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k i z d u D

k r a M ’S GREAT STRATEGY: Restoring and Protecting Our

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources / Office of the Great Lakes The Great Lakes characterize Wisconsin. Their waters sustain our recreation, our way of life and our economy. From the majestic shores of to the brutal and beautiful waters of , the Great Lakes are not just part of our heritage, but part of who we are. They have shaped our history, our cities, our industry, and our recreation. Just as they have formed this region, they will continue to Governor Jim Doyle State of Wisconsin help determine our future and our region’s economic viability.

The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration developed a plan for the protection and restoration of these valuable resources based on the Council of Great Lakes Governors’ Priorities. I have worked with resource professionals, local leaders, Great Lakes stakeholder groups, and concerned citizens to tailor this plan to Wisconsin’s unique management needs. The resulting “Wisconsin Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Strategy” is a road map for addressing the many issues facing and Lake Superior.

We can all use this road map. From legislators considering new bills to local farmers making land use decisions, from those involved in shipping to citizens caring for their homes, lawns and gardens – we can all help protect Wisconsin’s Great Lakes.

Background photo by Corinne Jones 2 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY e s u a h r e d e L

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The rivers, streams, lakes and of the Great Lakes watershed are inextricably linked. The health of the Great Lakes is also directly linked to the regional economies that depend on them. This vast Great Lakes watershed is shared by two countries, eight states, two provinces and thirty nine tribal governments and inter-tribal organizations. We must work collaboratively and creatively at all levels across Secretary Matt Frank Wisconsin Department , state and national boundaries for the of Natural Resources protection and restoration of our Great Lakes.

Together, we can successfully manage and conserve water in the , protect the lakes from aquatic and restore critical and tributary . We must work to clean up toxic sediments and prevent nonpoint source pollution that causes algal growth, covers spawning sites and fouls our beaches.

We must prevent the introduction of new persistent bio-accumulative toxins (PBTs) from home, yard, health and personal care products. We can improve our data collection and management in order to work more efficiently and effectively. Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Protection and Restoration Strategy provides a framework for these critical actions and outlines ways for each of us to be involved in the protection of these valuable resources.

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 3 © Tbarrat | Dreamstime.com THE GREAT LAKES: A national treasure

This is an exciting and hopeful local, community and individual time for the Great Lakes! Earth’s citizen levels. Representatives of largest freshwater system has all these groups have come finally been identified as a together in an historic effort to national management priority. develop a single set of national priorities and strategies to address One tenth of the population of the the Great Lakes’ most pressing U.S. and nearly one third of the problems. population of call the Great Lakes watershed home. The resulting plan – the “Great m o c

. Covering more than 94,000 Lakes Regional Collaboration e m i t s square miles, the Great Lakes Strategy to Protect and Restore m a e r

D watershed is also home to the Great Lakes” – is a call to

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e thousands of plant and animal action. It challenges us to take the p D

© species, some of which are found necessary steps to protect the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior nowhere else on earth. Managing Great Lakes and it provides the this vast ecosystem requires an foundation for seeking essential extraordinary effort at long-term federal funding. international, national, regional,

Lisa Berenschot m o c . e m i t s m a e r D

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© Sunrise over Lake Michigan from shore

RIGHT: Cana Island, Door County

4 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE PRIORITIES

WATER MANAGEMENT Ensure the sustainable use of our water resources while confirming that the States retain authority over water use and diversions of Great Lakes waters. e b r E

d o

r AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES r a J Stop the introduction and spread of non-native Fun on the beach, Sheboygan aquatic invasive plants and animals.

HABITAT AND SPECIES Enhance fish and wildlife populations by restoring The Wisconsin DNR and state and protecting , rivers, streams and citizens have worked with associated uplands. Governor Doyle to tailor this regional action plan for COASTAL HEALTH Wisconsin. The “Wisconsin Great Promote programs to protect human health against Lakes Restoration and Protection adverse effects of pollution in the Great Lakes Strategy” is a road map for state ecosystem. legislators, resource managers, local government officials and AREAS OF CONCERN/CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS Wisconsin’s citizens for the Restore to environmental health the Areas of Concern protection of Lake Superior and (AOCs) identified by the International Joint the restoration of Lake Michigan. Commission as needing remediation and other contaminated sediment sites in the Great Lakes We can all help protect and Basin. restore our Great Lakes. We know what needs to be done. We know RUNOFF POLLUTION how to do it. All that is required is Control pollution from diffuse sources into water, land the will to make it happen. and air.

PERSISTENT BIOACCUMULATIVE TOXINS (PBTs) “ The Great Lakes are one of the Continue efforts to eliminate the introduction of PBTs into the Great Lakes ecosystem. natural wonders of the world and it is our responsibility to protect SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT them. They are a place we call Adopt sustainable use practices that protect environmental resources and enhance the home and a resource for us to use recreational and commercial value of our Great Lakes. and protect – they are the heart of the ecosystems that we rely on INFORMATION AND INDICATORS (I&I) for life. They are a gift of nature Standardize and improve the methods by which information is collected, recorded and shared within whose beauty and bounty enrich the region. our lives and identify our region.”

