Give Water-Friendly Gifts this Holiday Season

December 04, 2007
Sue Jones, 224-3764 jones.susan@co.dane.wi.us
Land & Water Resources

Give Water-Friendly Gifts this Holiday Season The Dane County Office of Lakes and Watersheds offers some great suggestions for water-friendly gifts that are not only affordable, unique and fun, but also help improve the quality of our lakes, rivers and streams. Green gifts are not just trendy – they are timeless and ageless, and are meaningful long after the holiday season is over. “These are the kinds of gifts that actually do keep on giving,” says Sue Jones, Watershed Management Coordinator with the Dane County Office of Lakes and Watersheds. “Any gift that helps support our waters now will give again in the summer, when we are all ready to enjoy fishing, boating, skiing and swimming on lakes and rivers that are becoming cleaner and clearer.” The Dane County Office of Lakes and Watersheds offers the following water-friendly gift ideas, most of them ranging from $5 to $50: Yahara Waterways Water Trail Guide – www.danewaters.com/YaharaWaterTrail A fantastic gift, and only $5.00, this beautiful, 44-page color guidebook presents an interpretive view of the history, the culture and the environmental diversity that is found on and along our lakes, the Yahara River, and their environs. The Guide is an educational tool with maps and information for paddle sport enthusiasts, schools, summer camps, youth groups, and other recreational users of the Yahara waterways. The Guide is available at: Dane County UW-Extension Office (1 Fen Oak Court, Madison) Dane County Executive Office (Rm 421 City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Madison) Lussier Family Heritage Center (3101 Lake Farm Road, Madison WI) The Paddlin' Shop (202 S. Dickinson St. Madison) Rutabaga (220 West Broadway, Monona) Gift coupon for ice skates or ski rental. Call Camp Randall (608) 263-6566 or Madison Ice Arena (608) 246-4512 for indoor skating information. Gift certificate for a kayak or canoe rental from your favorite paddle shop or a voucher for a guided hike or wilderness trip. Coupons for canoe or kayak rental are available at Carl and John’s Paddlin’ www.paddlin.com (608) 384-0300; Rutabaga www.rutabaga.com (800) I-Paddle. More….. Dane County Parks permits: give the gift of lake access, a trip through Tenney Locks, bike and ski trail passes to enjoy the waters through the beauty of our parks. Visit www.countyofdane.com/lwrd/parks . A share in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm that produces wonderful organic vegetables in a way that’s friendly to our lands and waters. Gift certificate to a native plant nursery, or for plants to start a rain garden. Information on native plants, rain gardens and how to build them can be found at www.danewaters.com . Rain barrel to collect rainwater for your garden - available locally from Sustain Dane (www.sustaindane.org) and the Upper Sugar River Watershed Association (437-7707). Or, purchase on-line at www.gaiam.com, www.plowhearth.com, www.rainbarrelsandmore.com or make your own using instructions at www.cwp.org/Community_Watersheds/brochure.pdf. For the person who needs nothing, give a membership to his or her local conservation or “Friends” group. These volunteer groups work throughout the year to maintain the health of our natural resources and make significant contributions. Visit www.danewaters.com for a listing. Make a date with your family to help clean up our County’s waters during the 21st annual Take a Stake in the Lakes clean-up, June 14th and 21st, 2008. Visit www.takeastakeinthelakes.com and look for details regarding 2008’s event, coming soon. The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission focuses public attention on the importance of protecting and improving the quality of our lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands. For more information, visit www.danewaters.com or contact Sue Jones, 224-3764, jones.susan@co.dane.wi.us. # # #