The Common Desire for Community

Menomonie reminds me of home, both Vernon, New Jersey and New York City, in more ways than I would have expected. I grew up in New Jersey among hiking trails, family-owned farms, and strong lake communities similar to those I’ve seen in Menomonie. However, by visiting this town and seeing it with fresh eyes, I look back at my home community with a new perspective. Driving by the family farms and open fields in New Jersey was something I have always enjoyed but never appreciated or questioned. After visiting a small, no-till cattle farm here in Menomonie, I understand for the first time how much effort goes into maintaining a farm, especially with sustainable practices, and I have gained respect for the farmers that maintain this lifestyle in Wisconsin and New Jersey. When passing by the on-going patches of corn and soybean farms in the Menomonie area, I sympathize for the farmers that rely on these commercialized crops as sometimes the only means to a profit. I feel almost grateful that my hometown in New Jersey has such rocky and hilly soils that won’t permit economically-gainful growth of these crops, or else I know they would be there too. Before becoming a part of the LAKES program, I tried to think of ways to pinpoint the sources of the lake pollution from farms. I understand now that the causes of the algae blooms on Lake Menomin are nowhere near this simple to track and that farmers alone cannot be the ones to blame or to fix the blooms on the lake.

More surprisingly for myself is how many similarities I see between Menomonie and the East Village in Manhattan, where I have lived while attending college. New York City is often called America’s “Melting Pot” and I think Menomonie takes on this identity too. As a LAKES student, I have met many people, ranging from the professors to my teammates and other members in the community involved with preservation of Lake Menomin and the watershed, who have come from many regions scattered across the county. The workers involved with the lakes who come from such a variety of backgrounds and the locals who have spent most of their lives in Menomonie are here for the same reason: they care about the lake. For whatever reason it may be, many people I have met so far have chosen to be here at this time because the algae blooms involve such a dynamic solution. I know I am continuously learning by being exposed to these minds thinking about the lake in different ways.

One final connection I make between Menomonie and New York City is the level of civic engagement. Even though the streets in Menomonie are a lot quieter than those in the City, both locations have the same farmer’s markets, play live music to enjoy on weeknights, and provide access to parks to spend a summer day. In Menomonie, these instances have been the places where I’ve seen the town come alive and in New York, my attendance at these events is what makes me feel at home. No matter what size city or town, the residents all desire the same sense of community. I believe that enhancing a sense of community within the dorm hall where I’m living, among the students and professors of the LAKES program, and within Menomonie as a home to others will help me gain the most knowledge from this research experience.