Bill Reneker Community Service Award winner Dr. Nate Bosch with his family.

WINONA LAKE — Center for Lakes and Streams Director Dr. Nate Bosch was honored with the 2015 Bill Reneker Community Service Award at the annual Winona Lake Community Appreciation Dinner on Nov. 17.

The annual dinner brings together members of the Winona Lake community to celebrate the accomplishments and goals of the town, and to recognize people making an impact in Winona Lake.

The keynote speaker this year was Dr. Bosch, who was completely unaware of the award he would be given at the end of the night. Bosch spoke of the impact Winona Lake has on the town and the importance of taking care it. Winona Lake is the third largest financial contributor to Winona, falling only behind the orthopedic industry and the agriculture industry. Local lakes bring in $313 million in revenue to the community every year.

Dr. Bosch’s presentation gave the audience a background on how the lake operates, discussing how layers in a lake turnover, how nutrients cause plant growth and how that plant growth depletes oxygen within the water. He also presented a history of Winona Lake, talking about the amount of sediment that has built-up, the increase in algae and plant life, and how oxygen has been depleted from the lower layer and the negative impact that has on fish.

The above factors contribute to the aging of a lake. When a lake gets “old” it becomes eutrophic and depleted of nutrients that sustain life. “We want to keep the lake from getting older. We want to slow this process down,” commented Bosch.

He then gave the audience an idea of goals the Center for Lakes and Streams has for Winona Lake. Dr. Bosch, with help from students and the center, monitor and study the lake more than it has ever been. Bosch and his team take readings every day during the summer, Memorial to Labor Day, to monitor oxygen, nutrient and algae levels to track trends.

The center outreaches to K-12 students, reaching out to over 7,000 kids this past year, to bring awareness to the younger generations and get them excited for their lakes. Programs include a kindergarten petting zoo that introduce animals like turtles and crawfish to the kids. The center also hosts the Northern Indiana Lakes Festival to bring lake and water quality awareness to the community.

Bosch ended his presentation by giving the audience things to keep in mind. He spoke of the negative impact of seawalls, explained why residents should use phosphorus free fertilizer and talked about why boaters should always wash boats off before taking them to another lake.

Dr. Bosch’s work through the center, as a professor at Grace and by continually giving back to his community earned him the Bill Reneker Community Service Award.

For more information about the Center for Lakes and Streams, or to contribute to Dr. Bosch’s presented goals, please visit its website.

The annual dinner also gave attendees some town updates, the largest being the continuation of Heritage Trail and the improvements at Limitless Park.

Every year individuals who have made improvements in the community are recognized with a Home Improvement Award. Thomas and Jane Wallin, 606 Chestnut Street, and James and Jennifer Lancaster, 907 Sunday Lane, were this year’s winners.