Bony Lake - Lakewide Restoration and Conservation Project
"We realized we were responsible for leaving a healthy lake legacy for our children and grandchildren, and the best way to do that was partner with our neighbors and local government to remove unsightly riprap and other lake-unfriendly things, and replace them with the native plants and trees that were here before us,” said property owner and Wisconsin Association of Lakes board member Carol LeBreck, who spearheaded the project.
During the summer of 2006, Bony Lake, Bayfield County, property owners began meeting with partners within the county land and water conservation department, Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, and WDNR to discuss what they could do to protect the 191-acre headwater lake from increasing water quality and habitat stressors such as development and recreational use. A local citizen led the partner team and wrote a successful DNR Lake Protection ~ Shoreland Restoration Grant that provided $100,000 over 3 years, with an additional $45,000 in cash & in-kind matching funds, to restore shorelines, implement storm water best management practices, replace lost woody habitat, expand monitoring, and inform and educate the local community.
While shoreline restorations have historically been implemented on an individual parcel scale, the concept of lakewide, or whole-lake, restoration work is relatively new. With 50% of the riparian owners, representing over one mile of linear shoreline, indicating their participation interest, the Bony Lake project may be the largest undertaken on a single lake in Wisconsin. Many Bony Lake property owners are taking conservation a step further by removing structures like riprap and sheds within the shoreland area and committing the restorations to conservation use in perpetuity on the deed.
The Bony Lake project accomplishments thus far are numerous:
- six shoreline restorations completed;
- storm water BMPs like rain gardens, berms, and rain barrels implemented;
- in-lake woody habitat quintupled;
- several I & E efforts unveiled; and
- a better understanding of the lake and its history gained though additional monitoring.
Furthermore, local and national media have picked up on the Bony Lake story with features in area newspapers, Cabin Life magazine, and outdoor television programs.
Like many lakes in northern Wisconsin, Bony Lake has excellent water quality. The Bony Lake project is a model for similar lakes where water quality protection and habitat restoration are the primary management objectives. Indeed project success is built upon citizens contributing their talents and skills to drive the project and share their stories with neighbors and surrounding communities. Perhaps the greatest gauge of success is the visible regional public interest in following the Bony Lake folks’ lead. For more information on the Bony Lake and the Lakewide Restoration & Conservation Project, please visit http://bonylakewi.org/index.html.
Native shrubs and grasses are planted in an area where riprap and seawall used to exist.
A Bony Lake property owner proudly stands by installed woody habitat, also known as “fish sticks”, harvested from the upland areas well outside the buffer zone.
Forage fish utilizing recently installed Bony Lake woody habitat.
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