SHELL LAKE — Shell Lake Mayor Rowie Hansberger welcomed over 50 people to the annual Shell Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District Board of Commissioners Annual Meeting held on Saturday, June 29, at the Community Center.
“We had a great turnout; it’s obvious the health of the lake and the information that’s readily available is important to the citizens of Shell Lake,” said Hansberger. “The presentation by Dr. Kim Ammann of the Winged Freedom Raptor Hospital was excellent. The nonprofit organization’s mission is to rescue and rehabilitate raptors and release them back into the wild.
“We’re fortunate to have a facility like this right next door. Dr. Amman reminded us of the impact lead can have on both raptors and loons, even on hunters and their families from the venison they consume.”
Raptors often ingest lead from the remains of deer shot with lead bullets, and both eagles and loons can also ingest lead from eating fish that are trailing broken line or attached tackle. Loons can also mistake lead sinkers for the small stones they normally ingest to aid in digestion.
Hansberger went on to mention upcoming events in Shell Lake this summer, including the juried Art Festival on July 6 and the Great Shell Lake Get-Together on July 14, followed by the Lions Club-sponsored Triathlon on July 27. The July 14 event is free to all and will be held on the lakefront.
“We’ll have burgers and brats with all the trimmings, including root beer floats for everyone,” said Hansberger. “Also in July, WCCO from the Twin Cities will be featuring Shell Lake on their news show and will be coming to area businesses and touring the lake.
Linda Anderson, chairperson of the Lake Protection Advisory Committee, introduced the members of the committee and addressed the invasives being found in so many lakes.
“There are a few in Shell Lake, including purple loosestrife, but overall, the lake is in good shape,” said Anderson, who also recognized the work of Mike Ring, who’s monitoring oxygen levels and clarity in the lake.
“The boat landing inspectors are also important for protecting against other invasives as zebra mussels,” said Anderson, adding the hottest topic at the recent Lakes Conference was wake boats.
These boats are able to draw in water, making them heavier and creating bigger waves for those they’re towing behind the boat, but they can create damaging and at times dangerous waves for other lake users.
“The public trust doctrine says people can use lakes with public access, but they should be using this type of boats far away from shorelines,” said Anderson.
Currently, the Wisconsin Legislature is working through issues around these types of crafts, while some counties are crafting ordinances to protect vulnerable shorelines. As a rule, county ordinances can be more restrictive than state laws, but not more liberal.
Ring explained the fluctuating levels of Shell Lake this year reflect last summer’s drought conditions and a basically snowless winter.
“The last few weeks of rain seems to have made up for the lower levels we saw early this spring. Basically, right now we’re about where the long-term average has been, so overall the lake’s level is good,” said Ring.
Shell Lake is unique in that there’s no natural inlet or outlet, which means it’s impacted more than other bodies of water that have water flows entering and leaving a lake. Contrary to the theory springs provide the water source for Shell Lake, ground water seepage and precipitation events cause the lake’s changes in elevation.
In the election process to fill two vacancies on the Lake Protection Advisory Committee, Ruth Eiche and Katie Bauernfeind were elected to the fill those vacancies.
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