September 2023 Monthly Update

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2023-24 Board of Directors

Back row: Adam Klodowski, Mike Piotrowski, Alan Mannel, Steve Hughes, Ty Letto, Jen Duke

Front Row: Isaac Pentinmaki-Secretary/Treasurer, Karen Huber-President, Bill Foley-Vice President 

Missing:  Peter Hupf

Welcome, Adam!

My name is Adam Klodowski, soon to be wed to my fiance Savanah.  

We currently do not have any children, but have a one-year old goldendoodle named Gus.

My professional life is currently working in the automotive industry as a journeyman toolmaker for Innovative Technologies Corp, as well as being a realtor for our family real estate firm Klodowski Real Estate. 

Aside from a few years after high school, I have lived on Beaver Dam Lake my entire life. Savanah and I purchased a lake home just over three years ago and have cherished every minute of it. We both enjoy the recreation and places to go on Beaver Dam Lake, as well as the great views. Our weekends usually consist of being on our pontoon boat with Gus, as well as taking in the views on our patio. 

My decision to become a part of BDLIA involves having the desire to see the lake flourish, as well as maintaining Beaver Dam Lake as a valuable resource for fishing, recreation, etc. Being involved with the BDLIA thus far has shown me the many positive things that are happening involving the improvement of the lake and its resources that most residents (previously including myself) don't know about. My hope is to be able to involve more of our local residents and homeowners to help Beaver Dam Lake continue to succeed.  

Biomass Survey Update

Unfortunately, the biomass survey that was planned for September and October has been postponed indefinitely. Kristina Pechacek, our fish biologist who has been a great resource, has accepted a position in La Crosse, WI.  Letters were written by Karen Huber, Bill Foley, Mayor Glewen, and Dodge County Land & Water Conservation Committee (LWCC) to Laura Stremick, Fisheries Supervisor, and Tim Simonson, South District Supervisor, aimed to change the decision. Each letter offered potential options for completing the biomass. Tim responded that “Tighter budgets and fewer staff significantly impact the services that we provide – it is more difficult to deliver the high level of fisheries management services that we were all accustomed to.”  Tim also assured us that “We do take this issue and this lake seriously, and that we will continue to do our absolute best with the resources available to us.”

We are fortunate to have Representative Mark Born as a member of BDLIA. After the Annual Meeting, Mark requested copies of the correspondence with hopes of elevating the issue within WDNR. Since the biomass also impacts the partner Zooplankton study and other water quality projects, there is also a conflict resolution being put forth by the Surface Water group of WDNR for resolution with Fisheries Management. We will keep you updated.

Member Survey Questions and Answers

We sent out our first online member survey to get feedback on the annual fundraising banquet and to also hear from our members on topics important to them. The following two topics were very popular so we thought this was an opportunity to explain.

The first topic from the membership survey was Buoy Placement—both Slow No Wake and Rock Markers. Here is an outline of the process for No Wake Buoys. The current work plan calls for 60 Slow No Wake Buoys to be deployed in very specific GPS locations. BDLIA follows the Waterway Marking Application & Permitting Process which states that the permit must be signed by the warden and local government. There are maps for overall placement and maps for individual areas.

To date, the only approved rock markers are off Airport Road. Since there are so many shallow areas, it is impossible to mark all rocks/rock piles. BDLIA has just received a written request from the city of Beaver Dam to ask for rock markers at the two most densely populated and highly trafficked areas of Beaver Dam Lake--Starkweather/Hiawatha and Dennings Point. The key to the city letter is that marking of the rock piles will be covered by the city insurance and holds BDLIA harmless. The Board has signed a resolution to mark these upon the request from the city and approval by the warden. GPS locations must be gathered, and the permit filled out and signed by the warden before additional buoys can be deployed

The second topic that came through from the surveys was surrounding Water Quality and Metrics. During a meeting in Madison in 2019 with WDNR and after discussions, WDNR presented BDLIA with the  table of metrics for what it will take to turn BDLIA into a clear water state. Follow this link to see current state as well as WDNR's 2019 BDLIA state. The metrics are for Water Clarity, Point Intercept Plant Survey, and Fish Management--Change in Sport Fishery and Carp Management. We see this as a 3-legged stool.

