Leaf-Breaking News - 2008 Fall Newsletter

Todd Watters is president of the Village of Walworth government and is the vice president/manager of internal audit for Amcore Bank in Rockford.

Joining the Conservancy in May 2006, Todd initially served on the Conservancy's Land Protection Committee. In 2007, when Thomas Ramsey retired as board secretary, Todd took on that role, in addition to his work with the Land Protection Committee.

Todd cited his "passionate concern for the conservation of the lake environment, which originally enticed me here from the Chicago area. Land protection and responsible development are arenas where I feel community leaders can make a significant impact."

Todd lives in Walworth with his wife Jennifer and their children.

Todd Watters, GLC Secretary


The Board and staff of the Geneva Lake Conservancy thank the guests, underwriters, donors, and volunteers who made the fifth annual Mai-Tai, No-Tai party possible. Reigning as the lake area's liveliest summer party, the 2008 Mai Tai was a great success. The party raised funds that will contribute significantly to the Conservancy's current programs, including the Watershed Education Program and the First Thousand Acres Campaign. In particular, we thank the following corporations and individuals for their generous donations and support:	Co-Chair Jane Klockars and Decorating Co-Chair Medeleine Engermand and her husband John pose near the amazing waterfal they created.
Underwriters The Anderson Family Foundation, Mr. Mike Krause of Johnson Bank, Ms. Samantha Richardson Mr. and Mrs. Kurt Andrae, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ebeling, Mr. and Mrs. William Pope, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Six Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Whowell, Mr. James Bosich of Lake Geneva GM Super Center, Mr. and Mrs. Terry Daniels, Mr. and Mrs. Greg Levert, Mr. and Mrs. John Notz, Mr. and Mrs. Rudy Rasin, Mr. Boyd Whiting	Donors Abbey Resort, Astro Foam Insulation, Aurora University, Botanica, Laura Chenore, Charles and Dianna Colman, Covenant Harbor, Creative Element, Richard Driehaus, Engerman Construction, Faith Christian School, Floor Store, Fontana Jewelers, Frontier Flowers, Kathy Jones, Andy Kubicsko, Lyle's TV & Appliance, Joe Martin, Daniel McLean, Niche Wines, Peter Novak, Sandy's Upscale Consignment, Kent Shodeen, Glen Solheim, Claude and Dianne Sunday, Terlatto Wines International, Sonette Tippen, Sonoma Cellars, The Wilderness, Woodstock Harley-Davidson, Jim Zakos Mai Tai Committee and Volunteers Bob and Jane Klockars, Madeleine Engerman, Sharon O'Brien Brad Augustson, Joan Buchert, Jim Celano, Renee Cerny, Anne Connors, Debi Daniels, Chuck and Vicki Ebeling, Grace Eckland, Grace Hanny, Chris Heald, Lynn Ketterhagen, Marie Kropp, Christine Krzyzewski, Garret Landru, Paul and Lisa Neustadter, Eva Petersen, Steve Pope, Kate Six, Bradley Solheim, Katie Sullivan, Cindy Wilson
Also, the Conservancy recognizes Samantha Richardson, who despite bidding Geneva Lake adieu, donated to the Mai Tai one last time in her late husband's name: I don't know of anyone who loved this lake more than Craig Richardson. It will never be the same for me without him, so I am leaving to live on another beautiful lake in Oregon for the summers near my family. I carry with me forever many wonderful memories of great times and really great people at Geneva Lake. As a parting gift of gratitude for all you do and have done, I wish to donate $3,000 to this fund-raiser in Craig's name. With great affection, Samantha Richardson And, thank you, Samantha, for your kind words. For more photos of the evening, please visit our Special Events page here


Spring is not the only time for cleaning In the early summer of 2006 the Village of Fontana placed a conservation easement on the Hildebrand Woods with the Geneva Lake Conservancy. As if 11.5 acres of wooded land wasn't enough to protect, there is also Van Slyke Creek, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Class 1 trout stream that runs through the entire property. The creek begins near the Fontana Fen and travels along South Main Street into Hildebrand Woods, and then passes by The Abbey, where the creek meets with the Potawatomi Creek, which then flows into Geneva Lake. On July 19, 38 volunteers from the Blackhawk and Southeast chapters of Trout Unlimited, staff members from Fontana Elementary School, and a few local community members met to clean up Van Slyke Creek, which is a prized treasure.	Trash and other obstructions are removed from the creek bed. Photo courtesy: Jill Wegner
Volunteers cut up a fallen tree that had blocked the path of the creek. Photo courtesy: Jill Wegner	From what I have read and heard, it seemed like quite a grueling day for these volunteers. With the use of handsaws, pry bars, and chainsaws they removed three dams, eight wood debris restrictions, including fallen trees from storms a few weeks prior, and a huge assortment of trash from the stream and the nearby upland areas. Removing the obstacles provides cooler and faster flowing water for better fish habitat. The Van Slyke Creek provides areas for spawning, feeding, and resting for the fish. It is hoped that efforts like this will rehabilitate the trout population as well as fish in the darter family. The next step is to lower the culvert placed under South Main Street from Headwaters Park to Hildebrand Woods.
The water running through the culvert drops about two feet when entering the woods. This drop makes it difficult for fish to continue to move upstream for spawning. Jill Wegner of the Village of Fontana Park Commission has already secured a $5,800 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program (WHIP) to help pay for this modification. For more information regarding the culvert modification or ways to help donate to this project, please contact the Village of Fontana at 262-275-6136.
We offer a special thank you to Jill Wegner and Wes Milner for your continued hard work, the reports, and the photographs. Keep up the great work! ~ Lynn Ketterhagen GLC Land Protection Specialist
Next Step: Lowering the culvert (right)