—G REAT L AKES F OREVER WEBSITE

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 5 © Lcjtripod | Dreamstime.com WATER MANAGEMENT: Conservation and the

Wisconsin has lots of water, but The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence not an infinite supply and not River Basin Water Resources always where we need it. Compact was signed into law on Demands and stresses on Great October 3, 2008 and became Lakes waters continue to increase. effective on December 8, 2008. About half of the state’s 5.5 The Compact is a comprehensive million people live in the management framework for watersheds that drain into Lake achieving sustainable water use Michigan or Lake Superior. About and resource protection in the half of this population resides in eight Great Lakes states and two m o c . e the southeastern part of the state, Canadian provinces. After five m i t s

m an area that has experienced years of negotiations, these a e r D

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intense population growth, historic protections have become x f a s i L

urbanization and industrialization. law in ten jurisdictions spanning © 10 million people rely on Lake A rational water use management two countries. Michigan for their drinking water strategy is critical to ensure that The Compact acknowledges the Wisconsin’s Great Lakes are used critical connection between sustainably to support current ground and surface water needs and those of future withdrawals. It calls for the “ All the water that will ever be generations. Without careful collective management of large oversight and management, future is right now.” water withdrawals in the Great uses of these resources could be Lakes Basin including withdrawals —NATIONAL G EOGRAPHIC , compromised. from groundwater, tributary O CTOBER 1993 streams, inland lakes and the Great Lakes themselves. Specifically, the Compact prohibits taking water out of the Basin boundaries with a few carefully regulated exceptions for near-by “straddling” communities. To promote sustainable water use, the Compact calls for water conservation, registration and permitting of large water withdrawals in the basin. It also requires water withdrawal monitoring and reporting.

6 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY HOW CAN WE HELP?

We all have a responsibility to use our water resources m o c .

e wisely. Here are some ways we can help conserve water: m i t s m a e

r • Support water conservation efforts in your local community. D

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e y e y • Water lawns only as needed and before 9 am or after 5 pm. m o t o h P

© • Garden with native plants – they’re suited to Wisconsin’s Sustainable water use supports current climate and generally need less watering. needs and those of future generations • Fix leaky faucets and don’t leave the water running. • Use water-saving shower heads and take shorter showers. Wisconsin’s Great Lakes Basin • Run only full loads of dishes and laundry. Water Management Program, • Use a broom instead of the garden hose to clean sidewalks and based on the Compact and state driveways. implementing legislation, calls for: • Use barrels to capture water for gardens. 1) Water conservation through a tiered program with practices increasing from voluntary to mandatory. Every Drop Counts 2) Registration and reporting for all water withdrawals in the The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) extols city state over 100,000 gallons residents to save money, water and energy and help protect Lake per day in any 30-day period. Michigan by making Every Drop Count. 3) Water use permitting for all As part of this program, citizens are encouraged to conserve water, in-basin water withdrawals especially in times of heavy rain. If each of MMSD’s 1.1 million over the 100,000 gallons per customers used just 10 gallons less on a day with heavy rain, day threshold. backups and sewer overflows would be reduced by 11 million gallons. Conserving water also saves energy and money. The EPA estimates that 4) A statewide requirement for three percent of national energy consumption is used for drinking water supply service area water and wastewater. planning for all public water systems serving populations MMSD’s customers are also asked to take steps to reduce polluted over 10,000. runoff, the biggest remaining threat to in the . In urban settings, runoff from rooftops, driveways, sidewalks 5) Publication of a State Water and yards discharges directly into the sewer system. Rain barrels, Use Report every five years. typically near downspouts, can be used to collect and store rainwater that can later be used to water lawns, trees and flowers. Rain gardens 6) Environmental review of new help the ground soak up water. and increased water withdrawals in the Basin over Property owners can also direct downspouts to lawns and gardens to one million gallons per day. help divert runoff from the sewer. Redirecting downspout water to lawns and garden areas can reduce storm water discharge to the For more information about the sewer system by up to 12 gallons a minute for each disconnected Great Lakes Compact, visit: downspout. (Check with your municipality to make sure you can dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/ disconnect your downspouts legally and that you disconnect properly.) greatlakes/annex2001/ For more information, visit: v2.mmsd.com/HowToHelp.aspx .

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 7 Frank Koshere AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES: An environmental and economic threat

Harmful plants and animals enter predators or competitors. Without the Great Lakes in a variety of these natural checks and balances ways – ballast water, non-native plants and animals can

y and waterways, recreational crowd out native species. Invasive g o l o n boating and , aquaculture, species also put a tremendous drain m i L

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f and through the aquarium trade. on the economy. Zebra mussels

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e alone cost U.S. taxpayers up to $5 C

– More than 180 species of plants, W

U billion dollars annually.

