Live-Stream/Virtual Agenda
If you are joining us as a virtual or hybrid attendee, you have access to these live-streamed concurrent presentations on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17.
These live presentations will be available via Zoom links. You will want to make sure you have the most updated version of Zoom, which you can check here: Updating Zoom to the latest version – Zoom Support.
An email will be sent to all registered virtual attendees on Monday, April 13 with the links to join each session.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Thursday, April 16
8-8:50 a.m.
Wisconsin lakes and rivers have been used for motorized recreation for over 100 years, but the nature of the technology has evolved and so too has our understanding of how recreational craft impact the health of a lake and the wellbeing of other lake users. This presentation will look back at the decades of research on motorboat impacts as well as the evolution of Wisconsin laws and local ordinances that regulate how and where people operate different types of motorboats. This historic context can be helpful when looking at today’s issues surrounding enhanced wake sports and the specialized crafts that people are using to participate in those activities, and the presentation will conclude with some thoughts on where we might be headed from both a regulatory and research perspective.
Presenters: Tim Asplund, WI Department of Natural Resources and David Ortiz, WI Department of Natural Resources and UW-Madison Center for Limnology
From Mark Twain and Henry David Thoreau to Aldo Leopold to Ann Zwinger, Terry Tempest Williams, and Barry Lopez, writers have waxed eloquent about their love of rivers. Come sit back and let your imagination flow along the waters our finest writers have so brilliantly written about.
Presenter: John Bates, Trails North/Manitowish River Press
Thursday, April 16
9:00-10:00 a.m.
Convention Welcome Session – Decades of Dedication: A Long-term Perspective
2026 is a year of significant milestones in Wisconsin’s collaborative approach to lakes and rivers management: Wisconsin’s Citizen Lake Monitoring Network marks 40 years of volunteer-collected lake data, and the UW-Madison’s Division of Extension Water Action Volunteer program is observing 30 years of similarly collected stream data. We are also celebrating 10 years of the Healthy Lakes & Rivers program and over 20 years of Clean Boats, Clean Waters. To fully embrace our “Decades of Dedication” theme, the Thursday morning Welcome Session will take us on a journey starting in the 17th Century. We’ll meet a retired shopkeeper who penned one of the earliest books on fisheries and water conservation, travel through the 20th Century when Wisconsin made a splash in lake and river care, and move from the present into the future, where emerging contaminants pose new threats that we are just starting to understand.
Thursday, April 16
10:10 a.m.-11:00 a.m.
Wisconsin’s legal framework positions towns, cities and villages on the front line of developing local ordinances to protect the public peace, safety and welfare. Lake organizations seeking to encourage greater regulation of motorboating, including wake sports, need to understand the constitutional and statutory framework that local governments operate in. This presentation will look at our legal structure through the lens of regulating enhanced-wake boating to help lake leaders appreciate both the potential and limitations of using local ordinances to protect people and resources from potentially harmful lake uses.
Presenters: Richard Phillips, Mary Jung, Jeff Meessmann, and Fred Silloway, Last Wilderness Alliance
Beginning in 1976, we identified and addressed the main water quality problems in the Wisconsin River Basin, including pollution from paper mills and cities, acid rain impacts on lakes, groundwater pollution in the Central Sands, and the impacts of dams on the “Hardest Working River in America”. We learned that properly designed regulation restores the environment, protects the public interest, AND can actually enhance local economies while avoiding the myth of economic disaster caused by environmental regulation.
Note: This presentation will include a slideshow using actual slides (not a PowerPoint). We will do our best to make sure virtual participants can see the images; however, we cannot guarantee they will be clear. Thank you for understanding.
Presenter: Bob Martini, WI Department of Natural Resources (retired)
Thursday, April 16
11:10 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
A lake’s carrying capacity refers to the amount of human use that a lake can support while still meeting expected standards, including ecological and recreational standards. Analyzing a lake’s carrying capacity may include answering questions such as:
• Is the lake ecology negatively affected by excessive lake use?
• Can lake users safely conduct recreational activities?
• Do lake users and/or residents consider the lake too crowded to use?
