The Wisconsin Lakeshore Restoration Project

For many of us, our lakeshore represents the sweep of one’s heart, a place filled with memories of growing up, catching fish, watching frogs, and whiling away the sweet summer days. However, during the past few decades especially, the domestication of our shoreland buffers has altered the character of our shores in damaging ways. This fact was highlighted in the 2007 Environmental Protection Agency’s National Lakes Assessment. But do not despair, change is afoot! Shoreline property owners are returning their shorelines to a natural state. Their shoreland rehabilitation projects have come in all shapes and sizes. They have ranged from minimalist efforts that let the shore restore naturally to more sophisticated treatments that involve significant planning, bioengineering or other erosion control treatments, and installation of substantial native plant material. Over the last five years researchers working with the Wisconsin Lakeshore Restoration Project have been trying to get some answers related to the effectiveness of this shoreland restoration work. They seek to quantify the ecological and water quality benefits associated with buffer renewal by measuring the value of fish and wildlife habitat restoration. It is a collaborative partnership that includes shoreland property owners, lake groups, state and county agencies, local plant nurseries, academia, media outlets, and other partners. The project compares and contrasts habitat and water quality data between developed and undeveloped lakes that were identified by Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource researchers for the study. These pairings of lakes share similar lake characteristics like chemistry, size, type, morphology, and landscape positioning. Through the project partnership, four developed lakes in the study are getting significant stretches of shoreland buffer restored—1000+ linear feet. Baseline data from these lakes is then compared to untreated controlled sites on the same lake and to reference sites on undeveloped lakes. This project started in 2007 with several shoreland buffer restorations on Found Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin, U.S.A. and it has continued on with sites on Moon Lake in 2008, and other Vilas County lakes in 2009 and 2010. A blueprint for success involving ten time-tested themes of effective shoreland rehabilitation gleaned from this project and others around the state will also be shared. These themes are transferable to other lake enthusiasts interested in practicing the emerging art and science of shoreland rehabilitation.