Thank you, TOSL leaders, volunteers and residents, for working to protect the Spider Chain of Lakes for future generations.  See below for the Sawyer County Record article that includes you speaking up for the lakes at the Public Hearing October 2, 2025

Spider Lake Residents Show Support For Restrictions On Wake Enhancement

Sawyer County Record Oct. 8, 2025 Celia Hiorns

A draft ordinance proposes restricting wake enhanced boating on all waters in the Town of Spider Lake.

Residents expressed overwhelming support for an ordinance that would restrict wake-enhanced boating in the Town of Spider Lake during a public hearing held last week.

“Given the town’s mission, strategy, overall goals of protecting and preserving the environment, I think it’s critical that the board move forward and implement the proposed ordinance,” one speaker said. “And I’m fully in support of that.”

Specifically, the ordinance seeks to prevent boaters from using ballast tanks or other features “to operate in a bow-high manner,” or from operating continuously at transition speed. These activities enhance a boat’s wake, producing adverse impacts on the environment and safety, according to the proposed ordinance. The rule would not prevent the use of wake boats for activities that do not create enhanced wakes.

Penalties for not complying with the ordinance would result in forfeitures of $500 for the first offense and $1,000 for each subsequent offense within one year.

The ordinance was already reviewed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, as is required for ordinances that regulate boating on inland lakes under Wis. Stat. 30.77. In its Aug. 8 letter to the Town of Spider Lake, the DNR indicated that the ordinance is in compliance with state statutes. The town then had 60 days to hold a public hearing on the ordinance.

Seven in-person and online speakers each spoke in favor of the ordinance. Residents pointed to environmental hazards and safety concerns as some of the top issues with wake-enhanced boating.

Prior to the drafting of the ordinance restricting wake-enhanced boating, the Town of Spider Lake Board of Supervisors assembled an ad hoc committee to research the impacts of all boating activities on the town’s lakes, according to the ordinance condition report sent to the DNR.

Some of the environmental impacts of wake-enhanced boating as documented by the committee included shoreline erosion, destruction of fish spawning beds and increased water turbidity.

Ad hoc committee chair Bob Berkopec said during the hearing that the research found little to no evidence that suggested wake-enhanced activities were safe for the environment. He emphasized that it’s not the boats themselves but how they’re used to generate large wakes that can be destructive.

Another resident, Jay Hoeschler, said while he personally enjoys some wake-enhanced activities like wake boarding, he thinks it should be confined to larger water bodies like Lake Superior.

“It’s a wonderful activity but it’s clear to us ... this is not the lake to do it at,” he said. “And any of the lakes we have in Spider Lake, this is not the proper place.”

Other speakers worried about the long-term impacts of environmental degradation caused by enhanced wakes. Multiple speakers shared they had years- or decades-long ties to the Spider Chain of Lakes — a natural resource they hope can endure to future generations.

“In my opinion, the greatest danger to the health of our lakes is the wake surfing activity and the enhanced wake creation,” said Tom Oatman, another speaker who served on the ad-hoc boating committee.

Another concern raised by residents included the impacts of enhanced wake boating to other lake users. Speakers pointed out how enhanced wakes can prevent people from being able to enjoy the lake while paddle boarding, kayaking, sailing or otherwise boating without an engine.

One property owner said without enhanced wake boating, his property already experiences high levels of erosion. Enhanced wake activities only make the impacts greater.

Hoeschler described wake-enhanced boating as “vandalizing” the lakes, which he said is unfair to property owners. He added the community and local government has invested a lot of money over the past 10 years to maintain lake quality and he was in support of the proposed ordinance’s goal to uphold that effort.

Johnson also summarized the 16 written comments he received over email about the proposed ordinance. Fifteen of them reflected similar sentiments to those shared during the public hearing. The remaining written comment suggested a compromise to allow wake-enhanced activities at certain depths or distances from the shore.

At least 63 Wisconsin municipalities have ordinances regulating wake-enhanced activities, according to Last Wilderness Alliance. That total includes some municipalities in Sawyer County such as the Towns of Hayward, Round Lake and Bass Lake.