SEWRPC has helped several lake organizations conduct lake carrying capacity analyses as part of comprehensive lake management plans. These analyses consist of three main pieces: 1) recreational use surveys, 2) determining the useable lake area for active boating, and 3) applying published models to examine whether lake use exceeds the recommended capacity. The proposed presentation would describe commonly used lake carrying capacity models, how lake organizations can conduct these analyses, and how lake organizations can use these analyses to inform lake recreation management.
Presenter: Justin Poinsatte, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC)
Stream and River Monitoring in Wisconsin
We are often asked the question- what do stream/river biologists do? We will share some of the techniques and equipment water quality biologists across the state use to evaluate the condition of streams and rivers in Wisconsin. We will discuss how surveying the fish, macroinvertebrates, and plants that live within these flowing systems, along with the water chemistry can be used towards making management and impairment decisions. We will also leave you with ideas and information on actions everyone can take to benefit streams.
Presenters: Kimberly Kuber and Camille Bruhn, WI Department of Natural Resources
Have You Thanked a Diatom Today? Using These River Algae for Bioassessment
Diatoms are an incredibly diverse type of algae and are ubiquitous in aquatic systems throughout the world, yet few people have heard of them. Learn about diatoms, their importance in rivers and other aquatic systems, and how they are used in bioassessment to monitor different aspects of water quality and environmental health.
Presenter: Gina LaLiberte, WI Department of Natural Resources
Thursday, April 16
1:45-2:25 p.m.
This presentation will focus on presenting results of Chloride conditions and trends among lakes in Southeastern Wisconsin as part the SEWRPC Technical Report No. 63 Chloride Conditions and Trends (https://www.sewrpc.org/Regional-Planning/Chloride-Study). The overarching goal is to summarize the extent to which waterbodies in the study area have been impacted by chloride pollution and to what degree chloride conditions in these waterbodies are improving, becoming worse, or remaining stable. Hence, this presentation focuses on chloride concentration and specific conductivity data collected from the 1960s to 2022 in the study area lakes. This information combined with classification data such as watershed size, lake area, residence time, percent composition of urban and rural land uses, and land use changes over time were included in this analysis. Finally, several case studies for selected lakes or groups of lakes for chloride and/or specific conductance trends, using the best data sets, are summarized.
Presenter: Thomas Slawski, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC)
Every river tells a story. Some are blunt and punchy, others span generations. Many are poetic, some are mundane. But every river sings, and every watershed comprises a chorus of voices. Every river is a quarreling family.
Paddling lakes is simple and straightforward: you end where you began, and you can generally see the big picture before you leave land. Paddling rivers is more nuanced and mysterious: you start at the end, return to the beginning, and every meandering bend in between begs wondering “what happens next?” Is the water high or low? Are there rapids – and if so, are they dangerous? Am I trespassing or are rivers passports? How long will it take, and how do I get back to the car?
Come join local author, Timothy Bauer, for a thoughtful discourse on the beguiling beauty that is paddling rivers. Got a question about logistics or a concern about skill level? Need to be convinced that rivers are rich in mischief and metaphysics? Timothy will dabble in both practicalities and poetics.
Presenter: Timothy Bauer, Author and Paddler
Thursday, April 16
2:35-3:15 p.m.
Neonicotinoid pesticides, or neonics, are a contaminant of emerging concern in Wisconsin due to their impact on nontarget organisms, including aquatic invertebrates. These impacts have cascading effects throughout both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, making it imperative that we understand neonics and how to talk about them. The Wisconsin Neonicotinoid Workgroup (WNW), born out of the 2024 Wisconsin Neonicotinoid Forum, provides a central place for producers, researchers, activists, and government representatives interested in neonicotinoid outreach to get updates on the latest research and collaborate on the development of educational materials. To help our target audiences fully understand the issue presented by neonics communications must include not only accurate information, but actionable steps for learning more about the issue. This presentation will explore how a diverse workgroup can facilitate outreach that prompts audiences to seek more information about neonics in their local wetlands, lakes and rivers. Exploring how different sectors approach discussions around neonics can help the WNW create more effective outreach resources and direct our members towards the best available resources specific to their needs.
