Articles ... Photo Archive ... Editor's Corner Home

Lake Organizations     Lake Law     Human Impact     Lake Ecology

Please insert the line “Reprinted from Lake Tides” along with the date of the issue.  If the article you choose has a particular by-line, include that in your newsletter also.
 

• Lake District Q&A (Summer 2009) - The question this issue...Can a lake district change its boundaries?
• Lake District Q&A (Winter 2008) - The question this issue...What should lake districts do about board of commissioner representation when their established boundaries cross a number of municipalities and the governing body with the largest assessed value of property in the district changes from one year to the next?
• Lake District Q&A (Fall 2008) - The question this issue...Do lake districts need to abide by open meetings and public records policy?
• Lake District Q&A (Summer 2008) - The question this issue...Where is the best place to store lake district records?
• Lake District Q&A (Spring 2008) - The question this issue... Which records of a lake district must be available to the public?
• Lake Planning Series: A Call to Action (Fall 2007) - Learn why it is important to have an implementation/action plan when working on lake management and get some tips on how to do it well.
• Lake District Q&A (Fall 2007) - The question this issue... Is there a limit on how much a lake district can tax?
• Lake District Q&A (Summer 2007) - The question this issue... Does a lake district need to get bids?
• Lake Planning Series: Common Lake Grant Pitfalls (Spring 2007) - Has your lake organization experienced the grant process?  Learn how to avoid some of the common pitfalls and implement a better grant.
• Raking in the Data: New Protocol for Aquatic Plant Surveys (Spring 2007) - The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has worked to create new protocol to make aquatic plant management work for you!
• Lake Districts Q&A (Spring 2007) - The question this issue... Who can vote at a lake district annual meeting?
• Lake Districts Q&A (Winter 2007) - The question this issue... What are the requirements for annual meeting notices?
• Grants in your Pants: Two Cost-sharing Programs Available (Fall 2006) - Find out how and when to apply for the Targeted Runoff Management (TRM) and Urban Nonpoint Source and Storm Water Management (UNPS) grants.
• Assistance for Your Lake Planning Grant Project (Fall 2006) - The third part of a series of articles about lake planning.
• Lake Districts Q&A (Fall 2006) - The questions this issue... Are lake districts tax exempt?
• Lake Districts Q&A (Summer 2006) - The question this issue...What is a Special Meeting and how is it different form the Annual Meeting?
• Collecting Credible Data (Summer 2006) - Get informed about the specific methods used by the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network to take secchi disk readings
• Planning With A Purpose (Summer 2006) - The second part of a series of articles about lake planning.
• Lake Planning (Spring 2006) - Thinking about a lake planning project?  Find out some important questions to ask before starting.
• Who's Who in Citizen-Based Monitoring (Fall 2005) - get involved as a monitor
• Lost in the Mail: Getting a PO Box (Fall 2005) - make sure your lake organization gets all of the current information about lakes as well as other important communications
• Making Lake Life Easier: The Wisconsin Lake List Directory (Fall 2005) - search this directory to find Wisconsin lake organizations, businesses servicing them, and links to sources of assistance
• Can You Risk It?  Insurance for Lake Organizations (Fall 2005) - Basic information for lake organizations looking into what type of insurance fits them best.
• Lake Districts Q&A (Fall 2005) - The question this issue...Can a lake district use absentee or proxy voting?
• New Edition of Lake District Guide (Summer 2005) - This 11th edition has been split into two publications to help answer lake organizational questions...available soon.
• Lake District Q&A (Summer 2005) - The start of a series of questions regarding Lake Districts
• Help With Your Newsletter (Winter 2005) - Use articles and photos from the UWEX-Lakes Program to educate your readers.
• How Effective are Lake Organizations Part II (Winter 2003) - Covers issues, effectiveness, what lake organizations do, and funding of Wisconsin lake organizations
• How Effective are Lake Organizations Part I (Fall 2002) - Covers lake characteristics, organizations characteristics, revenues/expenditures, and management goals of Wisconsin lake organizations

Back to top

Lake Law (instructions on how to download articles)

