Take a Stake in the Lakes 2012; Dane County's annual clean-up event turns 25!
April 03, 2012
Rhea Stangel-Maier, Dane County Parks Volunteer Coordinator, 224-3601
Sue Jones, Watershed Management Coordinator, 224-3764
Don Heilman, James Tye or Heather Allen, Clean Lakes Alliance, 836-4001
Land & Water Resources
(Madison, Wisconsin) The 25th Annual Take a Stake in the Lakes volunteer cleanup of Dane County’s lakes and streams will be held on June 9th (Lakes Mendota and Kegonsa) and 16th (Lakes Monona, Waubesa and Wingra), although volunteers can join in the fun anytime June 1-17.
“Unprecedented and exciting partnerships are coming together at a critical time to protect our lakes,” said Dane County Executive Joe Parisi. “And our continued partnership with the Clean Lakes Alliance is making this year’s milestone Take a Stake in the Lakes bigger and better than ever. I encourage everyone who cares about our lakes not to miss this very special year.”
June 2012 marks the 25th year of Take a Stake in the Lakes, an event that has become the flagship of volunteerism and care for our treasured waterways. Created by the Dane County Lakes and Watershed Commission, the annual Take a Stake in the Lakes Days event has grown from two days of shoreline clean-ups to a two-week series of countywide special events for learning about and acting to protect and improve Dane County lakes and streams.
This year, the Clean Lakes Alliance is partnering with Dane County Lakes and Watersheds to expand the annual event. Some of the area’s largest employers will be lending staff and/or funds to the effort. During Jazz in the Park on June 16 at Wingra Park, past and present volunteers, donors, coordinators and commissioners are invited to come together for a day of celebration and recognition.
Groups, clubs, individuals and families adopt beaches, shorelines, streams and more to collect litter and rake aquatic debris. Some adopt boat launches while others paddle their canoes or kayaks to pick up trash. Others mark storm drains with messages reminding folks to keep trash, leaves and grass clippings out of the street gutters, which drain directly to our lakes and streams.
Thousands of volunteers have removed hundreds of tons of waste all over Dane County over the past quarter century. Many groups celebrate afterward with a picnic in the area they’ve just cleaned up.
Reserve your group’s favorite park, stream or stretch of shoreline as soon as possible. To volunteer for Take a Stake in the Lakes clean-ups as a family, an individual, organization or group, contact Rhea Stangel-Maier, Dane County Parks Volunteer coordinator, at 608-224-3601 or stangel-maier@countyofdane.com. Businesses and other employers wanting to participate or learn about sponsorship opportunities should contact James Tye, Clean Lakes Alliance, at 608-836-4001 or james@cleanlakesalliance.com.
For a complete list of Take a Stake in the Lakes Days 25th Anniversary events June 1-17, 2012, go to www.takeastakeinthelakes.com.
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