservation organizations have acquired an additional 58,000
acres to ensure that Wisconsin will continue to have places to
hunt and fish as well as hike, ski, view nature and
camp.
When
the Stewardship Program was reauthorized in the state budget,
an “access” provision was included such that all lands
purchased with Stewardship funds must be open to five
nature-based outdoor activities: hunting, fishing, trapping,
hiking, cross-country skiing, and any other nature-based
outdoor activity as designated by DNR administrative rule.
More than 92 percent of current lands purchased with
Stewardship fund monies are open to hunting and more than 98
percent are open to fishing.
However, it may not always be possible to accommodate
all five outdoor recreation uses specified in the new access
provision on every Stewardship property. The new law requires
DNR to develop administrative rules to define when one or more
of outdoor recreation activities can be limited on a
Stewardship property. The Natural Resources Board will be
holding three public listening sessions to gain citizen input
on this topic.
The
public input meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. and will be
held:
- April 1--Waukesha State Office
Building, Room 151, 141 NW Barstow St., Waukesha
- April 3--RCU Corporate Center, Eau
Claire River Room, 200 Riverfront Terrace, Eau Claire
- April 8--DNR Northeast Region
Headquarters, Lake Michigan Community Conference Room, 2984
Shawano Ave, Green Bay
Information on the new stewardship access rule and
related materials and on-line public comment form is available
online at http://www.dnr.wi.gov/stewardship/rule.html. Written comments will be accepted
through April 18th, 2008. |
|
|
|
| Natural Resources Board
approves revisions to VHS rules |
|
Viral
hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) is an infectious viral disease of
fish that can cause them to bleed to death. The VHS virus is
not a threat to people who handle infected fish or want to eat
their catch, but it can kill more than 25 fish species. It was
first detected in Wisconsin in May 2007 in the Lake Winnebago
system and Lake Michigan system. VHS is considered an invasive
species.
In
reaction to this potentially serious threat to Wisconsin’s
fisheries, DNR passed emergency administrative rules
(beginning in June 2007) that prohibited anglers, boaters and
other recreational users from moving live fish, including bait
minnows, and water from affected waters.
In
March, the DNR’s Natural Resource Board approved revised
permanent administrative rules to prevent the spread of VHS.
The revised rules allow anglers to take leftover
minnows--purchased from a Wisconsin bait dealer or fish
farm--home and use them on the same waterbody, or use them on
a different one if the minnows hadn’t been exposed to any
water from the lake or river fished. The revisions also remove
a requirement for all people to drain all water from bilges,
ballast, live wells, bait buckets and other containers when
they leave the bank or shore of any water. People may now
take away up to 2 gallons of water in a container holding
those live minnows to be transported away from the
waterbody.
The
revisions were in response to strong bipartisan legislative
opposition to provisions of the emergency VHS rules that
prohibited anglers from taking leftover minnows home and using
them on another fishing trip. The legislatively-requested
changes will make the rules more difficult to enforce and in
turn provide less protection against the spread of VHS. Bait
minnows are the main way in which VHS is spread to new
waters.
Wherever in Wisconsin you are enjoying one of our
15,000 lakes, you can help slow the spread of VHS and other
invasive species by practicing the following precautions:
- Do
not move water or live fish (including unused bait minnows)
from one water body to another.
- Drain all water from bilges, bait buckets, live
wells, and other containers at the landing.
- Dispose of minnows and other bait in the trash, and
put your catch on ice before you leave the landing.
- Only
buy minnows from registered Wisconsin bait dealers, or
catch some yourself in the same water you fish.
- Clean plants and other debris from your boat
before launching boats and leaving landings.
|
|
|
|
| Central Wisconsin
Lakes Conference to explore how local land use effects your
lake |
|
The conference will focus
on
- Basic measures used to
monitor lake quality
- Steps to make shorelands
beautiful and natural.
- Waterfront & shoreland
choices for better fish habitat
- Land use impact on algae
blooms and too many plants
- Septic system
problems/solutions & lake water quality
Speakers
include:
- Paul Cunningham, Fisheries
Ecologist, Head, Warm Water Habitat, Wisconsin DNR
- Paul McGinley, Professor
& Scientist, Lake water quality, UW Stevens Point
- Matt Janzen, Wastewater
Septic System Specialist, Wisconsin Dept of Commerce,
Stevens Point
- Scott Provost, Lake &
Water Specialist, Wisconsin DNR, Wisconsin Rapids
- Lisa J. Reas, Lake
Shoreland Restoration Specialist, LJ Reas Environmental
Consulting, Green Lake
- Patrick Goggin, Lake Specialist,
Wisconsin Lakes Partnership, UW Extension Lakes
Program
|
|
|
|
|
Working with you for clean, safe,
healthy lakes |
|
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.
|
|
|
| |