• Protecting Our Shores: NR 115 Revisions (Summer 2009) - Find out the newest changes the Wisconsin Resource Board has made to shoreline building regulations.
• No More Phosphorus In Fertilizer (Spring 2009) - Gov. Doyle signed the "Clean Lakes Bill" which prohibits the use of lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus with certain exceptions.
• VHSv Rules Revised (Spring 2008) - This rule revision allows anglers to reuse leftover minnows purchased from a Wisconsin bait dealer, if reused on the same waterbody.
• Statewide VHS Emergency Rules Passed (Fall 2007) - Read about these rules that were passed on October 24, 2007.
• Legislative Updates - NR 115 and SB 197 (Fall 2007) - NR 115 is an administrative code regarding shoreland management rules and SB 197 is a proposed statewide phosphorus ban.
• Update: NR 115 Process (Spring 2007) - A brief background of this state law that regulates the protection of shorelands in unincorporated areas, why there are public hearings regarding this law and what to expect next.
• Run Off with the Facts: An Introduction to Wisconsin Stormwater Regulations (Fall 2006) - How do these regulations effect us and what challenges still remain?
• NR326: Pier Survey Shows Most Piers Meet Size Limits (Fall 2005) - How do piers size-up to the law?
• NR 115 Update: Shoreland Zoning Rules (Fall 2005)
• What Have You Done for Me Lately?  A Quick Glance at Lake Grants (Summer 2005) - Three types of grants have been assisting Wisconsin lake stewards in protecting these precious natural resources.
• Wisconsin's Shoreland Management Program (Summer 2005) - An update on NR 115
• Pier Rules Moving Ahead (NR 326) (Summer 2005) - An update on NR 326
• APM Online (Spring 2005) - This draft guide helps citizens understand laws and permits, planning, control strategies, and where to go for assistance when it comes to Aquatic Plant Management
• Revised Shoreland Zoning Standards (Spring 2005) - New rules that will give landowners significantly more flexibility, but still protect Wisconsin's lakes and rivers
• What's the Latest About Piers? (Spring 2005) - DNR has been revising NR326 and has designed a Pier Planner to help understand the rules
• Grant Rules: Guides for Aquatic Invasive Species Control Grants (Winter 2005) - The state offers financial support in the effort to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species.
• Pier Rules: Your Turn To Input (Fall 2004) - more explanation on a proposal for permanent rules for piers, boat shelters and swimming rafts
• Pier Pressure: Confusion With Pier Rules (Summer 2004) - clarifies the processes of permanent rulemaking
• A Tax Flaw: Use Value Assessment and Property Tax Implication  (Spring 2003) - Discusses use value assessment, tax savings and conservation
• The Blob: Metamorphosis of a Swim Raft (Summer 2002) - New rules for swim rafts and other water toys
• Phantom Units: Dockominiums Journey through the Wisconsin Court System  (Summer 2002) - Details of the court case to convert a marina on Lake Geneva to a condominium form of ownership
• Is it Your Land or Our Water (Winter 2002) - The Public Trust Doctrine and the Ordinary High Water Mark
• The Relationship Between Public Lands and Your Property Taxes (Winter 2002) - County land acquisition and its relation to widespread public problems

Back to top

Human Impact (instructions on how to download articles)