Presenter: AJ Jeninga-Nehls, UW-Madison Division of Extension, Natural Resources Institute
In the heart of Wisconsin’s beautiful Driftless Area lies an 8,600-acre National Natural Landmark—The Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Its steep ravines, rich forests, and crooked river are enjoyed by thousands of outdoor enthusiasts each year. “Protecting Paradise in the Driftless: How the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Came to Be”, published in 2024, chronicles why the Kickapoo River still runs free through the Driftless. Author Marcy West will highlight key components from the story, including the innovative preservation and ecological journey from grassroots activism to a unique Memorandum of Understanding between the State of Wisconsin and the Ho-Chunk Nation. West will offer your audience an insider’s perspective on the Reserve’s founding, entertain with anecdotes as an unconventional bureaucrat, and provide real world examples of how to earn community support for whichever lake or river conference attendees consider their piece of Paradise.
Presenter: Marcy West, Author
Friday, April 17, 2026
Friday, April 17
8-9:00 a.m.
Brook Trout Connectivity in Headwater Streams
Brook Trout Reserve 41, located in the Peshtigo and Oconto River Headwaters of northeast Wisconsin, is the state’s largest brook trout reserve. Despite its abundant populations and high levels of public land ownership, the reserve faces growing threats from climate change and habitat fragmentation. Undersized and aging road-stream crossings currently inhibit brook trout from accessing spawning areas, nursery habitat, feeding grounds, and thermal refuges – barriers that will become even more problematic as temperatures rise.
To address this, the Brook Trout Reserve 41 Fish Passage Team, a collaboration among state, federal, tribal, county, and nonprofit partners, is developing a 10-year Aquatic Connectivity Strategic Plan. The team will analyze stream crossing inventories, establish prioritization criteria, and identify key replacement projects to restore connectivity across 23 subwatersheds. This proactive, collaborative approach will ensure brook trout have the ability to move freely, improving their resilience in the face of rapid environmental change.
Presenter: Annaliese Ford, WI Department of Natural Resources
Healthy Watersheds, High-Quality Waters Prioritization: Yellow River Case Study
There is a well-documented connection between the abundance of natural land cover (ex. forests, wetlands, shrubland, etc.) in a watershed and water quality. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Wonderful Waters of Wisconsin initiative aims to address this connection and support the preservation of unprotected natural areas using the Healthy Watersheds, High-Quality Waters (HWHQW) modeling and assessment. This presentation provides a broad overview of the Wonderful Waters of Wisconsin initiative and the value of thinking about the health of lakes or rivers within the context of a larger landscape. Afterward, we demonstrate the application of these concepts through an in-depth case study of the Yellow River Watershed. In 2025, the Yellow River Protection Conservancy, the Center for Land Use Education, and DNR collaborated on a prioritized land protection strategy to support a conservation easement and Buy-Protect-Sell-Repeat program. In doing so, these land-based efforts will improve and enhance the water quality of the Yellow River.
Presenters: Lauren Haydon, WI Department of Natural Resources and Austin Holland, Center for Land Use Education, UW-Stevens Point
The Wisconsin Springs Inventory
Springs provide critical connections between groundwater and surface water, and they support unique ecosystems across Wisconsin. Springs also play a key role in sustaining wetlands and cold-water trout streams, contributing to their hydrology and ecological resilience. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Water Use Section along with many partners has developed the Wisconsin Springs Inventory to compile and standardize information on spring locations, flow, and ecological characteristics across Wisconsin. Built from historical records, field surveys, and collaboration with landowners, the springs inventory has nearly 500 springs in diverse hydrogeologic settings that run at 0.25 cfs or greater. Landowner contacts have been essential for site access, verification, and reporting of new springs. This resource strengthens understanding of groundwater-dependent systems, supports water quality and quantity conservation, and establishes a baseline for future monitoring and research.
Presenter: Joe Rosnow, WI Department of Natural Resources
Revelations and Mysteries Based on Benthic Studies in Five Vilas County Lakes
Annual benthic studies in Loon Lake since 2013 have indicated that there are inverse relationships between the densities of Chinese Mystery Snails (CMS) and native snails (i.e. Helisoma and Campeloma). There also appears to be a preference for CMS to inhabit the benthic zones dominated by Isoetes. Both the CMS and Isoetes populations in Loon Lake declined following a dramatic increase in lake level in 2017. Isoetes is slowly recovering while CMS densities remain low. This presentation explores the relationships between Isoetes, CMS and benthic communities in four other Vilas County lakes. The four lakes were selected based on the presence of similar plant communities found in Loon Lake.
