2025 Achievement Award Recipients
The North American Lake Management Society, NALMS, recognizes individuals, teams, and organizations for their efforts and contributions to enhance management of lakes and reservoirs. Each year NALMS receives nomination letters from members and supporters lifting up their peers – individuals and groups – worthy of receiving recognition for their dedication to NALMS’ mission and/or for strides made in leadership, education, and lake management. It is with great honor that we share these nomination letters, as well as the 2025 award recipients recognized at the NALMS 44th annual symposium, held this year in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Outgoing Officers & Directors
NALMS is a product of devoted individuals volunteering their time and efforts as officers and directors to advance the NALMS’ mission. Thank you outgoing officer and directors!
Officers
Left to right: Ben Rhoades (Region 3), Jeremy Deeds (Region 1), Kellie Merrell (Past President), Victoria Chraibi (current Past President), and Deena Hannoun (Region 9)
- Kellie Merrell, Past President
Directors
- Jeremy Deeds, Region 1
- Ben Rhoades, Region 3
- Ralph Bednarz, Region 5
- Deena Hannoun, Region 9
- Brian Ginn, At-Large Director
The Secchi Disk Award
The Secchi Disk Award is given annually to recognize and honor the NALMS member who has made the most significant contributions to the goals and objectives of the society.
Amy Smagula
2025 Secchi Disk Award Winner: Amy Smagula
Nominated by Todd Tietjen, Southern Nevada Water Authority
I proudly nominate Amy Smagula for the NALMS Secchi Disk Award. Amy has a distinguished career with the State of New Hampshire and has tirelessly worked to the benefit of NALMS. Amy has served as a Board Member, Secretary, Conference Host, member and leader of multiple NALMS Committees, and as the Editor of LakeLine. Throughout these various roles Amy has endeavored to advance the mission of NALMS, to cultivate and promote members, to expand the reach of NALMS, and to ensure the advance the Society into the future. Amy’s most prominent current role is as Editor of LakeLine. She has helped shepherd the publication from paper to electronic distribution and has worked tirelessly to pull together authors for a wide range of themed issues that bring important issues to our members. Amy continues to say “yes” to NALMS requests for service, and we are a better society for it.
Jim Flynn Outstanding Corporation Award
The Jim Flynn Outstanding Corporation Award is given annually to recognize and honor the corporation considered to have made the most significant contributions to NALMS goals and objectives.
Mobley Engineering
Nominated by Todd Tietjen
I proudly nominate Mobley Engineering for the Jim Flynn Award. Mobley Engineering has been a corporate member of NALMS for many years and regularly presents cutting edge work on aeration systems at NALMS International Symposia. Mobley Engineering epitomizes the applied nature of the work carried out by many NALMS members, working to solve problems associated with water use while preserving, enhancing or recovering water quality to support aquatic life. Mobley Engineering captures principles of past Flynn Award winners, applying cutting edge science to water quality issues for the broader benefit.
Leadership & Service Award:
Community Education & Outreach
Awards individuals or teams for design, facilitation, or performance of exceptional education and outreach activities supporting community understanding and appreciation of lake and reservoir management.
2025 Leadership and Service Award – Community Education and Outreach Winner: Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties (WAMSCO)
Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties (WAMSCO)
Nominated by Sara Windjue, Extension Lakes, UW-Stevens Point
The Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties (WAMSCO) was formed in 2017 by a group of four individuals who met during a Wisconsin Lake Leaders Institute training. They collaborated to form a new citizen-driven organization representing all 188 waterbodies in Menominee and Shawano Counties in northeast Wisconsin, giving smaller lake and river groups more capacity for impact. Menominee and Shawano Counties are rural with diverse populations, including the Menominee and Stockbridge-Munsee native tribes, in which WAMSCO works closely. These counties are financially poorer than most others within the state while they are rich in natural resources (the 188 lakes cover over 18,000 acres in addition to 174,598 acres of wetlands).
WAMSCO’s accomplishments over the years are numerous, including shoreline and stream bank assessments and restorations, native plantings at schools, parks, and private properties, invasive species control, and water quality monitoring. Over the last eight years, the organization has received over a million dollars in grants. A highlight from 2024 was the removal of 4 seawalls on Shawano Lake, a lake of approximately 6,215 acres, with 7 more properties on the waiting list. The cost of these projects is $213/linear foot, with an additional cost of $25/square foot for native plantings, which are required for the seawall removal grant. WAMSCO has converted 205 feet of lakeshore seawall into rip rap and native plant buffers. Impacted landowners have been reimbursed over $14,400 for participating in these restorations!
WAMSCO also focuses on education and outreach, teaching people to be proud and protective of the high-quality waterways in their communities. One way they do this is through a mobile classroom that brings fun and interactive displays to schools and events equipped for in-the-field workshops. This mobile classroom includes water quality testing equipment such as hip waders of various sizes, secchi disks, AIS rakes, nets, and magnifying glasses.
Another event WAMSCO participates in is Brunch on the Farm, where more than 4,000 people enjoy a country-style brunch while experiencing a modern dairy farm and learning about agriculture. WAMSCO provides various interactive activities, such as an AIS and mussel identification station, a plinko game that follows the path of a raindrop with permeable and impermeable obstacles, and a rainfall simulator. These activities engage thousands of people in learning how our activities impact shared waters and get them interested in ways to protect water resources, especially in an agricultural region. In total, WAMSCO has reached over 30,000 people over the last four years!