• Partnering with Mills Fleet Farm to Stop Aquatic Hitchhikers (Summer 2009) - Getting youth involved and interested in slowing the spread of AIS
• Investing in Our Future: Recovery Act Benefits Wisconsin Lakes and Young Adults (Summer 2009) - Clean Boats Clean Waters makes yet another partnership to helps slow the spread of AIS
• Invader Crusaders (Summer 2009) - Celebrating volunteer and professional efforts to slow the spread of invasive species.
• Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (Summer 2009) - Find out what is new and improved with this program and also how to review data from the lakes that are monitored in Wisconsin.
• Harmful Algae Surveillance Program (Spring 2009) - Human and animal illness and death resulting from exposure of blue-green algae.
• Lake Healthy Food: Preserving Our Water Quality Through Positive Food Choices (Spring 2009) - How our food choices affect the water quality of lakes and streams - pesticides at the foundation.
• Keeping Lakes in the Family: Children's Books Help Us Share the Magic of Lakes (Fall 2008) - Children stories about lake experiences for everyone who recognize the magic of lakes.
• Stopping the Spread: Fire Departments Work to Suppress Fires...and AIS (Fall 2008) - Local firefighters joined the cause of stopping the spread of AIS by maintaining dry fire hydrants and other equipment.
• Buff Up Your Shoreline (Fall 2008) - Restoring shoreland buffers to enhance water quality and helping the lakes to become healthier and more satisfying for everyone.
• Wisconsin's Water Guard (Summer 2008) - Chris Hamerla of the DNR's new Water Guard Program tells a message for boaters, anglers, and anyone who enjoys the beauty and excitement that Wisconsin waters have to offer.
• If Plants Could Talk - Part Deux: EWM and Boats...the Early Years (Summer 2008) - Sandy Engel tells a story of a spry plant who reveals how boats changed its underwater world and enhanced its ability to grow, divide, and spread.
• WI Wetlands Strategy: Reversing the Loss (Summer 2008) - 16 conservations and governmental agencies create a vision for WI wetlands.
• Water, Water Everywhere: Examining Your Lake's Readiness For High Water (Summer 2008) - Due to the record breaking rainfall of southern Wisconsin, this shows how to protect, prevent, and prepare your lake for high water.
• Great Lakes Basin Compact (Spring 2008) - The Great Lakes Basin Commission protects this unique resource by providing a coordinated regional effort designed to sustain and manage the water inside the basin.
• A COOL Project (Spring 2008) - Luke and Kyle Leonard take a plunge by helping to clean all the lakes of Oneida County by forming a club in order to have help with the process.
• 2007 National Lake Survey: Preliminary Findings in Wisconsin (Spring 2008) - 58 Wisconsin Lakes got a checkup in water quality, ecological integrity, and recreational value.
• New DNR Staff Confront AIS (Spring 2008) - New staff help to raise public awareness of aquatic invasive species by providing information to folks at landings and watercraft inspections.
• What You Say Is What You Get: Choosing the Right Words to Protect Lakes (Spring 2008) - Findings from a study on behalf of the Nature Conservancy and Trust for Public Land - ways to discuss environmental conservation and water-related issues with the general public.
• Today's Catch: Tournaments and AIS (Winter 2008) - You would think that those involved in fishing tournaments would be at the forefront of stopping the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS), but are they?
• Paleolimnology: A Reflection of Our History (Winter 2008) - Get a quick overview of how the influx of settlers in Wisconsin has changed our lakes, and how we can trace these changes through our lakes' sediment.
