2021 Aquatic Plant Management Plan

Executive Summary

Lac Courte Oreilles Lake located in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, is considered a unique and significant water resource by the Courte Oreilles Lake Association (COLA), the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (LCO), Sawyer County and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). The WDNR lists the lake as an outstanding resource water (ORW) and a priority navigable waterway which contains a self-sustaining walleye population.

The lake is located approximately 8 miles southeast of the city of Hayward. There are several inlets flowing into the lake and an outlet that flows into Little Lac Courte Oreilles. It has a surface area of approximately 5,039 acres with a maximum depth of 90 feet, which is one of the deepest lakes in Sawyer County. The total shoreline of the lake spans 25.4 miles. The lake has a varied fishery which includes walleye, muskellunge, northern pike, panfish, crappie, and small and largemouth bass. Cisco are also common and provide a high energy forage base for the gamefish allowing for trophy gamefish potential. The lakeshore property owners, LCO tribal members and the general public, via the public accesses, utilize the lake for a wide variety of activities, including fishing, boating, skiing, swimming, snorkeling, SCUBA diving and viewing wildlife.

Curly leaf pondweed (CLP) was first discovered in the lake in 2005 and Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) was first discovered in 2017. Since the discovery of CLP, management efforts related to aquatic plants have primarily focused on controlling CLP and more recently EWM. To help address the issue of CLP the Courte Oreilles Lake Association (COLA) had an aquatic plant management plan completed for the lake in 2011. This plan updates that previous plan. It also identifies the issues and need for management, reviews past management aquatic plant activities and presents management options. By evaluating these components and issues, a sound strategy was developed for the management of aquatic plants in the lake which includes the following goals:

Goal 1) Control existing populations of AIS.

Goal 2) Prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species.

Goal 3) Preserve the lakes’ diverse native plant communities.

Goal 4) Lake residents and users are made aware of the importance of native aquatic plants, the means to protect them, and the threat of aquatic invasive species.

Goal 5) Restoration and preservation of native shoreline vegetation

Goal 6) Waterfront residents will protect lake water quality and plant communities by minimizing runoff of pollutants from their lake property.

This plan will allow for COLA to maintain eligibility for WDNR aquatic invasive control grants and guide COLA, LCO, Sawyer County, and the WDNR in aquatic plant management for the lake over the next five years (2021 through 2025).