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n plankton, fish, and pathogens o s

n control costs the U.S. and Canada h o

J from afar have been introduced

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e over $15 million each year. t e i into Lake Michigan and Lake P Spiny waterflea Superior. Sea-going “salties” Prevention and management of ( that travel from the ocean aquatic invasive species requires into the Great Lakes) introduce cooperation at all levels, from foreign organisms from as far international agreements, to away as Europe and Asia each national and state legislation, to the time they exchange ballast water. actions of the shipping industry, as “Lakers” (ships that travel only on well as individual boaters, anglers the Great Lakes) can spread and aquarists. We can all help organisms from lake-to-lake in the protect Wisconsin’s Great lakes same way. Individuals can further from aquatic invasive species. spread exotic organisms within R

N Threaten

D the Great Lakes and to inland W waters on trailers, by the Great Lakes Zebra and quagga mussels dumping bait fish or water from Four species of Asian carp (silver, boat bilges and live-wells, or by big head, grass, and black) are in releasing aquarium pets or plants. the Mississippi drainage and are , , headed north. These carp were not and spiny water flea brought here in ship ballast; they are just a few of the invasive escaped from aquaculture facilities species that have travelled to or were released in the southern Wisconsin’s lakes via ship ballast U.S. and are now moving up the Mississippi and Rivers. These

s water. While exotic species are l e a

h species could reach Lake Michigan c i often harmless or even beneficial M

a through the Sanitary and s s

i “at home,” they can wreak havoc r e N on our aquatic ecosystems Ship . If any of these species Asian carp because they have no natural reach Lake Michigan, the entire

8 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY HOW CAN WE HELP?

KEEP THEM OUT: • Support consistent laws and requirements to prevent the release of invasive species through ballast water. r e u a

h • Promote on-shore ballast water treatment facilities at all c S

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n Wisconsin ports of call, and support funding for test facilities. a i D For more information, visit: Clean , Clean Waters volunteers check boats and trailers dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/success/2008/ballast.htm • Keep aquarium creatures and plants at home. Never release them into lakes or streams. Great Lakes ecosystem and its KEEP THEM FROM SPREADING: fisheries could be seriously threatened. • Clean your boat! Every time you leave a landing inspect your boat and gear. Remove all plants, animals and mud. If possible, For more information, visit: rinse your boat or dry for 5 days before moving between dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/asian_ waterbodies. carp.htm . • Drain all water from your boat and dispose of unwanted live Clean Boats, Clean bait in the trash. Waters Volunteers Work to Protect • Get the word out! Tell others how they can protect Wisconsin’s Wisconsin’s Waterways waters from invasive species. Support local and statewide education efforts. Citizen volunteers around the state are providing front-line • Become a Clean Boats, Clean Waters volunteer or support local defense against the spread of volunteer efforts. invasive species in Wisconsin’s waters. Through the Clean Boats, LIMIT THEIR IMPACT: Clean Waters Program, volunteers • Keep an eye out – if you notice changes at your local beach or are trained to organize and fishing spot that you think may be due to invasive species, let a conduct local boater education natural resources professional know. Early detection of new programs. Teams of adult and invasions can make management easier. youth volunteers perform boat and trailer checks at landings and • Develop and support exotic mussel, lamprey, and other distribute educational materials to management efforts to limit the negative effects of these inform boaters how and where species. invasive species are most likely to • Participate in and support removal efforts where possible. hitch a ride. Volunteers also report any new exotic species infestations. Educational materials help boaters prevent spreading For more information, visit: exotic species uwsp.edu/cnr/uwexlakes/cbcw/ e r e h s o K

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Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 9 Frank Koshere HABITAT AND SPECIES: Keeping every cog and wheel

“ To keep every cog and wheel The Great Lakes Regional Collaboration identified tributaries is the first rule of intelligent and wetlands as priority habitat tinkering.” restoration areas. These are also the key areas for Wisconsin. —A LDO L EOPOLD Wisconsin’s interim goal is to restore 200,000 acres of One third of our state drains to wetlands. In addition, we will the Great Lakes; one half of our complete restoration projects on population lives in this area. We 5-6 streams every 5 years. Both have often tried to bend nature to goals will require the help of meet our needs as we continue to Wisconsin’s property owners. z s

a develop our Great Lakes m a r K

watershed. We have disrupted Wetland target areas include the i h t a K critical habitat and, in the process, west shore of Green Bay, coastal Yellow jewelweed lost or endangered many native wetlands and other priority sites plants and animals. throughout the Lake Superior basin, and the southeastern part In urbanized areas we applaud of the state. Priority Lake Michigan neatness – well mown lawns and tributaries include the Milwaukee, drainage systems that rapidly Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Twin, move water away from where we Kewaunee, Peshtigo, Oconto and live. A healthy, vibrant ecosystem, Rivers. Lake Superior’s however, is generally messy priority rivers include the St. Louis- business. Natural diversity, not Red-Pokegama, Nemadji, Iron, visual tidiness, is the key to Bois, Brule, Flag, Cranberry, Sioux, good habitat. Raspberry, Bark, Fish and Good quality habitat can be found Rivers. at scales ranging from a backyard h c i e

R butterfly garden to a 1000 acre

e i g n wetland. Both are important. We A Devil’s River, Manitowoc County must act at all levels to protect healthy habitat and restore damaged habitat so that Wisconsin's native species can survive.

