Important Notice: LMP and Panfish Limit

Members and Subscribers -- your attention and action needed!

LAKE MANAGEMENT PLAN: The final draft of the Mary Lake “Lake Management Plan” (LMP) as prepared by the team headed by Ryan Haney, P.G. of UWSP* and Ken Dolata of Oconto County* was released on March 10, 2025.

For those of you who were unable to attend the webcast review of the LMP, you can find a recording of the 90-minute session at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVkVFLizEjs

The LMP itself can be found at:

https://www.ocontocountywi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5978/Mary-Lake-Draft-Lake-Management-Plan-

-- OR -- on our Mary Lake website (marylakeprdistrict.com) at:

Lake Management Plan | Mary Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District

This LMP is meant to be a living document; a guide for the members and the board to develop and use to establish and follow priorities for the Lake District as decided by the members AND the board. It is in draft format until we, as a District, review and decide upon those priorities and procedures. This means that YOU (yes, YOU) are an integral part of shaping the initial decision-making process by reading / listening to the materials and coming to the meetings – especially our Annual Meeting -- prepared to engage in discussion. This is not a function of the board alone.

PANFISH LIMIT: One of the vital components you’ll find in this LMP is a decision by the Wisc DNR to put forward a proposal at the April 2025 Spring Hearings for a reduced panfish limit on Mary Lake (along with some other Wisc lakes) of “10 panfish daily bag in aggregate but no more than 5 bluegill.” This comes as a result of our previous request for 15/5, which the DNR decided to roll into a broader plan of panfish limits requested by several other lakes.

This proposal also requires your active participation! The DNR will be holding hearings from April 14-16, 2025, to gather comments from various counties’ residents on the proposals they have put forward. Ideally they prefer in-person feedback at the various places set up for these hearings, but they will accept online commentary as well. For our lake, feedback from Oconto and Langlade County residents will have highest impact (including feedback from nearby towns!), although feedback is wanted from other counties’ residents as well (that would be most of us). More to come as the date approaches, but please take a look at the links below to get an idea of the process and role you can play in assuring this panfish limit gets favorable review.

Here is a link to the Spring Hearings on the WDNR website: ANNUAL SPRING HEARING AND PUBLIC INPUT OPPORTUNITY | Wisconsin Conservation Congress | Wisconsin DNR.
Here is a link to the WDNR formal regulation change proposal: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/sites/default/files/topic/About/WCC/2025/2025_Spring_Hearing_Questionnaire.pdf. The Mary Lake panfish regulations proposal is included in question 39 on pages 29 and 30.

For both our Lake Management Plan and this panfish limit reduction, please do not rely on or expect your board or “other people” to shape the outcomes you desire. These are issues for which many, if not all of you, can have a direct impact.

Board of Directors, Mary Lake P&R District

Bob Wegener, Chairman

Footnotes:

* Ryan S. Haney, P.G.

Water Resource Scientist

Center for Watershed Science & Education

University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, WI

Ken Dolata

Dept Head – Land & Water Conservation

Oconto County

Manual navigation to Oconto County LMP site:

https://www.ocontocountywi.gov/

From here you can choose to navigate to either 1) the report itself (Lake Summaries, Reports, Plans & Maps | Mary Lake Draft Lake Management Plan) or the virtual meeting recording (Lake Study Virtual Meetings Recordings | Mary Lake Planning Virtual Meeting.