Dear Friends,
Another year has come and gone on our lakes. Thank you for being a Friend of Clean Lakes. Today, I have only ONE thing on my holiday wish list – healthy lakes.
DONATE today to support our work.
As 2017 closes, we’re already pulling together phosphorus-reduction and water quality numbers for our State of the Lakes annual report. In the meantime, I’m looking back on a few things that have made ME happy this year.
Seven things that make James & the lakes happy:
Grants, farms, and shores
1. GRANTS: The most important strength we have in our work for clean lakes is community. We’re proud to share our FIRST-EVER $60,000 community grants program to help fund innovative projects right here in the Yahara Watershed.
2. HEALTHY FARMS: Local farmers and Yahara Pride Farms continue to innovate, seeding cover crops by plane, composting manure, and certifying farms. Partnerships with Dane County and Yahara WINs, to which Clean Lakes Alliance contributes $100,000 annually, will help us do even more on the land to protect our lakes.
3. HEALTHY SHORES: In 2017, we held a record 19 lakeshore cleanup events and 1,675 hours of volunteer service with local businesses. Thank you for choosing to serve our lakes! Learn more and sign up for a 2018 volunteer day – FREE to Lake Partners.
Beach designs and eyes on the lakes
4. BACK TO THE BEACH: Thanks to a $75,000 75th Anniversary Year of Giving grant from the Madison Community Foundation, we’re generating a whole year of excitement around our beaches! The designs for our Reimagining Warner Beach design contest are due January 15th, and a comprehensive inventory of our lakeside parks and beaches will begin to unfold next spring.
5. ALL EYES ON OUR LAKES: We can’t make progress if we’re not talking about our lakes. This year, Clean Lakes Alliance has been featured in an impressive 120 news stories, like this one, about water quality. People like you are our ambassadors – keep spreading the word!
Cheers to being platinum and happy lakes!
6. GOING PLATINUM: Out of 6,000+ non-profit organization in Madison, Clean Lakes Alliance is now one of just 16 groups to achieve GuideStar’s Platinum designation for organizational transparency and accountability. See our profile here.
7. SEVEN YEARS: The idea of a Clean Lakes Alliance was born in the summer of 2010. Seven years later, we have an outstanding team working for our lakes, backed by 124 sponsors, 1,062 volunteers, and 842 friends! Thank you!
In the holiday giving season, please consider making an end-of-year gift to Clean Lakes Alliance. Your donation helps give voice to the cause, and supports the work we do every day to protect and improve our precious lakes.
In Partnership,
James Tye
Executive Director
Clean Lakes Alliance
