January 2012 Board and Committee Meeting Reports
On January 20, 2012 the Clean Lakes Alliance Community Board and its committees met to set priorities for the year. Below are the committee reports. Any questions or comments can be referred to don@cleanlakesalliance.com
Economic Impact and Resources
As a committee of the Clean Lakes Alliance, the Economic Impact and Resources Committee (EIRC) will focus on two tasks: (1) assessing the economic value to the local community and the State of Wisconsin of the Madison area lakes and the value of cleaning up the lakes; and (2) researching methods for obtaining funding or implementing policies to clean up the Madison area lakes.
Task 1 will primarily consist of researching for existing economic valuations of the lakes and/or locating and hiring an economic consulting group that can estimate the monetary benefits associated with cleaning up the Madison area lakes.
Task 2 will primarily involve researching ways of obtaining local, state or federal funding or implementing policy initiatives that will ultimately either pay for, or lead to, the cleanup actions identified in the Strand report.
Friends of Clean Lakes
The Friends of Clean Lakes Board is charged with developing and growing a volunteer organization to engage our community with the efforts of the Clean Lakes Alliance. “Friends of Clean Lakes” is an organization of individuals who believe the lakes are the center of our community.
Task 1: Create the architecture of the auxiliary organization.
Task 2: Create a messaging and communication plan.
Task 3: Create a friend-raising plan.
Yahara Pride Farm Conservation Board
The Yahara Pride Farm Conservation Board is made up of progressive farmland stewards dedicated to enhancing conservation practices that can reduce runoff from ag land to feeding tributaries in the Yahara Watershed. The board composition is currently 5 producers from across the region, 1 crop consultant, 1 agribusiness, and members of the CLA board.
The group has decided to utilize the Dorn Creek Pilot Project, identified by MMSD for phosphorus reduction, as the pilot for how they best operate as an organization going forward. The first meeting of the 30 farm producers of the Dorn Creek area will take place on March 15 in Waunakee.
As an organization, the group has focused on winter cover cropping as it’s emphasis for 2012. A program for sign-up of interested producers will be developed. Funding for the program will be contingent on agreement to track success and yields. Other information to be collected will include:
a. field type
b. crop rotation
c. timing of seeding
d. seed type
e. spread technique
Strategic Direction
The Strategic Direction Committee provides guidance to the CLA Board of Directors and executive staff on integrating lake clean-up initiatives with CLA’s resources, needs, goals and mission.
Membership of the committee reflects the public-private partnership through which CLA works. The committee is comprised of five representatives from government agencies, five representatives from the area’s business community, and a representative of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Limnology.
Currently, the committee administers the project involving the Strand report, which will provide costs and prioritization of steps listed in the Yahara CLEAN report. The group has tussled with different elements of the process regarding delivery factors of phosphorus to waterways. As a result, has decided to table the process of identifying the top 10 best actions to take, and focus on the long list of actions, priorities, benefits and costs of all opportunities for phosphorus reduction.
The report is due from Strand by March 15, 2012
