Laura Felda Marquardt came on the lakes scene with a passion for her work and a willingness to take on new challenges. She started out as a youth educator, working with students and teachers in K-12 and nonformal settings. In 2003, Laura developed a state-wide effort called Clean Boats, Clean Waters (CBCW), which she also coordinated. With this program, Laura focused her attention on training community volunteers to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Laura has worked hard to guide these statewide efforts and help people build their local capacity (see article on next page).

It has been great for all of us to watch this young lady grow over the years. She came here wanting to help people learn about lakes, and she has done that in a wonderful way. Her professional life has always been about helping others and many people are thankful for her experience and enthusiasm.

Laura will be hanging up her CBCW blue t-shirt and taking some well deserved time to explore this wonderful nation, while enjoying retirement with her husband Tom. Laura has left her mark on the arena of lake education and has been a great asset to Wisconsin. For those of you deep into the CBCW program, Laura tells us not to worry, her able replacement, Erin Henegar (see page 11), will be picking up were Laura left off.

As part of ongoing efforts to document Wisconsin’s biological diversity and expand conservation planning to organisms often overlooked, I recently focused some of my attention on Wisconsin’s flatworms, a common but poorly known group of lake residents with intriguing life histories.

Unrelated to most other "worms," the free-living flatworms (scientists call them Turbellaria) belong to the phylum Platyhelminthes, a group of relatively simple, soft-bodied, invertebrates that also includes the parasitic tapeworms and flukes. Flatworms have a ribbon-shaped body that is literally flattened from top to bottom and lacks the segments typical of our more familiar earthworms.

Taxonomists divide flatworms into microturbellarians (tiny worms less than 4-hundredths of an inch in length) and macroturbellarians (those two-tenths to 1 inch in length, with most being 1/2 inch or longer). Biologists have recorded about 150 species of microturbellarians and approximately 40 species of macroturbellarians in North American freshwaters (others occur in the world’s oceans).

You can, at least the larger ones. Flatworms occur in most freshwater habitats, often in exceedingly large numbers and rather high densities. Biologists once found 27,000 flatworms in one square meter in a lake! Because they cannot swim and generally do not like light, flatworms spend much of their time on the lake bottom. They release sticky mucus that they glide on top of. This mucus lets them crawl up plants and slide upside down on the surface of the water. Light-detecting eye-spots usually guide flatworms to the shade of rocks and other submerged items during daylight hours, so finding them in your lake might require a bit of careful searching.

Although flatworms show up commonly when scientists collect invertebrate samples from lake and stream bottoms, few biologists have studied them in Wisconsin. Published records remain limited and surprisingly few specimens can be found in our natural history collections. I recently summarized the available records and compiled a provisional list of 31 species for the state, certainly short of the actual number that occurs here¹.

Flatworms are important parts of healthy streams, ponds, and lakes. Most are predators that devour protists, rotifers, nematodes, aquatic worms, and other small, soft-bodied animals. Some release mucus as a trap to catch small crustaceans. They will also feed on dead animal matter and larger animals that are injured (flatworms can stretch part of their mouth and use it to suck the juices from their prey). Sometimes they even eat other flatworms, including their own kind!

Flatworms in turn have many predators; tadpoles, salamander larvae, small fish, and crustaceans, to name a few. They also provide food for aquatic insects, such as dragonfly naiads which later help us control pests (like mosquitoes) when they mature into adult forms.

Flatworms respire through their skin; gasses diffuse directly across their moist outer surfaces. Because of this, they need clean water with lots of oxygen to survive. Their absence from a lake can suggest the water body may not be as healthy as it could be.

Although flatworms are one of the simplest organisms known, their behaviors can be quite complex. When these hermaphroditic animals mate, both individuals can lay eggs. The eggs, several of which are laid in a single tiny cocoon, take about two weeks to hatch. Those laid late in autumn, however, wait until the following spring to hatch. Flatworms can also reproduce asexually (Nature’s version of a B-rated Sci-fi movie). Their posterior end grips a substrate and the body constricts at the midsection. After a few hours of tugging, the body literally rips apart at the constriction and each half grows replacements of the missing pieces to form two whole new flatworms!

Sometimes larger animals transport flatworms to new places. When a bird, raccoon, or other animal gets mud on its feet, flatworms inside the mud get a free ride. Of course, if the larger animal doesn’t go somewhere with water, the flatworms can dry out and die.

We’re not sure yet. Biologists have not conducted a statewide, systematic survey for flatworms so their conservation status really remains unknown. Some flatworms found in Wisconsin are probably nonnative species introduced from other parts of the world, but the potential impacts of these species have not been investigated. Over time, these exotic species may become important predators or competitors of other small invertebrates, resulting in an altered food chain in some habitats.

