Volunteers remain loyal to our lakes
It was a year of obstacles for our lakes, but volunteers are dedicated to improving our waters
From cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) blooms, to elevated bacteria (E. coli) levels, to flooding, our lakes have had a tough season. With our lakes facing so many obstacles, it makes Clean Lakes Alliance even more appreciative of its volunteers.
Clean Lakes Alliance hosts weekly volunteer days through the summer season. More than 729 volunteers worked over 1,916 hours to “Renew the Blue” in 2018. Volunteers are working on projects to remove invasive vegetation, plant native seeds, and clean up our shorelines. Native plants and trees around our lakes help minimize erosion, which is important for improving water quality.
Multiple rounds of heavy rainfall this summer have shown our community the importance of continued lake improvement projects. In May, heavy rainfall created visible urban runoff into our lakes. June, July, and September brought numerous cyanobacteria blooms to our lakes. In August, piles of plant debris and litter invaded the land around the lakes as historic rains affected the Greater Madison area and raised lake levels.
Our volunteers had plenty of work to do this summer, but all of our participants showed up with smiles and an eagerness to help. We are grateful to our volunteers for their support of our lakes!
Thank you to the following groups for their participation in the 2018 Clean Lakes Alliance Volunteer Days:
- Adams Outdoor Advertising
- Affiliated Engineers, Inc.
- Alliant Energy
- American Family Insurance
- American Transmission Company
- Apple
- AssuredLeads
- Baker Tilly Virchow Krause LLP
- Cellular Dynamics International
- CG Schmidt
- CUNA Mutual Group
- Dane County Bar Association
- Death’s Door Spirits
- Foley & Lardner LLP
- Hydrite Chemical Co
- Johnson Financial Group
- Lands’ End
- Leidos
- National Guardian Life Insurance Company
- Naturalake Biosciences
- Perkins Coie LLP
- PPD
- Rotary Club of Madison
- Spectrum Brands
- State Bank of Cross Plains
