August 3, 2006
Numbers game: Survey will show lake economics
by Lisa Seiser

What is the economic value of Geneva Lake?

How does continued growth in the area affect the economic impact the lake has on the local and regional economies?

Those are the two main answers the Geneva Lake Conservancy and the Fiscal and Economic Research Center of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater are trying to figure out.

This week, about 1,800 randomly selected Geneva Lake area property owners should be receiving a 30-question survey that is geared toward estimating the economic impact of the lake.

“The conservancy is concerned with raising the awareness (of the economic impact of the lake),” Geneva Lake Conservancy Executive Director Jim Celano said. “Geneva Lake has scenic value and has significant economic value.”

The surveys, which were sent out Friday, July 28, to random homes in the Geneva Lake watershed, along with 200 to 300 in the city of Lake Geneva, will address a variety of questions. Surveys primarily went to homes of residents in Linn Township, Fontana, Williams Bay and Lake Geneva.

The questions on the surveys revolve around public policy matters, including the use of the lake, participation in the local economy, feelings about development pressures on the lake and the expansion of municipalities into undeveloped rural and agricultural areas.

Russ Kashian, a UW-Whitewater associate professor, is administering the survey and will collect and analyze the results.

“It will also assist in determining the positive and negative effects that pressures from continued urban sprawl might have on the value of the lake,” he said.

Two years ago, Kashian said a similar analysis was made of Delavan Lake.

At that time, the value of Delavan Lake was estimated at $75 to $80 million per year. Celano said local officials “recognized that they shouldn’t mess with that.”

“Basically, we are looking at the impact of development with and on the environment and the perception of the lake,” Kashian said.

Celano said he believes this type of survey will remind people how much impact the lake has on property values, tourism and the overall economic success of the area.

“There are billions of dollars of property that are in this area,” Celano said. “That is significant. That can be affected in a negative way quite easily. We want to raise awareness as to what kind of activities will affect this negatively.”

He also said people often don’t realize the importance until it directly hits them in the pocketbooks. Celano said the results of the survey will show how changes to the Geneva Lake area could affect people, especially homeowners and lakefront homeowners financially.

Celano said this is one project the conservancy is taking on to help with protecting the future of Geneva Lake.

The survey results are expected to be returned by Aug. 20 and he expects a good response because of the importance of the survey.

“I think people will take it seriously,” Kashian said. “People are that in tune with what is going on and what they want to see. We hope people realize theat it is an opportunity for them to express themselves and I think they will if they believe their opinion counts.”

Kashian said it is an independent survey hopefully used to create policy. He will start his analysis work when the surveys are sent back.

“This is to find the economic value of the lake because you are sitting on a regional asset,” Kashian said. He said he expects the information gathering step to take about 60 days. Preliminary results will be released around Oct. 1.

Celano said the results will be released with the conservancy’s watershed awareness campaign.

He added that the main focus of the survey is to determine what local residents want to see happen to the area in relation to growth.

“You don’t take a fine diamond and surround it with chrome,” Celano said.

He also suggested the survey will help the surrounding community leaders and residents recognize that this is a regional area and cooperation and understanding between the local governments is necessary.

“We are all intertwined,” Celano said. “Mother Nature does not recognize political boundaries.”

That is why Celano said the results will be important, and he hopes to take them to the local government leaders so they know what area residents are thinking.

“We know this is important,” Celano said of the survey, which the Geneva Lake Conservancy funded. “This is a gem that we need to protect.”