protecting our lakes, preserving our future.
Our lakes require urgent protection, and we need your help.
OUR MISSION
PROTECTING WISCONSIN LAKES FROM THE ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND SAFETY THREATS OF WAKE SPORTS
ABOUT US
Lakes at Stake Wisconsin is a nonpartisan grassroots organization concerned about the outsized impacts of wake sports on our inland lakes and rivers.
We believe that our lakes are Wisconsin’s greatest treasure, valued for their natural beauty and the economic value they generate for tourism, recreation, small businesses, and property owners.
Our guiding principle is that everyone has the right to enjoy our lakes, and that the rights of a majority of lake users should not be infringed upon by the small minority of boaters who create hazardous conditions on, under, and along the shorelines of our lakes.
OUR POSITION
The enjoyment of the water is fundamental to the Wisconsin lifestyle and the state’s growing tourism economy. Wake sports pose urgent, existential threats to Wisconsin lakes and rivers.
Lakes at Stake Wisconsin is committed to standing up against the powerful water sports industry through legislation, public education, and advocacy efforts at the state and local level to protect our lakes and all who enjoy them from the impacts of wake sports.
We are advocating for common sense protections for our lakes. It is our position that, at a minimum, any watercraft designed to create an enhanced wake using a ballast and/or wave shaping technology, be required to operate:
700 feet or more from shorelines, docks, rafts, and any structure,
500 feet or more from other boats and lake users, and
In no less than 30 feet of water.
In addition, before entering a body of water, any watercraft with a ballast system must be fully emptied and sanitized to prevent the transport of aquatic invasive species.
ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW COALITION CREATED
A broad coalition of Wisconsin groups recently formed to defend Wisconsin’s waters from the devastating impacts of wake-enhanced boating. Originating members of the coalition include: Wisconsin Lakes, Wisconsin’s Green Fire, Lakes at Stake Wisconsin, Last Wilderness Alliance, and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.
WAKE SPORTS POSE nUMEROUS THREATS TO OUR LAKES AND RIVERS
WAVE DAMAGE
Enhanced waves from wake boats are three to twelve times more powerful than standard ski-boat waves, according to a 2022 study by the University of Minnesota. These waves cause damage to boats, docks, piers, and shorelines.
FISH NESTs & VEGeTATION
Powerful downward prop wash rips up vegetation, decimates fish nests, and agitates the lake bottom, releasing toxins buried in the sediment.
CROWDING
Wake sports crowd out other water activities, including fishing, swimming, tubing, waterskiing, and paddle sports.
AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES
Wake boat ballast systems harbor aquatic invasive species like the spiny water flea and stony starwort that destroy aquatic habitats and make lakes unlivable for native flora, fauna, and people.
“We’ve gotten reports from around the state the past year that are troubling. Many underwater humps and reefs that previously held beneficial vegetation are now bare. Vegetative flats are also getting destroyed. Of further concern is a potential decline in needed dissolved oxygen levels, due to sediment disruption. We need action, and now. This is why we support Lakes at Stake.”
- Mike Arrowood, State Chairman, Walleyes for Tomorrow
We need your help
While our advocacy and lobbying initiatives have been successful against the Water Sports Industry Association’s brazen attempt to legislate unrestricted use of enhanced wakes on our precious lakes, the fight against this formidable foe has just begun. As we expand our efforts to manage wake sports locally and statewide, we require more support from people like you who value our state’s greatest treasures.