The SCLF loses a great friend

The SCLF - and the lakes of Wisconsin lost a great friend when Harry A. Schroeder, 84, died at his home, 1411 King Street in LaCrosse, WI on June 7, 2009. Harry designed this home in 1968 and it has been a family gathering place ever since. It is truly the site of a life well lived, and now celebrated.

Harry enjoyed organizing. In a general way, he thought of his life in three segments: personal and family oriented, professionally directed, and public service. Harry's obituary listed many professional and community activities, but did not mention the one item that makes him most important to many of those who love Wisconsin's lakes. Harry was one of the founding members and early leaders of the Sawyer County Lakes Forum.

Speaking as a representative of the forum, the Courtes Oreilles Lakes Association, and as a private citizen, he was a tireless advocate of measures to protect and preserve the lakes of Sawyer County. In addition to activities in the SCLF, Harry found time to be active in many civic organizations as well, including: serving four years as a member of the La Crosse School Board, as President of both the La Crosse Gun Club and Ski Club, Commodore of the La Crosse and National M-20 Sailing Clubs, as Director of Norskedalen and the Neighborhood Preservation Alliance. In recent years he was active in Sawyer County issues such as shore land preservation, zoning and water quality.

This is not the obituary of a passive man; these are only some of the ways in which Harry has touched so many. All who knew him know of the many interests he had and the contributions he has made.

Harry was a tireless correspondent. He kept in touch with friends through letters, postcards, and e-mail. One of his last notes said"

“As I write this, I want my family and friends to know that I have enjoyed a wonderful life, both personally and professionally. I have enjoyed your company and it has been a great pleasure of mine to be a listener and participant in your tales and experiences.”

Harry was a great friend to all. We will miss him greatly.

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Rule Banning Phosphorus Fertilizer Signed into Law

Good news! Governor Doyle signed the "Clean Lakes" bill into law on April 14th (last Tuesday). Wisconsin now has a statewide law which prohibits the display, sale, and use of lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus, with certain reasonable exceptions.

The prohibitions against display, sale, and use of phosphorus lawn fertilizer will take effect next year (the bill specified that changes will take effect 12 months after it was signed into law). The delay gives retailers time to order phosphorus free lawn fertilizer for next year; many stores place inventory orders a year in advance.

WAL encourages lake groups and lake enthusiasts to build awareness within their lake communities of the impacts phosphorus lawn fertilizer can have on our lakes and the forthcoming change in the law.

Now that the bill has been signed into law it can be referred to as 2009 Wisconsin Act 9.

This new law is the culmination of several years of advocacy work by the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.

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State Assembly Passes Bill Prohibiting Display,
Sale, and Use of Phosphorous Lawn Fertilizer

[This previous announcement gives more details of the bill that has now been enacted and signed into law.]

If you are one of the many Wisconsin citizens who head out to the lake to enjoy good fishing, swimming, touring the water on your favorite boat, or just getting away from it all, the state Assembly has passed a bill aimed at keeping our waters a little cleaner.

The "Clean Lakes" bill (AB 3), would prohibit the display, sale, and use of lawn fertilizer containing phosphorus, with certain reasonable exceptions. This bill—introduced by Rep. Spencer Black and Rep Garey Bies—is modeled after Dane County's existing and successful county ordinance.

Why worry about phosphorus? Nutrients like phosphorus—a common ingredient in lawn fertilizer—are degrading 90% of Wisconsin’s inland lakes. Lakes can be extremely sensitive to even small amounts of phosphorus runoff.

Phosphorus is the fuel that transforms clear lakes into an algae laden, smelly green soup. Algae can make lakes unswimable, suffocate game fish, and choke out good plants. High phosphorus levels can also create conditions where nutrient-loving invasive species—like Eurasian watermilfoil and carp—can thrive.

Why worry about lawn fertilizer? Excess phosphorus from lawns washes directly into our lakes and streams. Recent data estimates average phosphorus levels in residential Wisconsin lawns have double the phosphorus (105 ppm) of the average farm field; that’s 5 times more phosphorus a healthy lawn needs.

Plants don’t absorb more phosphorus than they can use. When the soil is saturated with too much Phosphorus, it starts bleeding out, toward streams and lakes.

Lawn fertilizer is not the only source of nutrients in our lakes, but preventing unnecessary phosphorus from being applied can make a significant difference for some lakes, and is one needed step towards halting the avalanche of nutrients that are polluting our lakes.

“This bill is one of the first steps of many we will be taking this legislative session to clean and protect our water resources,” says Rep. Spencer Black, Assembly Natural Resources Committee chair.

"This is a great day for the health of Wisconsin's lakes and rivers. When this legislation becomes law we will reduce excess nutrient runoff into our waters and improve the quality of one of our state's most cherished resources," says Rep. Garey Bies.

“Using phosphorus free lawn fertilizer is an easy way everyone can contribute to better water quality—regardless of where they live. It’s community service for our lakes,” says Earl Cook, Wisconsin Association of Lakes President.

This simple, common sense bill doesn’t result in any increased costs for consumers, retailers, or taxpayers. There have been no increased regulatory burdens or enforcement issues where it has been implemented. It just helps keep our waters a little cleaner.

“Phosphorus fertilizers have a powerful effect on lake water quality. We are pleased the Assembly has acted quickly to get this bill on the books,” said Bill O’Connor, Wisconsin Association of Lakes Legislative Counselor. “We hope the summer of 2009 will mark the end of widespread use of phosphorus containing fertilizers on Wisconsin lawns.”

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Legislative News>

To see stories about recent legislative action on Slo-no-wake and Aquatic Invasive Species , click on the link below

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