The walk up to the Mill House has never been prettier!	In the last edition of the GLC newsletter we told you how excited we were to have Nick Ciccotosto come and paint the Mill House. Well, he toiled away through a sweltering June and July, and the Old Girl has never looked better. Nick power-washed, primed, repaired, and painted not only the house, but also the garage, work shed, and potting shed. At last, the GLC's office and heart of operations is a beautiful complement to the grounds kept through the tireless efforts of Sharon O'Brien, JT Landscaping, Jill Wegner and Botanica. Thank you, Nick. We had a great time with you this summer, and we hope you can say the same!
The work and potting sheds	For a quick slide show of the many incarnations and restorations the Mill House has undergone, please visit our hompage here.	The garage... our premier storage facility!

Significant campaigns such as the Watershed Education Program require significant funds - not only to initiate such programs but also to maintain them and see them through to their completion. Recognizing this, the Conservancy underwent the enlightening experience of applying for several grants to help subsidize the cost of the watershed program.

With great appreciation the Conservancy recognizes the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation for its significant contribution to the Watershed Education Program. Along with Alliant Energy, the foundation's grant will fund the ongoing education component of the program. This component is aimed at schools and civic and social groups to increase awareness of the need for cohesive community action regarding this area's land and water resources.


At this year's Mai Tai No Tai the Conservancy unveiled the education phase of the Watershed Education Program. Aimed at educating school, civic, and social groups about the importance of the Geneva Lake watershed, the education component will rely in part on interactive tools. The Conservancy's goal is to have these tools, Watershed in a Box and the interactive groundwater flow models developed by the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Extension, distributed to local schools for use in their outdoor education and earth science programs. Watershed in a Box is designed to introduce students of all ages to the Geneva Lake watershed and watersheds in general. In conjunction with the Conservancy's groundwater models, Watershed in a Box will comprise the bulk of the Conservancy's school Watershed Education Program. The activities are fun and engaging for students of all ages, and there will be specific age-appropriate materials for different sets of boxes. The Watershed in a Box materials will also help area teachers seamlessly incorporate our local watershed into their environmental education components. Each box contains activities that relate to the sciences, arts, and civics, giving the box the flexibility to conform not only to the No Child Left Behind standards and Wisconsin's educational statutes but also to a teacher's busy classroom schedule. Each box costs the Conservancy $250. All donations to help offset this cost are welcome! If you are an area teacher and would like a Watershed in a Box for your classroom, contact Katie Sullivan at katie@genevaonline.com or call 262-275-5700. ~ Katie Sullivan GLC Membership and Outreach Coordinator
Watershed in a Box Material List Circles of Fun activity CD LaMotte Watershed Tour Education Kit and Refill Kit (water testing) Driprial Pursuit Puddle Pictures (Pictionary) Water Poetry magnets Making Discoveries classroom activity guide Sample lesson plans and activity ideas	The Conservancy's watershed materials. From top: watershed sign, Watershed in a Box teaching materials, and "Vulnerable Geneva Lake" coasters.


A search for a new executive director has been launched by the Geneva Lake Conservancy Board of Directors to succeed James Celano, who resigned recently after serving four years. Charles Colman, Conservancy board chairman, stated Celano has decided to pursue other opportunities. "Jim and the Conservancy have achieved much over the past four years," Colman said, "including working more closely with developers to assure that good conservation practices become part of their planning."
Colman also said Celano was instrumental in establishing the Watershed Awareness Program, working to help save historic Yerkes Observatory, and adding to the Conservancy portfolio of close to 1,000 acres of natural habitat in southern Walworth County conserved through permanent land-protection agreements. "The board of directors and I wish Jim the best in his future endeavors," Colman said. While the search for Celano's successor gets under way, the Conservancy is open for business as usual, with long-time staff members Katie Sullivan and Lynn Ketterhagen available to the community.	The Conservancy's office at the historic Mill House in Fontana, WI.
For more information regarding the executive director position, please click here. All inquiries should be directed to Colman's attention at the Geneva Lake Conservancy, P.O. Box 588, Fontana, WI 53125 or glc@genevaonline.com.


