Project Summary

In Wisconsin, where over 10,000 lakes exist, lakes are a key component of landscapes that have both influenced, and have been influenced by, patterns of human settlement.

The overarching theme of this project is to examine the interactions between lakes and land cover/land use in their surroundings over the 20th century in two contrasting landscapes: Vilas County in Northern Wisconsin, and selected watersheds in the Madison lake area in Southern Wisconsin. These two areas correspond to the setting of the two research areas of the North Temperate Lakes LTER site.

Northern Wisconsin

The glaciated landscape of the Northern Highland Lake District in north-central Wisconsin is composed of unproductive, clear-water or stained lakes, wetlands and forests over sandy and marshy soils. This landscape was heavily logged in the early twentieth century, and land was subsequently offered to farmers, but agriculture quickly failed on these poor soils. Today the main uses of the landscape are forestry, nature conservation, and tourism, which is attracted to the area by the scenic beauty of the landscape and the recreational possibilities it offers (fishing, canoeing, sailing, water-skiing, etc.). Cottages near the lakes' shores are abundant, have been build as second residences since the early 20th century, and have increased extremely quickly over the last two decades. Tourism and cottage development affect lakes through modification of riparian vegetation and the structure of the littoral zone, through road salting, through lake
management for fishing, and through the introduction of exotic species.

Southern Wisconsin
By contrast, the landscape around the state's capital, Madison, in southern Wisconsin is dominated by fewer, very productive lakes, agriculture and farming (mostly corn fields and dairy farms), and urban development. Although lakes may have played an important role in early attracting people to this area, and are still an important asset of the community, they have
most likely not been an important driver of land cover change over most of this century. Conversely, land use and land cover change have impacted heavily these lakes through increases in nutrient loading from agricultural and urban runoff, modification of riparian vegetation in the lakes' watersheds, and lake management for fishing and navigation.

The Questions

We propose to examine the interactions between lakes and their landscapes over the 20th century through a set of three major research areas:

How have lakes affected the patterns of urbanization and cottage development, how have real estate values responded to this interaction over this century? We address this question with a historical reconstruction of urbanization / cottaging patterns using aerial photography, and through an analysis of the lake's influence on real estate value using hedonic valuation techniques.
How have lakes been affected by land uses in their watersheds, and especially in their riparian zones? We answer this question through an analysis of land use/land cover change in the landscape around lakes, and an analysis of historical and current data on lake's characteristics.
How can we model the evolution of land cover change?, which drivers have been important in determining changes in the northern and southern landscapes?, and how do these models respond to future land planning scenarios?

Together, these three areas of research will provide an understanding of lake/society interactions over this century in two contrasting lake landscapes, and the tools to better manage and preserve their future.

Comments? Corrections? Contributions?

E-mail Webmaster at webmaster@limnosun.limnology.wisc.edu