This small non-profit organization that was started by four individuals not even ten years ago has grown to be a showcase for the state and has had an immense impact on both counties. In rural areas with many small lakes, it is critical for lake advocates to join together at the county-scale to develop and implement educational and lake restoration programs. The Waterways Association of Menominee and Shawano Counties has done this admirably and they are well deserving of recognition through the NALMS Leadership and Service Award for Community Education.
Volunteer
Alan Fedeli
Nominated by Thomas Conway, Cupsaw Lake Environmental Committee
In 2012, Cupsaw Lake was on the edge of disaster. HAB’s popped up every summer and the lake was addicted to weekly copper treatments. 50-70 geese roamed the grounds making them as disgusting as the lake. Most people thought it was just a dirty lake and would be that way forever.
Alan Fedeli took over the Environmental Committee and created a large group to help Cupsaw recover. His genius was in his ability to bring people from all backgrounds and interests to the table. He got buy-in.
He had the “kill the geese” crowd and the animal lovers agree on a goose harassment plan and executed. No killings and Cupsaw is goose free.
Alan leveraged experts across the state and nation to weigh on on possible solutions. He initiated aeration, a study by Princeton Hydro led to regular nutrient inactivation. He also had teams move forward with; biological enhancements, hydro-raking, sonic technology, water movers, established testing protocols, improving communication with members, a “Lake Scouts” program for kids, to name a few.
Within a few years, he was the number two at the New Jersey Coalition of Lake Associations and helped that organization with its mission to improve all New Jersey lakes.
There are many stories of people making a difference in their lake. What separates Alan form most stories is his ability to bring the community together for the decades-long process of returning a lake to health. HE brought in all the town’s lakes to regular meeting to share ideas. He served on the town’s Board of Health and Environmental Commissions to help further the cause. He worked with the local High School and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. In short, he created the large network that Cupsaw needed to begin and advance on its journey to a cleaner lake and watershed. He also got over 600 members to row in the same direction.
Each part of the above can be a story on its own. When lakes look to begin the journey to return to health, Alan’s example can be a blueprint of how to bring in all the stakeholders and make progress.
Cupsaw enjoys about double the Secchi clarity today. The lake is goose-free without any mess and no killings since Alan took over. Our journey is not over, but Alan has put together a large team to keep his mission going well into the future. It was never about him, it was about the people he brought together for the common good.
Lake Management Success Stories
2025 Appreciation Award – Lake Management Success Stories Winner: Christine Neff
Awarded to individuals or organizations accomplishing successful lake management efforts. Nominees must show demonstrable improvements in lake conditions through lake and watershed management.
Christine Neff
Nominated by Sara Windjue, Extension Lakes, UW-Stevens Point
Christine Neff serves on the board of the Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area, a community organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, and improving the environmental and aesthetic qualities of the Eau Claire Lakes Area watershed, which encompasses approximately 189 square miles. Located in rural northwestern Wisconsin, the Eau Claire Chain comprises the Upper, Middle, and Lower Eau Claire Lakes, as well as eight smaller connecting lakes for a total surface area of 3,488 acres of waters. The Friends work with local governments and environmental organizations to enhance water quality and promote sustainable practices.
Cris is involved with the Eau Claire Lakes Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Committee, as a Clean Boats, Clean Waters monitor and a diver on the Town’s aquatic invasive species suction harvesting boat. Her most impactful contribution has been as the co-founder and volunteer manager of LEEP, the Lake Ecology Education Program, which started in 2009. This program demonstrates how an individual can have an immense impact on a whole watershed (and beyond) through the education of youth, a very cost-effective approach to lake management for future generations.
Partnering with the Drummond School District science department, the program began with one field trip in 2009 and has continued to bring 7th graders out to the Eau Claire Lakes annually to participate in science-based stations led by a cadre of volunteers including lake association members and other local volunteers – all who admit they, too, have become better lake stewards in the process. The program evolved into two trips each year for these students, one in September and one in May, so they could personally experience the way the lakes, lakeshores, and aquatic environments changed with the seasons. Program facilitators bring their expertise and enthusiasm to the students, introducing them to future career opportunities, and helping them understand the roles these careers play in lake protection.
LEEP includes ten modules of lake ecology and stewardship instruction. Modules include: Canoeing, critical habitat, water quality, aquatic plants, macroinvertebrates, shoreline restoration, tree lab, plankton, food webs, and photo journaling. Each module meets state educational standards and offers an instructor’s guide, lesson, laboratory support materials, and PowerPoint slides. At the end of the program, students share their thoughts and ideas in a report facilitated by English Language Arts faculty at the middle school.
Each Drummond 7th grade class has participated in LEEP for the past 16 years which means 464 students have been impacted by this program! Pre- and post-test results confirm the effectiveness of the Lake Ecology Education Program showing the mean score for the knowledge gained is around 32%. One Drummond Science teacher says of Cris, ‘Her energy and enthusiasm for the students and the program have been second to none. Without her organizational skills and coordination of volunteers and presenters, LEEP would not be the awesome program that it is today. Cris’s passion for lake stewardship is contagious to all of us around her, both staff and students alike’.
LEEP materials are now available for schools and organizations throughout the state. Christine Neff’s volunteer spirit and the ongoing vigilance of the Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area make her an excellent choice for the NALMS Lake Management Success Stories Award.