Our mission as the Pardeeville Lakes Management District is to preserve and enhance Park Lake’s water quality, its fish and wildlife communities, and its overall ecological health, while ensuring public access and use of the lake that is safe, fair, and practical.

 

.: History of Pardeeville Lakes Management District :.

1856:  Park Lake is formed by the construction of two small dams that flood a deep-water marsh of the Fox River.

1974:  Wisconsin legislature enacts law enabling individual lakes to form inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts (Wis. Statues Chapter 33).  “Districts may be created for the purpose of undertaking a program of lake protection and rehabilitation of a lake or parts thereof within the district.”

August 1985:  Columbia County board creates Park Lake Management District

1989:  Department of Natural Resources lake vegetation survey shows low variety of species but very high overall levels of plant material.

January 1999:  DNR develops “aquatic plant management plan” for Park Lake

2001:  University of Wisconsin water resources management workshop begins assessment of Park Lake and its watershed

June 2001: PLMD initiates public survey on uses, water quality and management activities for Park Lake

2002:  UW water resources management workshop submits its recommendations to PLMD

March 2005:  PLMD submits “management strategy for the rehabilitation of Park Lake”

November 2005:  DNR rejects document as “lacking a number of critical elements necessary to qualify as a comprehensive management plan.”

November 2006:  Columbia County Land and Water Conservation Department coordinates first of three technical reviews of scientific data and restoration options available for Park Lake

January 2007:  CCLWCD and UW-Extension initiates a series of eleven community based planning meetings to develop a comprehensive management plan

June 2007:  PLMD adopts lake management strategy and blueprint scenario developed though planning meetings and technical review

December 2007:  Lake management plan submitted to DNR for review and comment

January 2009:  Lake management plan approved by DNR

June 2011:  PLMD adopts resolution requesting local municipalities’ support for development of an implementation plan for the lake management plan

June 2011:  Town of Wyocena and Village of Pardeeville pass resolutions supporting PLMD effort to develop an implementation plan

August 2011:  PLMD board granted approval at annual meeting to proceed with dredging feasibility study

September 2011:  Initial meeting of implementation team consisting of representatives of the Village of Pardeeville, Town of Wyocena, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and PLMD

January 2012:  Implementation plan presented to PLMD, Pardeeville Village Board and Wyocena Town Board

January 2012:  PLMD board and Wyocena Town Board adopt resolutions approving implementation plan as presented

February 2012: Pardeeville Village Board rejects implementation plan

October 2012:  Preliminary results of dredging feasibility study presented to PLMD board

May 2013:  Final results of dredging feasibility study presented to PLMD board

August 2013:  A summary of the dredging feasibility study is presented at the annual meeting.  Projected costs are between $2.5 and $7 million depending on methods used and availability of grant monies, private funds and tax levies

August 2014:  General permit for “fish sticks” approved by DNR with the Village of Pardeeville as the applicant and PLMD providing the funds for the application fee