10 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY Bringing Back the

Lake sturgeon can live to be more than a hundred Wisconsin has small, but self-sustaining populations years old and grow to over 200 pounds. These of in Green Bay tributaries. Spawning ancient giants are native to our waters and used to populations also exist on the Menominee, Peshtigo, be abundant in the Great Lakes and their tributaries. Fox and Oconto Rivers. Improvements in water Now they are considered rare in most of the U.S. and quality and habitat are important on all of are on “watch” status in Wisconsin. these rivers. Once considered nuisance fish because of their ability The DNR has identified Lake Michigan tributaries as to damage commercial fishing nets, sturgeon were Lake Sturgeon Rehabilitation Waters. Thanks to the caught, stacked like cordwood on shore, and burned. removal of , habitat restoration, and captive They later became valuable for oil, caviar and air rearing and release, the lake sturgeon has returned bladders which were used to make isinglass – a to the Milwaukee and Manitowoc Rivers. This is a gelatinous material used to clarify jams, jellies and great success, but even more must be done to insure glue and for making isinglass windows for carriages. the survival of It wasn’t long before dramatically this magnificent reduced the sturgeon population. In 1885, creature. Wisconsin’s annual commercial sturgeon catch was over 200,000 pounds. By 1910, it had decreased to about 2,000 pounds annually. The long-term survival of lake sturgeon is in doubt for several reasons. First, they are slow to reproduce. Females reach maturity at 24-26 years; males mature at 15 years. While females can produce 50,000 to 700,000 eggs in a season, they only do so every 4-6 r e t n

years. Their fatty tissue readily accumulates toxins e C

e r u from the environment. But the biggest threat to this t a N

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great fish is habitat loss. Dams block access to g d e r e v spawning grounds. Changes in temperature, oxygen i R and stream flow reduce food supplies and interfere Volunteers release captive-raised with egg hatching. sturgeon

HOW CAN WE HELP?

• Plant native trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers. • Protect stream banks from – leave them undisturbed or plant with native plants. • Build a rain garden or backyard pond. • Help prevent or eradicate invasive species. e r e h s o K • Support wetland restoration k n a r efforts in your area. F on the St. Croix River

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 11 © Manicblue | Dreamstime.com RESTORING TOXIC SITES: Creating a healthier future

We tend to think of toxic pollution must be developed. Adequate as something that happens funding and expertise is critical to somewhere else, but five high- success. priority sites or “Areas of Contaminated sediment must be Concern” (AOCs) and a number cleaned up – and cleaned up of other toxic sites have been carefully – because it can pose a identified right here in Wisconsin’s serious threat to environmental Great Lakes Basin. These areas and human health. Toxins can face serious problems that limit have acute effects or may their use for fishing, swimming or accumulate over time and through for drinking water. Problems the food chain, resulting in long- include contaminated sediment, term effects on fish, birds, humans l l i habitat loss or destruction, H and other organisms. M 2 polluted runoff and beach H C Removing toxic sediment contamination. We must commit the necessary resources to restore these high- While these sites have a myriad of priority sites to fishable, problems, the Wisconsin Strategy swimmable and drinkable waters. focuses on contaminated We know how to remove toxic sediment because this problem is sediments. We have had common to all sites and because it successes. All that is required is is usually the most complex and the will and funding to make it expensive to fix. At each site the happen at all of Wisconsin’s toxic extent of contamination must be sediment sites. determined and a clean up plan

g n a h Z

n u h c o a i X Testing shoreline stability k e o r b n e t s e W

e v e

RIGHT: Great blue heron in the Kinnickinic River t S

12 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY Kinnickinic River Receives Legacy Funding

The Kinnickinic River, often called the KK River – or In spring 2009, the removal of 170,000 cubic yards “Milwaukee’s forgotten river” – recently received of sediment contaminated with PCBs $14.3 million in federal Great Lakes Legacy Funds (polychlorinated biphenyls) and PAHs (polyaromatic for clean up. The State of Wisconsin will contribute hydrocarbons) will begin. After toxic sediments are $7.7 million to the restoration effort. removed habitat restoration work will begin. The DNR, with the help of EPA and the efforts of Smallest of the three primary rivers that empty into concerned citizens, will work to restore the KK to a the , the KK is also the most fishable, swimmable river, ultimately returning this urbanized and densely populated. It is part of the valuable resource to Milwaukee’s citizens. Milwaukee River Estuary Area of Concern. Once a place where children could wade and fish, the KK is For more information, visit: now often perceived as a network of municipal dnr.wi.gov/org/water/wm/sms/kkriver/ sewage canals due to its degraded condition. R N D W Clean up of the Kinnickinic River began in spring 2009

HOW CAN WE HELP?

• Adequate resources are critical. Encourage funding of toxic site remediation. • Support monitoring activities. Monitoring is important for determining when a site is adequately restored.

g • Be involved in creative visioning for future uses of toxic sites. n a h Z

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h • Participate in shoreland habitat restoration activities. c o a i X

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 13 Angie Reich PERSISTENT BIO-ACCUMULATIVE TOXINS: Keeping chemicals out of our waters

Chemical production dates back vehicle exhaust, smoke stacks and more than 5,000 years, but large- other emissions. Some of these scale chemical production didn’t chemicals last a long time in the occur until the . environment and can cause a During the 19th and 20th wide range of health effects in centuries technological advances fish, wildlife, and people when greatly increased the types and they accumulate in our bodies. amounts of chemicals produced. Such chemicals are known as During this time, pesticides and Persistent Bio-accumulative Toxins fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, or PBTs. synthetic dyes and fibers, soap PBTs are the reason that and beauty products, synthetic n e

