Hot Topics
The
annual meeting of the Blockhouse Lake Association is held on the second
Saturday in June. The date for this year's meeting will be
Saturday, June 9.
Blockhouse Lake Association is a member of
the Wisconsin Association of Lakes (WAL). For many years this
organization has worked to promote cleaner water, protect lakes from
invasive species, improve fishing and habitat, and educate the public
about water issues. Each year WAL joins together with the DNR and
UWEX to host the Wisconsin Lakes Convention. This year the
convention is being held April 26-28 at the Regency Suites Hotel and
Convention Center in Green Bay, WI. The theme this
year is "Agents of Change," and the sessions will provide
information on shoreland management, organizational maintenance, lake
ecology, water law and policy, natural history, ethics, and much
more. (You can get more information at the WAL website.)
Rapid
shore land development in northern Wisconsin has raised fears that
lake water quality may be harmed. A study by the DNR and the U.S.
Geological Survey (reported in Lake
Tides, V. 29, No. 3) has shown how this happens unless property
owners take steps to reduce the amount of runoff into the lake.
The researchers compared the amount of nutrients (such as
phosphorus) that flowed into lakes from shores that were wooded with
those that were covered with lawn grasses. The study took place
in Vilas and Forest counties over a period of about two years.
The results showed that the amount of phosphorus that ran into the
lakes from lawn areas was eight times greater than that which entered
the lake from wooded shore lines. This shows why it is important
to limit the amount of lawn grass near a lake shore, and the value of
promoting the growth of natural vegetation as a buffer.
