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Dane County Land & Water Resources Department

2011 Dane County Waters Champions Named; Outgoing Commissioner Recognized

June 07, 2011
Contact: Sue Jones, 224-3764 (office), jones.susan@countyofdane.com Marcia Hartwig, 224-3746 (office), hartwig@countyofdane.com
Land & Water Resources

 The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission will honor its 2011 Waters Champion Award recipients at a reception Wednesday, June 8th beginning at 5:00 p.m. at the Edgewater Hotel pier in downtown Madison.  The program will begin at 6 p.m., and the event is open to the public.  Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission Chair Melissa Malott, and Dane County Executive Joe Parisi will present the awards.

The two 2011 Waters Champions are former County Executive Kathleen Falk and former Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.   In addition, the Commission will recognize outgoing Commissioner Howard Teal for his service, and bring attention to projects made possible by people working together to improve and protect water quality in Dane County. Projects highlighted through poster displays include:

Dane County Cow Power Project.  Completion of this first-of-its-kind community manure digester near Waunakee helps keep algae-feeding phosphorus out of our lakes and streams.

  • Stewart Lake Restoration.  Keys to this successful restoration project near Mount Horeb included local partnerships and student assistance with fish restocking.
  • "Wingra Waters: An Evening of Poetry, Story and Song in Celebration of Lake Wingra" raised funds in a Madison neighborhood for a filtration fountain to help clean Vilas Beach waters.
  • Lake Belle View Restoration.  TheVillage of Belleville installed a berm to separate the Sugar River from the millpond, and removed accumulated sediment to restore lake depths of eight to ten feet and restore the adjacent wetland.
  • Village of Maple Bluff Stormwater Quality Improvement Project.  This cooperative project with the City of Madison and the private sector improved runoff quality flowing into Lake Mendota from hundreds of acres.

The Dane County Waters Champion Awards are given by the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission annually to recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions toward protecting and improving Dane County’s water resources. Recipients have made a positive impact on water quality as well as the scenic, economic, recreational and environmental value of those lakes and streams.

"These two former elected officials were known for their environmental accomplishments before taking office, and were outstanding advocates for our waters while in office.  I know that they will continue to be champions as private citizens," said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. 

“We appreciate what Kathleen and Major Dave accomplished while in office to protect and improve the Yahara lakes and other important water and wetlands in Dane County, and we are grateful to have an opportunity to publicly honor and thank them,” said Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission Chair Melissa Malott.

The Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission is a coordinating and advisory agency within Dane County government, whose charge is to protect and improve water quality, as well as the scenic, economic, recreational, and environmental value of Dane County's water resources.  The reception is sponsored by the Clean Lakes Alliance, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fundraising for the improvement and protection of the lakes, streams and wetlands in the Yahara Watershed. 

The Dane County Waters Champion Awards are part of the 17th annual Take a Stake in the Lakes Days, June 4-19, an annual series of community events, activities and hands-on workshops that highlight the importance of the lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands to the quality of life in Dane County. For more information, visit www.takeastakeinthelakes.com.

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