e Wisconsin and other states advise u

Q sweeteners, plastics, film

t r people to limit the number of e b

o chemicals and celluloid, and R meals they eat of some fish artificial rubber became commonly Air emissions contribute to water species. These contaminants enter pollution used. Chemicals have improved the lake and are absorbed by our quality of life in many ways. plankton and insects, and in turn Used judiciously, and recycled or by the fish, wildlife and humans properly disposed, chemicals can that eat them. and PCBs have great value to our society. (polychlorinated biphenyls) are the But when these products get into contaminants of greatest concern our waterways they can quickly in Wisconsin’s fish. Currently, become a hazard to “ If the Bill of Rights contains no there are fish advisories for environmental and human health. guarantee that a citizen shall be mercury and PCBs for Lake Chemicals in our lakes, rivers and Michigan and Lake Superior and secure against lethal poisons groundwater come from many their tributaries. distributed either by private sources including industries, For more information, visit the individuals or by public officials, businesses, our homes and the air. DNR Fish Consumption Advisory: Many chemicals pass through our it is surely only because our dnr.wi.gov/fish/consumption/ treatment plants and into our forefathers, despite their waterways and groundwater. considerable wisdom and Others are distributed through the foresight, could conceive of air by fired power plants, no such problem.”

—R ACHEL C ARSON , S ILENT S PRING

14 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY HOW CAN WE HELP?

We can all do our part to keep our water supply clean and safe for humans and wildlife. Remember to: • Use up personal care products when possible. • Dispose of leftover pharmaceuticals and personal care products e t m e

T properly. Do not flush them or pour them down the drain.

o J Visit www4.uwm.edu/shwec/ for a MedDrop collection PBTs can end up in our drinking water schedule. • Dispose of chemicals, paints, herbicides, pesticides and other toxins at local Clean Sweep collection sites. For more information, visit: datcp.state.wi.us/arm/ More and more chemicals are agriculture/pest-fert/pesticides/clean-sweep/index.jsp showing up in our rivers, lakes and even our drinking water. • Avoid products that contain mercury. If you must use these Scientists are looking at potential products, recycle or dispose of them properly. effects of some of these chemicals To learn about products that may contain mercury, visit: including flame retardants, epa.gov/mercury/consumerinfo.htm pharmaceuticals, and personal • Limit the use of chemicals, herbicides, pesticides and other care compounds (like anti- toxins. Consider “green” alternatives. See Rethinking Yard Care bacterial soaps and beauty fact sheet link at: clean-water.uwex.edu/pubs/home.htm products) that pass through our wastewater treatment systems. • Do not use burn barrels. Burning garbage releases dioxins and Until we understand the potential other toxins into the air. effects of these chemicals, we • Reduce gasoline consumption. Exhaust fumes are a major should make every effort to keep source of dioxins (and greenhouse gasses). them out of our water. For more information, visit: Lake Superior Zero dnr.state.wi.us/environmentprotect/pbt/some.htm Discharge Program The Binational Program to Restore and Protect the Lake Superior Basin includes a “zero discharge” demonstration program for nine pollutants. These pollutants were identified because they are very toxic, accumulate through the food chain, and persist in the environment. Government agencies, organiza - tions and concerned citizens are working together to keep these

chemicals out of Lake Superior. r a l a h K

. A

For more information about this e n i r e

important effort, visit: h t a dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/ C greatlakes/lsprogram.html Trout and other fish accumulate PBTs in their tissues

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 15 Greg Behling POLLUTED RUNOFF: Curbing the problem

Nonpoint source pollution, often phosphorus and nitrogen wash called “runoff,” occurs when into the streams and eventually rainwater or melting picks into the lake. Excess nutrients can up pollutants in the soil or from cause algal blooms in both the pavement and carries them streams and lakes. Decaying algal across land to lakes, rivers or even mats can deplete streams and groundwater. Runoff pollution bays of needed oxygen and result from farms, urban areas, and in fish kills. Urban areas produce construction sites collectively their own polluted runoff that can

y represents the leading cause of include sediment, nutrients, r t s e r

o water quality problems in bacteria and other chemicals such F

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u

a Wisconsin. as oil and grease. e r u B –

R In the Lake Superior Basin Limiting the use of lawn fertilizers N D

W the problems are changes in as well as yard and household Erosion of stream bank in the hydrology leading to changes in chemicals, conserving water, and Lake Superior watershed channel morphology, stream bank slowing the flow of water off the erosion, and loss of critical land are actions we can all take to habitat. In the Lake Michigan prevent nonpoint source pollution. Basin, soil and nutrients like

© Visualife | Dreamstime.com a h s a n e M

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y t i C Storm drain stencil, Menasha

RIGHT: Runoff from construction sites can end up in streams and lakes

16 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY Building Buffers – HOW CAN WE HELP? The Conservation Reserve Enhancement LAKE MICHIGAN Program (CREP) • Install stream buffers and grassed water ways to filter agricultural Since 2001, more than 1,600 runoff before it gets into streams. acres of land in Wisconsin’s Great • Support efforts to increase cost share funds for farmers to install Lakes Basin counties have been buffers. enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. LAKE SUPERIOR Through this program farmers are paid to put aside land that is • Support stream restoration efforts to correct stream bank erosion. adjacent to rivers and streams. • Keep stream side buffers intact during . These “buffers” are planted with • Support wise land use planning. thick native vegetation to filter runoff from agricultural fields. URBAN AREAS Usually the land used for buffers is marginal agricultural land to • Direct downspouts toward lawns and gardens. begin with and farmers receive a For more information, see “Every Drop Counts” at financial incentive for enrolling. v2.mmsd.com/HowToHelp.aspx The benefits from the program are • Install rain gardens on residential, commercial, and public many. The program is estimated properties. to reduce annual phosphorus and • Use pervious pavers for sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots to nitrogen loading by 600,000 and allow water to infiltrate. 300,000 pounds a year, respectively, and reduce sediment • Include “green” roofs in building designs. Visit greenroofs.org loading to streams by over • Minimize the use of fertilizers and other yard care chemicals. 330,000 tons a year. Critical northern pike spawning habitat • Conserve water in your home and in your lawn and garden care. benefits from lower sediment • Mark storm drains with “Drains to Lake” stencils and keep oil and loads to riparian wetlands. The other chemicals out of drains. For more information, visit: buffers also provide cover for watermonitoring.uwex.edu/wav/stenciling/index.html birds and animals. n e e u Q

