TAKE A STAKE IN THE LAKES WEEK KICKS OFF JUNE 9

June 13, 2007
Contact: Sue Jones, 224-3764 (office), 235-3153 (cell)
Land & Water Resources

Who: Dane County Watershed Commission, county agencies, municipal and private partners, area residents What: Take a Stake in the Lakes Week, June 9-17 (formerly Yahara Lakes Week) 20th Anniversary Clean-Up Volunteer shoreline cleanup of Lakes Mendota, Wingra and Kegonsa and other places across the county. (9 a.m. to noon) Clean Lakes Festival, sponsored by Mad-City Ski Team (begins at 11 a.m.) When: Saturday, June 9th Where: EDUCATIONAL TENT at Clean Lakes Festival, Warner Park (2930 N. Sherman Ave, Madison) INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.) WITH: Sue Jones, Watershed Management Coordinator Marcia Hartwig, Public Information Officer Brett Hulsey, Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission Chair (cell 334-4994) Kevin Connors, Dane County Land and Water Resources Department Director Volunteers and Residents Mad City Ski Team members and Clean Lakes Festival organizers Why: The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission is a coordinating and advisory agency within Dane County government. The Commission's purpose is to protect and improve water quality, as well as the scenic, economic, recreational, and environmental value of Dane County's water resources. PAGE TWO TAKE A STAKE IN THE LAKES WEEK KICK-OFF JUNE 9th, 9 a.m. – noon Warner Park Commission’s 2006 accomplishments include: Coal Tar Sealant ordinance: recently passed by the County Board and will go into effect July 1, reducing the amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in stormwater runoff, which are harmful to fish and other aquatic life. Stormwater Infiltration Task Force: adopted runoff infiltration standards that go beyond state minimums, to get more water recharging our groundwater and less running off and carrying sediment and attached pollutants directly to our lakes and rivers. Aquatic plant management plans: completed for Lake Mendota, Lake Kegonsa, Lake Wingra, Indian Lake, Fish and Crystal Lakes and Lower Mud Lake. These plans describe how native plants will be protected for their role as the foundation of healthy lake ecosystems while controlling nuisance and non-native species and providing access for recreational use of the waters. 20th anniversary of the Take a Stake in the Lakes clean-up event: In order to honor and recognize that milestone, Yahara Lakes Week has been renamed Take a Stake in the Lakes Week. Since that first clean-up, here’s how our collective efforts have made a difference: o Since 1989, annual volunteer participation in the clean-up has increased from 150 to more than 750. o Though more waters are now part of the clean-up effort, the amount of debris cleaned up has decreased from 330 tons in 1990 to 32 tons in 2006. SPECIAL THANKS TO: Mad City Ski Team for organizing the first annual Clean Lakes Festival to kick off this year’s Take a Stake in the Lakes Week. The club’s interest and commitment is the kind of citizen input, action and advocacy encouraged by the Commission to help do what is in the best interest of Dane County’s waterways.