Legislation

Wakeboats now regulated in Vermont; WI overwhelmingly favors restrictions…

After a nearly two-year heated debate, rules restricting wakeboats on Vermont waterways are now in effect. As of April 15th, a wake boat can only operate in a wake sports zone: an area of at least 50 acres, at least 20 feet deep, 200 feet wide and 500 feet from shore.

Here in Wisconsin, participants in the annual poll by the Wisconsin Conservation Congress overwhelmingly supported statewide restrictions on wakeboats and the regulation of ballasted wakesports. Responses to the wake related questions were as follows:

Would you support the WCC and legislature creating a new statute that prohibits the use of wake boat ballast systems on Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers?

  • YES – 10,608 (66%)
  • NO – 4,193 (26%)
  • NO OPINION – 1,370 (8%)
  • The question passed in all 72 counties

Would you support regulations by DNR to require that all ballast systems used in boats shall have a reasonable practical means of inspecting the system to confirm that no water is retained in the system (tanks, piping, valves, etc.)?

  • YES – 10,016 (63%)
  • NO – 4,228 (26%)
  • NO OPINION – 1,771 (11%)
  • The question passed in 71 of 72 counties

Would you support the WCC and legislature modifying existing statutes to prohibit generation of intentionally magnified wakes for wake surfing through the use of ballast, design features, operational procedures or any other means on lakes smaller than 1500 acres and less than 20 feet deep and maintain a distance from shore and other lake users of 700 feet?

  • YES – 10,895 (68%)
  • NO – 3,804 (24%)
  • NO OPINION – 1,288 (8%)
  • The question passed in all 72 counties

A more in-depth article on the WCC results by Wisconsin Lakes may be found here.

General interest

Annual Spring Hearing and Public Input Opportunity: Wakesurfing

Wisconsin Conservation Congress

The Wisconsin Conservation Congress (WCC) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will once again offer their annual opportunity for the public to provide input on a variety of natural resource-related questions with an in-person opportunity April 8, 2024, at 6 p.m. in each county or online starting at noon April 10 to noon on April 13, 2024.

A list of Spring Hearing Questions can be found here. Three of the hearing questions relate to wakesurf regulation. We strongly urge you to participate in this opportunity to vote on matters of significant impact to our lakes.

Environmental Committee
32. Would you support the WCC and legislature creating a new statute that prohibits the use of wake boat ballast systems on Wisconsin’s lakes and rivers?

Motorized Recreation Committee
42.  Would you support regulations by DNR to require that all ballast systems used in boats shall have a reasonable practical means of inspecting the system to confirm that no water is retained in the system (tanks, piping, valves, etc.)?

43. Would you support the WCC and legislature modifying existing statutes to prohibit generation of intentionally magnified wakes for wake surfing through the use of ballast, design features, operational procedures or any other means on lakes smaller than 1500 acres and less than 20 feet deep and maintain a distance from shore and other lake users of 700 feet?

Background on these and other questions can be found in the list of Spring Hearing Questions link given above.

ALL 72 COUNTIES WILL HOST A SPRING HEARING. VISIT HTTPS://DNR.WI.GOV/TINY/1521 FOR LOCATION DETAILS, OR SCAN THE QR CODE BELOW. Note that the input gathered at the in-person meetings will be combined with the online input when results are presented, so both options will be weighed equally. While everyone is welcome to attend the meetings and join the discussions if possible, it is strongly recommended that individuals provide input through the online tool if possible. This allows your feedback to be gathered efficiently and helps expedite compiling the results.

To vote online, go the website listed below and follow the voting instructions.

DNR Spring Hearing Website

General interest

Six-County Lakes Meeting: UPDATE with Agenda

“Protecting Our Waters: We’re All Connected” is the theme for the annual Northwoods Six-County Lakes Meeting, set for Friday, July 12, 2024 at Nicolet College. Lake association leaders and members along with the general public will convene to learn about and discuss our interconnected water resources and our human connections to each other and to our lakes, streams, wetlands and groundwater.

A committee with representatives from Oneida, Vilas, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, and Iron counties is at work developing plans for the meeting. The program includes a five-member panel discussion on the connections among water resources and the people who use them, along with presentations on the impacts of climate change and drought on our water resources and fisheries, and the problem of PFAS in the environment.

There will also be exhibits from educational and nonprofit organizations and excellent opportunities for networking. The meeting will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon. All are welcome; there is no charge and no need to register. More details and agenda revisions will be announced as the meeting date approaches, or contact Tom Ewing at president@vclra.org.

The event is jointly sponsored by Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association (vclra.org) and Oneida County Lakes and Rivers Association (www.oclra.org).

Download press release
View Draft Agenda

Events

Northwoods Six-County Lakes Meeting Set for July 12, 2024

“Protecting Our Waters: We’re All Connected” is the theme for the annual Northwoods Six-County Lakes Meeting, set for Friday, July 12, 2024 at Nicolet College. Lake association leaders and members along with the general public will convene to learn about and discuss our interconnected water resources and our human connections to each other and to our lakes, streams, wetlands and groundwater.

A committee with representatives from Oneida, Vilas, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, and Iron counties is at work developing plans for the meeting. The program will include a five-member panel discussion on the connections among water resources and the people who use them, along with presentations on the impacts of climate change and drought on our water resources and fisheries, and the problem of PFAS in the environment.