As summer comes to a close, we wanted to update you on what has been going on at the Conservancy over the past year and provide some perspective on future activities. A Quieter But Productive Year In the spring of 2007, we were active in the Hummel/Mirbeau development controversy. Since that time development activities have been slow. During this pause, while still monitoring development activities, we worked on our Land Trust Alliance (LTA) Accreditation Pilot Program, explored the Knowles Nelson Stewardship Fund and how we might use it, looked for ways to increase our protected properties, initiated our Watershed Education Program, and worked on various ways to improve our organization.
A beautiful scene from the Moelter Farm, one of the Conservancy's protected properties.	Land Protection Lynn Ketterhagen, our land protection specialist, completed Baseline Documentation Reports for all our easement properties and upgraded them to LTA standards. This has and will allow her to focus more on searching out and obtaining additional easements. There is a number of new properties (and interested parties) that have come to our attention that could add significantly to our protected acreage - very exciting and important for the area. During the year we elected to halt our efforts with the LTA Accreditation Pilot Program. We will apply for full accreditation once LTA standards are clearly defined. At that time we would expect a more efficient process and a good likelihood for success.
Watershed Education At the 2007 Mai Tai we launched our Watershed Education Program. We had already developed and administered a study defining the economic value of Geneva Lake to Walworth County and the state's economy. We then raised money for 27 of 37 watershed signs and installed them around Geneva Lake to notify residents and visitors when they are entering or leaving the watershed area. Now we are starting Phase II. We have purchased watershed models and will be using them in area schools and government offices to educate people on how the watershed works and why and how it needs to be protected. This understanding is crucial if we are to preserve Geneva Lake. The program is exciting. Developer Activities Over the last year the Hummel/Mirbeau project was rejected following a referendum. Mirbeau is gone, but the company has initiated a lawsuit with the city for $29 million regarding the process used to reject the firm's last plan. We had argued that care should be taken not to reject every development plan or the property could be divided into 35-acre parcels and sold to multiple developers, making it difficult to control based on the city's zoning. Hummel's current plan calls for about 1,500 homes and no hotel. Also submitted is a division of the property into 27 parcels. While this may be in part to add pressure on the city, our original concern could prove to be correct. Jackson Creek, the large Sho-Deen project in Delavan Township, has been on hold for the last year, but the proposal will come back, as will other development pressures once financial and real estate markets improve. Development efforts begin before general markets are fully recovered, as getting started early helps maximize return. We will be vigilant about keeping track of what is going on. With respect to Jackson Creek, there may be an opportunity to use Knowles Nelson Stewardship monies to buy portions of the property around the creek to help control the fertilizer runoff from the fields and developments into Delavan Lake. We have begun exploring this possibility. We have shown we can educate and influence development effort and, if necessary, slow them. We have learned we can do a better job being sensitive to residents' interests. However, we will always hold environmental issues as most critical.
Fundraising Connecting with our principal constituency has been difficult because of the seasonality of our area and the many activities that compete for time and attention during the summer months. With the objective of both engaging and listening to our most consistent supporters, we added a brunch for our Stewardship Society at a lake home. We had positive feedback from those who attended, and this ideally will become an annual event and a real opportunity for all to participate and learn. Our social events continue to get better and more fun. We are getting better at running them. We move responsibilities around, and the staff really helps. The Mai Tai is bringing younger people into the Conservancy. More of them are donating, and we need to draw them into volunteering.	The 2008 Mai Tai No Tai at the Lake Geneva Country Club
They are our future. The Holly Ball is more formal, but we are also finding ways for broader participation by allowing people to come for just drinks and dancing. Obviously, our goal is to be accessible to all. Finally, we have promoted Katie Sullivan to membership and outreach coordinator. The board has to do the real fundraising work, but Katie is a terrific organizer and great with our systems, and she will help us be much smarter and more efficient. We will hire a lower level bookkeeper to take over some of Katie's current routine activities. Jim Celano's Departure Jim's enthusiasm and knowledge of the way developers operate will be hard to replicate. The good news is that we have learned a lot in this area during his tenure. In addition, there are more experienced land-protection people in Wisconsin than four years ago. We hope to find a new and competent executive director relatively quickly to help us carry on our mission. As always, if you have any thoughts or comments, please let us know. ~Charles L. Colman GLC Chairman


	Conservancy launches search for new executive director Letter from the Chairman Board Member Profile: Todd Watters
	A Tiki-tastic Thank You! Land Protection Spotlight: Van Slyke Creek Notes from the Mill House
	Many Thanks Watershed Watch Did you know? Become a Member Home