t r e b o R

Do you know of stream banks that could benefit from buffers? CREP may be able to help. R

For more information, visit: N D datcp.state.wi.us/arm/ W Directing storm water to lawns and gardens reduces runoff agriculture/land- water/conservation/crep/

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 17 Phillip Billings COASTAL HEALTH: Bringing back the beaches

Miles of beautiful Great Lakes dog waste, goose and seagull beaches are a tremendous droppings and human sewage. recreational asset we can all Beach closures are often – but not enjoy. Providing natural always – connected to large rainfall swimming opportunities to events and each beach has its own populous Milwaukee or solitary set of issues that create pollution. beach walking opportunities at Beach advisories and closures as Wisconsin Point in Superior are well as monitoring data are just two experiences beaches add reported to the public through the to Wisconsin’s quality of life. Beach Health Website: When our beaches are closed due wibeaches.us . n o

s to high bacteria counts or e t t Where do algal blooms come from? a

M accumulation of algae, we lose

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e Abundant growth of algae in the n

m access to Lake Michigan and Lake u S nearshore area from improved Superior, we lose tourism dollars, The endangered depends water clarity (due to water filtering on healthy beach habitat and we lose our connection to by invasive zebra and quagga these inland . mussels) and excessive phosphorus What causes our beaches to be in runoff are key parts of the story closed? Pollutants from cities, that result in stinking, decaying farms, construction sites, and even algal mats washing up on many nearby parking lots are carried by Lake Michigan beaches. To

t rain and melting snow into Lake confound the problem, mussels n e m t r Michigan and Lake Superior present in these algal mats attract a p e D

h tributaries and eventually reach waterfowl such as geese and t l a e H

the lakes or even discharge seagulls whose droppings bring an e n i c

a directly into the waters adjacent additional source of bacteria to R

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i to beaches. Nutrients that wash bathing beaches. C

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a off the land can lead to the bloom m l

e Preventing polluted runoff and z n

i and eventual die-off and decay of K

e improving beach management are i l u

J algae which can promote bacterial the keys to bringing back Rotting algal mats and bird droppings growth. Bacterial contamination Wisconsin’s beaches. contribute to bacterial contamination can also come more directly from sources of fecal material including

“ You can tell all you need to about a society from how it treats animals and beaches.”

—F RANK D EFORD , SPORTSWRITER , AUTHOR AND COMMENTATOR

18 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY City of Racine Beach HOW CAN WE HELP? Grooming: Keeping our Beaches Clean • Conduct or encourage beach sanitary surveys to identify and eliminate sources of bacterial pollution. Common remedial The City of Racine is getting to activities can be as simple as redirecting parking lot runoff or the bottom of high bacteria levels cleaning up after pets. at its two public beaches. Racine’s efforts are paying off with • Support public education to improve sanitation at beaches. national recognition and more days at the beach for swimmers. • Support the development of rapid response methods for Health Department officials with monitoring beaches to get more timely results on the City of Racine, funded in part bacteria levels. by the DNR Office of the Great • Reduce phosphorus loads to Wisconsin’s waterways. Lakes, embarked on a 5-year (See the Polluted Runoff section for more information.) research initiative to identify the possible sources of elevated E-coli • Enlist volunteers for manual removal of algae and garbage or levels and determine the role for mechanical methods with appropriate permits. sand plays in harboring this • Reduce fertilizer use. indicator bacteria. • Improve storm water infiltration with rain gardens and Their research demonstrated that pervious pavers. past beach grooming methods acted to increase bacterial t

presence in wet beach sands. n e m t r a

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practices, supplementary drainage l a e H

and infiltration measures, e n i c a R

improved storm water f o

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reduced number of beach K

e i l u closings. In 2004, North Beach J was named one of only two Great Lakes Blue Wave Certified Clean Beaches designated by the Clean Beaches Council of Washington D.C. and has retained that status every year since. In 2007, North Beach along with Sister Bay Beach was voted one of 13 national “Beach Buddies” by the t n

National Resource Defense e m t r a

Council. The City of Racine also p e D

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Excellence in Environmental e n i c a R Performance in 2008. f o

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e i Superior beaches. Do you know l u J what is being done to reduce Racine beach closures at your beach?

