People who are interested in protecting and improving Little Lake Butte des Morts intend to create a non -profit lake association, which would serve as a collective voice to support the financing and implementation of projects that benefit from the public.
The organizers have identified Little Lake Butte des Morts as you lead down the Neenah and Menasha dams and up the Appleton Lock 1, so it includes sections of the Fox River.
The range includes five municipalities: Neenah, Menasha, Fox Crossing, Grand Chute and Appleton.
About 500 residences located on the lake and the river. However, in order to qualify as an association of the lake, state legislation says that membership must be open to every resident or property owner within one mile of the lake. The organizers have thrown even a width network and plan to include anyone, regardless of the distance from the lake or river, which has a shared interest in improving the lake.
“This is purely voluntary, purely self-funded through donations,” Steve Erb, a member of the organizational committee, told The Post-Crescent. “There is a membership fee for a participant, but every resident of the lake is not required to be part of the association.”
The annual membership fee is indicative of $ 25, ERB said.
A meeting to learn more about the formation of the Lake Association will be held at 6:30 pm August 19 at the Neenah Public Library, 240 E. WisConsin Ave.
The sun sets over Little Lake Butte des Morts.
Little Lake Butte des Morts attracts fishermen and boats
Little Lake Butte des Morts is the expansion of the Fox River in Winnebago County. It is located east of the Interstate 41 and is passed from the US 10/State 441 through the Roland Campo Memorial Bridge and from the Trest Trail Trest Trail.
According to the Department of Natural Resources in Wisconsin, the lake covers 1200 acres and has a maximum depth of 18 feet. It is used by fishermen and boats that can gain access to water from public landings at FRITSE Park at Fox Crossing or Dinth Street in Menasha.
The lake has an abundance of catfish populations, panfi and sturgeon. The northern Pike and wallet are common in the area, and bass, both LargeMouth and Smallmouth, are also present.
The name “Butte des Morts” can be traced to French traders and means “Hill of the Dead” in connection with the nearby funeral mound of the Indians. Despite the similar name, the lake is different from Lake Booth Des Morts, which is located northwest of Oshkosh.
The algae from the algae covered the water near the Menasha lock in 2023.
What are the main concerns about Little Lake Butte des Morts?
A 2024 survey sent to Shoreline property owners and is open to the public generated 441 responses and identifies 15 concerns with Little Lake Butte des Morts. They are ranked top down:
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Algae blooms. It was the main concern of both property owners and public.
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Excessive growth of aquatic plants
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Fluctuations in the water level. This was rated third by property owners, but 10 by the public.
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Water invasive species such as Round Goby and Zebra Musel
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Wastewater and industrial discards
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Polluted outflow of agricultural fields, roads and residential properties
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Excessive trafficking on water ships
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Hazardous water ships
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Impact climate change
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Excessive fishing pressure
ERB said that the lake association can also focus on improving public access to the lake or working to change the noise regulations, hunting ducks, or night fishing on a bow.
“In some cases, the rules are different, depending on where you are on the lake,” ERB said. “This makes the implementation challenge.”
American white pelican stands on a rock in the Fox River, north of Little Lake Butte des Morts.
The group seeks to take advantage of the momentum of the management plan
Neenah, Menasha and Fox Crossing worked with Fox-Wolf Waterershed Alliance, County Winnebago, DNR and Gei Consultants, among others, in the last two years, to develop a water plant management plan for Little Lake Buts.
The Director of Parks and Recreation of Nina Mike Cading said he was surprised how little he was known about the lake, given his famous position among Neenah, Menasha and Fox Crossing, which had a combined population of 64 557 people.
“Generally Little Lake Butte des Morts has never been really really studied,” Cading said. “I can’t believe it because of all the work done by cleaning PCB.”
Cading said the water management plan costs $ 100,000, half of which is covered by matching grants. Efforts have led to recommendations to create an association of the lake and to implement a pilot project to collect weeds near the shores of Arrowhead Park and Herb & Dolly Smith Park in Nina.
Speaking with one voice as an association of the lake, not individually, it can bring more weight regarding the provision of federal and state approvals and grants, Cading said.
The pilot weed collection project waiting for DNR permits would be comparable to the weed harvest, carried out annually at the port of Nina of Riverside Park. The harvest is planned for 2026. The price is estimated at $ 25,000 to $ 30,000 and will be the responsibility of NEA.
If you succeed, weed collection can be extended to other sections of Little Lake Butte des Morts.
Contact Duke Behnke on 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com. Follow it on X at @DukehnkeS
This article originally appeared on the Appleton Post-Cressement: Defenders want the lake association to protect Little Lake Butte des Morts