Remarks from May 13 Workshop

Just a quick note to thank all of you for your work at yesterday's meeting in Fort Atkinson re: Lake Koshkonong. Your presentations, the size of the crowd, and your enthusiasm for the project all speak well and hopefully of future success.


I will note one thing that came up at our table, and I am guessing many of the others around the room. Certainly people enjoy being asked for what they think should happen. Many did express opinions, even if they didn't speak up. As a manager in a government agency, I understand the value of "buy-in," from all the "stakeholders" and particularly from Agencies (DNR, Corps, etc.) that will need to help in shaping whatever comes out and approving or overseeing it. However, in a group as big as this, and for people who might not be used to the "interactive" or "interest-based" type of bargaining, it might have been a little overwhelming. Many, both those who vocally expressed their concerns to everyone and those who limited their expressions to their tables, couldn't seem to figure out "where is the plan." Generally, at meetings like this, people are presented with something, then the reactions start, and little else can be accomplished. So I agree that this is a better way to go, but with such a large group, many of whom are looking for some kind of guidelines, the free form might have been too much.

That said, I will say that there were ideas expressed, that went far and wide with what people wanted, or that could or should be done. At my table alone, where we have people from the southern end of the lake, the eastern shore, the northern end, and the river at Newville, there was lots of talk about islands, dredging, how shoreline erodes, whether rip rap would be permitted in all places, but over and over an expression of what is the budget we are looking at, and how much can we get for it. There was also considerable expression of concern about everyone thinking if there was a limited scope of funding, that they would want their own area taken care of first (I think there were some back and forth comments like that during the night from the floor) or that this would be another failed attempt like others before.

There was also an undercurrent of distrust in the process regarding "conservationists" who had "all the money" attacking any attempts to improve the usability for boaters and recreationists. Jon, who happened to stop by the table I was at, tried to assure everyone who raised this issue that this didn't seem to be the case this time, but I'm not sure people were ready to believe it.

I'm sure I fit somewhere between the property owner and conservationist camp.

When it is shallow on the end where I live, and we get less outboard traffic, I'm not all that upset on one level. As I explained when I spoke with Steve prior to the meeting, my wife and I only kayak, and sit and watch the various wildlife, so navigability is not that big a deal for us. But in reality, the clean water, the not filling with sediment, the maintaining and re-establishing of wetlands, clearly is something that we need for the lake survive. So maybe we have to settle for things that are not perfect, but best; compromises that make it possible for lots of people to be served.

That is what we had to think when we sold our first cottage on the lake (on Willow Road) after it had floodwaters that had been in more than waist deep.

That was the unfortunate part for us. We had just listed it to sell the week before the flood. We had done that because we had bought another property on Lamp Road (which "only" flooded to 18", but now has been raised up to the mitigation standard, and re-done for our future retirement home). So we were lucky, in a way because we could do the "right thing"-let the one piece go back to nature, and help be part of the buffer. But we do need more of that, and more responsible activities around the lake, not just "what I want" or "what I can get away with." The County has done some of it by watching the reconstruction of properties. We need to continue to encourage that.

So, probably too much soapbox, and no plan for you from me. Lots of other people had lots of good ideas about what can and should happen. My wife and I plan to permanently be in the lake area beginning late summer as we gear down toward retirement. If there is anything you can think of that would be helpful, please let us know.

Thanks again.

Paul Ogren