Department of Natural Resources
WI Lake & River Partnership
Watershed Planning & Management Assistance
How do we work better, together?
Carroll Schaal, Section Chief
Dr. Alison Mikulyuk, Lakes & Rivers Team Leader1
Department of Natural Resources
Department of Natural Resources
Why manage at the scale of waterbodies?
Why manage at the scale of watersheds?
A Watershed Approach
Department of Natural Resources
Four Big Threats
• Eutrophication
• Habitat Loss
• Aquatic Invasive Species
• Climate Change
4"Bypass Road Diary 2008-08-18 061" by dmoisan CC BY-NC 2.0"Lake Houses at Allatoona" by muora CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Future development Septic, animals Road constructionImpervious surface
Vegetation removalBoater & dock movement
Department of Natural Resources
Turtle-Flambeau watershed
• Sandy soil, numerous kettle lakes
• 247 square miles
• 10,000 lake acres
• 44,000 wetland acres
• Nine outstanding/exceptional waters
Landscape
• 1/2 forested
• 1/3 wetlands
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Department of Natural Resources
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Protection
Restoration
Protection
Restoration
Midwest glacial lakes conservation planner
Echo Lake
Department of Natural Resources
Turtle River Stewardship Area• Major lakes are in good shape
• Depth helps
• Mercury is only impairment
• Wetland & forest landcover
• Mostly private land
• Lakes have small drainages
• Most development is in this “riparian ring”
• Spider and Long seem to be increasing in P.
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Department of Natural Resources
Once we delineate a watershed…inventory:Stressors or problems
• Land use
• Erosion areas
• Shoreland development Septic Systems
• Point Pollution sources
• Boat Landings
Management opportunities:
Perm. land protection
Shoreline restoration
Wetland management
Forestry management
CBCW
Social capacity:
Can we do this?
Who can do
this?
Low phosphorus loading
e.g. Spider Lake →
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https://dnrmaps.wi.gov/H5/?viewer=WI_TMDL
Watershed reports: Wisconsin DNR Watershed Restoration Viewer
Focus on:Shoreline workPermanent land protection
Department of Natural Resources
Best management practices for water quality
• Target nutrient hotspots
• Active erosion / gullying
• Livestock and other animal facilities
• Create “sinks” to park nutrients
• Riparian buffers
• Rain gardens
• Settling ponds
• Permanent land protection
• Watershed & shoreline
What should we do?
Department of Natural Resources
Rain gardens, runoff diversion
Healthy Lakes & Rivers
Department of Natural Resources
Best management practices for AIS
• Prevention & Education
• Clean Boats, Clean Waters
• Population assessment
• Data to support decision-making
• Early response (new populations)
• Containment
• Control
What should we do?
Department of Natural Resources
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Helps communities protect and improve
waterbodies,
by supporting surface water management,
from start to finish
The surface water grant program
Department of Natural Resources
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(1) Education & Planning projects help communities understand surface water conditions, determine management goals, and develop strategic management plans
(2) Management projects protect and improve water quality and aquatic habitat and prevent and control aquatic invasive species (AIS).
Education
Planning
County Lake Grants
Surface Water Management
Land Acquisition
AIS Control
Lake Monitoring & Protection
Contracts
Department of Natural Resources
Scalable projects for watershed management
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Education,
Capacity
Healthy Lakes
& Rivers
Surface Water
Restoration
Comprehensive
Management
Planning
Implementation
• BMPs, Protection
• AIS Control
Department of Natural Resources
Scalable projects for watershed management
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Education & capacitySpread the wordTraining & skill developmentOrganization, membership, relationships
& Rivers
Healthy Lakes & RiversBest practices for landownersFish sticks, diversions, native plantings, rain gardens, infiltration
Surface water restorationMedium-scale BMPs
Comprehensive management planningLake, river, watershed, APM plans
Management plan implementationShovel-ready implementation projectsAIS control
Education
Healthy Lakes
Surface Water Restoration
Early detection & response
All possible without a plan!
Department of Natural Resources
Surface water restoration grants
• Critical area stabilization
• Diversions
• Filter strips
• Grade stabilization structures on
artificial or non-navigable streams,
channels and gullies
• Riparian buffers
• Shoreline protection w/ revegetation,
soil bioengineering, erosion control
• Within 35 feet of the ordinary high
water mark:
• Waterbars
• Sediment and water basins
• Pervious pavement
• Rain gardens
• Vegetation planting
• Urban pollution and runoff control
• Impervious area removal
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Education
Healthy Lakes
Surface Water Restoration
Comprehensive Mgt Planning
AIS Control,Mgt Plan Implementation
Department of Natural Resources
County Lake Projects - $50K Max
• Only Counties may apply
• Purpose: protect water quality and lake ecosystems.
• Activities
• Update and improve County lake information
• Classify / categorize lakes in need of protection (work with DNR Healthy
Waters program)
• Describe lakes and needed protection activities in Lake & Water Plan
• Apply for funds to implement
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Department of Natural Resources
Spring – Summer 2020 Fall 2020 and on
• AIS
• Baseline population data
• Use to develop management strategy
• Work with DNR AIS specialist
• AIS, Protection & Restoration
• Comprehensive Management Plan
• Implementation
• County Lake Grant?
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Directed Lakes
EDR for pioneering populations
Prepare to plan
Comprehensive Management Planning
Needs and solutions
Implementation
Department of Natural Resources
Steps to securing a grant
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There are around 6 major steps to getting a grant:Here we’ll review the first two, which are important to get you started.
Department of Natural Resources
Step 1: Determine eligibility
• Submit eligibility application to your environmental grant specialist
• Jill Sunderland; [email protected]; 715-635-4167
• Six months before grant deadline
• MAY 1, 2020
• LINK
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Department of Natural Resources
Step 2: Develop project
• Notify your local biologist you intend to apply by October 1
• Lakes: Keven Gauthier; [email protected]; 715-356-5211 x214
• Streams: Jon Kleist; [email protected]; 715-762-1344
• AIS: Carol Warden: [email protected]
• Share a brief summary of your project plan
• Your biologist will determine if a follow-up meeting is required
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Department of Natural Resources
Build capacity
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• Lakes Leaders Institute• Other programing at UWEX-Lakes• County Land & Water
County Lake Projects• Countywide Lake Associations• Regional Planning Commissions• Tribes• Consultants and contractors
How do we do the work?
Department of Natural Resources
Helpful websites• Lakes https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lakes/
• Show a lake profile
• UWEX https://www.uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/UWEXLakes/Pages/default.aspx
• Information there capacity help with org
• Lake Leaders
• Grants https://dnr.wi.gov/aid/surfacewater.html
• Where to go for grant info
• Org application
• Handout available
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Department of Natural Resources
Afternoon discussion : Planning
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Department of Natural Resources
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Department of Natural Resources
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