Water Clarity: July 31, 2011

Algae continues to color Lake Puckaway's waters green, but you may have also noticed a bright green "slick" on the surface of some channels or coming out of the Fox River.  This is not single-celled algae, but watermeal (Wolffia sp.) the worlds smallest flowering plant.  Each individual is the size of corn meal and is capable of producing a tiny flower, but they almost never do.

This week I have added two new sites to the District's monitoring program.  One is just south of the dredge bank sometimes called bird island, or mid lake.  The other is at the Fox River inlet.

Water Clarity: July 14, 2011

Algae is beginning to turn the water green, and reducing water clarity on Lake Puckaway.  Water clarity increases moving east to west through the basin. 

Forster’s Terns Nesting Fails

The Forster’s terns nesting on Lake Puckaway came to an end June 22nd when high water destroyed many of the 143 nests, causing the rest of the colony to abandon the site.  These birds nest on floating mats of vegetation, which are susceptible to wind, waves and water level increases.  Nesting was late this year because of high water, and there is a chance that they may nest again, but given that I only saw 10 individuals on the lake Thursday I don’t think it is likely.  It has been a bad year for these terns in our area.  They normally nest in large numbers on Lake Poygan in Winnebago County, but that colony had all of its nesting material taken away by this spring’s flood and high winds.  The LPPRD is keeping tabs on Forster’s terns and their habitat and will develop a program to stabilize the lake’s population.  

Impacts of Farm Runoff on Our Lakes

This talk is over in Fond du lac, but it also relates to Lake Puckaway and every other Wisconsin Lake.

How might the runoff from local farms be affecting our lakes and what can farmers do to help protect the Winnebago system?

Eric Cooley, a University of Wisconsin-Extension expert on rural runoff, will address these questions at the next program of the Winnebago Lakes Council Speakers Series. It will be held Wednesday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. at the Fond du Lac Yacht Club, 705 Mohawk Ave.

Cooley is the research coordinator of Discovery Farms, a UW- Extension program that explores the environmental and economic effects of agricultural practices of participating farms and helps improve communication about these issues.

DIRECTIONS:  Exit 99 of Highway 41 (Route 23 / Johnson Street), east on Highway 23, left onto North Park Avenue, right onto Winnebago Drive, left onto Mohawk Avenue.

State Endangered Forster's Terns Preparing to Nest

Forster's Terns

This spring's cold weather and high water have delayed the nest of Forster's terns on Lake Puckaway.  The endangered birds typically nest on mats of floating vegetation.  They have patently waiting for the water to go down and the nesting sites become stable.  A June 8, 2011 survey conducted by Daryl Christensen and myself found 80 terns over their traditional nesting site.  Just last week dozens of tern could be seen loafing on the rocks of the dredge bank, but now that their nesting habitat is ready there is no more time for loafing. 

Welcome to the Lake Puckaway Blog

The Lake Puckaway Blog is sponsored by the Lake Puckaway Protection and Rehabilitation District and features news from around the lake, district programs, activities and projects.