Fall 2026

Issue 48

Swans on Pickerel Lake, September 2026. Image Credit: Laure Haak

Fall is upon us!  The rosehips are turning red, the swans are practicing flying, and the trees are painting the lake with yellows, oranges, and reds.  Our Fall newsletter includes comments from Drew Zelle, our PCLA President, an update on our Clean Boats program, information on water quality, and plans for an Oconto County Lakes Intern Program hosted by the Oconto County Lakes and Waterways Association.

• Get in touch with us at boardpcla@gmail.com

• Our website is pickerelchainlakeassociation.org

• Our Facebook page is facebook.com/pickerelcla

From Your Association President

Drew Zelle | dmzelle48@gmail.com | 920-209-0564

Greetings!  It has been a good summer with just a few storms but nice temperatures. 

The PCLA has had an active year, with the Picnic, Clean Boats Clean Waters efforts and Water Quality Monitoring.  I thank you all for your time, donations, and talents that make this organization what it is.  Volunteerism for the good of the lakes helps everybody enjoy what we have.  I am looking forward to working with you all in the coming year.

This summer’s picnic and cash raffle was a success. Your participation and donations of prizes, baskets, time, and talent are what makes this picnic a success, so to all of you a big thank you. Although attendance appeared to be down, we netted $12,844 after the event bills were paid.  The picnic receipts will help pay bills to power aerators, support water quality testing, store equipment, and maintain communications, as well as our budgeted contributions to savings funds for aerator maintenance, fish stocking, and future water quality mitigation projects. 

Our Clean Boats/Clean Water staff had a busy summer at the boat landing checking incoming and outgoing boats. There is a lot of use of the lakes because of the good boat landing and quality fishery.  Donations in the drop box at the landing have dramatically picked up too.

The Poker Run in June had five boats participating and a nice pot luck at the park following the parade.  Thanks to Laure Haak and Laura Komperda for organizing this event.

We received $1000 check from the Townsend Kids Fishing Tournament to help improve fishing opportunities at Oughton Park. The board will take this up this fall and winter and come up with a plan to use this nice grant.

A few challenges for next year: 

Boat Launch. Power loading of boats has created a deeper hole at the base of the concrete and a rock reef beyond that.  Please avoid power loading of your boats.  The Town is aware of the issue and we will work with them to address the concern.

Weeds.  Little Pickerel Lake had the worst weed problem I have ever seen in 30+ years of being on the lakes.  Pickerel and Smoke have had increased weed growth also.  Not invasives mind you,  just more weeds.  The dissolved oxygen level in Little Pickerel was also below the levels of the other two lakes.  This is something to watch and monitor.

Invasives. Purple Loosestrife is spreading on the shorelines and in the flowages. For the last few years, it was confined to the north flowage but is now spreading around Pickerel Lake and the channel between the lakes. We are in contact with Oconto County to work on ways to mitigate the spread of this invasive plant. See our AIS page for more information on purple loosestrife.

Purple Loosestrife

Clean Boats Clean Waters Report

CBCW logo, WI DNR

This summer was our 5th year running a Clean Boats program at our landing!  Of the 64 Oconto County lakes with public landings, 29 have reported Eurasian watermilfoil and 13 have reported zebra mussels.  Many of these are in Townsend, Lakewood, Doty, Riverview, and Mountain.

This year we had 7 inspectors, all local residents.  Together they put in 200 hours at the landing from Memorial Day to Labor Day.  They inspected nearly 200 boats and talked to about 400 people about the importance of keeping boat hulls and trailers free of weeds, cleaning out live wells, and not transporting live bait or fishing gear between lakes.  In addition, we encourage the use of non-lead fishing gear to reduce impact on water quality and loon health.

Thank you to Barb Coonen Trudell for coordinating the program, and to Pari Schilz and Laure Haak for program support.

Water Quality Report

Lake residents have been monitoring water quality on Pickerel, Little Pickerel, and Smoke lakes since 2015 through the Citizens Lake Monitoring Network.  We collect monthly data on water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll from May to August.  We monitor dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature throughout the year. 

A few lake facts.  Pickerel and Smoke lakes are considered Shallow Headwater lakes:  Shallow lakes are those that do not stratify during the summer months, so the water near the surface may be impacted by resuspension of sediments. If a lake's watershed is less than 4 square miles, the lake is classified as a Headwater Lake.  Little Pickerel Lake is a Deep Headwater Lake because it stratifies, or forms separate layers of water, during the summer months and has a watershed area less than 4 square miles.

One measure of lake health is the trophic state, which relates to the amount of algae in the water, determined using chlorophyll data.  The average summer trophic state for Pickerel, Smoke, and Little Pickerel lakes over the last 5 years was between 40-50 (Mesotrophic). For Headwater Lakes, this is considered Excellent.

Trophic State Index for Pickerel Lake, 2015-2026. From DNR Water Explorer

 Water quality trends over the last 10 years:

• Pickerel Lake phosphorus levels have decreased, which is great news.  Overall, compared to other shallow headwater lakes, Pickerel Lake has similar water clarity, and below average phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. 

• Smoke Lake water clarity and phosphorus and chlorophyll levels have remained fairly constant.  Compared to other shallow headwater lakes, Smoke Lake has similar water clarity, and below average phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. 

• Little Pickerel Lake water clarity has increased, phosphorus has decreased, and chlorophyll levels have remained fairly constant.  Compared to other deep headwater lakes, Little Pickerel Lake has average water clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll levels. 

You can take a look at the data using the WI DNR Water Explorer.

Thanks to Jim Lamers for getting the Citizens Lake Monitoring Network program started, to Laure Haak for summer data collection over the last 4 years, and to Drew Zelle for boring holes in the lake ice for DO monitoring during the winter months. 

Oconto County Lakes Intern Program

Pickerel Chain Lake Association is a member of the Oconto County Lakes and Waterways Association (OCLAWA, oclawa.org).  PCLA participates in spring and fall OCLAWA meetings, sharing updates on our lake programs and learning about challenges other lakes are facing and programs they are implementing. PCLA Board member Laure Haak has been serving on the OCLAWA Board and this year was elected Board President.

This fall, OCLAWA put out a call for interest in a summer intern program, which would bring undergraduate students studying natural resources to the lakes to extend local volunteer efforts specifically in shoreline habitat mapping and local education and outreach programs.  Five lakes and Oconto County have committed resources for the pilot, and OCLAWA is currently working to raise additional grant funds for the program. PCLA will be monitoring the pilot and may consider participating in the future. 

If you would like to host a summer intern, please contact OCLAWA at info@oclawa.org.