Residents to weigh in on lakes improvement

Janesville Gazette

...The city soon will ask residents to take stock of how much they value Cravath and Tripp lakes and how much they would support efforts to improve the quality of the lakes.

...said the questionnaire will gauge three things:

--Economic value of the lakes;

--Social value of the lakes;

--Support for improvement of the lakes

...The group also hasn’t determined what type of organization would oversee improvement of the lakes, Thornton said.

“Those actions (to improve the lakes) in turn inform the type of support required from the community,” he said. “The more extensive the intervention, the more expensive.”

Thornton said there are a few options, including the formation of a lake association or a lake district.

A lake association usually is a voluntary group of lakeshore property owners who pool their resources to cover lake management costs, he said.

A lake district taxes all property owners within the district, which could include the whole city, he said.
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Check out Lake Koshkonong's public opinion survey from February 2001 --

RKLD Survey Questionnaire Report

Go To Page 226 of 395 pages (PDF document).

Amid $5.4 billion deficit, DNR asking for more

Lakeland Times

LakeLubbers.com

http://www.lakelubbers.com/lake-koshkonong/354/

Lake Koshkonong: Description

Covering parts of Dane, Jefferson, and Rock Counties and just a few miles down the Rock River from Fort Atkinson, Lake Koshkonong is a fantastic place to boat and fish.

More.....

WI Public Television - In Wisconsin

In case you missed it, WPT returned to Lake Koshkonong to follow-up with the Jackowskis on Oxbow.

Video below.

WI Public Television

The sound of hammers and saws can be heard coming from houses along Lake Koshkonong. That’s because rebuilding continues there after this summer’s devastating floods. Find out what happened to people who battled feet of water inside their homes, including one family “In Wisconsin” visited by boat in June. The couple was coping with not just high water, but news their employer; General Motors in Janesville, would shut down.

Invasives rule would allow DNR to enter private property

Our homes and businesses on Lake Koshkonong are being threatened yet again by a DNR that knowingly and systematically presses adminstrative rules that violate our constitutional rights.

This is a must read.....
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Lakeland Times

...A proposed rule being promulgated by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would allow DNR wardens to enter private homes and properties to conduct searches for invasive species.

The wardens would have the right to enter property whenever they "reasonably" believed an invasive species was present on the premises.

The rule has passed the public hearing stage, and a legislative council review has been forwarded to the agency. The next step is for the DNR to submit a final rule to the Natural Resources Board for approval and forwarding to the Legislature.

...An agency analysis of the rule states that the transportation, possession, transfer and introduction of invasives without a permit would not be prohibited if the department determined that the transportation, possession, transfer or introduction was incidental or unknowing, and was not due to the person's failure to take reasonable precautions

...Nonetheless, the clearinghouse rule still gives DNR wardens the right to enter private property whenever they choose.

...Following protocol, the agency could then write citations for anything else the DNR believes does not meet the letter of the law.

...The DNR itself has acknowledged that the rule could have significant impacts on small businesses

...For example, many of the listed restricted plants could be 'knowingly' incorporated into agricultural products such as hay and silage that are transported and transferred. These agricultural practices appear to require a permit from the department under this rule."

.."Small businesses will be affected by the necessity to apply for and receive a permit to transport, possess, transfer or introduce, when applicable. Department staff will work with individuals and businesses to develop a permit specific to their situation and needs."

No clear solution for Clear Lake

Jvl Gazette

...It was the unusual weather of the last 15 months that caused the high levels in the first place. Record rains in August 2007, a winter with about twice the normal level of snow and torrential downpours in June all contributed to the lake’s abnormally high level.

...Ultimately, the community has to decide if it wants to interfere with a natural process, Gotkowitz said.

“Do you want to try to control this aspect of the natural system?” she asked. “It’s clearly a personal preference. There’s no right or wrong in that.”

Lake Level Rising

Lake Level = 776.39; above the DNR Summer Max order.

All gates have been 100% open.

New Posts

News, Meetings and the Appellate Cout pages all have new content.

Clear Lake neighbors dealing with rising levels months after summer’s record

Janesville Gazette

...Months after the water receded from the shores of the Rock River and Lake Koshkonong, it’s still rising around Clear Lake in Milton Township, neighbors said.

IF YOU GO

What: Meeting to discuss Clear Lake’s rising water level and possible solutions

When: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Milton Town Hall, 23 First St., Milton.

County board approves '09 budget

Jvl Gazette

...On a 22-6 vote, the board disagreed with Knutson and chose to set aside the money in a special fund for parks and conservation projects.

...The $1.8 million will come from the American Transmission Co., which will build a high-voltage transmission line across the county in 2009. The state allows counties and municipalities to spend such payments as they see fit on parks or conservation projects.

...Board members who wanted to use the transmission line money for parks said it was a one-time opportunity to catch Rock up with other counties and prove the community's commitment to open space.

Six dams in state to be removed

Madison Cap Times

..."The removal permit was challenged, but an administrative law judge did not reverse the permit," Sarakinos said

...Much of the dam had washed out in flooding, so the half broken dam was a navigational hazards and a hazard to life and property, she said

DNR Open To Lowering Madison Lake Levels

Channel3000 - Madison

also

WI State Journal


City Officials Say Lower Levels Would Help Prevent Flood Damage
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Are water neighbors to the north should fund some serious research before blindly allowing the DNR to drain Yahara chain of lakes.

Flooded houses are being repaired, abandoned

Janesville Gazette

...The rebuilding process is going on in neighborhoods up and down the river throughout Rock County.

But some houses cannot be rebuilt and others might be abandoned, county planning officials say.

(Rock) County debates cash use (Parks)

Janesville Gazette

Mike Sessler, left, and Elton Duffy, both from Milton, ready their boat for launch on Lake Koshkonong from Royce-Dallman Park. The park is party of the Rock County Park System

Photo by: Matthew Wisniewski
Rocky Matmanivony, his father Hong, and his brother Brandon fish at Indianford Park in Indianford. The park is party of the Rock County Park System

Lake Leota referendum approved

Jvl Gazette

...“It just shows how people really feel about this treasure that we have in our community,” he said. “It’s very heartwarming in this time—these financial times of all times—people still recognize the need to invest in that kind of an asset in the community.”

...Plans call for removing about 200,000 cubic yards of sediment and depositing it on nearby farmland. The project is designed to create a fore bay where sediment coming into the lake could accumulate so that future dredging only would be needed in one smaller area, Decker said.

VOTE TODAY

The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.
General Dwight Eisenhower

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Record Hi Temps Expected Today 70+

From Minocqua - Eagle River;

Next Board Meeting

Will be on Thursday, Dec 11th at 6:30pm at Tallgrass Restoration.

Hopefully, we will have something to report on the Appellate Court by then.

DNR Winter Drawdown Now in Effect

lake level = 775.72

All gates are 100% open

The safety chain has been raised at the Indianford/CTH M bridge.