young zoologist and future president of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, documented Lake Mendota's first known toxic cyanobacterial blooms in conjunction with his collaborator Chancey Juday, marking the first step toward long-term studies of Lake Mendota. Geography Lake Mendota and Lake Monona are separated by an isthmus known as the Madison Isthmus, on which the majority of Madison, WI, is located. While the lakes are separated by dry ground, they are connected by the Yahara River. Navigation along this portion of the Yahara River is controlled by the Tenney Park Lock and Dam, which was constructed to allow shallow drafting boats to cross this dredged section of river through what was once wetlands. Today, the Tenney Park Locks also help to maintain water levels in the Madison lakes, as under normal conditions, the water level in Lake Mendota is kept five feet above that in Lake Monona. By contrast, when water levels are too high, the Tenney Park Dam is closed to minimize flow from Lake Mendota into Lake Monona and Lake Waubesa, while when water levels are too low, all the dams along the Yahara River are opened to maximize water flow. In early 2021, Dane County obtained an Ellicott 'Dragon Dredge' as a means of reducing the consequences of flooding from the Yahara River and the Madison lakes by removing silt and muck deposits that have accumulated for decades at choke points between the lakes. This acquisition was part of a multi-million dollar flood mitigation effort led by Dane County Executive Joe Parisi dating back to 2019, when historic rains inundated creeks and caused the waters of Lake Monona to rise to their highest levels in over a century, that would allow Dane County to more efficiently move large volumes of water between the Madison lakes to avoid similar catastrophic impacts from flooding. The banks of the lake largely contain expensive luxury homes and condominiums, but they also contain protected natural areas and parks, including James Madison Park, as well as UW-Madison housing, the Memorial Union, and a handful of hotels and restaurants. There are at least 25 boat launching sites and several major marinas serving the Yahara chain of lakes. The city of Madison maintains five beaches on Lake Mendota, three of which are staffed with lifeguards. On a typical summer day, the lake is filled with those engaging in water sports, including boating, fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding,