Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Partnership

08/20/2026

💧𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲💧
A couple of weeks ago, Extension Lakes' Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (CLMN) Educator, Paul Skawinski, trained volunteers Kevin Goodman and Rick Schultz on the Cloverleaf Lakes in Shawano County and Zac Locklear from the Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties, Inc. (WAMSCO). They were being trained on how to collect extra samples as part of the CLMN Quality Assurance (QAQC) project. The QAQC project assures the quality of data collected as part of CLMN.
💙A BIG THANK YOU to all of the volunteers out there that help collect data that informs good decisions for our shared waters! 💙

08/19/2026

Answer to last week's TRIVIA TUESDAY question: What animal that frequents the shore-land likes to wash its food whenever possible?


ANSWER: A raccoon

08/13/2026

Last week, members of the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Partnership gathered in Appleton for our annual meeting to learn from each other, network, and share resources.

Participants included individuals from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Administration, Jefferson County, Wisconsin, Sawyer County LWCD, Forest County Land & Water Conservation, Oconto County LWCD, Ozaukee County Planning and Parks Department, Adams County Land & Water Dept, Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties, Inc., Extension Lakes at UWSP, Glacierland RC&D, Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance, Green Lake Association, Lumberjack RC&D, Plant Gal, River Alliance of Wisconsin, Wisconsin Lakes, and UW-Green Bay. These professionals work across Wisconsin to protect our shared waters on a daily basis.

A big thank you to Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance for helping to coordinate our site visits which included tours of two Agricultural Runoff Treatment Systems (ARTS) and a streambank project. ARTS are one type of engineered practice that is gaining traction in the Fox-Wolf basin for their use to capture runoff and provide water storage.

See the links in the comments to learn more!

08/12/2026

It's Trivia Tuesday!
What animal that frequents the shore-land likes to wash its food whenever possible?

Check next week for the answer to this week's question! If you can't wait, follow us on Instagram and get immediate gratification by swiping for the answer!

Purchase the Wisconsin Lakes Trivia Game from our bookstore: https://cnroutreached.asapconnected.com/ =LAKE

07/29/2026

Answer to last week's TRIVIA TUESDAY question: Adopted in 1949, what is Wisconsin's State Tree?

ANSWER: Sugar Maple

07/27/2026

Involving young, curious minds in lake monitoring efforts is a great way to help keep our lakes healthy!
“No one will protect what they don't care about; and no one will care about what they have never experiened”
― David Attenborough

07/24/2026

𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐥: 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬
What do you see when you walk along your shoreline? This summer, take a stroll and picture the possibilities! Imagine a haven for butterflies, songbirds, and frogs - a swath of hard-working native plants that add beauty and privacy, and help protect your lake or river from polluted runoff.

The Healthy Lakes & Rivers 350 ft² Shoreline Native Plantings best practice is a simple way to improve wildlife habitat, natural beauty, and privacy, while decreasing runoff. Native plantings include 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘀𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗯𝘀, and 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘀. There are six ready-made planting templates to best fit your property's sun exposure, soil type, and goals: from a vibrant bird/butterfly option to a shade loving woodland design. You can also have some fun and design your own native planting!

Not ready for a full planting? Start small and leave a patch of shoreline unmowed, skip the fertilizer, or create a cozy corner with native plants and natural habitat.

There is even grant funding to help cover the cost of installing a Healthy Lakes & Rivers native planting project. Find out more about grants on the Healthy Lakes & Rivers website at https://healthylakeswi.com/, then invite your neighbors to join you.

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 & 𝐑𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫!

07/22/2026

𝐃𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐄𝐠𝐠𝐬? 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐬? 𝐍𝐨𝐩𝐞, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐳𝐨𝐚𝐧𝐬!
In mid-summer, many people start to notice large, jelly-like masses attached to branches, dock legs, or vegetation in the water. These are no cause for concern - they're colonies of small animals called bryozoans. The most common type seen in Wisconsin is 𝘗𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢, also called the magnificent bryozoan due to its impressive size. The "jelly balls" are mostly composed of a watery gel, with tiny, filter-feeding animals attached around the outside of the ball. Each ball can grow as big as a basketball, but each individual, called a zooid, is only a fraction of an inch! The zooids reach out with a tiny comb-like structure to grab plankton traveling with the current. Bryozoan colonies look strange, but pose no threat to humans, pets, or lakes.

Video by Paul Skawinski

In mid-summer, many people start to notice large, jelly-like masses...

07/22/2026

📚 It's TRIVIA TUESDAY! 🌳
Adopted in 1949, what is Wisconsin's State Tree?

Check next week for the answer to this week's question! If you can't wait, follow us on Instagram and get immediate gratification by swiping for the answer!

Purchase the Wisconsin Lakes Trivia Game from our bookstore: https://cnroutreached.asapconnected.com/ =LAKE