There will also be exhibits from educational and nonprofit organizations and excellent opportunities for networking. The meeting will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon. All are welcome; there is no charge and no need to register. More details and a full agenda will be announced as the meeting date approaches, or contact Tom Ewing at president@vclra.org.

The event is jointly sponsored by Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association (vclra.org) and Oneida County Lakes and Rivers Association (www.oclra.org).

Download press release

General interest

Happy Holidays from VCLRA

We’ve worked tirelessly this year on a number of issues impacting our lakes; achieved a substantial increase in outreach to our lake families and organizations through our web and print communications; saw a record level of attendance at our multi-county lakes and rivers conference; awarded two scholarships to worthy Vilas County high school seniors; added strong, new partnerships and initiatives to protect our natural waters, and more!

There is no better time to say thank you for your unwavering support of VCLRA and all you do for our beautiful lakes and rivers.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

News

Vilas County passes zoning ordinance regulating tourist rooming houses

The Vilas County Tourist Rooming House Ordinance passed with a unanimous vote last week. This is an important tool to support protecting Vilas County lakes, rivers and ground water. Vilas now have a funded and enforceable ordinance.

Included in the ordinance are requirements limiting occupancy based on septic sizing and requiring (1) parking space per each (2) occupants plus one (1) additional.

David Sadenwasser, Vilas Zoning Administrator, plans to mail letters informing short term renters and property managers in the coming weeks.

Our thanks to the many folks that attended public hearings and provided support. We especially want to call out Len Larsen from Alma/Moon Lake District for his proactive role and keeping our VCLRA board informed and engaged through-out the process.

Please feel free to pass this information along.

A draft of the ordinance is here: 2023 Vilas County TRH Ordinance. Our understanding from Len is that this draft has the language that was approved. We will provide updates as needed.

Legislation

Wakesurfing regulators host public input sessions Nov. 13

Representative Rob Swearingen and Senator Mary Felzkowski, who have drafted wakesurfing legislation (Bill LRB-3518), as reported in our earlier posts, will be hosting listening sessions on Monday, Nov. 13 to hear input from the public. The proposed bill will allow wake boats to operate at 200 feet from shore on lakes greater than 50 acres. Moreover, the bill will include a provision to prohibit any municipality from passing local regulations that exceed the above limits.

The scheduled locations and times for the November 13th public listening sessions are:

  • Eagle River: 10-11 am, City Hall, 525 E Maple St
  • Minocqua: 1-2 pm, City Hall, 415 Menominee St
  • Rhinelander: 3-4 pm, Public Library, 106 N Stevens St

Anyone interested in providing input or learning more about the draft wakeboat legislation is urged to attend one of the Nov. 13 listening sessions.

If you cannot make the sessions, here is the contact information for the bill’s sponsors: Sen.Felzkowski@legis.wisconsin.gov and Rep.Swearingen@legis.wisconsin.gov. Also, Sen. Felzkowski has issued a statement on the draft bill (see below) with instructions how to learn of public hearing opportunities in the future.

Other resources:

NBCW

SOAR Wisconsin River Cleanup

The Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association (VCLRA) was pleased to have a dozen students and teachers from the SOAR Charter High School participate in a river cleanup last month along a stretch of the Wisconsin River near Eagle River, Wisconsin. VCLRA president Tom Ewing notes that as part of VCLRA’s commitment to preserve our natural waters for future generations, one of our joys is to see youth discover and protect our natural world.  Ann Perry, who is a teacher leader at SOAR, said that the students were happy to be involved and serve the community in a positive way. “It’s a beautiful day for this. A bit chilly, but sunny with calm water – perfect for paddling the river,” she added.

Wildwood Outdoor Adventures, which is one of the local businesses participating in VCLRA’s Northwoods Businesses for Clean Water (NBCW) initiative, sponsored the river clean-up event. NBCW is a partnership between lake experts and local businesses whose livelihood is directly tied to our lakes and rivers. Tom Ewing notes, “the NBCW mantra is clean waters – good for business, a reference to our lakes and rivers being the foundation of our Vilas economy.” NBCW businesses like Wildwood integrate lake-friendly practices into their business operations that minimize environmental impacts.

Wildwood graciously provided free of charge about a dozen canoes, kayaks, paddles and life vests used by the SOAR HS students and staff for the river cleanup. Jason and Nichole Bach are co-owners of Wildwood, one of the area’s top-rated venues, which offers paddling and tubing on area waters, nature and wildlife tours, gear, and operates a campground.

Ann Perry and Rod Sternhagen, another teacher at SOAR, accompanied the 10 students in canoes and kayaks to help keep the SOAR student crew on pace. The stretch of the Wisconsin River covered by the cleanup crew started at the County G Highway boat launch and proceeded south to the Mud Creek Landing on Watersmeet Lake off Highway 17 near the Wildwood campground. The SOAR crew covered the 4.3-mile route in about 2 ½ hours, collecting about 5 pounds of trash, plus a lot of great memories.

“I’m hoping we can make this an annual event! It’s wonderful to see area youth and a local business team up to help keep our amazing waters in great shape,” adds Tom.

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