The Town of Spider Lake Board will now take into consideration public comments as supervisors prepare to vote on whether to enact the ordinance. Johnson said that would take place during a special board meeting, likely scheduled for late October.

https://www.apg-wi.com/sawyer_county_record/paywall/spider-lake-residents-show-support-for-restrictions-on-wake-enhancement/article_965404d4-02c7-43a9-9843-89534e1fabcf.html

LEARN MORE:

NEWS pages of SCLA Website:

8/15/25:  "WDNR Clears the Way...." (links TOSL Submission/ColorMap)

9/26/25:  "Restricting Wake Enhancement...." (links BOAHC report & Summary)

HIGHEST QUALITY LAKE Classification Helped Drive Recommendation to Ban Wake Enhancements

Spider Chain of Lakes is among 97 Wisconsin lakes (out of 15,000 - 17,000 depending on data source) with "OUTSTANDING RESOURCE WATERS" classification.  Fewer than 1% of state lakes are in this highest water quality class.  

The rare, unique high water quality helped drive the recommendation to ban wake surfing on the Spider Chain of Lakes

BACKGROUND

On February 26, 2025 the TOSL Boating Ordinance Ad Hoc Committee (BOAHC) leaders presented a robust set of key findings and recommendations to the Town Board of Supervisors.  The committee was charged with reviewing the TOSL boating ordinance to:

• Ensure and maintain public health & safety
• Protect and preserve natural resources
• Understand fiscal and legal impacts

The BOAHC was asked to inform Town Supervisors:

• Whether and in what areas the current ordinance needs revision
• Whether separate ordinances are needed for different bodies of water
• Best methods of enforcement
• For Spider Lake Chain: How best to share, schedule, regulate recreation on the lake for individuals with diverse interests.

Committee members used a fact based, data driven process and divided  due diligence work across published research and community input.  The 56 slides presented at the meeting highlighted a summary of the deep-dives into a vast array of information on the topic. 

RECOMMENDATIONS (Driven by Highest Quality Lake Designation... Fewer than 1% of Wisconsin Lakes are designated "Outstanding Resource Waters" - Spider Chain of Lakes is Among Them)

Impact on Spider Chain of Lakes:

• Immediately enact an ordinance to prohibit wake surfing and all activities that use “enhanced wakes” in the Town of Spider Lake
• Retain the hours for water skiing on the Spider Chain of Lakes:  11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Enforcement:  focus on education, evaluation of key components, and implementation of a plan that meets the needs of the town

Impact on Other Lakes:

• Designate Ghost Lake as a quiet lake
• Retain the current 10 m.p.h. speed limit
• Place WDNR approved “slow no wake” buoys in critical areas on Lost Land and Teal lakes

One of the main drivers of the recommendations is the uniquely high water quality of town lakes: 

FIVE LAKES in the town (TOSL) are designated “High Quality Waters,” 

TWO (Spider Chain of Lake and Teal Lake) are designated “Outstanding Resource Waters.”

It is far more effective to protect and preserve outstanding and high water quality than it is to restore it after damaging it. 

Reach out to Town officials to share your thoughts on the recommendations - Send email: Clerk@TownOfSpiderLakeWi.gov

For a PDF copy of the BOAHC presentation click here.  Thank you to all members who served on the committee. Your service to our community is appreciated by all who value this uniquely pristine chain of lakes and its neighboring high quality lakes!   

LAKE OWEN and other high quality lakes in our area have protection from wake enhanced activity.  The towns of Drummond, Cable, Round Lake and Hayward have already passed ordinances that restrict it.  For a copy of the Lake Owen related ordinance click here.

NEXT STEPS:  Spider Lake Town Board of Supervisors will review, deliberate and vote on Ordinance 2025-1. After overwhelming support for restrictions at the 10/2/25 Public Hearing, it will likely be approved by the board.  To stay current subscribe to Town updates here.

See how wake surfing affects lakes: Video here.

On September 11, 2025 Judge Isham granted the Town of Spider Lake motion to dismiss the lawsuit against the town to remove 50 years of Quiet Hours on town lakes. 

In her judgement to dismiss the lawsuit, the judge ruled that the plaintiff ("Boating Club") had not proven harm nor standing their arguments.

Thank you, Town of Spider Lake Supervisors, for working to defend the Northwoods Character of town lakes, and preserve 50 years of the compromise made for the Spider Chain of Lakes, to create both quiet hours and recreational hours for all.

WHAT CAN I DO IF I DO NOT LIKE A BOATING INDUSTRY WAKESPORTS BILL

SCLA is a member of Wisconsin Lakes.  Below are thoughts on what you can do to act proactively on the boating industry wakesports bill, Although the proposed bill was not introduced on Aug. 25, it may be introduced in the future.  

By Wisconsin Lakes staff - Aug 24, 2025 (Goto WisconsinLakes.org>Lake Policy or  here for more info)

An industry wakesports bill could drop at any time. How should I be prepared and what can I do when it does?

