LAKE WISCONSIN PROPERTY OWNERS SURVEY2019 Sponsored by Lake

LAKE WISCONSIN PROPERTY OWNERS SURVEY-2019 Sponsored by Lake Wisconsin Alliance Columbia County: Land Water Conservation Sauk County: Land Resources and Environment Wisconsin DNR: Wisconsin River Planning Grant UW Extension-Sauk County: Organizational Development

Executive Summary Purpose: 1) To help LWA better understand what residents most value about Lake WI 2) To establish priorities/goals for LWA 3) To provide insights into how to strengthen the organization 4) To learn how to better serve the Lake Wisconsin community LWA is extremely appreciative of the very strong response to the survey - 714 of the 1, 636 surveys returned (44%) - Estimates are accurate to within +/- 2. 75% with 95% confidence

Table 1: Demographic Profile of Lake Wisconsin Alliance Survey Respondents, 2019 Count Gender 687 Male 56% Count 700 18 -24 0% Age Female 44% 25 -34 2% Count No HS/GED Degree Education 687 0% Count Income 638 35 -44 4% Other 0% 45 -54 15% 55 -64 30% HS/GED Some Tech/College 10% 18% Prefer not to say 21% <$50 K 5% $50 K - $75 K 8% 65 or more 49% 2 -Yr/ Associate’s Degree Bachelor’s 10% 32% $75 K – $100 K 9% $100 K – $150 K 19% Profess/Grad 29% $150 K – $200 K 12% $200 K+ 26%

Figure 1: Type of Lake Wisconsin Property, 2019 Single-family Seasonal 48% Single-family Year-round 47% Condominium 5% Undeveloped Land 4% Rental Property 1% Business/Commercial <1%

Figure 2: Seasonal Use of Lake Wisconsin Property, 2019 36% Weekends Year Round Spring/Summer/Fall Weekends 35% Summertime Resident Vacations/Holidays Other 22% 10% 14%

Figure 3: Years Respondents Have Owned Lake Wisconsin Property, 2019 Under 1 Year 3% 21+ Years 43% 1 - 5 Years 19% 16 - 20 Years 13% 6 - 10 Years 11% 11 - 15 Years 11%

Figure 4: Ratings of Lake Wisconsin as a Place to Live/Vacation and Its Water Quality, 2019 72% 38% 37% 26% 15% 9% 2% Very Good 0% Neutral Place to Live/Vacation Bad 0% 2% Very Bad Water Quality 98% feel Lake Wisconsin is a very good/good place to live or vacation In contrast, fewer than half (47% )rated Lake Wisconsin’s water quality as very good/good (38%)

Figure 5: Percent Respondents Rating Factor "Very Important" in Lake Wisconsin Property Purchase, 2019 Proximity to Lake 88% Scenic Beauty 74% Water Weed/Algae Conditions 48% Real Estate Values 43% Water Clarity 38% 35% Water Sports Quality of Fishing 28% Proximity to Other Property 27% 22% Silent Sports Level of Development Public Access to Lake Wisconsin 21% 16% Those 65 and older were more influenced by water clarity (very important to 45% vs. 33% of younger respondents), but less swayed by access to water sports (very important to 29% vs. 40% of younger respondents), access to silent sports (very important to 16% vs. 27% of younger respondents), and proximity to other properties (22% vs. 31% of younger respondents)

Figure 6: Types of Watercraft Used by Property Owners on Lake Wisconsin, 2019 Pontoon 58% Rowing Boats (canoe, paddle board, etc. ) 54% Speedboat 39% Fishing Boat 39% Jet Ski Sailing Craft 31% 4%

Figure 7: Importance of Activities to Enjoyment of Lake Wisconsin, 2019 Slow Motorboat Cruising 83% 67% Fishing Speedboating/Water Skiing/Tubing/Jet Skiing 64% Swimming/Diving/Snorkeling 63% Canoeing/Kayaking/Paddle Boarding 59% Hiking 46% Picknicking/Partying on Sandbars 38% Cross-Country Skiing/Snowshoeing 20% Snowmobiling 19% Sailing/Windsurfing 10% Women’s enjoyment of the Lake was enhanced significantly more than men’s enjoyment by swimming (very important to 41% of women vs. 22% of men), paddle sports (very important to 34% of women vs. 10% of men), hiking (very important to 22% of women vs. 11% of men), and cross-country skiing-snowshoeing (9% of women vs. 4% of men).

Figure 8: Factors Adversely Affecting Enjoyment of Lake Wisconsin, 2019 82% Algae Blooms Aquatic Weed Growth 69% Water Pollution 69% 62% Poor Water Clarity Shoreland Erosion/Sedimentation 52% Overcrowding/Conflicts on Water 51% Litter 49% Low Fish Numbers 42% Noise 42% Lack of Fish/Wildlife Habitat 41% Shoreland Development 38% 32% Small Fish Burdensome Lake-Use Policies 27% 26% High/Low Water Levels Insufficient Public Access 9%

Figure 9: Most Important Concerns about Lake Wisconsin, 2019 Decline in Water Quality 72% Expansion of Invasive Species 51% Boats Driven too Fast 40% Sedimentation/Shallow Areas 40% Decline in Fishery 38% Shoreline Erosion 35% 33% Boats that are Too Big Overdevelopment Around the Lake 28% 26% Unpleasant Odors Too Many Boats 24% Excessive Noise 24% Decline in Scenic Beauty Wetland Loss 19% 12% There is broad consistency between the results summarized in Figures 8 and 9. The water issues that were most important in Figure 8 (algae, water weeds, pollution and water clarity) could be seen as included in the “decline in water quality” category in Figure 9. The concerns about overcrowding and noise noted in Figure 8, probably show up in Figure 9 as boats being driven too fast and boats that are too big for the Lake.

