KOSCIUSKO — Kosciusko Leadership Academy met at the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, located off SR 13 in Syracuse, for a session on the importance of protecting the Kosciusko County water resources.  Guest speakers included Dr. Nate Bosch, Director, Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams at Grace College and Heather Harwood, Executive Director, WACF. 

Cadets learned from Dr. Bosch that Kosciusko County is home to over 100 lakes and around 600 miles of streams.  Over $313 million each year is brought into the county because of our local lakes. Lake Wawasee is the largest natural lake in the state of Indiana and Tippecanoe Lake is the deepest at 122 feet. He shared the Continental Divide is located just south of Syracuse.  There is a plaque that marks the division between water draining into the Great Lakes system versus running towards the Mississippi drainage system.

Dr. Bosch refreshed the Cadets memory on high school biology and chemistry by sharing the importance of how a balanced lake food chain can impact the health of a lake.  He stated, “the number one threat to our lakes is too much nutrients.” He went on to say, “having an excess amount of nutrients in a lake will cause more algae and weeds to grow, which eventually depletes oxygen levels within the water. Without oxygen, fish and other aquatic species cannot survive.”

Cadets also learned how lakes ‘turn over’ (mix) twice a year in the Fall and Spring, and the aging process each of our area lakes goes through depends on many factors. 

Heather Harwood, Executive Director, WACF shared the mission of the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation “is to protect, preserve, and enhance the water quality in the Wawasee Watershed for current and future generations.” Not only does this include the Lake Wawasee, but also Syracuse, Papakeechie, Bonar Lakes, the lakes upstream in the 10-lake chain and Tri-county lakes.  There are many miles of streams that feed into the lake. WACF consists of 22 board members, and over the past several decades has acquired approximately 860 acres of land for conservation and restoration purposes. Cadets got a chance to hear the projects the Foundation is working on, including the Between-the-Lakes Preserve project, which consists of 7 acres between Lake Wawasee and Syracuse Lake.  Restoration efforts, shoreline enhancements, opportunity for the community to experience nature, through short trails and by canoe and kayak adventures are other projects.

Harwood also explained how they work to educate homeowners, on a variety of ways they can help, from using native plants, to the benefits of using glacial stone, instead of concrete seawalls.

At the end of the session, it was clear to the KLA Cadets there are three wonderful non-profit organizations, Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation, Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams and The Watershed Foundation, working together for the health of our lakes and streams.

KLA is a not for profit organization devoted to serving Kosciusko County by encouraging leaders and future leaders to dream and create a better community through white paper projects.