Communicating your opinion on an issue in the right way at the right time is the most effective way to stop a bill you do not like. Follow this handy guide for how you can help prevent meaningless or even harmful legislation regarding the impacts of wakesports make it through to becoming law.

The boating industry is working hard to get legislation introduced in Wisconsin that will do nothing to lessen the impact of wakesports on lakes, if not cause outright harm or strip local governments of authority to control those impacts on their own lakes. While we don’t know exactly when it will drop or what form that bill will take, it’s important to be ready to take action – indeed to start taking action now, if you haven’t already – to prevent subpar legislation from becoming law in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Lakes will do its best to keep you informed of what is happening legislatively on this front, and mobilize you when necessary. But in the meantime, here are some thoughts on what you can be preparing to do, and even do right now:

BEFORE INTRODUCTION: DISCOURAGE YOUR LEGISLATORS FROM CO-SPONSORING

Before a bill is officially introduced as legislation into the legislative session, its authors send it around to all legislators seeking cosponsors. If a bill is introduced with a bunch of names attached to it, it’s perceived as being well-supported and has a better chance of making it to the Governor. Usually the authors of a bill give a week or two for colleagues to decide whether to sign on, though it can be just a matter of a day or days in some cases. We usually get a heads up when a memo for cosponsorship goes out and we’ll do our best to let you know when that happens and what the deadline is for legislators to sign on.

~ What you can do…

You can let your legislators know today what you do and do not support, even if a bill hasn’t been circulated for co-sponsorship yet! Communicating with them ahead of time gives them a heads up on how their constituents feel about an issue, and you can refer to your previous communication when the co-sponsorship memo is circulated and you reach out to them again.

When the co-sponsorship memo goes out, contact your legislators and discourage them from signing onto the bill.

AFTER INTRODUCTION: LET YOUR OWN LEGISLATORS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS KNOW OF YOUR OPPOSITION

Bills are introduced separately into both the Assembly and the Senate and then assigned to committees who will decide whether the bill moves forward in their respective bodies. This is prime time for influencing the bill and the best place to stop it in its tracks!

~ What you can do…

You can let your own legislators, the legislators in whose district your lake lies, and the members of the committees to which the bill is assigned know that you do not support the bill and ask them to oppose it. You can even ask the chairs of the committees to forgo holding a public hearing, a necessary step in moving the bill forward. In your communication, consider including not just a statement of opposition, but also a statement of what you would support.

IF A HEARING IS SCHEDULED

Once a bill is assigned to Assembly and Senate committees, each committee chair gets to decide if and when the bill will receive a public hearing. The committee cannot vote for or against moving the bill to the full house of the legislature until a public hearing has been held (though not holding a hearing prevents the bill from moving forward, giving the committee chair significant control over its progress). Once a hearing has been held, the legislative process provides no other time where citizens can publicly weigh in on the bill (of course you can continue to have private conversations with lawmakers). This is a VERY important step in influencing a bill.

~ What you can do…

You could attend the hearing and register your opposition. Usually held in the capitol in Madison, hearings are a chance for legislators to hear from the public. You can choose to testify to the committee or simply fill out a form that registers your opinion. You can also provide written testimony that will go into the public record of that hearing. If a lot of people want to testify, the committee chair might put a time limit on testimony from individuals, though that can get extended if committee members ask questions of the person giving testimony.

If you can’t get to Madison for the hearing, you can still communicate directly with committee members. Sometimes those comments will be placed into the record of the hearing, though committee chairs do not have to allow that and many do not. Even if they don’t, you’ve at least provided comments to the members of the committee to consider. If possible, get those comments to committee members before the public hearing. Even if they are not entered into the record, a committee member might mention something you brought up when engaging with someone giving testimony.

IF IT PASSES OUT OF COMMITTEE

Once a bill passes out of its Assembly and/or Senate committees it can be taken up by that body. The bill must pass both the Assembly and Senate to move onto the Governor.

Unfortunately, once a bill moves onto the full legislature, it becomes much more difficult to influence whether it passes or not. At that point, it is up to the Assembly and Senate leadership to decide whether to put the bill onto the calendar for a vote.

~ What you can do…

Continue to communicate your opposition to the bill to your legislators.

Contact the Governor’s office and encourage him to veto the bill if it passes out of the legislature. Contacting him before it passes does a couple of things. First, it gives the governor’s staff notice to be watching for this bill and that there is opposition to it that warrants veto consideration. Second, if the legislature knows that a gubernatorial veto is likely, they may choose not to bother passing the bill in the first place!

