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About Us

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Our History

As a small volunteer-led watershed non-profit group, we focus on the vitality of the Wingra Watershed. It is a place of natural beauty and recreation. Initially, Friends of Lake Wingra formed in 1998 under the fiscal umbrella of Edgewood College to create a diverse and comprehensive watershed management team for Lake Wingra. Now, we operate as an independent 501c3 non-profit! Our journey continues to create community partnerships. Because a watershed faces ever-changing needs, we try to nurture our partnerships in all of our projects.

Our Mission

Our mission is to promote a healthy Lake Wingra through an active watershed community.

Our Vision

What will Lake Wingra and the watershed community be like 20 years from now?

The Friends of the Lake Wingra value Lake Wingra and its surrounding uplands as a natural and community resource. We hope all who live, work, and play in the Lake Wingra Watershed will understand the lake’s ecology and understand how their actions affect the lake. For that to happen, first we must protect and restore the aquatic wetland, savanna and woodland communities of Lake Wingra for all to enjoy. Second, we must give attention to stormwater management and its associated pollutants. When we address these issues, it helps make Lake Wingra habitable for native wildlife, and safe for recreation (e.g., fishing and swimming).

Our mission, vision, and goals reflect our belief that sustaining the balance of a healthy lake ecosystem requires the participation and collaboration of many citizens, agencies and organizations. To elaborate, our diverse partners include watershed residents, businesses, interest groups, schools and the government.

Our goals

  1. Citizen Stewardship— Nurture present and future generations of watershed stewards.
  2. Integrated Watershed Management— Protect and improve the ‘lake as a system’ through innovative and coordinated management practices.
  3. Long-term monitoring and research—Ensure that the information needed to address the mission is available on an ongoing basis.
  4. Organizational Capacity and Resources—Build the internal capacity to achieve the mission.

Projects

Friends of Lake Wingra engages in a variety of projects aimed at improving the health of Lake Wingra. For example, our projects include both outreach to the watershed community and on-the-ground restoration and stewardship efforts. To get involved with one of our projects, contact the Friends at info@lakewingra.org.

Friends and partners

The Friends of Lake Wingra could not work without the help of our friends and partners. Above all, these dedicated volunteers, members, and organizations contribute essential time and labor to the preservation and protection of Lake Wingra and the Wingra Watershed.

Meet our Board of Directors.

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