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 19 © Alexeys | Dreamstime.com INFORMATION AND INDICATORS: Tracking Great Lakes changes

The five Great Lakes and the St. The Great Lakes ecosystem is far Lawrence Seaway function as one too complex to monitor all its huge ecosystem. Their waters, parts. State and federal watersheds, estuaries, tributaries, governments must work together wetlands and groundwater are to develop plans for tracking inextricably connected. To be indicators – observable effectively managed, these vast parameters that measure change resources must be treated as one and may give early warning of ecosystem. Add to this the fact ecosystem degradation or that management of the Great improvement. They must also track Lakes is shared between eight who is collecting data, how, when states, two Canadian provinces, and where the data is collected, s r e

t two federal governments, thirty- and how it is analyzed, stored and e e P

l

u nine tribal governments and shared. a P intertribal organizations, and a Collecting physical data on When it comes to data collection Lake Michigan multitude of local municipalities and management, the “left hand and organizations, and you can must know what the right hand is imagine how critical – and how doing.” The concept may be difficult – data collection and simple, but the Great Lakes management can be. ecosystem is vast and diverse and We must carefully monitor Lake the management is complicated. Michigan and Lake Superior to Significant funding and determine management needs cooperative effort are needed to and evaluate current management monitor our unique and valuable practices. It is also critical to Great Lakes ecosystem. anticipate and monitor the effects of climate change and other

n emerging issues that threaten the o s i r r

a Great Lakes ecosystem in order to G

l u a

P plan for future management. Analyzing water samples from Lake Michigan

“ Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” —A LBERT E INSTEIN

20 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY Wisconsin and the National Monitoring Network

Many federal, state, and local agencies are involved in Great Lakes monitoring. Following is an overview of some of these monitoring efforts and the groups involved.

MONITORING LAKE INPUT SOURCES: MONITORING RECEIVING WATERS: Rivers: Great Lakes States collect water quality data on Wetlands: The Great Lakes Consortium is developing a tributaries for nutrients and toxics. The U.S. Geological set of indicators and metrics to assess the overall status Survey (USGS) also collects water quality data and and trends of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. An works in cooperation with the Milwaukee Metropolitan inventory and classification system was developed in Sewerage District (MMSD), Fox-Wolf Watershed 2004. Together, these will form the basis of a long-term Alliance, Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District, monitoring plan. universities, and the Oneida tribe in the watersheds Beaches: The DNR provides grants to coastal counties draining into Green Bay. to monitor bacteria on Lake Michigan and Lake Atmospheric Deposition: Precipitation samples are Superior beaches. The Great Lakes Beach Association collected and analyzed for total and methyl mercury. helps to coordinate monitoring and research efforts Sampling is done mainly by state agencies, but federal conducted at hundreds of locations throughout Lake agencies and universities also participate. One station Michigan. on the shore of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee and one Nearshore waters: The DNR, in conjunction with the at the mouth of the Brule River on the shore of Lake UW-Milwaukee Water Institute, has monitored algae Superior are part of the Mercury Deposition Network and nutrients in water within one mile of the shore (MDN) where long term mercury deposition data is where nuisance algal mats have degraded beaches. collected. Inland locations are also monitored. For more information, visit: nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/ Offshore lake waters: The USGS, EPA, NOAA, and sites/sitemap.asp?net=mdn&state=wi universities conduct monitoring and research in the open waters of the Great Lakes. Under the EPA-Great Groundwater discharge: A groundwater flow model Lakes National Program Office’s offshore water quality for southeastern Wisconsin provides information on the surveys, samples are collected from multiple sites in the relationship between groundwater and the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan basin to ensure that sampling activities The model was developed under the guidance of the are representative of lake conditions. In addition, the Southeast Regional Planning Commission, the USGS Great Lakes Observing System provides wide and the Wisconsin Geological and Natural History community access to real-time and historic data on the Survey. Many municipalities were also involved. The hydrology, biology, chemistry, geology and cultural USGS Great Lakes Water Availability and Use Pilot resources of the Great Lakes. Study continues to develop the groundwater flow model for Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes. Bays and Areas of Concern (AOCs): The DNR and The goal of this study is to improve the ability to EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) forecast water availability for future economic and monitor Great Lakes Areas of Concern to assess the environmental needs. effectiveness of remediation activities.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

• Support funding for Great Lakes monitoring efforts. • Support local monitoring of Great Lakes streams and wetlands. • Become a citizen water monitoring volunteer. For more information, visit: http://watermonitoring.uwex.edu/ e r e h s

o • Watch for and report changes in the Great Lakes ecosystem K

k n a

r in your area. F

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 21 Frank Koshere SUSTAINABILITY: Living in harmony with nature

People love to be on or near the Initiative was enacted. As the water. This love translates into State’s first attempt to curb urban rapidly escalating land values for sprawl and promote better land waterfront property for both new use, Smart Growth offers financial development and redevelopment incentives to municipalities and projects, plus conflicting land use counties to develop sustainable pressures for the available land. land use plans. Since it was Given this trend, how do we enacted in 1998 a number of incorporate the concept of Wisconsin communities have sustainable development practices taken the Initiative to a higher into current activities? level to become “eco-

e municipalities.” Five of the eleven k s

a Sustainability can be defined as P e

T eco-municipalities – the cities of

y development that meets the needs m e r Washburn, Ashland and Bayfield, e J of the present without the town of Bayfield, and Douglas Enjoying a Lake Superior sunset compromising the ability of future County – are in the Great Lakes generations to meet their needs. Basin. Sustainable development cuts across many areas in our lives. Efforts are also underway at the How we use and develop land, local level to redevelop many Lake our agriculture and forestry Michigan and Lake Superior practices, our transportation waterfronts. Such sustainable mechanisms, how our industries development has brought make products, how we use water, economic value to many areas by and the ways we enjoy our natural providing outdoor recreational resources must be considered. opportunities such as boating, hiking, biking and wildlife viewing With an increasing population, we opportunities, as well as simply cannot continue our

r decreased nonpoint source runoff e f f i current land use trends. We must e f

P which improves water quality.

