Lake Wissota Stewardship Project

Overview

The Lake Wissota Stewardship Project (LWSP) began in 2009 as the Little Lake Wissota Stewardship Project (LLWSP). The LLWSP was a pilot project, a public/private partnership between the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company and the Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forest Management Department.

Leinenkugel’s committed $50,000 per year plus in-kind support for seven years, allowing the county to fund staff and projects to prove that planned conservation methods would have a positive effect on water quality. The purpose was to encourage water conservation and stewardship to improve the water quality of the little lake. The environmental goals included reducing the runoff of phosphorus into the lake, keeping the lake swimmable and fishable, and generally increasing the number of recreational user days.

Other partners and supporters included LWIPA, area business and corporations, the Community Foundations of Chippewa County, and the state agencies of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the UW-Extension, as well as area Boy Scouts.

Leinie’s hoped to encourage community support and to be a bridge to long-term implementation of project goals. During the project life 2009-2017, more than 245 acres of stream buffers were installed along streams in the watershed that entered the little lake and some 50,650 trees were planted. Leinie’s sponsored tree planting events through their “Canoes for a Cause” program, in which community members were encouraged to participate. Ultimately these efforts were a success in reducing the amount of phosphorus entering the lake, which reduced the amount of algae, resulting in twelve more clear water days per year.

At the conclusion of this phase of the project, efforts were made to continue the project as LWSP and expand the boundaries to also include Moon Bay and the Yellow River watershed. “Nine Key Element Plans” were developed for the Little Lake and Moon Bay to define long term goals. Leinie’s and the county agreed to roll over the remaining fund from LLWSP into the LWSP. In addition, LWIPA raised $250,000 in pledged funds from business corporations, charitable foundations, individual donors and townships to extend the project for at least five additional years.

Goals of the expanded project included encouraging landowners in the watershed to continue to reduce runoff of nutrients into the lake by installing stream buffers, sediment basins, and other conservation practices on the land. A recent emphasis has been planting cover crops, a farming practice that protects ground and surface water, improves soil quality, and reduces fertilizer costs.

Components of the LWSP include:

1. Conservation on the land
   • Stream buffers, tree plantings, sediment basins, wetland restoration - all to reduce the runoff of nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium) that feed algae plants
2. Water Quality Monitoring
   • Water quality is checked by the DNR, the Land Conservation Project Manager and interns, as well as volunteers through the Citizen Science Lake Monitoring Network. Staff of Beaver Creek Reserve train volunteers to check water clarity, water chemistry, and temperature at locations on the lake. Several Boy Scout Troops also monitor water quality.
   • Volunteers also checked phosphorus on Paint Creek, Yellow River, Big and LIttle Drywood Creeks and other Lake Wissota tributaries.
   • Lakeshore residents have been encouraged to check the water quality, at the end of their docks, on a weekly basis. Water clarity and color, along with wind and a subjective assessment is recorded as part of the “End-of-Dock-Monitoring” program.
3. Community Outreach and Education
   • Kamp Kenwood, part of Wisconsin Farmers Union, developed a watershed curriculum
   • Watershed Tours
     The community was invited to area farms to see the installed practices that reduce runoff, as well as to homes of lakeshore owners who installed rain gardens and other practices to reduce runoff into the lake
   • LWSP information is presented at public events, as well as newsletters and newspaper articles

Starting in 2022, the contract with Chippewa County Land Conservation and Forestry Management was changed to a rolling 3 year contract, renewed annually. This provides continuity that is good for landowners and grant providers. Fundraising will be done, as needed to fund the 3 year cycles.

Monitoring water quality shows that improvements have been made. Monitoring will continue with the DNR and LWIPA sampling over multiple years. We know progress will be slow, but it is being made.

You may see one of our current initiatives out on the lake this summer. We received a Lake Management grant to update an aquatic plant survey and identify the locations of invasive aquatic species. Beaver Creek Reserve staff have been contracted to complete this project. You may see them working from a pontoon that identifies them. The results of the survey will be published on the website when complete.

Thank you to all in the watershed and on the lake who have worked to reduce the nutrient runoff into the water, as well as the donors and supporters. The success of the LWSP depends on community support.