Signs of decay 2019

July 30, 2019.   This is surprising considering the longer spring and a decent amount of rainfall.   Still water, the old black pumps that are not even a full 10 years old are inoperable, the Medora Solarbee could be "on" but it definitely not changing anything.  

We did not expect to see any of the blue in any area yet this year, but it is here.  That blue is when it starts to decay and release odor.

So, what happened up stream.  And there are other locations on Lake Menomin in this same condition, too.  Simply because you can drive close to this spot, don't think it is the only one.   The entire south lake bank below downtown is not fairing much better today.

Lake Menomin

    

Mayor Randy Knaack

But today, where are the "solutions" that were going to produce results?

Wolske Bay

A swale.

Headlines are powerful hooks.  If the reader goes beyond the headline does it really matter?

How about context?   

This next part is particularly interesting.   One of the UW Stout scientists Arthur Kneeland was reportedly "studying" more recently the potential of a floating wild rice platform as a solution to the blue-green algae.    Of course, the subject of solutions and ideas coming from UW Stout is a topic consisting of decades of Menomonie news hype where there is almost never any benefit for Menomonie, so we will leave that subject for another time.

Did you catch that above?   "That bay down there where boats and pontoons are stored was nothing but a swale."     Green said it best.

So, we have elevations on survey maps from the 1900's, Green telling us the northern bay was a swale, and then flash forward to Mayor Randy Knaack and the people behind the dredging who say the "bay is filling in" and must be dredged.

It just boggles the mind that Knaack declares a one-man war on algae and wastes a quarter-million dollars on a stupid dredging project.   And then the mind is blown when the expert engineers totally did not measure the depth of the so-called "muck" and had to stop much shorter in depth because...., well because THAT spot was never that low to begin with.

Do you think Knaack did not include the height he grew since the early '80's and just didn't figure that into his scientific depth calculations?

Someday we might find how he measures "muck."   Meanwhile, no one will care about further wasteful spending from the downtown government leader.

What is a swale? 

Of course it isn't all bad, there is some great potential left.  But like most things in the history of Menomonie, people like us won't have enough money or resources to make a thing happen.   The people with the money will worm their way into the city echelons and spend the city money on destroying longer term Menomonie character.  Yes, character.     That old Lee Building downtown might have indeed outlived its usefulness, but it had character.    The replacement hotel building is about as cookie cutter as any freeway off-ramp hotel.

That's the crowd the downtown Menomonie government likely wants to attract, however.  The out-of-towners, leave your money and get back on the interstate.

It's too bad Menomonie is becoming less of a single family town and more of an investment rental market.

Nice days come before you know it....

Wasn't it not too many weeks ago we were getting hammered by a crazy amount of snow?   Weren't we living with solid days of rain putting us up, what, 6+ inches over in precipitation for the year?   Wasn't it just a couple weeks back where the Red Cedar Dam was letting water through at a fast rate with very noticeable raise in even the Red Cedar River below, while the larger rivers absorbed and backed up smaller streams?

This past week in Menomonie, WI, saw a lot more activity around the boat landings as the area started to swing into summer mode.   Several boats can be counted at a time nearly every day from one location, normally the more intense fishing fans disappear along the shoreline on the horizon or vanish upriver.

And up until just days ago the water clarity was absolutely great.

Really, once the ice broke up, Lake Menomin was really very nice.


Was this due to the extra water movement?   Was this due to colder temperatures?

Maybe since farmers weren't in the fields upstream due to wet conditions farm run-off didn't occur as heavily, or was moved fast enough with the extra water movement?


Things that people should take note of.  The seasons, that is.   Everything has an ebb and flow but if a person can't be in a position to witness it or doesn't pay attention to it it is all just lost in past days.


Maybe now that the general consensus is that it is nice outside, more people will be outside in Menomonie.  But every other bit of nature is going to be coming to life, too.   

The good green algae (not the bad stuff) is forming up now near the shoreline areas but the people who are coming outside are expecting a pristine white sand beach (that is heated and warm with clear water), even a little pollen floating on the surface has been observed to lead a person to react to the entire lake for even a little bit of real nature disrupting some sort of fake beach notion.


Perhaps that is why Lake Menomin can't get a better deal on this.  Menomonie pushes Wakanda park as the main event, and with the permanent advertising show on the baseball field fences, it has really become a big commercialized park.

What better feature than a big white sand beach on the lake?

Well, maybe if it has been built in a natural spot.  Somewhere where the river current was moving, or where natural deposition was occurring, building up a sandy beach.    Of course, where Wakanda beach is now, it just keeps on maintaining that 1950's beach.

Now that everything is coming to life this late spring and the summer season is almost on top of us, by the time anyone starts to really care about "the lake" the bacteria will be in bloom and THAT cycle will start again.

Lake Menomin

Lake Menomin on June 8, 2019.

Do you  think the Secchi disk has any real interfacing value as a user of Lake Menomin?

Restore the beaches?

300 people swimming near the old Menomonie Boathouse would have been an interesting sight!

I don't think Menomonie has seen 300 people in the Ninth St. and Crescent area at once too often.

Maybe there is more than just wonderful worldwide water facts that would have greater impact toward the better?

swimming beaches Menomonie

Marshall's drive-in Menomonie

Do natural attractions affect business locations?   Will businesses force natural attraction manipulation?

Algae. Nothing new or unique to Menomonie.

Strange.   Something happens, people don't like it, experts get some press, likely some funding and nearly 70 years later it is dam near the same shit, different day.

Is it lack of funding for research?   A too complex of an issue?  Inconsistent funding?   Lack of genuine interest?

Mayor Randy Knaack of Menomonie cleaned up Lake Menomin with two expensive dredging projects and he didn't even have to use his scum sucker 2000. 

So, how did Madison, WI not figure that out way back in 1949?   Well, you're right, they didn't have Menomonie's Mayor, but, time travel hasn't happened yet.  That we know of.

Let's take a look at this smelly lake bit-o-press from December 2, 1949:















Did you catch that little bit about few natural "enemies?"     
Just a few years ago a similar notion was introduced as part of a long term sustainable plan that was cheaper than the dredging projects.

But good old Randy Knaack got his dredging and the press of the day bolstered by commercial Menomonie interests didn't want extra government to pay and sustain a solution.
HOLY SHIT, MENOMONIE!

Stouts Camp Colony

Camp Colony Menomonie Stout

Leased on a well wooded tract of land just south of Menomonie's Fair Grounds at the eastern edge of the city.

This early recreational multi-campsite location within walking distance of Stout buildings was started in the spring of 1929.

Stoutonia 1930

Stoutonia March 13, 1931

Stoutonia March 13, 1931

Lake Colfax.

Tainter Lake

Okay, so it's not Lake Colfax.    But back in February of 1911, it apparently was Lake Colfax.  Or at least someone thought so.

Big enough to freeze over, Wisconsin's newest lake of the day and ready for commercialization.  

How has the old lake held up?

Are you happy with "Lake Colfax" not sticking?