Lake Marion WRM Presentation

Lake Marion

In February, the 2010 Water Resources Management (WRM) practicum, presented their Lake Marion project to the University of Wisconsin-Madison community. It was a modification of a presentation given in Mazomanie, WI - the location of the work. Below is a section of the presentation I gave as an overview of the community input and participatory processes we used throughout the project. More information about the project can be found on the 2010 WRM Website with the rest of the UW Presentation Videos



The Mazomanie project focused on achieving six goals for the community as a plan to maintain and improve the quality of Lake Marion and to restore the Black Earth Creek Corridor adjacent to Lake Marion. The purpose of the project is to provide the Village of Mazomanie and other project stakeholders planning recommendations based upon environmental science and the interests of the community.

(A) Help preserve Lake Marion as a valued recreational and cultural resource for the project stakeholders.
(B) Assess current environmental conditions of Lake Marion, the Black Earth Creek, and the surrounding area.
(C) Evaluate strategies for maintaining and improving Lake Marion in the event of dam removal.
(D) Develop conceptual planning recommendations for the restoration of the Black Earth Creek Corridor.
(E) Work with project stakeholders to gather their input and visions to incorporate into planning recommendations for the restoration and enhancement of Lake Marion and the Black Earth Creek Corridor.
(F) Develop conceptual layouts for a trail network linking community open space within the project boundaries.

The WRM Group

I have been a member of the WRM practicum since the Fall of 2009 when I arrived at UW to do my master's in community design in the Department of Landscape Architecture. The bulk of my research for my master's thesis has focuses on the interaction between the WRM students and the community, studying how this interaction affects the design and decision-making processes. This research has been chosen to be presented at the Death + Life of Social Factors: A Conference Reexamining Behavioral and Cultural Research in Environmental Design at the University of California-Berkeley and the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management here in Madison, WI. Although it was unplanned when I started in 2009, I finally 'officially' joined the WRM program this past fall. I have started taking my first courses this semester to fulfill the requirements of this second master's degree.

A Sunday boating on Lake Waubesa

Today, I was able to spend a great day hanging out with fellow Water Resource Management (WRM) students at the Four Lakes Yacht Club and go boating on Lake Waubesa. This lake is connected to the more known Lake Mendota and Lake Monona which are on either side of central Madison. It was my first boat outing on any of the lakes and the weather was gorgeous!

The WRMs Enjoying the Club house and a Potluck

We started the day by grilling at the club house and bringing dishes to pass around. I stayed true to the vegetarian thing even though those brats smelled delicious. As it turns out the veggie burgers and the three bean salad I brought were of the few vegetarian choices there. In all the meal was very fulfilling and was complimented by some vodka lemonade I also brought and some extra sweet brownies cooked by another WRM student.

Stopping at Christie's Landing to enjoy some music

Once we made it out on the lake, it was amazing. Several boats were out and the weather was perfect for a little jaunt around the lake. We started things off by just cruising around the lake and listening to music and drinking a bit. I enjoyed a vodka cocktail whipped up by Joe consisting of 2 parts vodka, 1 part lemonade, and 1 part club soda. It was fantastic, and went with the spirit of the event and weather. We eventually ended up at Christie's Landing, a bar on the lake with an attached dock, to listen to music and enjoy the atmosphere. The tunes were a nice compliment to the day's events and enticing, but we didn't stay too long.

Swimming in the middle of Lake Waubesa

As the band broke for a few minutes, we took the opportunity to slip out to open water for some swimming. The water was a bit murky and cold, but it was a nice retreat from the warm weather Madison has been having recently. After a few short swims and listening to some great jams courtesy of our captain and DJ, Joe, we packed things up and headed back to the boat house.

Joe, our trusty boat captain, drink mixer, and DJ, at the helm with drink in hand.

On top of getting to enjoy the great weather on the lake, hang out with friends, and learn about a new mixed drink, I was privileged enough to meet one of Joe's friends and fellow guitarist, Chris Bocast. He is an ambient guitarist who writes and produces music and he is also studying music for his PhD at UW. Before we ate, I had the opportunity to play some guitar with him; albeit, we had to trade my guitar back and forth to play. He was very talented. The most fulfilling part was getting to share with him my experience with guitars and interest in music. He spoke of getting a PRS SE Singlecut guitar similar to the one I have, and I encouraged him to do so, as I love mine. I am planning on getting a few of his albums and possibly trying to talk to him into jamming a bit... We will see what happens! All in all, it was an amazing day...