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What Makes a Lake?
Wisconsin -- the word is said to refer to water, which makes sense because lakes and water make up a large part of Wisconsin's natural resources. Wisconsin has:
The natural qualities of Wisconsin's lakes and waterways are important, not only for business, but also in defining the character of the state. From the shores of Lakes Michigan and Superior to the Mississippi River, Wisconsin is blessed with an incredible wealth and variety of water resources: trout streams and floodplain forests; streams and creeks of northern forests; and inland lakes and wetlands created by ice-age glaciers. Maintaining the quality of these waters and the beauty of the shorelands is important for both people and wildlife. What makes a lake? A lake is a body of standing water (not moving that is). This can include natural lakes (formed by glaciers, oxbows in rivers, or other natural processes) and impoundments, or human made lakes, such as reservoirs and farm ponds. Lakes are a critical part of the environment, serving as the collection point for all of the water that falls in the area that travels down through what's called the watershed. The watershed is made up of all the streams and rivers that flow into a particular lake. Lakes are important to people and ecosystems because they:
Lakes get old naturally over time, filling in with sediments, nutrients, plants, and algae. They also become shallower. This aging process usually takes hundreds to thousands of years during which time the lake stays in balance with the regional climate and conditions in the watershed. With human influence, lakes can fill in faster--sometimes in only decades. Inside the lake environment there are physical, chemical, and biological processes that determine the types and numbers of plants, animals, and tiny organisms that are able to live there. One such process is called "stratification." During summer, the lake becomes layered with warm water at the surface and cooler water sinking to the bottom. You might notice this when your feet get cold while swimming. Stratification can change the oxygen content, light penetration, and photosynthesis in a lake, all of which affect the entire lake ecosystem. In the fall, the top layer cools and the lake is all one temperature. Winds mix the water and the lake "turns," so that winter waters are warmer near the bottom where fish spend the winter, and colder water is near the surface where the lake freezes. In the spring, the lake "turns" again and it begins all over. When looking out at a lake, you might not think that much is going on underneath the surface, but a lot is happening with lake chemistry, stratification and wind mixing, and the aquatic organisms that live there. Unfortunately, human actions can sometimes change the unique interactions and dynamics of a lake ecosystem. By learning more about lakes, you can help protect them and better understand the processes in and around the lake. Why not get involved in protecting the lake nearest you? You'll be helping wildlife and your community. *Adapted from the Adopt-A-Lake Manual, 1999. |
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Build an Underwater Scope 
Sometimes the best way to learn about what goes on in the water is to et right down in it. Since people can't breath below the surface, we need special equipment to discover the underwater world. SCUBA (self-contained unerwater breathing apparatus) divers use air tanks or submarines to study water creatures. A much easier way to get closer to the animals which make their homes in lakes, rivers, and streams is to make your own underwater scope. Materials:
Directions: Using the can opener, cut the end off the coffee can to make a tube. With the scissors, cut a circle of plastic wrap to fit over one end of the can. Make sure it overlaps by at least two inches. Stretch the plastic wrap tight like a drum and secure it with the rubber band. You may want to tape the edges of the plastic wrap down with duct tape or other strong tape. With the open end facing up, place the covered end of the tube about one inch below the surfvace of the water. Look down into the water through the scope to discover a whole different world! Can you fid examples of free-swimming and bottom-living animals? Look for predators. How many food chains can be observed? |
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is promulgating a new administrative rule to classify and regulate invasive species (NR 40). These rules apply to aquatic and land dwelling species of invasive plants, animals, and pathogens.
The rule—which has been under development for the last three years—classify invasive species into two categories: prohibited and restricted. The rule also requires several preventative measures to limit spread of invasive species, and includes permit and enforcement provisions. You can download a full copy of the proposed rule NR 40 at http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/classification/.
Comments on the rule will be accepted at public hearings (see schedule below).
Written comments on the rules can also be submitted to DNR by e-mailing DNRNR40Comments@wisconsin.gov or mailing to NR 40 Comments, Endangered Resources-6, DNR, Box 7921, Madison, WI 53707-7921. Written comments will be accepted until Sept 5, 2008 .
Public hearings schedule
· August 14. 10:00 AM. Fitchburg.
Gathering Waters conference room. DNR South Central Region Headquarters, 3911 Fish Hatchery Rd.
· August 14. 3:00 PM. Milwaukee.
Room 141. DNR Southeast Region Headquarters, 2300 N Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
· August 15. 1:00 PM Green Bay.
Lake Michigan room. DNR Northeast Region Headquarters, 2984 Shawano Ave
· August 19. 1:00 PM. LaCrosse.
Room B19 & B20, State Office Building, 3550 Mormon Coulee Rd
· August 20. 2:30 PM Spooner
Large Conference room, DNR Northern Region Headquarters 810 W Maple St
· August 26. 1:00 PM. Wausau
Council Chambers, Wausau City Hall, 407 Grant St
Key points within proposed NR 40
Prohibited and restricted species
Species classified as Prohibited are not currently present in Wisconsin—or are present only as isolated or pioneer populations—but have the potential to become established and cause significant harm to our natural resources or economy. Prohibited species that may be familiar to lake enthusiasts include hydrilla, Asian and common carp, quagga mussels, and spiny water fleas among many others.
The rules prohibit the transportation, possession, transference, or introduction of a Prohibited species. The rules also provide the Department with the authority to compel persons who own, control, or manage a property where a prohibited invasive species is present to implement approved measures to control that invasive species.
Species classified as Restricted are already established in the state, or have high potential to become established, and cause significant harm to our natural resources or economy. Examples of familiar aquatic invasive species classified as Restricted include Eurasian watermilfoil, curly-leaf pondweed, rusty crayfish, and zebra mussels. Like species classified as Prohibited, Restricted species cannot be transported, transferred, or introduced. With the exception of fish and crayfish, Restricted species are not subject to a ban on possession.
Permits and enforcement
The Department can issue permits to handle Prohibited or Restricted invasive species for a narrow set of circumstances—such as research, education, identification, or control or disposal.
Transportation, possession, transfer, or introduction of an invasive species without a permit is not prohibited, if the Department determines the transportation, possession, transfer, or introduction was incidental or unknowing and was not due to the person’s failure to take reasonable precautions to prevent the spread of invasive species.
The rule enables Conservation Wardens to issue citations for violations of the rule. The DNR may also refer cases to the Department of Justice for enforcement and revoke any permit issued under the authority of these rules.
Preventative measures included in the rule
The rules also require certain preventative measures and limit some common activities that may become pathways for the inadvertent introduction or spread of invasive species, many of which are of interest to water lovers. The rules would require immediate drainage of boats and equipment (including bilge water, ballast tanks, bait buckets, and live wells) after the watercraft, boat trailer, or other gear is removed from inland or outlying waters. Boats and equipment traveling into Wisconsin from other states would be subject to the same drainage requirements.
The rules also establish a ban on the transport of live fish and fish eggs from the water. The rules prohibit the transport of any watercraft, trailer, or other equipment on public highways if there are aquatic plants or aquatic animal attached.
The rules also ban transportation of items or host materials (such as firewood, which can transport invasives like emerald ash borer) that may carry an invasive species and that are subject to a quarantine by the Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protector or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.