The Village of Monticello wants Lake Montesian to be a beautiful landmark of the town
that can also provide a healthy population of fish to support fishing activities. In addition
to the lake’s aesthetic and practical functions, residents also enjoy using the island in
the middle as a location for special events such as weddings and high school dances.
Each January, the town holds a fishing tournament at Lake Montesian, and each July
fireworks are set off on the island. The lake has been facing a number of environmental
threats that have led to murky, eutrophic water and an uncertain and unhealthy
population of fish. As a result, Kevin Komprood, the public works director of Monticello,
reached out to The Nelson Institute at the University of Wisconsin, Madison to draft a
conservation plan for Lake Montesian.
In order to work toward a lake that has healthy water quality, our project team identified
four main biodiversity targets for the lake: littoral zones, fish communities, submerged
plant communities, and water column (see Section 4). Four direct threats to these
targets have also been identified: mowing, overfishing, introduction of invasive species,
and nutrient loading (Section 5).
Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.
UniverCity Year Contact Info
Gavin Luter
Managing Director
gavin@cows.org
608-261-1141
University Faculty Contact
Arlyne Johnson
Environmental Studies
ajohns10@wisc.edu
Local Government / Community Contact