Calm waters prevail at recent conservation partners meeting

The Vilas County Land and Water Conservation Department held its annual partners meeting last week in Boulder Junction with reports of lake and river conditions that were generally free from major controversy.
There was a wide range of discussion on topics such as shoreline restoration, water clarity, aquatic invasive species (AIS), and walleye fish population, but no single issue dominated the day. Instead, participants shared reports about ongoing conservation efforts throughout the county.

Although the event was open to the public, most attendees were affiliated with lakes and rivers associations, with support by Vilas County staff members, and by representatives from the Wisconsin DNR.

As has been the case for more than a decade, the meeting was facilitated by Cathy Higley, a long-time lake conservation specialist for the county. The atmosphere was informal and educational with slide presentations followed by a 90-minute open forum where attendees exchanged thoughts about conservation challenges.
Higley opened the meeting with a discussion about a recent boat decontamination program to prevent the spread of AIS from lake to lake. The program consisted of more than 100 hours of pressure washing boats using hot water at select landings on the lakes of Plum, Star, Trout, and Big Muskellunge. She also said that 2026 saw priority Eurasian water milfoil monitoring on four lakes of the Manitowish Chain.

While the control of water milfoil has been a long-standing concern in the region, most attendees in the room did not consider it as their highest priority. They universally acknowledged, however, its presence and the need for regular treatment and monitoring activity.

One of the presentations, with a topic of surprise to some, came from Katie Hein, a research scientist at the UW-Madison Trout Lake Station. Hein addressed the possibility of Eurasian water milfoil as a successful habitat for aquatic life. She said water milfoil is widespread and while total eradication may not be a realistic goal, early scientific studies have shown that with limited density, it can actually play a role in a healthy lake environment. Hein said that juvenile bluegills, for example, were spotted in high numbers in some of the test areas, but that studies are ongoing and not yet conclusive.

Another topic addressed through a presentation format came from a former DNR wildlife toxicologist, Mike Meyer. He spoke about the LoonWatch program at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in Ashland, which tracks common loons and their aquatic habitats through monitoring and research.

Of special note, according to Meyer, is that although loons can live beyond 30 years, one of the primary causes of early death in the region is through lead toxicity from fishing tackle. He encouraged the use of non-lead tackle as an inexpensive and easy way for the public to make a difference. Meyer said more information on loon health and migration patterns will become available in the near future as recently collected data is compiled and new population surveys are completed.

John Heusinkveld is a conservation outreach specialist at Northwoods Land Trust. He presented information at the meeting explaining how to assist property owners wanting to donate land to be undisturbed, or to set up a conservation easement on portions of a land parcel.

This would permanently save natural resources and protect the easement zone from future development. Once the easement is executed, the land can still be sold or passed down to heirs, but the easement terms will always be attached to the deed.

Northwoods Land and Trust was also among a group of exhibitors available to meeting attendees during a break after the slide presentations. Each had brochures or information packets available related to water quality and shoreline restoration. Following this period, each attendee had the opportunity to share the status of their rivers and lakes with the group, and to share ideas for conservation methods.

One of the creative solutions discussed was related to the removal of Eurasian water milfoil. Instead of discarding the waste, one of the attendees explained how to use the extracted material as mulch to be donated to entities in the county. There was another suggested idea to incorporate no wake zones with clear signage designating the fact that the zone is for “critical habitat areas” in sensitive portions of lakes. Bob Krueger representing North and South Twin Lakes also gave an update on the high counts of muskie and walleye in these popular fishing lakes. He reported no watermilfoil treatments in 2026, but said growth has been spotted on the smaller southern lake.

The most common topic discussed in the open session was the use of Clean Boats Clean Waters, which had universal approval as an effective communication program to control the spread of AIS. This is accomplished through boat inspections looking for sources of plant contamination at boat landings.

Much of the work on this program has been performed by volunteers, something important according to Higley.

“We definitely appreciate our dedicated volunteers,” she said. Higley pointed out that there are hundreds of volunteers throughout the county. “We honestly wouldn’t be here without them, and our lakes, rivers, and shorelines are better because of their efforts.”

One topic not addressed much at the partners meeting was destruction caused by wake boats. This was a hot button issue in previous meetings, but most of the lakes and rivers associations have found ways to minimize the negative impact through town ordinances and communication efforts. As with Eurasian water milfoil, this is still an important issue with high awareness levels.

In the end, Higley said the partners meeting is important to the county, and for getting things done at the local level.

“This meeting connects a lot of people with shared goals of clean water and healthy shorelines, and it is a great avenue to share best practices to achieving those goals.”