Fiscal Note
No City appropriation required.
Title
Recognizing the Lake Wingra Loop Community Bike Ride occurring on September 28, 2025, celebrating the special sites surrounding Lake Wingra, and urging city staff to identify and promote policies and practices that promote the health of Lake Wingra. (District 13)
Body
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra is a beloved natural location in Madison, providing visitors to its shores a place, in John Muir’s words, “where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike;” and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra is a historically and culturally important location because of its history as a home for Indigenous peoples across millennia, including members of the Ho-Chunk Nation who lived on its shores until the early 1900s; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra further is a historically and culturally important location because of the presence of natural springs that have great spiritual significance for many Indigenous peoples; and,
WHEREAS, Indigenous people from approximately 700 to 1100 C.E. built dense groupings of effigy mounds around Lake Wingra that are among the most impressive mounds anywhere in the world and have been spiritually significant for generation after generation of the effigy mound builders’ descendants, including the Ho-Chunk Nation; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra has significant ecological and scientific importance as a study site for internationally recognized research, including the International Biological Program and the National Science Foundation’s Long Term Ecological Research project; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra’s shoreline includes the University of Wisconsin Arboretum, another beloved natural location in Madison, which is the globally recognized birthplace of ecological restoration, a site for significant ecological research, and a historic site identified as a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service for its demonstration that humanity can and should take responsibility for healing degraded ecosystems; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra’s shoreline further includes Vilas Park, a vibrant community park with many amenities enjoyed by residents and visitors to Madison, many of whom visit the park to enjoy its views and access to nature and its popular beach; Wingra Park, with its views of Lake Wingra and the Arboretum and easy access to the lake for recreational activities; and the campus of Edgewood University, with a boardwalk offering the public exceptional access to and views of Lake Wingra; and,
WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of visitors to Lake Wingra, the parks on its shores, the Arboretum, and the Henry Vilas Zoo enjoy this natural area each year; and,
WHEREAS, access to nature and green space promotes both physical and mental wellbeing that enhances the quality of life for both residents and visitors to Madison; and,
WHEREAS, the natural environment and the protection of its natural setting is already recognized by motorboat wake restrictions on Lake Wingra; and,
WHEREAS, the unique and significant cultural and environmental features of Lake Wingra have been recognized and appreciated throughout Madison’s history by city planners, architects, and civic organizations; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra is not part of the Yahara River chain of lakes and, while some challenges are shared with the Yahara lakes, Lake Wingra faces unique urban lake challenges; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra is an asset for Madison that merits protection to ensure the lake and the natural views it provides remain part of our community’s heritage; and,
WHEREAS, Lake Wingra has a shoreline that is much less developed than other lakers in Madison and presents an opportunity to partner with future development to preserve the feeling of an immersive natural experience; and,
WHEREAS, representatives of nearby neighborhoods, Friends of Lake Wingra, University of Wisconsin Arboretum, and city staff have worked with Alder Tag Evers over the past several years to promote the historical, cultural, and ecological heritage of Lake Wingra and its environs, including through an interactive Lake Wingra Loop story map; and,
WHEREAS, a Lake Wingra Loop Community Bike Ride is planned for September 28, 2025, to promote and celebrate the special sites highlighted by this story map;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council recognizes the Lake Wingra Loop Community Bike Ride occurring on September 28, 2025, and celebrates the special sites surrounding Lake Wingra.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Common Council urges city staff to identify and promote policies and practices that promote the health of Lake Wingra, preserve this natural area for its visitors, and encourage the enjoyment of this unique Madison location.