The Stewardship of Walloon By Jac Talcott

THE

STEWARDSHIP of Walloon

By Jac Talcott, WLAC Watershed Stewardship Coordinator

The term “stewardship” takes on many meanings in today’s world. Whether you are talking conservation, business, outreach, or community service, the term ultimately refers to “careful and responsible management.” Stewardship has been a key element in our organization’s history and is constantly evolving with our successes in land and lake protection. To honor that evolution, let's reflect on what stewardship means to us as the Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy.

LAND

Land stewardship is the conservation of the land’s natural resources and features over a long period of time. The former Walloon Trust and Conservancy grew thanks to a group of passionate volunteers and dedicated Wallooners that wanted to see their beloved land thriving and scenic viewsheds maintained - surroundings we have all grown to love. As the coordinator for land stewardship, I try my hardest to carry on this legacy when deciding what forms of preserve management are needed to ensure the healthiest form of wildlife on our land. It means consistently educating and improving our community’s understanding on what conservation projects and practices we can implement. It means recruiting volunteers to help remove invasive species and maintain trails and sometimes even hiring professionals to help us with long-term forest health. And for a few special properties, it means giving people the chance to enjoy it.

WATER

Water stewardship is the understanding that what we do on land directly affects the lake. The former Walloon Lake Association was an exemplar lake association, playing a critical role in actively monitoring the water quality. We have continued this important work and strengthened it through the removal of invasives, surveying our lakefront shoreline, researching swimmer’s itch, and communicating with our membership. As we look into the future, our ability for water stewardship will continue to grow as we increase our water quality program to include boat wash stations, develop further awareness campaigns for shoreline protection, and build our next generation Walloon Lake stewards.

PEOPLE

The main element that makes our stewardship as effective as possible is the connection to people. This comes in the form of both our external work on the lake and land and internally through planning and funding of our programs. We want to ensure that the opportunities you enjoy now will continue to be there when your great-grandchildren are old enough to appreciate your hard work and dedication. The stewardship of Walloon is the greatest gift you can give to present and future generations. Whether you are an active committee member, a concerned citizen, or a donor to the organization, you are a steward of Walloon Lake.