• Clean Boats, Clean Waters: 2007 Watercraft Inspection Data Report (Fall 2007) - Compare numbers from previous years on watercraft inspections, number of boaters taking the AIS prevention steps, and number of boaters aware of the "Illegal to Launch" law.
• Citizen Lake Monitoring: Seasonal Steps for Lake Residents (Fall 2007) - A checklist for lake residents and volunteers of the Citizen Lake Monitoring Network.
• Invasive Species Prevention: One Step at a Time (Fall 2007) - Find out what Wisconsin is doing to encourage responsible behavior and thinking when buying plants, camping or boating out of state.
• Clean Boats, Clean Waters: The Value of Data Entry (Summer 2007) - Why is this data so important?  Find out here as well as information on how the data entry process has become more streamlined.
• If Plants Could Talk: Eurasian Water-milfoil Transcribed (Summer 2007) - EWM "speaks" its travels to the waters of Wisconsin.
• CLMN Volunteer Update (Summer 2007) - New web updates, data entering improvements and training opportunities are avaialble.
• VHS - Summer Update (Summer 2007) - Find out what's happening with the emergency rules passed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for waters infected with VHS.
• Keep Your Cabin Safe (Summer 2007) - Some tips to follow whether you're renting your cabin to strangers, sharing it with relatives, or leaving it unoccupied until your next visit.
• Short-Term Lake Home Rentals: An Emerging Issue (Summer 2007) - Lake residents, businesses and the lake resource itself could be negatively effected by this increasingly popular trend.
• Life According to SCORP: Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) (Spring 2007) - Take a look to see how this plan describes our use of Wisconsin's water for recreation and some of the trends that may have an effect on our lakes.
• Citizen Lake Monitoring Network: 20+ Years and Still Going Strong (Spring 2007) - A wonderful history of a great network of volunteers and a few personal accounts of what it's like to be a long-time volunteer.
• Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS): Another Aquatic Invasive (Spring 2007) - This disease, effecting both freshwater and saltwater fish, is now present in Lake Michigan and the Winnebago system.
• EPA Launches National Lake Survey (Winter 2007) - Wisconsin has 29 lakes included in the survey which is designed to strengthen state, tribal and interstate monitoring programs.
• Paleolimnology: History in the Mucking (Winter 2007) - A way to view changes in lakes over the last 200 years or more by studying lake bottom sediment.
• What's in a Name? (Fall 2006) - How do our lakes get their names?
• Predicting Boater Behavior: Survey Says... (Fall 2006) - The Clean Boats, Clean Waters watercraft inspection program has compiled some numbers collected over the past four years by volunteers.
• Citizen Lake Monitoring Network: 20 Years of Giving a Little Back (Fall 2006) - A big "thank you" goes out to all of the volunteers around the state!
• Mapping the Spread of Eurasian Watermilfoil (Fall 2006) - Data from the 1960s gives us a picture of how EWM has spread throughout the state.  Web resources available.
• Boat Landing Signage: Is it Effective? (Fall 2006) - Are signs working to inform lake users?  Find out the key points to remember if you're thinking about creating a sign at your boat landing.
• Rain Gardens: Controlling Runoff Naturally (Fall 2006) - See how human impact can be beneficial to our state's waters.
• Volunteer Monitoring of Atrazine in Wisconsin Lakes (Summer 2006) - This study creates a baseline of data for the effects this common pesticide has on our lakes.
