1
Volunteer Lake Monitoring Program
1021 North Grand Avenue East
P.O. Box 19276
Springfield, IL 62794-9276
Illinois Environmental Fall/Winter 2009
Protection Agency
ILLINOIS
NEWSLETTER
Inside this issue:
Goodbye Sandy! 1
VLMP End of Season Wrap-Up 2
Upcoming ILMA Conference 2
Thompson Lake Festival 3
Focus on Exotics: Monitor for
Zebra Mussels this fall
4-5
Lake Festival at Du Quoin 6
Lake Notes 7
VLMP Contact Information 7
Wanted: VLMP Photos 8
Welcome to the Fall/Winter edition of the
VLMP newsletter.
This fall concludes the 29th season of the
VLMP in Illinois. Whether you are new to
the VLMP or a seasoned veteran, your contri-butions
as lake stewards are very much ap-preciated.
Your efforts help protect the water
quality of Illinois’ lakes and ponds and help
prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species
throughout the state. Keep up the good work.
Those of you who have been involved with
the VLMP for awhile know that each year the
Program undergoes a few inevitable changes.
This year is no exception. After ten years as
statewide VLMP Coordinator, Sandy Nickel
has left the Agency to pursue a career with
the Illinois Emergency Management Agency
(IEMA).
The VLMP has flourished these past ten
years under Sandy’s direction. Her commit-ment
to the VLMP and her dedication to
you, the volunteer, was obvious. I know
that you will all join me in wishing her well
in her new position.
Since Sandy’s departure, I have received
many inquiries regarding the future of the
VLMP. Be assured that the Illinois EPA is
committed to continuing the Program.
However, due to overall state of Illinois
budget cuts there are no plans to fill Sandy’s
position at this time. We ask for your
patience while we look for innovative ways
to administer the VLMP within existing
IEPA resources.
We will continue to keep you informed dur-ing
this process and will notify you when
plans are finalized. Until then, assume
nothing has changed. During this transi-tional
period, feel free to call me with any
questions you may have. You can reach me
by telephone at 217/782-3362 or by email at
teri.holland@illinois.gov. I look forward to
hearing from you.
~Teri Holland
Goodbye Sandy!
Sandy Nickel at Sunset Lake
Sandy Nickel at Lake Killarney
