By Phil Gabler, City of Madison Engineering An innovative underground screen structure in design for Wingra Park will offer the public a peek at what debris can be kept out of the lake, while providing treatment to an area of the Wingra watershed that is currently receiving almost no treatment. The underground
New Structure Planned to Catch Lake Wingra Runoff Debris Read More »
By David Thompson As the monarchs make their migration to Mexico, we reflect on another exciting year of Monarchs for Kids and eagerly look ahead to the next year. This year we served roughly 124 classes in 36 schools, preschools, day care centers, and nature centers. This is an amazing feat considering we
Monarchs for Kids in 2017 Read More »
By Casey Hanson Have you heard the superstition that spilling salt is bad luck and that if you did, throwing a pinch over your left shoulder should help avert any evil omens you’ve just incurred? Maybe they were talking about road salt application the whole time! Let us explain. For years, a
Worth One’s Salt: Reducing Salt Application to Protect Our Lakes Read More »
By Roger Bannerman The Friends of Lake Wingra (FoLW) have been cooperating with the city of Madison for over four years to determine how selected leaf control efforts in the fall can reduce the amounts of phosphorus reaching Lake Wingra. Results from the fall of 2016 are especially exciting. By increasing the leaf
Fall Leaf Control Study Continues in the Lake Wingra Watershed Read More »
In the library, a monarch butterfly rested on a small boy’s hand. Suddenly it fluttered upward—zig-zagging over bookshelves toward a window. Four squealing children ran to where it landed on a windowsill. Catalina approached, coaxing it onto her fingertip. Her eyes flashed with uncertainty, bravery, and wonder. A big smile appeared. “Look what I caught!
Monarchs for Kids in 2017—Connecting with Mexico Read More »
The zoo has a new exhibit! While it may not be as breathtaking as a polar bear, we are still pretty excited about it! The new attraction is an interactive watershed model that lets children (and children at heart!) explore and create their own landscapes and water flows. In a sandbox, you can design your
New Watershed Exhibit at Henry Vilas Zoo Read More »
As our loyal Friends, we know that you’ve heard from us before about the problem of road salt contaminating Lake Wingra. Environmentalists can easily visualize how road salt in the water supply is bad for biodiversity. The problem is, most people link deicers to winter safety and struggle to see how their overuse
The Danger of Using Too Much Deicer Read More »
Phosphorus is natural and essential, but when present in excess it can cause algal blooms, fish deaths, and decreases in water clarity. Phosphorus is currently one of the biggest challenges facing Lake Wingra so it’s time to get creative about finding solutions. Through my graduate studies at UW-Madison, I had the opportunity to design an
Floating Plant Islands Offer Phosphorus Reduction & Food Read More »
Rain gardens are a beautiful way of making our watershed a happier and healthier place. This year, Friends of Lake Wingra received a grant from the Natural Resources Foundation to spread the appreciation for all our dedicated rain garden care takers. Some of you may have noticed the bright orange butterfly rain garden signs
Education, Awareness, Beauty: A Happy Note to Brighten Your Day Read More »
A majority of Americans believe climate change is real and caused by human activity. Yet Donald Trump has said climate change is a hoax. Our current political climate is a challenge to all environmentalists. Even the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has recently removed references to climate change from their website. Given this
Climate Change – Citizens Must Lead Read More »
Happy New Year! As Friends of Lake Wingra transitioned from 2016 to 2017, we looked ahead to the coming year, and saw immense opportunity, often balanced by immense challenges. Opportunities and their associated challenges lead to change, and we embrace a year of coming change with optimism. Some changes will be obvious,
New Year’s Challenges and Opportunities for the Friends Read More »
Black ice is relatively smooth, hard, and clear. Packed snow eventually turns to black ice, especially when it rains, or when there’s a thaw, followed by freeze. You must completely remove packed snow if you want to prevent ice buildup. Black ice is most slippery when water is present. Then it can be very
Black Ice – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know Read More »
