February, 2010
In this Issue:
How
do we protect our area lakeshores?
As a member of the Geneva Lake Conservancy Board of Directors and a lifelong
area resident, I have seen the number of boats, piers and boathouses increase
markedly over the last 20 years and thought to myself, "How long
can this go on before we lose the special nature of Geneva Lake?"
The same is true for Delavan Lake and even the quieter Lake Como. Each in its own way faces the same pressures. This issue calls for coming together, deciding what we want and fighting to protect what we have.
Upcoming Events
SAVE THE DATES!
Mark your calendars, since the Mai Tai No Tai is scheduled for Saturday, July 17 at Lake Geneva Country Club.
Celebrate
the start of summer on the lake with the Memorial Day fund-raiser
at Georgie B's in Fontana's Mill Street Plaza on Saturday, May 29.
All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Conservancy.
Go Green on St. Patrick's Day You don't need make up an Irish lineage to participate in all the St. Patrick's Day festivities. Just Go Green! Celebrate all things Irish and conservation all at the same time!
Earlier this month, the conservancy opposed a beautiful boathouse within 50 feet of Geneva Lake.The new property owner asked for a conditional use permit to build a storage building into the shore near his pier. We had nothing against the property owner who is building the house of his dreams for his family. And, the architect did a wonderful job.
The issue is what if everyone could do the same thing? What happens longer term as more and more properties divide and new homes or multiple-home associations and piers are built? As long as it is easy to just build more, the pressure doesn't stop.
The Village of Fontana has an ordinance against building within a 50-foot buffer zone from the lake and other ordinances with regard to adding piers, but all it takes is a recommendation from the village plan commission to the village board of trustees and a building or pier can be approved.
That's how we get so many piers at the Fontana end of the lake. That's how density becomes too much - one decision at a time. Unless homeowners and voters in the area decide ordinances should be tightened and upheld, this will continue.
We at the conservancy are looking at this and other issues for our lakes area to see which communities have the restrictions in place to protect our shorelands for the long term. We will publish what we find. Maybe collectively we can add pressure to do the right thing for the long term. Geneva Lake should not get so dense that we can walk around the lake on the piers.
Lake Como's
wetlands need to be protected from automotive junkyards (east end) and
leaking septic systems. Delavan Lake has had condo development pressures
and needs help gaining support to dredge the inlet to help with phosphates
and other pollutants buried from years of run-off through the creek.
We need to work on all these things to preserve our lakes for the future.
~ Charles
L. Colman
Member, Geneva Lake Conservancy Board of Directors; Geneva Lake homeowner
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By now you should have received the 2010 Membership Survey. Today is the deadline for submitting the survey. If you haven't had an opportunity to send it in, call 262-275-5700 or e-mail Katie and let us know it's on its way!
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Many thanks to the many individuals who help the conservancy in its many efforts, including Danniel Ward-Packard of Botanica Gardens, who donated her time to help put the Conservancy's gardens to bed in the fall. To see what volunteers like Danniel have done for us, our spring print newsletter will include more about our volunteers' work on the Conservancy gardens as well as a sneak peek at some new shoots of inspiration for our Fontana headquarters.
The Conservancy
also extends a warm thank-you to all those who donated their time and
baking skills for the Holly Ball Cake Auction. It was a great fund-raiser
for the GLC - not to mention delightful to look at and delicious to boot!
For pictures, visit our Facebook
page here.
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As winter gives way to spring, the GLC will continue its Coffee at the Conservancy on Tuesdays at 10:30-11:30 a.m. Stop by for coffee and sweets, and stay for the latest news in conservation.
Stay tuned for our upcoming Fridays at the Conservancy where volunteers can get a breath of fresh air helping around the headquarters and grounds!
For more
information on Conservancy volunteer days, call 262-275-5700 or e-mail
the Conservancy.
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Geneva Lake West Chamber - Citizen of the Year
Every year, the Geneva Lake West Chamber of Commerce recognizes a special individual from Fontana, Williams Bay, and Walworth. Nominations are open for any citizen from each of these three communities who has assisted his or her community by volunteering, donating time, money or services, or showing community support in other ways. The deadline for nominations is April 17. For more information, click here.
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Thank you for reading the Geneva Lake Conservancy's February E-News! This is our second electronic monthly newsletter, and we'd like to know what you think. E-mail or call to tell us what you'd like to see in these monthly updates!
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