TIPPECANOE ENVIRONMENTAL LAKE & WATERSHED FOUNDATION INC

The shoreline and landscape of the Winona Lake Limitless Park are contributing to poor water quality and creating health and safety hazards for residents and park visitors. The old seawall is a crumbling safety hazard. The remaining shoreline is eroding, diminishing water quality by adding sediments and algae-inducing nutrients to the lake. Finally, the park’s turf grass along the shoreline is attracting an overpopulation of Canada Geese. The amount of goose droppings spread throughout the park’s lawn, trails and Splash Pad, present a public health risk. This health hazard is particularly concerning for young visitors to Limitless Park who may already have a compromised immune system.

A Kosciusko Leadership Academy (KLA) team has been formed to develop a white paper project for this need. The team is working with TWF to implement solutions to these problems.

1. Installing a healthy shoreline with a mix of glacial stones and native plants along the 500 linear feet of shoreline from the edge of Winona Lake Limitless Park’s public swimming beach to Cherry Creek.
2. Incorporating a plant buffer along the shoreline and landscaping throughout the park that is a deterrent to Canada Geese, but still attractive to park visitors.
3. Renovating the detention basin adjacent to the Splash Pad parking lot to more effectively infiltrate runoff and remove pollutants before the stormwater enters Winona Lake.
4. Implementing public education for park visitors, as well as Winona Lake and Town residents. Topics will include:
a. Current threats to the park and Winona Lake, as well as planned solutions and project timeline.
b. Why native plants and glacial stones are good for water quality and the lake ecosystem.
c. How they can help by pledging lake-friendly behaviors, especially to not feed waterfowl.
5. Collaborating with the Town of Winona Lake and the Parks Department to develop and implement additional strategies for reducing the quantity of waterfowl and their waste.

MORE THAN 100 CITIZEN SCIENTISTS COME TOGETHER FOR A SINGLE DAY EACH SEPTEMBER TO COLLECT, TEST AND ANALYZE WATER SAMPLES FROM ALL ACROSS OUR WATERSHED. TWF useS the valuable data collected to combat water quality degradation in our lakes and streams.

Along with local college students and school children, members from the community give their time to learn about andmeasure important indicators of our water’s overall health such as dissolved oxygen levels, pH, temperature, E. coli and more.