Chippewa Flowage
Joint Agency Management Plan
In August 2000, the DNR, U.S. 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 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.
Planning Update
In 2023, the DNR, USFS and LCO began a collaborative process to review and update the Chippewa Flowage Joint Agency Management Plan.
Additional Information about Chippewa Flowage Planning
Documents
Public Involvement
In the summer of 2022, the 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 the DNR-managed 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.