Students explore lake's economic impact, public backing for conservation

Located on the Mississippi River near La Crosse, Wisc., Lake Onalaska is a valued place for fishing, boating and bird watching for both residents and visitors. It brings in millions of tourism dollars each year and also provides a habitat for migratory birds and other species.

The lake, which was created by damming the Mississippi River in the 1930s, is experiencing environmental deterioration. Sedimentation, vegetation overgrowth and eutrophic water have begun decreasing its recreational usability and habitat quality.

Identifying the Lake's Value

Brice Prairie Conservation Association (BPCA), a local conservation organization, focuses on protecting and improving the habitat around Lake Onalaska. To support their fundraising efforts, BPCA wanted to know how Lake Onalaska impacts the region and whether residents and visitors support increased funding and taxes for the lake's cleanup and maintenance.

BPCA board member and UW-La Crosse Professor Scott Cooper suggested faculty and students at UW-La Crosse could take on the research project. It was an ideal project for Assistant Professor Tanner Knorr's REC 360: Sustainable Tourism course.

The course was revamped in 2021 with Freshwater Collaborative funding to focus on water-based tourism. It incorporates a high-impact experience in which students collaborate with an organization engaging in water-based tourism activities.

In the spring 2026 semester, 20 undergraduates and one graduate student embarked on a semester-long collaborative project to measure the lake's economic, societal, cultural and political impacts. Students completed CITI Training for social and behavioral research, developed a survey questionnaire, collected surveys, conducted interviews with key stakeholders and analyzed the collected data.

Those surveyed included La Crosse County residents, duck hunters, fisherman and visitors. In addition, students interviewed representatives from local businesses and nonprofit organizations associated with the lake. Students also reviewed historical documents, funding and spending patterns, and federal and state management documents.

The result was an extensive 77-page report that students presented to BPCA board members on May 13, 2026.

"I'm really proud of the students. They knew basic concepts, and this project put them into practice," Knorr says.

Listening to the Community's Voice

Shealyn Struemke, who graduated from UW-La Crosse in May with a degree in Outdoor, Recreation, Tourism and Event Management, had learned how to create and evaluate surveys in a previous course. This course allowed her to add to those skills by working on a real-world problem. She wants a career that serves communities through events, youth and adult programs. The course took her one step further toward that goal.

"I learned the importance of community voice, their willingness to speak on things that are important to them, and the impact being heard can have on their quality of life," she says.

Caleb Dibble, a sophomore enrolled in a dual-degree program in Statistics and Applied Statistics, says collecting data that gave the community a voice was the best part of the project.

"The upkeep of Lake Onalaska has been an important topic in the community for a long time, so it was nice to gather data and analyze it for the community," he says.

Key Findings

Although nearly 60 percent of those surveyed stated that they were somewhat or extremely satisfied with the conditions of Lake Onalaska, many have noticed a decrease in the number of fish and natural habitats for wildlife in the lake. They also stated that the conditions of the lake impacted their activities.

The research showed strong support for taking action to restore and improve the lake. Dredging, vegetation removal, and accessibility to the lake were the top three suggested improvements.

• 79% of residents approve of dredging the lake
• 73% of residents agree or slightly agree with supporting increased funding for dredging
• 65% of residents approve of vegetation removal in the lake
• 65% of residents agree or slight agree with supporting increased taxes to support Lake Onalaska cleanup

"The main takeaway in terms of policy implications was there is need for a coordinated effort between entities and organizations to accomplish these expensive but important conservation projects," Knorr says.

Broader Impact and Implications

Knorr says response to the report has been overwhelmingly positive. Not only can BPCA now use the data in its grant proposals to request funding for lake conservation projects, but other stakeholders are interested in learning more.

Knorr has received several interview requests. He will be presenting the finding of the report to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Upper Mississippi River Restoration Analysis Team on July 30, 2026.

"There's clearly a need and desire for this research," Knorr says. He hopes to continue identifying creative ways to increase UW-La Crosse's engagement with the community and ensure the community knows the university is a resource.

Written by Heidi Jeter, Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin