Winchester Town Informational Meeting

A Town wide meeting was held on Saturday, June 20^th, in the Winchester Town Hall to hear plans for a lake management program in the Town of Winchester. A consulting firm, Onterra, LLC, in cooperation with the Town, the North Lakeland Discovery Center and the Town Lakes Committee has been contracted to conduct lake studies and prepare a management plan.  A grant from the Wisconsin DNR makes the project feasible.

Tim Hoyman, with Onterra, LLC, described the project and noted that lake groups sometimes seek to form a Management Plan after a problem is discovered.  The better approach is to conduct a study of the current, base line conditions. This allows us to achieve a better understanding of the attributes of the lake, dispel any myths, create a snapshot of the lake for future reference and foster realistic expectations.  Hoyman said he was impressed with the turnout for the Town of Winchester.

Elements of a lake management project will include data and information gathering, followed by analysis and the planning process.  The data and information portion consists of the lake itself (water quality, lake area and maximum depth, water clarity, plant nutrients such as phosphorous, algae, and aquatic plants, shoreland condition, fish species, plant growth, and watershed features).  The second part of the information gathering is the sociological part (including a survey of shareholders on use of lake, concerns, opinions and attitudes, activities, etc.).  The planning process involves the examination of all information and its incorporation into the management plan.

The management plan will be a source of information for dealing with lake-related issues and questions as they arise, for the Town Boards, the Town Lakes Committee, lake associations and other groups. 

The sequence of lake studies is set in four phases:

Phase 1:  includes Harris and Hiawatha (2015)

Phase 2:  includes Birch, Tamarack and Rainbow (2016)

Phase 3:  includes North and South Turtle and Rock (2017)

Phase 4:  includes Pardee, Adelaide, Helen and Circle Lily (2018)

Each phase requires seeking a grant to support the project.  The North Lakeland Discovery Center is teaming up with coordination and grant writing.  The grant writing phase for Birch, Tamarack and Rainbow will begin this fall with the kick-off for Phase 2 hopefully leading to field work in summer of 2016.

The Town of Winchester is taking on some of the major costs of this project which will lower the cost of the next Phase.  Please keep in mind that volunteers will be greatly needed next year to help lower the cost to our lake association.  Volunteer hours will be applied to our share of the costs.  This is a project that will benefit all of us.