In this Issue:

Shoreland Development

Welcome to the New GLC E-Newsletter!

Welcome to the Geneva Lake Conservancy's brand-new Email Update.

Board In Transition

Conservation Stewardship Award

Hackmatack

Conservancy urges Village of Fontana to deny boat house request at waters edge

On Monday, January 25th, the Village of Fontana’s Plan Commission recommended approval of an application for a Conditional Use Permit, which would allow for the construction of a boat house within the 50-foot shoreyard setback area. Following their positive recommendation, the application will now move forward and be presented to the Village of Fontana’s Board of Trustees for consideration and possible action during their upcoming meeting on Monday, February 01, 2010. If granted, all lakefront property in the RS-1 Zoning District, from this point forward, would effectively be exempt from the long-standing Village ordinance which requires all buildings to be set back a minimum of 50 feet from the shore of Geneva Lake. Obviously the impact of such a decision would be enormous, as more applications would be sure to follow. This would set a dangerous precedent, that might influence our lake communities and result in hundreds of such new structures littering our lake shores.

Development within the shoreland buffer can diminish water quality, natural fish reproduction, wildlife habitat, and natural beauty - ultimately the very things people seek out when they choose to visit or live on lakes in the first place. If we allow a string of storage buildings to clutter the waters edge, we will ultimately regret the dramatic change to the environmental character of our lakefront.

The Conservancy encourages concerned citizens and residents to contact Fontana's elected officials and urge them to seriously consider the implications of setting such a harmful precedent and to firmly deny the application.

http://www.villageoffontana.com/trustees.html

Click here for a map of the proposed boat house

We also thank Charles for his dedication and tireless efforts on behalf of the preservation and protection of Geneva Lake. Although stepping down as Chairman, Charles will continue with the Executive Committee as Past Chairman and will spearhead the Conservancy's ongoing fundraising and outreach efforts as Chairman of the Fundraising and Advocacy committees.

2009 was a significant year of growth and change for the Conservancy. In addition to the leadership transition, we welcomed four new Board members: David Barnett of Lake Geneva, Susan Kiner of Linn Township, Margaret Reuland of Fontana, and Sarah Schuster of Lake Geneva. Additionally, after being elected to the Board in 2008, John K. Notz Jr. was appointed to the position of Secretary and joined the Executive Committee. He also is serving as interim chairman of the Board Development Committee.

The Board bid a fond farewell to William Gage Jr., Thomas M. Ramsey and Rudolph Rasin. These gentlemen have served on the Board since 2000, 1996, and 1997, respectively. Bill, Tom, and Rudy all have played significant parts in shaping today's Conservancy, and we thank them for their guidance, devotion, and passion not only for Geneva Lake but for this organization.

We are excited about our new leadership and the ever-changing energy that give this organization life. Bob's focus and dedication to Geneva Lake and to the vitality of the communities that surround the lake promise to make his time as Chairman stimulating and challenging.

Conservation Stewardship Award Winner: Charlie Moelter

On December 5, 2009 the Geneva Lake Conservancy held its annual winter gala fundraiser, the Holly Ball, at the Big Foot Country Club in Fontana. As a part of this annual fundraiser, the Conservancy recognizes an individual for their conservation efforts to the area. This year the award was presented to Charles B. Moelter and the Moelter Wildlife Preserve.

Throughout the years there have been thousands of trees planted throughout property by Charlie and his numerous helpers. The Property also includes a nice large area of prairie showcasing a variety of native grasses and wildflowers. There have also been three ponds dug. A large portion of the southern boundary of the Property travels through a stream and wetlands. These unique property features allow for great plant and animal diversity. The 240 acres is designated as Primary Environmental Corridor, Prime Agricultural Land, as well as section of Isolated Natural Resource according to the Walworth County 2020 Land Use Plan.

In 2001 Charlie decided to protect his land and leave a legacy behind for generations to come by placing a voluntary land protection agreement on his property with the Geneva Lake Conservancy. To this day, the Moelter Wildlife Preserve is the largest property of the 21 protected by the Geneva Lake Conservancy.

2004 was the start of the activities on the property to bring in children and groups to learn from the property and enjoy this little slice of heaven which has been preserved. With the help of Frank Guske, Jr. to organize these groups ranging from boy and girl scouts, school groups to church groups and even Native American pow-wows, the property has seen an increased number of visitors every year. This last summer alone, the Moelter Wildlife Preserve saw over 1,000 children, all organized by Frank. According to Charlie, without Frank's help with everything on the property, it wouldn't be what it is today. Frank was also recognized at the event with an Honorary Land Steward award for his continuing excellence at the Moelter Wildlife Preserve.

Charlie and his wife Joanne Gasperik with the help of others have set up the Moelter Foundation to ensure that the Moelter Wildlife Preserve will be available for the scouts, school children and other groups for generations to come.

It is property owners like Charles Moelter who help to keep some of the character in this area alive; the character which brought many of us to the area and keeps us here. If you or someone you know is interested in leaving their own legacy by preserving their property or if you have any questions regarding voluntary land protection agreements, please don't hesitate to call us at 262-275-5700, or stop in to our headquarters at the Historic Mill House at 398 Mill Street in Fontana.

GLC Supports Creation of Bi-State National Wildlife Refuge

In the past several years, a bi-state regional partnership has begun building local support for conserving the unique landscape in portions of the Southeastern Wisconsin west of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area and in the Chicago Metropolitan Area. An important element of this partnership's vision is creating a new unit of the National Wildlife Refuge System which is being referred to as Hack-ma-tack National Wildlife Refuge.

Letters of support from the Governors of Illinois and Wisconsin have been sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a feasibility study for establishing this National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. The Geneva Lake Conservancy has added its support for this study and for the creation of the Hack-ma-tack Wildlife Refuge.

The proposed refuge would protect remnant prairies, woodlands and wetlands that are considered of regional and statewide ecological significance. Nearly 8000 acres of land in the study area are already owned by natural resource agencies in both Wisconsin and Illinois. These 8000 acres would form the nucleus for the proposed refuge. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources owns 1560 acres in the proposed area while McHenry County Conservation District owns 6057 acres.

Geneva Lake Conservancy is pleased to add its support for creation of Hack-ma-tack National Wildlife Refuge.

Please see the Friends of Hack-ma-tack website for more information.
http://www.hackmatacknwr.org/

In the letter of support forwarded to Mr. Sam Hamilton, Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the GLC emphasized their position as a local land trust respecting the rights of private property owners.