Upper and Lower Buckatabon Lakes District

Hello, Summer — Are You Finally Here?

Greetings, Buckatabon Residents!

We hope you're soaking up the sunshine, enjoying the lake, and making the most of everything our beautiful community has to offer. Summer has officially arrived (we think!), and with it comes a wave of exciting updates and important information.

This week, we’ve been flooded — quite literally in some cases — with news and resources focused on the health of our lakes, shorelines, and surrounding environment. From conservation tips to community events, there’s a lot happening that you won’t want to miss.

Be sure to check out:

• Our [Resources Page] for helpful guides and environmental updates

• The [Community Calendar] for upcoming events and meetings

• The latest News & Updates posted below

Let’s make this summer one to remember — full of fun, connection, and care for the place we all love.

See you on the lake! 

A change in Wisconsin statutes allows Lake Districts to deliver materials for the Annual and Special Meetings via email rather than USPS. This would be a cost savings for the District. Please consider submitting your email address to ulbuckatabonnews@gmail.com.

Update 2025.06.11

We are always looking for MORE information to share with you!

Local Input Opportunity on June 11th

The WI DNR implements several rules in WI on aquatic plant management, and specifically, rules NR107 and 109 are up for revision.  These regulate chemical, manual, and mechanical aquatic plant management.  There are public input opportunities on these revisions, the closest location being Nicolet College in Rhinelander on June 11 at 4:00 p.m.

In the most recent Vilas County Land & Water Conservation Newsletter there was a nice reminder about moving boats from Lake to Lake.  Please see their verbiage below:

Going from Lake to Lake this Summer?

Boaters in Vilas County have many reasons to visit multiple lakes in the same week. For some, lake hopping is a matter of their livelihood. For others, it might be for recreational purposes. Either way, it's easy to do - the next lake is often just a couple miles away! Whatever the reason, visiting more 1 waterbody within 5 days increases the chances of aquatic invasive species spread - this is mostly because there are some invasives with life stages just too small to see. If you plan to visit more than 1 waterbody in 5 days, you can take extra steps to decrease the chances of spreading aquatic invasives:

• Required by WI law: inspect & remove any aquatic plants or animals you find. Drain all lake water. (There are a few exceptions for bait fish.)

• Good: Make sure all compartments are dry, wiping them down if you can.

• Better: Use a garden hose or car wash to flush all areas that come in contact with the lake water. Dry all areas, wiping them down if you can.

• Best: Follow the DNR's decontamination guidelines linked below. Decontamination can be done with a bleach solution for a 10 minute contact time followed by a tap water rinse; with water at 140 degrees F for a 10 second contact time; or with steam. Use motor muffs and other attachments to flush components like motor and livewells.

Here's a link to the DNR's Boat, Gear, and Equipment Decontamination Disinfection Manual

Vilas County 2025 Boat Decontamination Program

Vilas County is committed to helping boaters stop the spread of invasive species in our lakes- specifically a very small and invasive plankton called spiny waterflea.  Vilas County staff will be offering hot water decontamination every other weekend this summer at:

• Big Muskellunge Lake boat landing off of Highway N

• Star Lake boat landing off of Highway N

• Plum Lake boat landing off of Razorback Road

• Trout Lake north boat landing off of Highway M

This free decontamination service is provided thanks to a DNR Surface Water Grant.  Click here for a Boat Contamination Flyer.

Citizen Lake Monitoring Network Training

See the Resources section for more information on the June 20th at 9:00 a.m. training session in Eagle River. 

Update 2025.05.19

We are always looking for information to share with you!

Peggy found some interesting information in the Lake Tides Newsletter that might be of some interest.  [We have a link to the UWSP Extension that produces the Lake Tides newsletter in our Resources section on this site!]  Some of the highlights: Snapshot Day August 9, 2025. (This will be added to our calendar)  CBCW (Clean Boats Clean Waters) is having a Drain Campaign June 6-8.  And yes, your communications member (that's me) is reviewing their Capacity Corner.  Trust me, I'm trying to keep you all updated and informed.  And I saved the Water Scorpion for last.  There is lots of other content in this publication, we've been getting it for years and really enjoy keeping up to date.  Click here to access the Lake Tides Newsletter.