Extension Lakes Newsletters

By Extension Lakes Staff

We all depend on clean water for drinking and growing food, but also for recreation, livelihoods, and the places we call home. That is why it is so important for us to work together to protect and preserve our shared lakes and rivers. Many folks have been doing just that as part of the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Partnership. Learn a little more about the history behind the Partnership, how you make it work, and ways to get more involved.

Healthy Lakes & Rivers Resource Spotlight

By Amy Kowalski, Extension Lakes

Owning property along a Wisconsin lake or river comes with incredible rewards: peaceful views, wildlife sightings, and time well spent on (and in) the water. It also comes with a sense of responsibility to steward the land that borders these waters to make sure future generations can also enjoy them.

Read more about how this online survey can help lake or river groups in addition to waterfront property owners.

2026 Series: Environmental education

By Sara Windjue, Leadership and Capacity Development Specialist, Extension Lakes

Want to inspire, engage, and activate people in your community to take action for our waters? Include environmental education (EE) in your WDNR Surface Water Education Grant application to help raise awareness and create positive change!

We provide tips on how to write a strong application that connect to the grant-ranking criteria using the Five Tenets of Environmental Education.

Read about how a strong grant proposal can show how your project will move people from awareness to action.

Getting into the weeds with dickey fish

By John Lyons, University of Wisconsin-Madison Zoological Museum and Dave Marshall, Underwater Habitat Investigations, LLC

Little fish garner little (pun intended) attention or appreciation, but they play an outsized role in the health of Wisconsin’s lakes! Learn how these affectionately named “dickey fish” are essential players in the food web, how and where to spot them, and what has changed in recent years.

Fun fact: Biologists sometimes use the slang term “dickey” to refer to small, visually non-descript species, most commonly among birds and non-game fish. This dates back to 18th century English when the nickname Dicky was often used as a pet name for small animals, and a nursery rhyme popularized calling small, common yard birds “dicky birds”.

Read more about these little fish and how you can learn if the lake(s) in your community have a good variety.

Using A Skills Gap Analysis

By Dave Quady, Sand Lake Association

In each issue of Lake Tides, we share ideas and resources to help your organization build its capacity to care for Wisconsin’s lakes. This time, we’re digging into a tool used to enhance the internal functions of your organization. Get Dave’s “hot tips” for a successful skills gap analysis.

By Cindy Parker, Grindstone Lake Foundation

What started as a discussion at a summer picnic became a conservation success story!

Read how a community effort transformed a former 57-acre cranberry bog into a nature reserve that helps protect Grindstone Lake and is open to everyone.