IF THE LEGISLATURE PASSES THE BILL

Once both houses of the legislature pass a bill, it goes to the Governor to either be signed into law or vetoed.

~ What you can do…

If you haven’t already (and even if you have), contact the Governor’s office and encourage him to veto the bill.

Some notes on contacting legislators:

SPIDER LAKE LEGISLATORS:  

Chanz Green (Assembly Distr. 74): 608.237.9174  Rep.Green@Legis.Wisconsin.gov

Romaine Quinn (Sen. Distr. 25)  608.266.3510  Sen.Quinn@Legis.Wisconsin.gov

If you need to find who your legislators are, go to https://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/

If you need to find out who is on a specific committee, go to legis.wisconsin.gov, click on “committees” and find the page for the committee you are looking for;

Every legislator likes to communicate differently. Some prefer emails. Some react more strongly to postcards or letters. If possible, try to use different ways to communicate – e.g. start with an email, but the next time call their office directly;

Don’t be afraid to speak with the legislator’s staff. Staff often knows more detail about a bill and how constituents feel about it than the legislator, and can be an important entry point to the office to get your opinion heard;

Regardless of how you are communicating, do so politely, concisely, and be willing to listen to them if they come back with their own thoughts on the issue. You may not agree with what they are saying, but just like anyone, legislators and staff are more likely to react well to you if they feel listened to and understood.

News from Wisconsin Lakes (the association of Wisconsin lake associations of which SCLA is a member):

Wisconsin Lakes is proud to announce the hiring of Ben Wojahn (pronounced Woah-yahn) as its next Executive Director!

Ben will take over fully from current Executive Director Michael Engleson starting in October 2025.

Ben comes to Wisconsin Lakes with a deep history rooted in County Land & Water Conservation Departments. He has served primarily as the County Conservationist for Vernon County, and also has experience in Taylor, Ashland, and Bayfield Counties. He's also has been active on the board and integral in the successful redevelopment of Wisconsin Land + Water (a statewide nonprofit organization that serves County Conservation Departments similar to how Wisconsin Lakes serves Wisconsin lake organizations) since 2010.

“We were excited to see his experience working with farmers and conservation projects, his strong partnerships and experience throughout the state, and most importantly, his passion for the Lakes of Wisconsin” stated Susan Trier, President of Wisconsin Lakes. Ben’s experience gives voice to Luna Leopold’s insightful observation: ‘Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of “how we live on the land.’”

Learn more about Ben on our blog post on his announcement

Ben can be reached at bwojahn@wisconsinlakes.org.

Photos and recaps of 2025 Summer events are now posted on the "Members>Event Recaps page.  Login to view.  Forgot your password?  Click Forgot Password!

Two dates are set in the 2nd lawsuit against the Town of Spider Lake to throw out 50 years of quiet hours on the Spider Chain of Lakes and its neighboring "Quiet Lakes" including Teal Lake.  

September 11, 2025 is the current date for the next hearing.   September 25, 2025 is the date for court trial (if the case is not dismissed on September 11).

Both are scheduled for the courtroom of Circuit Judge Monica Isham, at the Hayward, Wisconsin courthouse (Branch 2).

Thank you, Town Supervisors, for defending and protecting the lakes for all!!

On Aug. 8, 2025 the WDNR sent its "Ordinance Review Letter-Restricting Certain Artificial Wake Enhancement"  to the Town of Spider Lake.  The letter clears the way for next steps to implementing the proposed ordinance to restrict wake surfing on all lakes in the town, including the Spider Chain of Lakes. 

Thank you, town leaders, for your work to protect the high quality waters of the Spider Chain and the Quiet Lakes!

LEARN MORE:

1. For a copy of the package submitted to the WDNR including the proposed ordinance click here.

2. For a COLOR copy of APPENDIX 3 to the WDNR submitted package (slides that help explain rationale for restricting artificial wake enhancement) click here.

3.  For a copy of the WDNR "Ordinance Review Letter--Restricting Certain Artificial Wake Enhancement" date 8.8.25 click here.

For an update on the WDNR sponsored Musky Research Project go to the FISHERIES page of the website. 

Scroll down the Fisheries Page for the poster for all to share (FRIDGE POSTER!) to help guide folks who catch a tagged fish (or CLICK HERE)

Thank you to the 30 SCLA member families who donated to this exciting, long term project.  To donate, contact Max Wolter directly: Max.Wolter@Wisconsin.gov