Moose Lake Legacy Initiative

Project Abstract

The Moose Lake Legacy Initiative has forged an exceptional partnership between citizens and resource professionals to inventory and analyze landscapes within the West Fork of the Chippewa River watershed. Particular attention has focused on the islands and shorelines of Moose Lake, in Sawyer County, Wisconsin. Throughout this initiative, citizen volunteers have invested generously with their time and energy. With help from professionals, they learned how to inventory coarse woody structure, aquatic macrophytes, aquatic invasive species, shoreline development, natural scenic beauty, ecological reference areas, and wildlife. Equipped with new skills, they inventoried 50 miles of shoreline looking for these ecological and aesthetic characteristics, features, and indicators.

In many instances, the shoreline inventories have verified what residents and recreationalists already knew- Moose lake is a magnificent place, rich with Northwood's beauty and teeming with wildlife. More importantly, the inventories provide an objective view of the existing resources and serve as a record-in-time that articulates Moose Lake's bounty.

Project Report 

Project Maps

• Map 1 Context Map
• Map 4.1 Water Resources
• Map 4.2 Environmental Corridors
• Map 4.3 Pre-settlement Vegetation
• Map 4.4 Land Cover, 2001
• Map 4.5 Publicly Managed Lands
• Map 4.6 Impervious Surfaces
• Map 4.7 Tree Canopy Density
• Map 4.8 Glacial Geology
• Map 5.1 Shoreline Ownership
• Map 5.2.1 Aquatic Macrophytes
• Map 5.2.2 Wild Rice Cattail Interface
• Map 5.3 Coarse Woody Structure
• Map 5.4 Visible Structures
• Map 5.5 Ecological Reference Areas and Refugia
• Map 5.7 Aesthetic Shoreline Condition
• Map 5.8 Wildlife Observations
• Map 6.1 Priority Shorelines Scenario 1
• Map 6.2 Priority Shorelines Scenario 2
• Map 6.3 Privately Owned Priority Shorelines Scenario 2

Photo Album