• Green Lawn...Green Lake?  Phosphorus Bans Gain Momentum (Summer 2006) - Can you prevent excess phosphorus in your lake?
• Northwoods Reflections (Summer 2006) - Excerpt from Sandy Gillum's speech at the Northwoods Lakes Workshop held July 2006.
• Thinking It Through: Our History of Chemical Use on Aquatic Plants (Spring 2006) - Lake management has not escaped the debate over chemical use.  What have we done in the past and what can we do now?
• Hard Ground, Hard Times: Manure Management in Wisconsin (Spring 2006) - Wisconsinites have been jolted by recent news headlines revealing manure running off farmfields after a rain or snowmelt.
• The Secchi Disk and Our Eyes: Working Together to Measure Clarity of Our Lakes - full article (a shortened version was offered in the Spring 2006 Lake Tides)
• Hold the Salt? The Impact of De-Icing and Other Chloride-Containing Compounds on Lakes (Winter 2006) - No one likes driving on icy roads, but what is all that salt doing to our treasured water resource?
• CBCW: Volunteers Reaching 26,000 Boaters (Winter 2006) - The Clean Boats, Clean Waters program is increasing education about aquatic invasive species at boat landings across the state.
• Paying for Plants: First Citation for Plants on Boat (Fall 2005) - Caring volunteers say there's a price for keeping our lakes healthy
• Milfoil Control: Let Nature Take Its Course? (Fall 2005) - How do weevils effect the fight against Eurasian Watermilfoil?
• Getting It Right: Whole-lake Herbicide Debate Deserves A Dose of Science (Fall 2005) - A few assumptions are set straight in this article about whole-lake herbicide treatment of invasive aquatic species
• Partners in Preservation: Saving Through Land Trusts (Summer 2005) - How Land Trusts work along with a couple of examples
• Volunteer Monitoring Update: The 2005 Great North American Secchi Dip-IN (Summer 2005)
• New Study of Atrazine in Lakes (Summer 2005)
• Self-Help Lake Monitoring (Spring 2005) - Celebrating Self-Help Lake Monitors
• Thrills & Chills: Fireworks on Our Lakes (Spring 2005) - Fireworks over the water seem to be a "no brainer" as far as fire safety is concerned, yet doing so can cause
  human explosions.
• Night Bowfishing: Some People are Carping About It (Spring 2005) - Conflicts can occur when public waters and private lands meet - in 1999 state laws changed to allow bowfishing with lights at night
• Volunteers: More Important Than Ever (Fall 2004) - Improvements to Self-Help manuals, grants, databases and training opportunities are on the way for Wisconsin's Self-Help volunteers
• Hitchin' A Ride: Clean Boats, Clean Waters Slows the Spread of AIS (Fall 2004) - Attend a CBCW workshop and help slow the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species
• Turf vs. Trees: What's Best on the Lakeshore? (Summer 2004) - study finds nutrient loss from near shore areas in northern Wisconsin is 8 times greater from turf than from trees.
• Drugs & Water Don't Mix: A Pharmaceutical Cocktail (Spring 2004 - page 1) - exposure of pharmaceuticals and personal care products to aquatic critters
• So You're Considering a Boat Washing Facility (Summer 2003) - Guidelines for boat washing facilities
• Little Fly:: West Nile Virus…A Concern for Lake Users? (Spring 2003) - History and symptoms of West Nile Virus, with comments on mosquito control
• A Shoreline Examined...And Protected? (Summer 2002) - Discusses value of natural shoreline
• Musing on Mercury (Spring 2002) - All about mercury, in us and in our lakes
• Stirring Up Trouble? (Spring 2002)- Measuring the disturbance induced at the lake bed by passing watercraft