Presenter: Warren Mueller, Limnologist (retired)
Friday, April 17
9:15-10:15 a.m.
Watershed Monitoring and Restoration in the Southern Lake Superior Basin
Recurrent and catastrophic flooding events in the southern Lake Superior basin have impacted regional ecosystems and human communities since early-20th Century deforestation and agricultural landscape conversion. Emerging solutions such as Natural Flood Management (NFM), restoration of flood-controlling natural infrastructure, is being undertaken through collaborative regional partner projects. These include hydraulic reconnection of wetlands and streams, reconnection of streams with floodplains, re-establishment of runoff-slowing vegetation communities, and more. Identification and prioritization of restoration sites based on presence and severity of fluvial erosion hazards (FEH), other risk factors, and existing functional and potentially restorable natural infrastructure will lead to implementation of appropriate NFM restoration strategies.
Presenter: Kevin Brewster, Superior Rivers Watershed Association
Investigating Beaver Dam Lake for Long-term Management Solutions
Beaver Dam Lake in Dodge County has a watershed of 185,760 acres and a surface area of 6,542 acres having significant impacts within the Upper Rock River Watershed and occupying most of Dodge County, WI. Over the summer of 2025, the Water Resources Management (WRM) program at UW-Madison was contracted by the Beaver Dam Lake District to conduct a comprehensive investigation of the shoreline and water quality of Beaver Dam Lake. Over the field season, data was collected to connect to long-term trends previously recorded by the Wisconsin DNR, citizen samplers, and a past WRM practicum project in 2017. By identifying trends in nutrient data and shoreline management, comprehensive management plans were created to improve watershed health for decades to come.
Presenters: Emily Kilstrom, Katie Bollini, and Lexi Guzman, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison
Cyanobacteria (Blue-green Algae) Blooms and Monitoring 101
In the past two years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms reported to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, due in part to warmer winters and the extension of the growing season. Discover what cyanobacteria are, what different bloom types look like, and how to identify them. Understand the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that make lakes susceptible to blooms, and how unusual weather patterns in 2023 to 2025 may have promoted cyanobacterial blooms in normally unaffected lakes. Learn about the potential health risks of cyanobacteria and exposure routes via ingestion and inhalation. We will discuss what you need to know about cyanobacteria monitoring including recreational guidelines, health department jurisdiction, advantages and disadvantages of different monitoring methods, and common-sense precautions that protect your family and pets.
Presenter: Gina LaLiberte, WI Department of Natural Resources
From Weeks to Minutes: Lessons from Rapid BGA Monitoring in Green Lake
Harmful algal blooms (HABs) pose a growing threat to Wisconsin’s lakes impacting public health, recreation, and local economies. Yet traditional monitoring methods leave a 20–30-day gap between sample collection and lab-confirmed results, delaying critical public health communication. Green Lake Association (GLA) and partners set out to close this gap. Beginning with a Bloom Optix pilot project in 2022, and continuing through the 2023–2025 seasons, we have paired AI-driven imaging with rapid dipstick toxin tests to reduce detection time and improve advisory response. This presentation will share what has worked well, including stronger collaborations with county health departments and faster information sharing, as well as the challenges we’ve encountered, from inconsistent protocols to ambiguous bloom definitions and toxin thresholds. We will also discuss what more can be done by individual lake organizations, statewide coalitions, and agencies to advance timely, consistent, and science-based responses to HABs across Wisconsin.
Presenters: Taylor Haag Strauser, Grace St. Clair, and Avery James, Green Lake Association
Friday, April 17
10:45-11:45 a.m.
The Wisconsin Landscape: Are We Still Good with the Tradeoff?
