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A Perfect Storm - State of the Lake
![]() Evidence for this mounting tempest on
Green Lake is readily visible to residents and visitors alike. Fewer days of ice cover. Heavy rainfalls. Polluted tributaries. Rank aquatic plant growth. Low lake levels. The result? A lake ecosystem out of balance. _____ |
Using the 2013 Conservation Tax Incentive
![]() If you own land with important natural or historic resources, donating a voluntary conservation easement (also called conservation agreement) can be one of the smartest ways to conserve the land you love, while maintaining your private property rights and possibly realizing significant federal tax benefits. Click here for more information. |
2012 Buckthorn Work Schedule
Click here for the 2012 buckthorn removal/management work schedule! These volunteer outings have a positive impact controlling invasive European buckthorn and glossy buckthorn. It's great exercise and great people to work with! |
2012 State of the Lake
Representatives from the planning team for the Green Lake lake management plan presented a "State of the Lake" address to Green Lake County officials at the county meeting Tuesday, August 21. The planning team shared with officials and the public issues that Big Green Lake and its watershed are facing. As the lake management plan (LMP) for Big Green Lake nears its completion, the planning team is seeking collaborative support from the County for initiatives outlined in the LMP. Click here to view the 2012 State of the Lake slide presentation. |
Land Trust Federal Policy Issues
![]() Tax Incentives for the Donation Conservation Easements Updated: February 23, 2012 The Conservation Easement Incentive Act (also known as H.R. 1964) championed by Gathering Waters Conservancy, the Land Trust Alliance, and Wisconsin's land trust community is now supported by 300 U.S. Representatives, including majorities of both parties in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would make permanent a recently-expired tax incentive that helps Wisconsin land trusts work with landowners to conserve important natural, agricultural, and historic resources across our state. Co-sponsors from Wisconsin Congressional delegation include Representatives Baldwin, Duffy, Kind, Moore, Petri, Ribble and Sensenbrenner. Landowners can retire the development rights on their land by donating a conservation easement to a land trust in order to keep farm and forest lands in productive use, to protect important fish and wildlife habitat, and to conserve our scenic and historic heritage. Since the tax incentive expired at the end of 2011, landowners with modest incomes now receive little tax benefit from restricting what may be their family's most valuable asset -- their land. By allowing donors to deduct a larger portion of their income over a longer period of time, H.R. 1964 will help thousands of family farmers and forest owners across the country afford to conserve their land. Conservation easements are an important tool for land conservation in Wisconsin and across the nation, and the enhanced tax incentive for the donation of easements provides landowners with more options and would help to accelerate the pace of conservation. The full list of 300 House co-sponsors is available on the Land Trust Alliance website. They include the Chairman, Ranking Democrat and 32 of 37 members of House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax measures. A broad coalition of sportsmen, outdoor enthusiasts, farmers, ranchers and national conservation groups are working together to make this incentive permanent in the 112th Congress. Please take the time to thank your Representatives if they have already co-sponsored this legislation, and urge the other members of Wisconsin's Congressional delegation, including Senators Johnson and Kohl to support this important public policy.
Farm Bill Programs Updated: February 29, 2012 On Tuesday, February 28, 2012, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on strengthening conservation through the 2012 Farm Bill. Our colleagues at the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and the Heart of the Lakes Center for Land Conservation Policy provided excellent written testimony on the easement programs in the Farm Bill's Conservation Title. Gathering Waters Conservancy and several Wisconsin land trusts also signed on to a letter of support for the Conservation Title.
Federal Farm Bill conservation programs are the single largest source
of federal funding for private lands conservation. The Farm Bill will
soon be making its way through the hearing process in Congress and
Gathering Waters Conservancy is working with partners to demonstrate a
broad range of support for the all-important Conservation Title in the
Bill.
There will be opportunities for input into the Farm Bill in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Updated: March 15, 2012 On March 8, by a surprisingly strong vote of 76 to 22, the Senate approved an amendment (#1822) to the Senate Transportation Bill to provide two years of dedicated Land & Water Conservation Fund funding ($700 million/year) and re-authorize the program through 2022. This amendment also includes the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act, directing much of the Clean Water Act penalties associated with the 2010 Gulf spill back to the region for long term ecological restoration and economic development. This isn’t a done deal yet. The House and Senate still need to approve their respective transportation bills and reconcile differing language, which could be difficult. The House also approved a RESTORE Act amendment, but did not include LWCF or clearly dedicate restoration spending. This is, however, a major step towards enacting this important legislation. A fact sheet on the amendment can be found here.