Back to top

Lake Ecology (instructions on how to download articles)

• The Rice Moon Rises Again (Summer 2009) - Harvesting wild rice in Wisconsin.
• Water So Low It Can't Reach the Shore? (Summer 2009) - Taking Care of OUr Lakes in Times of Declining Water Levels
• Call O' the Loon: "Stop Using Lead, Please!" (Spring 2009) - How to stop the deadly effects of lead poisoning in loons and how toxic lead actually is.
• Low Water Levels In the North: Are they driven by precipitation or evaporation? (Spring 2009) - Northern Wisconsin lakes have undergone a pronounced drop in water level due to the climate - especially through precipitation.
• Lake Fingerprints: Researchers Use Lake Data to Reveal A Lake's Structural Habitat Identity (Winter 2009) - Efforts to protect, restore, and enhance habitats to be guided by measuring lake fingerprints.
• What Can Plants Tell Us? (Winter 2009) - Questions and Answers about EWM and AIS and our program's specific goals.
• Stopping The Spread: A Proposed Rule Aims to Identify, Classify, and Control Invasive Species (Fall 2008) - Proposed rules to establish a classification and regulatory system for invasive species.
• Flying the Road to Recovery: Eagles and Osprey Making A Comeback (Summer 2008) - Information on the bald eagle and the current distribution - one recently found in the Wisconsin-Michigan border.
• A Canary In A Coal Mine? (Spring 2008) - The causes of malfunctions and how the amphibians from North America and Europe have come to develop these bad form from runoff.
• Bats: The Ultimate Mosquito Repellent (Fall 2007) - Find out some interesting facts about one of Wisconsin's most common bats, little brown bat.
• Phosphorus and the Great Circle Tour (Fall 2007) - What happens to phosphorus once it is in the lake?  Find out more about internal loading.
• Resident Bacteria May Help Clean Phosphorus from Lakes (Summer 2007) - Assistant Professor Katherine McMahon, UW-Madison, is hoping her research will contribute to lowering phosphorus levels in any lake.
• Phragmites Australis a.k.a. "Phrankengrass" (Summer 2007) - A description of this common reed grass is followed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources control recommendations.
• As the Worm Turns: Meet Wisconsin's Freshwater Flatworms (Spring 2007) - Explore the intriguing life history of one of Wisconsin's little known lake residents.
• An Unexpected Encounter: Wisconsin's Freshwater Sponges (Summer 2006) - A little known aquatic treasure.
• Silver Beach Elk (Summer 2006) - Elk antlers found in Middle Eau Claire Lake suspected to be over 10,000 years old.
• Water Levels Got You Down? (Summer 2006) - What are the reasons for this phenomenon and are they all bad?
• Mussel Mania: Freshwater Mussels (Spring 2006) - Mussels are a strong part of our water ecosystem.
• When Ice Shoves (Winter 2006) - Find out how strong this frozen water can be.
• Winter Is Coming: What's A Fish To Do? (Fall 2005) - What happens to all of the fish in our lakes during these cold winter months?
• Hydrilla?  Don't you mean Godzilla? (Summer 2005) - A monstrous invasive that has not yet reached Wisconsin - let's keep it that way!
• Blue-Green Algae (Summer 2005) - Learn more about the biology of this green covering that might be on a lake near you.
• Heron Majesty (Summer 2005) - The Great Blue Heron is a common site around lakes in Wisconsin and beyond - find out more about this magnificent creature
• Holey Moley!  Star-nosed Mole Lives by Lakes (Spring 2005) - Fun facts about this little mammal that you may have never heard of
• Invisible Fish: Small Fish as Bio-indicators (Spring 2005) - A trained eye can spot the little native fish that can be a good indicator of a lake's condition
• Mixing Milfoil: Eurasian & Northern Water Milfoil Create a Hybrid (Winter 2005) - Newly discovered milfoil hybrid will need more research to determine it's impact.
• A Long Winters Nap: Amphibians and Reptiles Sleep It Off (Winter 2005) - Ice and snow - these solid forms of water hide from our view the animals that lie dormant in the cold.
• For the Record: Ice On/Ice off (Fall 2004) - Ice cover information from Lake Mendota over the past 150 years shows a dramatic decrease.
• Tiny Shrimp: Not for the Bar-B (Fall 2004) - Some of Wisconsin's lakes possess freshwater shrimp called Opossum shrimp.
• Not Neat: A Case for Leaving Trees in the Water (Summer 2004) - Coarse Woody Habitat (CWH) has an important place in lake ecosystems.
• Blue-Greens: Algae from Brazil Migrates Northward (Summer 2004) - Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii has increased its density in Midwestern states this year.
• Fassett's Locoweed: Pretty In Pink & Only in Wisconsin (Spring 2004 - page 5) - rare aquatic plant found in only 3 Wisconsin counties
• The Lakes and the Land...How are They Getting Along?  A 10,000 Year Relationship (Winter 2004) - A look at changes over the 100 centuries
• The "500 lbs. Algae Adage"...Where Did it Come From? (Summer 2003) - A discussion of phosphorous as a limited factor for algae growth
• Looney Tunes (Summer 2003) - Vocalizations of the Common Loon
• Clowns in Fur Coats (Fall 2002) - Natural history of the otter
• Life in a Drop of Water (Fall 2002) - Microscopic plants and animals in the water
• When a Tree Falls in the Water (Summer 2002) - Impacts of coarse woody debris
• Homeland Security (Summer 2002) : The List of Aquatic Invasive Species Gets Longer
• Are These Sponges in Your Lake (Fall 2001) - Natural history of freshwater sponges

Back to top

Instructions for downloading Articles that are in PDF (using Adobe Acrobat 5.0)

1. Select the PDF that includes the article you wish to download.
2. Click the issue to open it in Adobe Acrobat Reader.
3. Click the Copy Text icon   from the toolbar.
4. Left-click and drag to select the article you want to download.
5. Once you have the article highlighted, right-click and select Copy from the menu.
6. Open any text editor such as Microsoft Word�, Notepad, etc. and open a new document.
7. Right-click inside the new document and select Paste from the menu that appears.
8. All of the text you selected should now be pasted into this new document.
9. In your newsletter, please insert the line “Reprinted from Lake Tides” along with the date of the issue. If the article you choose has a particular by-line, include that in your newsletter also.

Back to top