i l i

a change our habits. With this in h S mind, Wisconsin’s Smart Growth Pier Wisconsin, Milwaukee

“ When my parents were growing up the world’s population was under three billion. During my children’s lifetime, it is likely to exceed nine billion. You don’t need to be an expert to realize that sustainable

development is going to become the greatest challenge we face this century.” —T ONY B LAIR , M ARCH 2001

22 WISCONSIN’S GREAT LAKE STRATEGY City of Ashland’s Waterfront Redevelopment

A waterfront redevelopment project is breathing new Closed since 1965, the historic Soo Line is a life into the remnants of Ashland’s grand mining and monolithic concrete and steel structure over 80 feet shipping past. Ashland became a boomtown in the high and extending 1800 feet into the lake. Once a 1890’s as it developed into a major shipping port rail-to-ship transfer station for , this structure is and railway center. Ships and railroads transported part of Ashland’s rich past and is eligible for listing on wood from the area’s sawmills and planemills, iron the National Register of Historic Places. Working with ore, from quarries, brick from the brickyards and Canadian National (the property owner who is moving goods made in a variety of factories. toward demolition of the structure), the City has been engaged in efforts to acquire the dock and utilize As industry declined, the once busy waterfront fell adaptive re-use strategies to transform the industrial into quiet disrepair. In 1992, the area’s wastewater structure into the Soo Line Ore Dock Public Heritage treatment plant joined the waterfront’s abandoned Park. The park would become a tourist destination buildings. With an emphasis on sustainability, this celebrating Ashland’s industrial past and Lake waterfront area will be transformed into a vibrant Superior’s lakeshore amenity. Courtesy of the Ashland Historical Museum international role. Extending 1200 feet The massive base of into Lake Superior, the dock would the Reiss Coal Dock allow for a visual area is planned to interpretive center be converted into of the shipping and festival grounds and mining industries a perimeter bay-walk. Its deep water port will be and would be surrounded by a city park/fishing pier. upgraded for cruise ships. On the east side of the The dock would also provide protected dockage for city’s shoreline, the community is engaged in a local, transient and tourism vessels, which would redevelopment process for the Clarkson Dock area, increase the park's use and further the region's which has been vacant for 30 years. Clarkson Dock heritage tourism goals. will become a recreational area which will include an Tying into Ashland’s Historic Downtown District, a RV park and a link to the Bay City Creek Estuary public plaza is scheduled for construction in 2009, Preserve. which, adjacent to U.S. Highway 2, will provide At the heart of Ashland’s waterfront, a cooperative connectivity to the historic downtown district and the effort is underway to clean-up the Ashland Northern waterfront through a pedestrian underpass. This public States Power Lakefront Superfund Site, restore the space and a network of trails will provide linkages natural environment, and redevelop the area into an between Ashland’s built environment, and the natural extended marina including two beaches with shoreline of Lake Superior. supporting facilities for community and education Ashland’s thoughtful redevelopment plan will transform activities. this valuable area into a vibrant, sustainable waterfront.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

• Support sustainable land use. m

o • Buy locally-grown food or grow your own produce. c . e m i t s

m • Save energy and water at home, work and school and when travelling. a e r D

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3

1 • Practice "green" lawn and garden care. 5 1 c i r E

© For more information, visit: dnr.wi.gov/air/pubinfo/educ/Italladdsup.htm

Restoring and Protecting Our Great Lakes 23 m o c . e m i t s m a e r D

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t t a b J

©

Like all parts of the Great Lakes The Wisconsin Great Lakes ecosystem, we are linked to this Strategy is our road map to great resource. The Great Lakes protecting Lake Superior and sustain our region. They influence restoring Lake Michigan. From the our quality of life, our health and simplest home and yard care our economy. In turn, our practices, to the most complicated activities greatly influence the and far-reaching legislation, we health of Wisconsin’s Great Lakes can all make a difference for our and of the entire Great Lakes Great Lakes. ecosystem – for better or worse. By taking coordinated actions now, we can reverse or arrest negative impacts and ensure that our children’s children will be able to enjoy this national treasure.

To find out more about the Wisconsin Great Lakes Strategy and how you can be involved, please visit:

WI Great Lakes Strategy: dnr.wi.gov/org/water/greatlakes/wistrategy/

WI DNR Office of the Great Lakes: dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/greatlakes/

A publication of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources This publication is available from Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Office of the Great Lakes, P.O. Box 7921, Madison, WI, 53707. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources provides equal opportunities in its employment, programs, services, and function under an Affirmative Action Plan. If you have any questions, please write to Equal Employment Opportunity Office, Department of Interior, Washington, D.C., 20240 This publication is available in alternative format upon request. For additional information, call (608) 267-7494. n e k n

PUB-WT-907-2009 PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER e J

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