The Lake Where You Live

It’s hard to think about spring when it’s zero degrees outside and your lake is nothing but a sheet of white.

Here on Birch Lake iffy freeze-thaw conditions kept people off the lake through much of December. As I write this we’re in the teeth of a week-long Arctic cold front that has most of us hunkered down indoors. But if you want to think warmer thoughts, you can look forward to a couple of events tailor-made for those who care about their lakes.

The first is the Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention, which in April draws attendees from every corner of the state and provides a big-picture view of lake issues. The second is the Six-County Northwoods Lakes Meeting in July, a chance for a closer-to-home perspective. 

This year’s state convention (April 10-12 at the Stevens Point Holiday Inn) marks the 50th anniversary of Wisconsin’s unique lake law, Chapter 33: Public Inland Waters. That law created the process for lakefront property owners to form Public Inland Lake Protection and Rehabilitation Districts. 

In our state there are now more than 250 lake districts operating under Chapter 33. These districts are authorized to levy taxes for specific purposes related to lake health, such as reducing sources of pollution and preventing or managing invasive species infestations. 

Presentations at the convention will review half a century of progress in partnerships to safeguard protect and restore our waters, and look ahead to the next 50 years and to protecting our legacy of high-quality waters for generations to come. 

If you’ve never been to one of these conventions, you can get a taste of the content by visiting https://wisconsinwaterweek.

org/home/lakes-and-rivers-convention/. 

The six-county meeting is set for Friday morning, July 12, at Nicolet College. This meeting has been growing in popularity, and last year a record 183 people attended from the counties of Oneida, Vilas, Forest, Iron, Langlade and Lincoln.

The highlight of last year’s meeting was a panel discussion featuring those responsible for enforcing the laws that help keep our lakes and streams safe and healthy. Panelists included county zoning officials, a sheriff’s deputy, and DNR boating safety and conservation officers.

You can expect another panel discussion this year, topic to be decided. In fact, the meeting is in its early planning stages. One likely area of focus is around things any lake property owner or lake visitor can do to help maintain the excellent water resources we have here in the northern part of Wisconsin.

I always learn a lot at both of these meetings, but for me the highlight is getting to meet others who love the lakes and are willing to invest time, money and energy to protect them. In a way these meeting are like family reunions, bringing like-minded people together twice a year to share ideas, struggles, frustrations, accomplishments.

So, outside my living room windows there’s an ice desert. But I can cheer up look forward to two of my favorite events of every lake year.

Ted Rulseh is a writer, author and lake advocate who lives on Birch Lake in Oneida County. His new book, “Ripple Effects,” has been released by UW Press. You can learn about it by visiting his website at https://thelakeguy.net.