THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL: ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FOX-WOLF BASIN

Bart DeStasio, Lawrence University, discussed how combining global and local considerations in planning by corporations has been termed “globalization” and is becoming a more common business strategy.  This approach incorporates trends and events that occur on larger spatial and time scales than just considering events happening in the Fox Valley.  In order to understand our water issues, we need to consider the combined Fox-Wolf basin, the natural physical boundary of the watershed. Water in the Fox Valley is derived from local groundwater but mostly comes from the Wolf River, Upper Fox and Lower Fox.  About 16,000 years ago glaciers carried down chucks of ice that formed the Michigan, Saginaw and Huron/Erie Lobes.  As the ice receded, secondary lobes were formed in Green Bay.  There are many types of scales:  time, spatial and complexity/extend of effect (physical, chemical, biological, social, economic and political).  Which scale is used depends on the question, problem and issue.  Most focus on here, now and local impact which may miss drives of impacts.  Some environmental issues can be examined on this scale but other topics require us to consider much larger, more global issues like changing climate and precipitation patters or the global spread of aquatic invasive species.  Climate change effects include changes in temperature, precipitation and seasonal patterns.  Climate changes effects lakes by them having a higher temperature, shorter ice cover duration, annual production changes and potential impacts on fish and fisheries.  Eutrophication or the process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients especially phosphates and nitrates, occurs from wastewater, storm sewers, industry discharges as well as agricultural fields, urban areas (parking lots) and septic systems.  The effects of eutrophication include increased algae and bacteria, oxygen depletion, fish kills and loss of recreational and aesthetic values.  Green paint in the middle of summer creates “dead zones” in Lake Winnebago caused by eutrophication.  Phosphorus exports increase as land use intensifies.  Watershed management is conducted by determining the total maximum daily load for every impaired system.  This helps to regulate the total system together since what happens upstream also happens downstream.  Difficulties in effectively dealing with these kinds of issues often involve a mismatch between natural boundaries and political/management units, as well as the lack of education on the topics.  However, local education and shifting our management and regulatory structure to better coincide with physical features of the environment present opportunities for real progress in addressing our most pressing water issues.