Reflection 2: Strengthening Advocacy for Better Beaches, Engaged Communities, and Clean Lakes

Time flies when you are almost done! It’s hard to believe that I am in the final four week stretch of my placement with Clean Lakes Alliance. Alliance staff and I have continued to push forward on a range of projects that are components of the Back to the Beach initiative, including my outdoor recreation equity evaluation. I am happy to share a number of exciting updates on my outreach efforts and the preparation of key analytical and GIS mapping tools.

Reflection 1: Equitable Outdoor Recreation on Madison’s Lakes

My first three weeks with Clean Lakes Alliance have flown by. I am loving the opportunity to carve out a space for myself within an innovative environmental organization actively working to expand the scope of its work and its role within the Madison community. Upon arriving for my first day, I was excited to learn more about the ambitious “Back to the Beach” project that Clean Lakes Alliance launched this year. Building off of a placemaking-oriented redesign contest for Warner Beach on Madison’s East Side, the Alliance is spearheading a grassroots, volunteer-driven beach inventory process as well as a community survey, both of which seek to formalize our understanding of the present state of Madison’s 25 public beaches and lake access points to inform future advocacy. As an Outdoor Recreation Equity Fellow, I am helping to ensure that Clean Lakes Alliance’s advocacy best serves all Madison residents, regardless of where they live, their race, socioeconomic situation, or any other characteristic.

Clean Lakes Alliance Outdoor Recreation Equity Fellowship

It isn’t a huge surprise that I selected a placement project focused on outdoor recreation and Madison’s lakes. As an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I fell in love with Lake Mendota while running along the Lakeshore Path to Picnic Point and taking in beautiful sunsets from the docks at Memorial Union. I still start most days with a run, though I now prefer following the shore of Lake Monona up to the Yahara River, or hopping in a kayak to paddle to Lake Wingra by way of the creek that shares its name.