ANNUAL REPORT 2000

Aug 10, 2000 

The Chetek Chain of Lakes may once again be in line for a watershed project. That was the information that Dale Hanson of the Barron County Land Conservation Department told members of the Chetek Lakes Protection Association (CLPA) at their annual meeting held Sunday afternoon at Pokegama Inn Supper Club. There were over 90 members of the CLPA attending the meeting where Hanson was one of the featured speakers.
The Chetek Chain of Lakes had been in line for a watershed cleanup project a few years ago - in 1995 an application was made and in 1996 the county was informed that the project would be funded in 1997. Just two months later funding for such projects dried up and the work on the Chetek Chain was scrapped along with many others when a moratorium was imposed on all new watershed projects by the state.  According to Hanson, such projects were very popular with the people of the state who could see improvements in water quality from watershed projects that had been completed. Therefore, a redesign of the program was started and that is where the Chetek Chain is going now.|

A Land and Watershed Resource Management Plan was recently completed in the county and is undergoing revision and will be submitted to Madison by October of this year. If approved by the state, and If funding becomes available, there will be three projects in Barron County in coming years.  The first of these watershed projects will be Lake Desair, which should start in 2002. Desair is a small, 81-acre lake located in the northwest corner of Rice Lake Township. The lake, which has an average depth of 17 feet and a maximum depth of 33 feet, has no incoming or outgoing streams and has a rather small watershed area feeding it, but is in need of immediate help. The Chetek Chain, meanwhile, has a watershed area of 13x20 miles, or 190 square miles that equates to 121,600 acres. Watershed projects would be established for Pokegama and Ten Mile Creek to begin in 2003, and a second project centered around Rice Creek and Prairie Lake to begin in 2005. 
Hanson said that according to a report issued by Barr Engineering following an extensive study of the Chetek Lakes, with a major portion of the funding for that study coming from the CLPA, much of the runoff of pollutants, mainly phosphorus, enters the Chetek Chain of Lakes from these incoming waters. Phosphorus is deemed to be the culprit that enhances the growth of weeds and algae in the local lakes. The watershed projects will be in place for a number of years for each of the three noted above. Hanson said that the Hay River and Yellow River watershed projects, which were undertaken prior to the 1997 moratorium, were both 8-10 years in length.  Hanson told the audience that the Chetek Chain of Lakes will never be the pristine clear-water lakes that so many people would like to see. When pressed by a member of the audience just how much improvement could be expected, the figure 45% cleaner was given out.

Other speakers Sunday afternoon included President Jerry Zehner, Assemblywoman Mary Hubler (D-Rice Lake), and First Vice President Gary Fredrickson.
Assemblywoman Mary Hubler, who has represented the 75th District of Wisconsin in the State Assembly since 1984, spoke briefly on several environmental issues that are up before the legislature at this time.  Hubler said that the state has done a good job on surface water runoff in recent years, but there is still a serious problem with nonpoint source pollution of our lakes and streams. Nonpoint source pollution includes pollutants that get into our water system from many different unspecified places within a watershed, unlike point source pollution which would be similar to a pipe emptying pollutants directly into a lake or river.
The legislature recently directed the Departments of Natural Resources and Agriculture to come up with some rules pertaining to runoff. Hearings have been held throughout the state at various locations with over 2,000 people speaking out on the many topics. Typically, according to Hubler, environmentalists want more rules set while farmers and businesses want less.  Hubler said that we are still a year or more away from putting these rules into law, and that the major stumbling block is to find the funding necessary to put these rules into force and pay for a major portion of the associated costs, estimated to be in the neighborhood of $2 billion dollars. She said the state does not have that kind of money available, in fact there is a $1 billion shortfall in moneys available for programs already in place.  While Hubler said the state will not put the rules into force until the money is available to pay for them, she added "It will cost a lot of money, but will be a wise investment for our children and grandchildren in Wisconsin for years to come."

