December, 2021 We are delighted to welcome Regan Botsford and Katy Thostenson to the Friends of Lake Wingra Board of Directors! Regan and Katy bring a wealth of talent and energy to the board, and they are excited to help us promote a healthy Lake Wingra through an active watershed community. Please read a little …
On June 16, 2021 at 9 a.m. the City of Madison formally dedicated a new rain garden to Roger Bannerman. You can find it on the corner of Sheldon Street and Fox Avenue. The rain garden right off the Southwest Commuter Path reflects Roger’s lifelong work to protect our freshwater resources. Roger’s wife Jane spoke …
With how much our community enjoys walking, running, bicycling we have some updates on opportunities that relate to the “Lake Wingra loop.” At the time of this blog post, we don’t have any suggested actions unless you want to email your Alder with any thoughts you have on these topics. We will try to keep you updated as appropriate. The two topics we have updates on are the Vilas park Drive Car-Free Interim Plan and the Woodrow “gap” in the Lake Wingra loop.
March 16, 2021 Through a donation from Michael and Jocelyn Keiser, the City of Madison expects to have a new and improved Glenway Golf Course by the end of 2021. According to the project webpage, “Michael Keiser, who draws his eco-centric inspiration from renowned naturalists as well as age-old public courses in Scotland and Ireland, approached Madison Parks …
Lake Wingra Monitoring Volunteers Update – April 19, 2019 For the last three days, a flock of Red Breasted Mergansers have stopped on our lake to rest and feed (Figure 1 and featured image above). We saw them diving in the lake to catch fish – their most common source of food. They winter in …
What other Wingra visitors are enjoying this weather? Read More »
Lake Wingra Monitoring Volunteers Update – April 17, 2019 Birds migrating north are beginning to stop over in Lake Wingra. We recently had the fun of watching a flock of migrating Bonparte’s Gulls diving into the lake to catch fish (Figure 1). Most of the time they were feeding in the pool below the dam …
Sounds of delight were heard as students from Toki middle school caught fish in the waters around the Lake Wingra dam (Figure 1). The fishing action was steady with Wingra’s large supply of pan fish. The students’ opportunity to fish at Lake Wingra was supported by the City of Madison Police Department’s …
Happenings Around Lake Wingra in July – August 1, 2018 Read More »
June 24, 2018 A large decrease in water clarity did not discourage young anglers from trying their luck in Lake Wingra last weekend. Joseph Julie was spotted catching blue gills on the Arboretum side of the lake (Figure 1). He shared he was enjoying a steady catch of the small fish. Parents were helping …
Still Catching Fish in Murky Waters – June 24, 2018 Read More »
By Peter Nause The beginning of the Madison Park System in 1931 grew out of the rich legacy of the “Park & Pleasure Drive Association” starting in the 1890’s by wealthy benefactors with notable names we recognize today as parks – Vilas, Tenney, Brittingham & Olbrich. Unless you live on the near west side of …
Historic Wingra Tributary – Glenwood Children’s Park Read More »
By Roger Bannerman Rain gardens help improve the quality of our lakes by capturing pollutants and infiltrating runoff. One additional benefit for Lake Wingra is that increased infiltration can help restore spring flows, which is the main source of year-round flows into Lake Wingra. Out of the 600 rain gardens that have been installed around …
