Community Board signs Healthy Farms Healthy Lakes resolution

Dear Friends,

Our Clean Lakes Alliance Community Board met this morning and voted to support the eight draft recommendations proposed by Dane County’s Healthy Farms Healthy Lakes Task Force. That 14-member group was charged with developing policy proposals to reduce the impact of phosphorus runoff from agricultural activities to our five lakes. I serve on the task force along with other Clean Lakes Alliance partners.

On a parallel path, Clean Lakes Alliance’s Economic Impact and Policy Committee has also been meeting over the course of this past year, consulting with experts, scientists, and community leaders to develop advocacy goals that align with and help us achieve our Plan 2020: A Clear Path Forward.

A number of these advocacy goals are consistent with the recommendations being proposed by the task force. In Clean Lakes Alliance’s role as an advocacy organization, we will continue to push for firm timelines and the necessary resources to ensure their completion.

Clean Lakes Alliance Resolution

(abbrev. – see signed resolution)

• Adopt, fully fund, and implement the Yahara CLEAN Strategic Action Plan for Phosphorus Reduction (2012) by a firm completion date
• Set a firm date to update Dane County ordinances according to task force recommendations
• Achieve 100% nutrient management plans for all farms by a firm date and track performance
• Increase support to and expand the effectiveness of farmer-led groups and other conservation organizations
• Create a “Certificate of Use” program to evaluate and track manure storage, expand winter spreading requirements to all manure types, and pursue innovative processing and treatment options
• Establish a measurement tool to evaluate phosphorus imports and exports, and create a plan to reduce the net amount of phosphorus that accumulates in the Yahara watershed
• Preserve farmland through conservation easements and tax credits
• Improve the promotion, creation, and delivery of farmer incentives to achieve greater phosphorus reductions

Healthy Lakes, Healthy Community

Clean Lakes Alliance sees a future when everyone considers the lakes the center of our community. As a city built on an isthmus, both our history and future are defined by water. The lakes are the lifeblood that fuels our economy and quality of life, making Greater Madison a unique destination and great place to live.

Our lakes need to be a top priority. We can and must do better, and we feel the Healthy Farms Healthy Lakes Task Force’s recommendations offer an important step forward in achieving cleaner lakes and safer beaches.

We Need Your Support

Climate change and other factors demand we accelerate our efforts NOW if we want to reach our goals. The good news is that we DO have a roadmap for achieving cleaner lakes, we ARE making progress, and we ARE implementing our strategic plan, fostering innovation and new approaches through grants, projects, and community engagement.

With your help, we will continue to build momentum, grow our alliance, and send a clear message that our lakes need to be a top priority. Please donate and take action today, and send a clear message that cleaner lakes are a priority to you.

In Partnership,

James Tye
Founder & Executive Director
Clean Lakes Alliance