Table 2: Greatest Concerns of Property Owners about Lake Wisconsin, 2019 Issue Water Quality Over-Development Water Traffic/Boating Safety/Enforcement Fishing Concerns Obstacles/Shallow Water Shoreline/Beaches/Sandbars Real Estate/Housing/Neighbors Rules and Regulations Taxes Infrastructure Noise Concerns Positive Sentiments Miscellaneous Count 232 57 51 36 32 22 19 11 9 6 4 3 10 Respondents were given the opportunity to answer an open-ended question identifying their “greatest concern regarding the future of Lake Wisconsin. ”

Table 3: Information about Lake Wisconsin Yes No Informed about Important Lake Wisconsin Matters 52% 48% Want more Information about Lake Wisconsin Matters 84% 16% About half of the Lake Wisconsin property owners felt reasonably informed about important matters affecting the Lake and about half were not. (Table 3). Those 65 and older (58% vs. 46% of younger responders) and longer-term property owners (55% vs. 45% of those who’ve owned Lake Wisconsin property for 10 years or less) were significantly more likely to agree that they are reasonably well informed about issues affecting the Lake.

Figure 10: Preferred Ways of Obtaining Information about Lake Wisconsin, 2019 62% 50% 32% 20% 16% 6% Newsletter Email Website Local News Article Social Media On-Line Videos 4% Attend Meetings 1% Other

Figure 11: Proportion of Respondents Who Are Members of Lake Wisconsin Alliance, 2019 No 67% Yes 33% Referencing Table 3, 81% of non-members said they would like more information about important matters affecting the Lake, which aligns well with the Alliance’s mission “to educate our membership and local citizens about Lake Wisconsin and its surrounding watershed. ”

Figure 12: Reasons for Not Joining Lake Wisconsin Alliance, 2019 52% 22% 17% 8% Didn't Know about It No Time Not Interested Other 6% $20/Year Too Expensive

Figure 13: Potential Lake Wisconsin Alliance Volunteer Skills, 2019 26 Serve on Board of Directors 19 Volunteer Recruitment 17 Organizational Management Fisheries Management 12 Engineering 12 11 Financial Management Other 9 Develop Educational Programs 9 Political Advocacy for Lake WI Alliance 9 8 Conservationist 6 Membership Recruitment 4 Website Development Water Ecologist 3 Writing Articles for Website 3 Grant Writing 3 Hydrologist 2 There a substantial number of people willing to lend both institutional (serving on the board, recruiting volunteers, organizing) and technical (fisheries management, engineering, financial management) skills.

Figure 14: Topics of Interest to Lake Wisconsin Property Owners, 2019 Shoreline Protection Fishing on Lake WI Phosphorus and Algae Invasive Species ID Lake WI Trivia Lake-Friendly Lawn Care Shoreland Zoning Rules Minimizing Impact on Water Quality Lake WI Real Estate Market Laws & Regulations Governing Water Quality Lake Ecology Laws & Regulations Governing Watercraft Aquatic Plant Management Fisheries Management Boating Safety Rain Gardens Conservation Easements Composting Wetland Restoration 237 230 226 213 212 199 165 150 146 143 139 128 117 114 72 65 52 40 40 Respondents were given a list of 19 specific topics, plus an “other, please specify” and asked to select those they would like to learn more about. About one-quarter of the respondents (188 people) were not interested in any of the topics shown in Figure 14, but, on average, respondents identified about four topics about which they would like to learn more.

Figure 15: Factors Increasing Likelihood of Attending Lake WI Alliance Annual Meeting, 2019 Held at Local Establishment 51% Guest Speaker 48% Held at Local Park 40% Hands on Learning 39% Food and Drinks 36% Live Music 22% Raffle for Prizes 22% Auction 14% Events for Children Childcare 12% 4% In Figure 10, we reported that attending meetings is a favored way of gaining information for a very small proportion (4%) of Lake Wisconsin property owners. So, boosting interest in and attendance at the Alliance’s annual meeting is likely going to be a challenge.

Conclusions The results of this survey are generally fairly positive for the Lake Wisconsin Alliance. The Alliance’s mission “to educate our membership and local citizens about Lake Wisconsin and its surrounding watershed, ” seems to align with the prevailing mood of property owners on the Lake. The respondents were very positive about their property on Lake Wisconsin but expressed concerns about water quality in multiple ways. Respondents were drawn to the area by the proximity to water and the scenic beauty of the area. They appear to use that water intensively given the ubiquity of boat ownership and the frequency of complaints about such things as over-crowding and friction over how some of those boats are being operated. The concerns expressed about Lake Wisconsin and its future were dominated by declines in water quality, algae blooms in particular. But invasive species, aquatic weed growth, and erosion and sedimentation were also noted by many respondents. A large proportion of Lake Wisconsin property owners are interested in receiving more information about the Lake; most via a newsletter or email. Non-members of the Alliance gave ignorance of its existence as their reason. A substantial number of respondents said they would be willing to offer their skills and abilities to the Alliance, which, if harnessed, could meaningfully help the Alliance realize its mission.