Healthy Lakes & Rivers Waterbody Spotlight
by Tracy Arnold, County Conservationist, Portage County
Lake Helen Protection and Rehabilitation District is a standout in Portage County when it comes to community involvement. Powered by dedicated lakeshore property owners, this group has updated management plans, collected water quality data, and installed many Healthy Lakes & Rivers practices.
Back in 2019, County staff began spreading the word about the Healthy Lakes & Rivers grant program to folks on lakes in Portage County. Two Lake Helen residents jumped at the opportunity to install native plantings. Once those practices were in and the Healthy Lakes & Rivers signs popped up along the shoreline, interest really took off.
Neighbors saw how easy the projects were to complete, and more importantly, the difference they made. The native plantings added beauty, improved habitat, and supported water quality. Before long, more folks were adding their name to the grant application each year.
Today, Lake Helen Protection and Rehabilitation District has successfully installed over 30 Healthy Lakes & Rivers practices, mostly native plantings and fish sticks structures. These projects don’t just benefit the property owners and Lake Helen. They’ve become demonstration sites that inspire lake residents throughout Portage County and into neighboring counties.
Fred and Erica Stoeger, Lake Helen residents remarked, “The program was wonderful! Tracy assisted us in the design, selecting the best plants, filling out the paperwork for reimbursement and even showed up on planting day. The entire process was so easy we did it a second time and love the beautiful lakefront we created. Fantastic program that is so simple and easy to use.”
Rebecca and Dylan Abler didn’t just talk about protecting Lake Helen, they got to work.
“We have been incredibly fortunate to receive three Healthy Lakes and Rivers grants—for a native planting, fish sticks, and a rain garden—and the application process was truly painless.”
They began with a native shoreline planting, then helped connect it with a neighbor’s project. Dylan later teamed up with other property owners to install 13 fish sticks projects, creating a hotspot for birds, turtles, and fish.
Their newest addition is a rain garden that captures runoff from their pole shed before it reaches the lake.
“These projects have not only protected water quality, but they’ve transformed our property into a thriving habitat. It feels good knowing we’re doing our part to keep the lake healthy.”
“The Healthy Lakes & Rivers grant program made it easy for us to take meaningful action to protect Lake Helen.”