Forest Legacy Program The Forest Legacy program is administered by the U.S. Forest Service and provides grants to states for the purchase of conservation easements and fee simple acquisition of environmentally-sensitive or threatened forest lands. The U.S. loses more than half a million acres of privately-owned timberland to development each year. The Forest Legacy program provides an alternative to selling timberland for development. As of February 2006, 1.1 million acres have protection through this program. A list of projects can be found here: http://www.fs.fed.us/spf/coop/programs/loa/flp_projects.shtml The Forest Legacy Program provides grants to enrolled states to purchase conservation easements or fee acquisition on environmentally important forest lands that are threatened with conversion to non-forest uses. Land trusts can provide invaluable assistance with their experience bringing landowners and projects to the table, negotiating and monitoring easements, and participating in many other ways. In Fiscal Year 2010, Forest Legacy funding grew by 60% to $79.5 million. The Fiscal Year 2011 Continuing Resolution then cut funding to $53 million, a 31% cut from last year. |
Gathering Waters' Member Trusts
2012 Photo Contest
![]() Photo courtesy of Eric Sherman, runner up in our 2010 photo contest. We invite photographers of all levels to show off your favorite Wisconsin places and celebrate what makes this state such a wonderful place in which to live, work, and play. Read on for contest details or view our 2010 photo contest winners.Contest Categories
What’s a land trust? Where are protected lands? For more information on how to find land trust-protected lands, see the Protected Lands Info Sheet. Winners Will Receive
Judging
Contest Rules
Winners Will Receive
Judging
Contest Rules
YOUR RIGHTS: You retain all rights to any photograph you submit other than those rights licensed by the next sentence. By entering the contest, you hereby grant to Gathering Waters Conservancy a nonexclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display the photographs you submit to this contest and the right to use your name in any print, digital, online or other communications. Gathering Waters Conservancy will credit photographers and will use images in pursuit of our mission. Previously published material for which non-exclusive rights were granted may be entered as long as you still maintain the right to grant us a license. All recognizable people in submitted photos must be willing to have their picture used in Gathering Waters Conservancy’s print and online communications. Photographers must be able to document subject consent upon request (any documented confirmation – email, video, voice recording, etc. will be accepted). How to Submit Photos Photos can be emailed to photos@gatheringwaters.org or mailed on a CD to: Photo Contest Gathering Waters Conservancy 211 S. Paterson, Suite 270 Madison, WI 53703 In addition to your photo(s), please include the following information:
Please Note We will accept digital photos as JPEG files. Scanned images are allowed, but must be formatted JPEG, please. Image resolution: To ensure photos will reproduce well in print, entries must have a resolution of 5 million pixels or greater (5 megapixels). We look forward to seeing your photos! Please send any questions to photos@gatheringwaters.org and don’t forget to search for Gathering Waters Conservancy on Facebook and visit our blog at www.wisconsinlandtrusts.org |
Ospreys given new homes in Green Lake
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Spaulding's Bridge Landing for Public Use
Windchill temperatures were sub-zero on a cloudless Saturday morning, February 11. Braving the cold, Conservancy volunteers Ben Rowley, Tom Schultz, and Peter Vandervelde installed a new sign at Spaulding's Bridge. The site is two miles east of the City of Green Lake off Spaulding Hill Road. The bridge spans Silver Creek, Green Lake's main tributary. With input from Conservancy board members Tom and Peter, artist Ben Rowley designed and constructed a sign that reads "Spaulding's Bridge Landing." The sign is a capstone for the property that was donated by Heidi and Martin Lindsay, followed by an Eagle Scout project organized by Scout Jason Fischer that involved installation of a small pier and landing platform for canoes and kayaks. Spaulding's Bridge Landing is for public use and is part of the Green Lake Conservancy's Silver Creek Water Trail. |
Tap into Sweetness: Maple Syrup Tour
NOTE: Date may change! The production of maple syrup is dependent on the weather. Once the time is right for maximum sap flow, reserved participants will be contacted by phone or email with the date of the tour. As temperatures begin to warm the maple sap starts flowing! Experience the process of making maple syrup in the woods led by Tanya and Randy Roeper. This annual process includes tapping sugar maple trees for sap collection, then boiling the sap into syrup right in the middle of the woods. Taste test dark and light maple syrups and other maple treats. Those attending should wear boots suited for mud or snow and crossing a small stream. Please dress according to the weather. Although a large tent will offer some protection from the damp, cool spring weather the event is entirely outdoors. Two tours with a limit of 20 people each are available. Reservations are required and spaces fill quickly! This event is free and open to the public. Please contact the GLA to reserve your spot. Contact the GLA office at 920.294.6480 or email ainsleyrubbert@greenlakeassociation.com. |
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