10th Annual Healthy Lakes Conference

Environmental Influence, Recreational Stress, Physical Constructs & Conflicting Use:

Applying Lake Organizational Capacity to Address These Issues. What’s Next?


Thursday, September 18, 2025
Oconomowoc Community Center

8:30 – 9:00 AM

Registration, Coffee & Pastries

9:00 – 9:15 AM

Welcome & Program Introduction: Celebrating 10 Years of Lake Country Clean Waters
John Macy, President, Lake Country Clean Waters

9:15 – 9:35 AM

Environmental Influence – A Case Study
Building Organizational Capacity to Manage Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in the Columbia River Basin
Jake Utrie, Vice President of Operations, CD3 Systems

9:35 – 10:00 AM

Recreational Stress – A Case Study
A 75-Year Review of Regulating New Recreational Watercraft
Eric Olson, Director and Lake Specialist, Extension Lakes

10:00 – 10:15 AM

Physical Constructs & Recreational Conflicting Use – A Case Study
Alan Barrows, Land Resources Manager, Department of Parks & Land Resources Division

10:15 – 10:45 AM

Panel Discussion: Lake Country Leaders Discuss:

  1. Benefits of Their Lake

  2. Pressing Lake Carrying Capacity Issues

  3. How Organizational Capacity Drives Change

Panelists: Bruce Nattinger & Jeff Bode, Lac La Belle Management District, Dakota Koepp, Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District, Geoff Lamb, Ashippun Lake Management District and Bridget Essma, North Lake Management District

10:45 – 11:00 AM

Break – Visit exhibit tables

11:00 – 12:00 PM

Expert Segments: Supporting Organizational Capacity

  • Rules & Enforcement
    Regulating Lake Recreation Through Ordinances and Enforcement
    Don Gallo, Attorney and Environmental Engineer, Gallo Law LLC

  • Physical Capacity
    Piers, Launch Sites, Boat Numbers, and Illegal Boat Slips
    Thomas Koepp, Manager, Lake Pewaukee Sanitary District

  • Tools & Resources to Boost Organizational Capacity
    Eric Olson, Director and Lake Specialist, Extension Lakes and Sara Windjue, Leadership and Capacity Development Specialist, Extension Lakes, College of Natural Resources, UW-Stevens Point

12:00 – 12:45 PM

Lunch, Networking and Visit Exhibit Tables

12:45 – 1:00 PM

Annual LCCW Recognition Award
John Macy, President, Lake Country Clean Waters

1:00 – 1:45 PM

Group Discussions
Join a Lake Carrying Capacity table group of your choice. Share insights and record how your organization builds capacity.

1:45 – 2:15 PM

Large Group Discussion
Open dialogue with lake experts, guided by earlier group discussion notes.

2:15 – 2:45 PM

Closing Session: Action Planning
What Are Your Next Steps?
Choose a future vision for your lake—and one actionable step to move toward it.
Caroline Joyce, Board Member, Lake Country Clean Waters

2:45 PM

Pre-Registered Boat Tours of Lac La Belle