Clean Lakes Alliance: Mendta Freeze contest begins December 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: December 1, 2011
CONTACT: James Tye, Director of Development and External Affairs
Clean Lakes Alliance
Cell: (608) 628-6655 or James@cleanlakesalliance.com

Entrants Can Win Prizes by Guessing When Lake Mendota Will Freeze

MADISON—Think you know when Lake Mendota will freeze this year? Enter the Mendota Freeze Contest and you could win a prize for your correct guess!

The free, online Mendota Freeze Contest is now open for entries. The contest is sponsored by the Clean Lakes Alliance and MyWeather.com, a division of Weather Central LP. Madison Magazine is serving as a media sponsor and Erehwon Mountain Outfitter is donating the grand prize.

Don Heilman, president of the Clean Lakes Alliance, says his organization works to engage the public in efforts to protect and enhance the water quality in area lakes. He is pleased that the contest will call attention to the starring role Dane County lakes play in many types of winter recreation.

“People enjoy our lakes in the winter as well as in the summer,” Heilman says. “Nearly every day of the winter you can find people ice boating, snowshoeing, skating and fishing on our lakes—they really are Madison’s frozen assets!”

To enter, participants can register at www.MendotaFreeze.com and submit the date on which they think Lake Mendota will freeze, as determined by the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. Entries are limited to one per person; in the event of multiple correct guesses, a winner will be drawn from the first 10 people who submitted a correct guess.

The grand prize is a complete cross-country ski package from Erehwon Mountain Outfitter. Winter-recreation prizes, such as skates and outdoor apparel, have also been donated by area business as prizes for contest runners-up.

In addition, the contest will feature fun and educational information about Lake Mendota and other area lakes in the winter.

“From the history of Lady Liberty on Lake Mendota to a timeline of past freeze-overs, this contest is a great way to showcase our lakes in the winter and get people involved in supporting cleaner lakes all year long,” says Heilman.

People can follow the contest on Twitter (@crazy4lakes and #mendotafreeze) and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CleanLakesAlliance. For more information on the contest, visit www.MadisonFreeze.com or any of the sponsor websites.

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