Gary Fredrickson spoke on activities undertaken by the CLPA on the local lakes this past year. He said that several CLPA volunteers helped take out the aeration system on north Prairie Lake on March 23 in 74-degree temperatures this past spring, the earliest date on record that the aerators have been taken out. CLPA
members take out the more than a mile of rope, poles and signs for storage until they are needed once again next winter. The aerators are used to put oxygen into the water to help prevent winter fish kills such as the one that was experienced in 1992. 
Water clarity on the Chetek Chain remains poor during the summer months of June, July and August, when the average depth on the secchi disc readings is just 2.75 feet. Several volunteers from the CLPA take these readings throughout the summer months including George and Stella Hunter on Pokegama Lake, Bob
August on Chetek Lake, Marlin Freyholz on Ojaski Lake, Gene Ehlinger on Ten Mile Lake, and Gary Fredrickson on Prairie Lake. 
Fredrickson said that experiments are underway with satellite imaging where readings are coordinated with satellites and ground crews on specified dates and times, and if it is found that the satellite readings are accurate with those done by personnel on the lakes, it may be possible to eliminate the secchi disc readings in years to come.
There were four permits issued by the DNR for chemical spraying this summer, with three of those on Prairie Lake and the fourth on Pokegama. All of the spraying was contracted through one commercial company. Fredrickson said that permits were issued for seven fishing tournaments on the Chetek Chain of Lakes this year including two ice fishing tourneys and the rest since ice-out. Permits are required when there are to be 20 or more boats or 40 or more participants.
118,000 tiny walleyes were scatter planted by CLPA and other volunteers this summer in Prairie, Chetek, Ojaski and Pokegama Lakes. Estimates are that 80% of the walleye fry planted into the lakes will grow to fingerling size, and just 7% of those fingerlings will grow to maturity or legal catching size. Therefore it is expected that the Chetek Chain will have 8,000 more mature walleyes in 2/3 years for male fish and 4/5 years for females. 
Estimates are that just 10% of fish naturally spawned will grow to fingerling size, so of a comparable number of 118,000 just 1400 would grow to adult size. 
Spearing of fish continues to be a non-factor on the Chetek Chain - just six walleyes were speared by native Americans this past spring, compared to 0 fish last year, 77 in 1998 and 44 in 1997. 
Fredrickson said that DNR wardens have been on the local lakes 14 times since April 1, resulting in 20 boating citations and 18 fishing citations. In addition, the Barron County Sheriff's Department has had a patrol on the water about 1-1/2 days per month with seven citations issued. Fredrickson said that the well-publicized case where a pair of fishermen took home 146 fish over the limit this summer could result in a $2100 fine per person and the loss of three years of fishing rights in Wisconsin. 
Fish-O-Rama continues to be very popular in Chetek with 47% of the 439 tagged fish being caught in 1999 and $13,000 paid out in cash prizes. So far this year 115 of the 472 tagged fish have been caught, and only nine of the 42 $500 fish having been caught to date.

CLPA President Jerry Zehner showed a slide developed by the Land Conservation Department office showing the area taken up by the Chetek lakes and rivers prior to the building of the first Chetek Dam in 1863, and the area now under water and making up the Chetek Chain of Lakes since that dam was put in. The 121,600 acre watershed pours 73,000 gallons of water per minute into the Chetek Chain, or 39 billion gallons of water per year. The lakes hold upwards of 11 billion gallons of water, resulting in flushing of the lakes three times per year. Zehner said he is continually asked if it is okay to use lake water for irrigating gardens and yards, with the answer being yes. He said the DNR encourages such watering because the lake water is warm and therefore does not result in shocking the plants being watered, and phosphorus is taken out of the lakes and used as fertilizers for yards and gardens.

A clip was shown from KARE-11 TV in the twin cities concerning the moving of the bog from the mouth of Rice Creek this spring to a location near Veterans Park in north Prairie Lake where it is now anchored down. 

The treasurer's report, presented by CLPA Treasurer Don Freeman, showed a balance of $19,863.38. $3,610.00 was collected in dues throughout the past year, and another $4,462.00 in donations from individuals and local municipalities and businesses. While there are no definite plans for this money at this time, it is expected that much of it will be earmarked toward the upcoming watershed projects as needed.

Unanimous voice votes were accepted for the re-election of Jerry Zehner as President and Gary Fredrickson as First Vice President of the CLPA by those present at the meeting. Both were re-elected for two-year terms. Other officers and directors present at the meeting were Bob August, second vice president; Don Freeman, treasurer; Judy Reichert, secretary; and Paul Lange and Chris Carlson, directors. All officers also serve on the board of directors.

During the question and answer period following the meeting, two Ten Mile Lake area residents presented samples of water taken from the lake and asked what could be done to clean up those waters. Problems with droppings from large populations of geese and waterfowl were also cited. Suggestions were also made
that weed cutters should be used in the Chetek Chain.

Next year's annual meeting will again be held the first Sunday in August at a location to be announced.