Vilas County is a special place Remarkably, Vilas County has one the highest concentration of inland fresh water on the planet.

It has over 1,300 lakes and other water bodies within its boundaries, higher than any other county in Wisconsin and nearly 10% of the state's lakes.

More than 1/3 of Vilas County's surface is wet (open water plus wetlands)! The beauty and recreational value of our waters drive our economy Whether you live, work or play here, chances are you were drawn to Vilas County by its beautiful lakes and rivers!

Our amazing waters not only inspire us — they connect us! Did you know that waterfront properties provides 3/4 of Vilas County’s property tax revenue1 – the highest of any Wisconsin county, and that tourism fueled by our amazing waters contributed $380 million of economic impact to Vilas in 2023?

Only Door and Sauk County have higher per capita tourist impacts.2 SOURCE: 1) Vilas County Land & Water Conservation 2) industry.travelwisconsin.com/research/economic-impact

VILAS COUNTY'S FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT!

In Vilas County, our lives and livelihoods are intimately tied to our lakes and related ecosystems, which are central to our economy.

When our natural waters thrive, our Vilas communities can thrive. Conversely, not protecting our natural waters could have potentially devastating consequences for the future of our economy.

That's why we all have a stake in preserving our amazing lake and river heritage. We must do our part to protect our precious lakes & rivers Water is by far our most valuable natural resource, supplying plentiful clean drinking water, as well as substantial recreation and tourism.

However, our lakes, rivers, wetlands and groundwater are components of a coupled ecosystem – what impacts the health of one effects the others. Keeping our waters healthy is an imperative Sandy soils and a shallow groundwater table naturally make Vilas waters highly susceptible to contamination and pollution.

Increased development, the spread of invasive species, the erosion of regulatory protections, plus climate change are some of the factors challenging these efforts to preserve our beautiful lake and river heritage. ◆    stabilizes the soil & reduces runoff and erosion,
◆    takes up nutrients harmful to the lake,
◆    provides essential habitat, and
◆   increases a lake's resilience to climate change. for maintaining healthy water ecosystems and preserving natural beauty Shoreland buffers are essential One of the most important ways lake property owners can help protect our lakes is to maintain or restore native shoreland vegetation, which Do this instead and maintain at least a 35’ deep shoreland buffer of native vegetation (native plants, shrubs and trees)! Thank you for your attention! Enjoy our amazing lakes and rivers – responsibly!

To learn more ways you can protect our Vilas waters, visit our website: VCLRA.org.

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