All posts by Stephanie Briand

I'm a Masters of Science candidate in Environmental Conservation at University of Wisconsin-Madison. My placement takes place in Madison with Clean Lakes Alliance a not-for-profit organization who works with diverse stakeholders to improve the water quality of the Yahara river watershed. I will develop my skills in community outreach by participating in the citizen water quality monitoring program and Volunteer Days.

Getting More Responsibilities

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Volunteer Day at James Madison Park

The Volunteer Day at James Madison Park was challenging because I had to lead it with the help of two other interns. The usual CLA staff was busy organizing a big event and submitting a grant application. It was a small group of volunteers and most of them were retired. The task assigned was physically demanding because we had to pull green algae out from the water nearby the beach and bring it to a dumpster. I learnt this day that it is important to take into account the limits of a group. We had to adapt our plan and set some break time in order to keep the group motivated. During these down times, I tried to use all of my communication skills acquired from the past year. For example, I tried to emphasize the impact of their action by explaining that we are not just cleaning up a beach, but we are raising awareness. Many people in the park came to us to ask questions about the level of the lake, invasive species, and algae. This was a great opportunity to improve my skills at explaining complex environmental problems spontaneously. I think that my explanation about zebra mussels had a great impact because I was able to find some of them in the green algae. People are more likely to care about an issue if they see it and experience it.

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The Difference Between Planning and Reality

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An early start at Clean Lakes Alliance

I started my placement late March with a light schedule because I was finishing my Spring semester at the same time. The idea was to help CLA to get some documents ready for the summer and start working full time during June and July. My first tasks were to update the Citizen Monitoring Manual, create agendas for each Volunteer Days scheduled during the summer, and enter the date of these events in CLA’s Google Calendar. Administrative tasks are time consuming but necessary steps for the coordination of the team and the volunteers.

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Community Outreach with Clean Lakes Alliance

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Background of the Organization

Clean Lakes Alliance (CLA) was founded in 2010 and their goal is “to raise community awareness of the issues facing the watershed, advocate for the welfare of our lakes, and help procure the necessary funding to clean and protect these waterways.” According to the annual report, phosphorus input greatly impacts the water quality in the lakes of Madison because it triggers algae bloom events. CLA relies on donors and partnerships to address this issue and community outreach is an essential component of their programs in order to get people to care about the lakes, raise money, and benefit from the work of volunteers.

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