While identifying flatworms poses a challenge (this requires special microscopic techniques), there remains much that can be learned by observing their behaviors, particularly in natural settings. Your local lake might be an ideal spot for making such observations.

See if you can find flatworms dwelling among the stems of submerged plants or on other underwater surfaces. Small pieces of raw meat wedged between rocks can effectively lure them from their hiding places. If you want to look at flatworms up close, use a fine paintbrush to pick them off of objects. Their mucus will adhere to the bristles. Don’t try to pick up flatworms with your fingers though, their delicate bodies will break apart.

Keep notes and share observations you make. An exciting discovery might just be waiting to reveal itself while you’re paying attention to these inconspicuous, but fascinating animals.

We recognized that many citizens and lake groups request permits every year to harvest or chemically treat nuisance plants in a lake. Many of these groups have no knowledge of how the plant community might change with chemical treatments or how effective the treatments are at eliminating unwanted plants. We also recognized that we could get more information from our own routine plant sampling surveys and better replicate them in the future by taking advantage of new technologies such as Global Positioning System (GPS). To address both issues, we have developed a new plant sampling survey protocol designed to systematically examine all areas of a lake. We can use the information to create maps such as the location of an invasive plant, where the plants grow most densely, or how a rare species is distributed. The surveys will serve as baselines for the future, and will be especially important should there be any changes in the lake. These changes could be in water level or water clarity, a detection of an invasive species, or associated with lake management activities.

This survey design is termed "point-intercept" because we collect data at uniform intervals over the entire lake. First we lay a grid, like a sheet of graph paper, over a map of the lake - all done electronically. Then, we determine the number of sampling points (how close the grid lines are to each other), depending on the acreage of the lake, the shape of the lake basin, and how convoluted the shoreline is. There is a latitude and longitude associated with each intersection point on the grid. These coordinates are loaded into a hand-held GPS unit to take in the boat.

Armed with a lake map, the GPS unit (loaded with GPS points spread over the lake), a couple of sampling rakes and empty data sheets, two or three field workers start the survey. The boat driver navigates to each point using the GPS unit and, once there, the raker scrapes the lake bottom and hauls up the catch. The raker calls out the depth and sediment type (muck, sand or rock) and then identifies every plant species caught on the rake, giving each species an abundance rating of 1 (few plants), 2 (moderate), or 3 (plants overflowing the rake). One person records all the data and keeps track of what has been and still needs to be sampled. The crew collects a sample of each species and later dries it for preservation in an herbarium (a depository for dried plant specimens) at the UW-Madison or UW-Stevens Point campus.

Greetings lake enthusiasts! I began work as Wisconsin’s Aquatic Invasives Education Specialist in October, and am honored to take over this vital role at such an exciting time.

There are a lot of folks all across Wisconsin working to slow the spread of aquatic invasive species—DNR staff, UW-Extension staff, university researchers, county personnel, and, of course, lake association members and local volunteers. My job is to stand at the intersection of all of these different groups, connecting people with the resources that they need. I make sure that these people are in touch with each other and that we’re all presenting the same message.

My goal is to slow the spread of aquatic invasives by motivating people to change their behavior. I am constantly inspired by the many passionate citizens working tirelessly on behalf of Wisconsin’s lakes and waterways. Chances are that you’re one of them. Thank you very much for the work that you do!

Please contact me with any questions that you have about aquatic invasive species. I look forward to meeting and working with you!

Julia Solomon
Aquatic Invasives Education Specialist
UW Extension & WI Department of Natural Resources
Phone: (608) 267-3531 (DNR)
(608) 261-1092 (UWEX)
julia.solomon@wisconsin.gov

I am excited about taking on Laura Felda-Marquardt’s work with the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program. I understand what a great program this is and look forward to the challenges of helping communities to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species.

While growing up in East Tennessee, I enjoyed exploring the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my parents. Backpacking and camping in the "Smokies" and other natural areas opened my eyes to the innate beauty and value of all living things and developed my aspirations to preserve the natural environment. My experiences and education solidified my desire to be part of the environmental workforce.

Erin Henegar
Aquatic Invasive Species Volunteer Coordinator
UW-Extension
Phone: (715) 346-4978
Erin.Henegar@uwsp.edu

In 1965 Congress passed the Federal Land and Waters Conservation Fund Act (LWCF) to help states develop and maintain their outdoor recreation. This act requires states to develop a Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) to be eligible for LWCF funds. In Wisconsin the funds are administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and are used for outdoor recreational projects by state and local governments. Over the past 31 years, LWCF has provided Wisconsin with over $70 million, which has been used on 1750 recreational purchases, facility developments and rehabilitations.