In the agricultural regions of Wisconsin, nonpoint source nutrient pollution contributes significantly to the impairment of the state’s lakes and rivers. Our commodities-based agricultural system has predominantly focused on serving the production needs of inefficient biofuels, export markets that have dwindled/disappeared, and the production of animal feed. Meanwhile, many Wisconsin farms have consistently struggled to generate profits. Our rampant water quality challenges are not the result of individual farmers failing to consider conservation; rather, they are indicative of the shortcomings of our dominant agricultural regimes. With a consistent track record, it seems fair to recognize that dominant agricultural systems are not adequately serving our state’s farmers or waters. A starting point for addressing our immense water quality challenges should be a critical evaluation of whether Wisconsinites are still content with perpetuating our current agricultural regimes, given a consistent track record of poor profitability and the degradation of our waters.
Presenter: John Strauser, Green Lake Association
A Local Water Quality Trading Program to Reduce Phosphorus and Sediment Delivery to the Rock River
The City of Watertown and Jefferson County Land and Water Conservation Department developed a long-term local water quality trading program to meet the requirements of the City’s Department of Natural Resources stormwater (MS4) permit. The Watertown Waterways Improvement Program relies on the County’s expertise and established relationships with property owners to design, model, implement and inspect conservation practices to reduce pollutant discharge to the Rock River and tributaries.
This session will explain the program development including an intergovernmental agreement, cost-share agreement, highlighted conservation practices, payment structure, inspection, and more. Outreach to landowners, done in partnership with the Rock River Coalition, will be explained. Session participants will learn about the first successful trades and how this is a cost-effective option for municipalities to meet their stormwater permit requirements. Initial estimates, based on the first practice, forecast another 24 practices will be needed for the City to meet their permit requirements.
Presenters: Patricia Cicero, Jefferson County Land and Water Conservation Department and Maureen McBroom, City of Watertown
Tomorrow’s Ecological Nutrient Management
Conservation of our natural resources comes in many forms, but the goal is to preserve what nature has given us through evolution and natural selection. Humanity has left a huge mark on the natural landscape, and our conservation efforts have not been adequate in stopping this destruction and even the well-intentioned management is faltering. We have developed the field of ecology, from theoretical models of ecosystems to minute studies of the smallest organisms. We have applied knowledge gained by research of individual species from wildlife to fisheries, yet we have not applied the ecological connections between the biological, chemical, physical worlds of an individual species. Conservation is a thankless endeavor when the losses outnumber the gains. Nature is complex and ever changing and even a lengthy long-term study only gives a plethora of information. It is the empirical observation knowledge that needs to be applied to recognized problems as soon as possible.
Our fisheries and waters that support them in Wisconsin and other places are in trouble. More lakes and waterways are experiencing blue green algae blooms … even pristine aquatic ecosystems are having them. We may blame climate change, shoreline development, water quality, or all … but the answer of solving all is understanding and acting. We can manage our fisheries for a better outcome AND improve water quality. This is the importance in understanding nutrients in our aquatic ecosystems and channeling them up through the food chain and see the results in healthy aquatic waterways and fisheries.
Presenters: Rand Atkinson and Alexander Mancheski, Walleye Restoration Foundation, Inc.
Connecting with Our Night Sky: How to Preserve and Protect Dark Skies
Without the natural night sky, we could not have walked on the moon, navigated the globe, or discovered that humans are made of stardust. Sadly, we are losing our dark skies light by light. Join Michele Sadauskas on a photographic journey to gain a greater appreciation of the night sky, understand how light pollution effects life on Earth, and most importantly how each of us can make a positive change for a natural resource many people take for granted.
Presenter: Michele Sadauskas, Oneida County Land and Water Conservation
Confluence
12:00-1:15 p.m.
Friday Confluence* – Connecting our Food and Water Resources
Luke Zahm, Wisconsin Foodie
During the Friday Confluence, we will be merging the ideas and knowledge you have gathered over the course of the Convention. Join us for this time of reflection.
Luke Zahm, host of the PBS Emmy® Award-winning TV series, Wisconsin Foodie, and co-owner and chef at Viroqua’s Driftless Cafe will lead this full-group session and help us think about how our food and water resources are connected. Just like a home-cooked meal, this session is a time to slow down, share experiences, and find commonality.
*included with registration