Property Planning_Content Page_ChippewaFlowage

Chippewa Flowage

Joint Agency Management Plan

In August 2000, the DNR, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USFS) and the Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (LCO) ratified the Chippewa Flowage Joint Agency Management Plan. The plan was collaboratively developed to provide information and guidelines for each party to consider in planning, designing and implementing management activities on their properties and other areas within their respective jurisdictions in the flowage management area.

The Chippewa Flowage is a 15,300-acre impoundment located in central Sawyer County, 15 miles east of Hayward. Dotted with about 200 undeveloped islands, it is Wisconsin's third-largest lake and boasts a highly irregular, wooded and generally undeveloped 233-mile shoreline. The islands and surrounding shorelands on the flowage are owned by public, tribal and private landowners. The flowage supports a wide range of popular recreational opportunities, is important to the local economy, and includes culturally significant sites and features.

Sun setting below the horizon under a grey and blue sky with calm waters in the foreground.

Planning Update

As part of the process to update the Chippewa Flowage Joint Agency Management Plan, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in partnership with the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (LCO), is seeking public comment on the Chippewa Flowage.

Members of the public are invited to engage in the early stages of this unique joint agency planning process by providing input on how they use the flowage, as well as the topics they consider important to the update of the management plan.

Have your Voice Heard!

Comments can be submitted through January 31, 2025 using any of the following methods.

  1. Submit an online public input form.

  2. Submit a hard-copy public input form. The form can be downloaded here and mailed to the address below.

    Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
    Attn: René Buys, DNR Property Planner, LF/6
    101 S. Webster St.
    PO Box 7921
    Madison, WI 53707

  3. Contact one of the following individuals:

    René Buys, DNR Property Planner
    Email: ReneJ.Buys@wisconsin.gov
    Phone: 608-982-1688

    Brett McConnell, LCO Environmental Specialist
    Email: Brett.McConnell@lco-nsn.gov
    Phone: 715-634-0102 (ext. 7726)

    N. Ginger Molitor, USFS District NEPA Planner
    Email: Nicole.G.Molitor@usda.gov
    Phone: 715-638-0272

All comments received will be reviewed and considered by the planning team, which includes staff from the three partner agencies. Another public comment period will be initiated when a draft of the updated plan is available.

Additional Information about Chippewa Flowage Planning

Documents

2000 Chippewa Flowage Joint Agency Management Plan [PDF]

Public Involvement

In Summer 2022, DNR held a scoping public input period for the North Central Forest Regional Master Plan, which invited the public to share their comments on the future use and management of DNR properties in the region and to help identify topics that should be addressed in the plan. This included the Chippewa Flowage. Read the Initial Public Input Summary for the North Central Forest [PDF]. Comments specific to the Chippewa Flowage are summarized on page 5.

For more information, contact