The Vilas County Land & Water Conservation Committee will meet on Wed June 10, 2026 at 9:00 am in Room B.

Agenda June 10, 2026

Vilas County, Oneida County, and Northwoods Land Trust are holding several workshops on shorelines this summer. These workshops are for shoreline property owners or those who would like to know more about ecology or regulations involving shorelines. Or if you prefer, check out a 1 hour long recording from the Center for Land Use Education on Showing what Shoreline Zoning accomplishes.

Northwoods Land Trust Shoreland Owner Educational Events

Vilas County Shorelines 101

WI Center for Land Use Education: Showing what Shoreline Zoning Standards Accomplish

Of all of our natural resources in Vilas County, should we also conserve the night? Darkness is needed in certain plants and animal species for blooming, hunting, mating, and navigation. Artificial lights can disrupt these processes. Consider joining others in Northwoods Lights Out on Sat June 20 by turning off your lights at your home or cabin. Oneida County Land & Water will be hosting an event at Townline Lake Park in Rhinelander.

Northwoods Lights Out

Marinette County Land Conservation Dept. produces a great publication on all things nature in the Northwoods! Of interest this issue: vernal pools; pollinator week; state park passes at the library; moth diversity; protecting insects; and how native plants benefit the Great Lakes (and other lakes too!). Enjoy!

Northwoods Journal - June 2026

If your public access lake already has a Clean Boats Clean Waters Campaign, great! The state supports Clean Boats Clean Waters inspectors with two statewide campaigns:

• Drain Campaign (Sat June 6 - Sun June 7): Clean Boats Clean Waters inspectors emphasize the importance of draining boats, equipment, and livewells during this free fishing weekend. The goal is for more anglers to become familiar with the need to drain lake water.
• Great Lakes Regional AIS Landing Blitz (Mon June 29 - Sun July 12): Clean Boats Clean Waters inspectors concentrate their inspection efforts around the 4th of July boater traffic. The goal is for a coordinated AIS prevention messaging during this time of heavier boating traffic.

Resources available for the Drain Campaign can be found at AIS Publications Catalog. FH-249 and WT-747 are good ones for this.

Resources for the Landing Blitz:

• Stickers like the seen here. Contact DNRAISInfo@wisconsin.gov to request WY-113 (packs of 50 stickers).

WI DNR offers a free fishing weekend the first weekend in June. Check out the DNR website for more info.

WI DNR Free Fishing Weekend

Join Mary Felzkowski at the Olson Memorial Library in Eagle River on Tues June 9 from 2:30-3:30 at her listening session. This is a great opportunity to let your senator know of concerns you have for the area she represents. Mary Flezkowski is the District 12 Senator in the WI Legislature, as well as the President of the WI Senate. District 12 includes all of Vilas, Oneida, Florence, Forest, Langlade, Lincoln, & Marinette Counties; as well as parts of Oconto, Shawano, and Marathon Counties.

Mary Flezkowski Listening Session

WI Senate District 12

See the links below for Clean Boats Clean Waters trainings. Inspectors should be trained every 2 years.

In-person 2026 CBCW trainings in Vilas County

Online on-demand training: Now available at the Vilas County Land & Water CBCW volunteer webpage

Check out the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission's quarterly Mazina'igan publication. Of interest this issue: Ojibwe fishing success, tribal concerns over herbicide use in regional waterways, WI's PFAS regulation and funding, marten research, roadless rule protections, walleye spawning reef habitat, rusty crayfish boils, mining exploration & interests, sea lampreys, & more!

Niibin 2026

Mazina'igan webpage

Draining lake (or river) water from all watercraft is an important best practice! It will help prevent the spread of certain aquatic invasive species like zebra mussels and spiny waterfleas, which have life stages in the water column that are too small or difficult to see. It also helps prevent the spread of certain fish diseases. Draining water from watercraft before leaving a landing is also required by WI law. Remember to drain all of these before you leave the boat landing: bilge, livewells, bait buckets, any ballast tanks/bladders, outboard motors (trim down to drain water from prop), & jetski drive (run for a few seconds on the trailer to eject all water - follow owners manual for further instructions). Check any other accessories that could hold water - inflatables, children's toys, etc. Every minute of your efforts help protect our lakes from aquatic invasive species!

Extension Lake: How to Clean Your Boat video

We got together with a few more partner agencies and revised our "Shoreline Owners Need to Know" brochure. This new version is much improved! New shoreline property owners who purchased property between Jan 2025 - Feb 2026 will get a copy of this mailed to them from Vilas County Zoning. Of the 22,953 lake and river parcels in Vilas County 1,736 parcels had swapped ownership in the last year. These changes occurred over 527 lakes and 109 streams in Vilas County.

Lake organizations in Vilas County - feel free to use this brochure on your websites. If you would like a few printed copies on hand, please reach out to cahigl@vilascountywi.gov.

Shoreline Owners Need to Know rev 3.2026