Planting of a permanent vegetation buffer near English Lake in Wisconsin will provide wildlife habitat and filter runoff from agricultural fields.

English Lake is a 51-acre seepage lake located in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. The lake supports a viable warm/cool water fishery that includes largemouth bass, walleyes, northern pike, and panfish.  Hunting is permitted, and moderate numbers of waterfowl also visit the area.  The water quality of the lake is greatly impacted by the surrounding land uses.  According to the Manitowoc County Lake Classification, the watershed of the lake currently has a significant percentage of drainage area in agriculture and lacks the forest or naturalized buffers to adequately filter sediment and nutrient runoff.  In 1982, area residents formed the English Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District (ELPRD) as concern about the lake’s health emerged due to filamentous algae blooms in the summer months. Since becoming established, the ELPRD has sponsored several projects in an effort to protect and improve water quality in the lake.  One of these projects, completed in 1998 with assistance from the Partners program, involved the construction of the wetland detention basin on the east side of the lake.  The current project undertaken on the north side of the lake consisted of the establishment of a permanently vegetated buffer area, the restoration of a wooded wetland site, and the construction of a small water detention basin.  The combination of these practices will significantly reduce the amount sediment and nutrients entering the lake and lead to improved water quality and fish and wildlife habitat.

ELPRD is cooperating with local organizations and agencies to open the northern buffer property for educational purposes.  The Manitowoc County Soil and Water Conservation Department has pledged to use the northern buffer strip property as a model for lake watershed protection by citizens and a demonstration of buffer and sediment control projects within the local watershed.  The Manitowoc County Lakes Association has expressed interest in having educational tours on the property as a tool in encouraging other lake groups to implement active watershed preservation and land management projects in their area.