As of 2014, carp density was at 330#/acre. For clear water, carp need to be at 100#/acre. Carp are also known to stir legacy phosphorus through their bottom-feeding tendencies. These tendencies also impede subsurface plant growth. Without the biomass and subsequent experimental contracts to remove carp, our ability to improve water quality is severely limited.

To update or sign-up to volunteer for BDLIA, please follow the QR Code! 

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated!

Summer's End

by Carolyn Aita

It’s early September, and some folks claim that their summer gardens are finished for the year. They say that autumn arrived in their gardens on the first of September, full stop. Well, tell that to the many coneflowers and eyed susans that have continued to bloom in every hue that the sun takes on from dawn to dusk.  Inform the foraging bees, who prefer blossoms that are gentle shades of white, violet, and blue, to stop being so busy. Summer takes a long time to end and there’s much to be seen in the end-of-summer garden before the autumn display of asters and goldenrods takes over the stage.

Japanese anemones (Anemone hupenhensis) are in full bloom. Delicate pink blossoms rise on slender stems four feet above a green carpet of substantial leaves whose shapes are reminiscent of maple. Everything about this plant is elegant except for the fact that it is greedy. Japanese anemones love to spread and need space to roam. Unfortunately, once established, their rhizomes are hard to dig out but it’s worth the risk. Look at the visitors that a single blossom has attracted (A):*  two bright green beetles, a daddy long legs spider, and at the center of it all, a common eastern bumble bee filling the pollen basket on her tibia.

Montrose white calamint (Calamintha nepeta ‘Montrose White’) is low-growing, never taller than about a foot and a half, and in our garden it used as an edging plant. Despite being in the mint family, it is well-behaved. It is sterile so we don’t get volunteers, and it maintains its clump shape unlike catmint, its unruly (but lovely) cousin, which sends long stems out in all directions. Calamint in late summer bloom forms fragrant white clouds of tiny flowers filled with native bees. Watching these bees work side-by-side is a treat. Their foraging style depends on their size. A large male common eastern bumble bee seeks nectar by getting a footing on a flower (or two) and tasting an adjacent flower (B) which sometimes involves acrobatics (C). Smaller sweat bees have no problem crawling inside a blossom to get the good stuff. For a lick of salt, they occasionally land on my arm, which tickles. 

Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) lives up to its name and adds a flash of blue to the late summer garden. This plant seeds easily and volunteers crop up in unlikely places but we don’t mind.  Individual flowers are delicate and complex. Look at this fuzzy digger bee who is about to land on a bloom’s lower lip. She will use her head to push into the flower and lap nectar with her long tongue (D). 

The cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), a hummingbird favorite, is a close relative of the great blue lobelia but its bloom is missing the all-important lower lip landing pad. So if bees cannot land and forage, what’s this little guy up to (E)? Perhaps s/he is a nectar robber! Is s/he about to puncture a hole in the flower base near its nectary to get a sweet drink?    

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Photos by Mike Aita

*Thank you, Eliza Pessereau, a Masters student at the Gratton Lab, Department of Entomology, UW-Madison, for help identifying some of the critters.  

BDLIA Mission Statement

We strive to engage the community in recreational activities; generate long-term

restoration projects working with like-minded, but diverse partners; and educate

the community on improving the quality of Beaver Dam Lake.

BDLIA Vision Statement

We envision a clean, restored, resilient Beaver Dam Lake with

gorgeous sunsets, recreational activities, and abundant wildlife for future generations.

Another option to donate to BDLIA is through the Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation (BDACF).  All the information to donate can be found on the BDACF website here: https://beaverdamacf.com/becomeadonor.html  Select OTHER and enter BDLIA Fund.  Checks should be made payable to the Beaver Dam Area Community Foundation with BDLIA Fund indicated on the memo line.  It is critical to notate the donation be directed to BDLIA Fund!

Email us at info@bdlia.org or call us at (920) 356-1200. 

More information can be found on our website at https://bdlia.org

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