Every five years, DNR develops a new SCORP, which is the basis for all LWCF funding decisions.

Wisconsin’s population is growing. Projections push the total population to 6.1 million by 2020. For all these people, there are about 5.7 million acres of land open for public recreation. The "Baby Boomer" generation is maturing and some of the activities they once enjoyed such as downhill skiing and using personal watercraft are being replaced by more passive pursuits. The younger generation is leading the growth in new outdoor recreation such as paintball, kayaking, and geocaching (hunting treasures with GPS).

This growing and changing population will impact our lakes and waters. Wisconsin’s SCORP can help answer the questions of what will become of our quality recreational experiences and what may happen to the health of our waters and lands.

Water based activities are among the most popular in Wisconsin. Out of a list of 96 possible outdoor activities, here are some of the rankings:

For the last 13 years I’ve helped coordinate Wisconsin’s lake grant program. A lot of the job is troubleshooting, and while each year new issues arise, some common mistakes can be easily avoided. The most significant and common problems fall into three basic categories: technical, social and financial.

A comprehensive assessment of the lake’s ecological present and past conditions, coupled with a balanced assessment of how people perceive the lake and how they intend to utilize the resource, will provide the foundation for a solid community-based lake management plan. All the knowledge and issues need to get out on the table first. This can be a time consuming exercise, and may be frustrating at times, but it will pay off down the road.

Begin with an appraisal of your lake and a pre-application consultation with your regional DNR Lake Coordinator early in the process. This consultation can save you time, money and frustration.

The lakes, lake users and taxpayers contributing toward the grant program deserve and demand good work. Give your group time to plan ahead, and utilize all of its resources. The groundwork you lay for your planning process will predict your level of success.

Existing information about your lake and advice on how to involve people in your project can be obtained through your regional DNR Lake Coordinator.

Northwest Lakes Conference

Lakes are at the heart of Northern Wisconsin’s identity and economy. Waterfront property owners, local decision-makers, and lake enthusiasts will gather June 21-22 at Telemark Resort in Cable to share strategies for assuring their continued protection.

Patty Loew will provide an insightful and historical perspective of Wisconsin’s treaty rights in her keynote address, First Stewards, First Nations of Wisconsin. Loew is producer for WHA-TV (PBS) and co-host of
In Wisconsin, a weekly news and public affairs program that airs statewide on Wisconsin Public Television. Her work in environmental reporting and video documentary production has earned her numerous awards. Loew is also associate professor of Life Sciences Communication at UW-Madison and a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe.

A series of sessions at the conference will help lake communities take proactive steps to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Following the arrival of Eurasian water milfoil in their lake community, citizens from the Town of Barnes in Bayfield County mobilized a large scale effort to address the challenges they faced. The Barnes Eau Claire Lakes Association will share their experience in launching a Clean Boats, Clean Waters program, public education campaign, and aquatic plant surveys of 27 lakes in the township.

Other highlights at this year’s event include topics on how to improve fish and wildlife habitat at our favorite lakes. Area sport fishing group leaders will describe their efforts to enhance fisheries and discuss ways in which lakeshore owners, lake organizations, and sport fishing groups can work together to improve aquatic habitat and water quality. Representatives of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, Natural Resources Board, and State Legislature will share their insights on the many ways that citizens can participate in important natural resource policy decisions.

Hands-on workshops and fun networking opportunities will also be offered on Thursday, June 21:

The 9^th annual conference is designed by local lake leaders from the five countywide lake associations of Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Sawyer, and Washburn Counties with assistance from the UW-Extension and Wisconsin Association of Lakes (WAL).

UWEX Lakes’ Kim Becken will expand her duties as an Outreach Specialist. She will be coordinating the Lake Leaders Institute, the Wisconsin Lakes Convention, and enhancing the Wisconsin lake organization directory, the Lake List. Kim will continue some of her duties as Office Manager and work closely with staff from UW-Extension Lakes, UW-Stevens Point, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, County Extension, local government and the general public to assist with lake-related questions.

When calling the general UW-Extension Lakes office number at 715-346-2116, you may hear a new voice! With the transition of Kim’s duties, UW-Extension Lakes welcomes a new team member. Jessica Tomaszewski comes to us from a forestry outreach program on the UW-Stevens Point campus. She will be supporting the Lakes Program through general office assistance, database upkeep and publication sales. She will also help direct lake organizations and others to the necessary resources and specialists.