User:Pdietry/sandboxlimnology

Introduction
A basic description of the lake including keys stats and a summary of critical information i.e. an intro and a summary

Trout Lake is in Vilas County, Wisconsin, near the towns of Boulder Junction and Arbor Vitae, Wisconsin.

With an area of 16.079 km2 and a volume of 240 km3, Trout Lake is one of the largest lakes in Vilas County. It has 25.9 km of shoreline, a large portion of which is undeveloped. There are also 7 islands within the lake: Miller Island, Zimmerman Island, Haunted Island, Easter Island, Fisk Island, Chocolate Drop Island, and an unknown island.

Native American History
https://www.mwhistory.org/early-history/mw-ojibwa-history/

20th Century History
Comments about the creation of the lake, its ‘discovery’, prehistory and history; some details may be more relevant under Human use and Cultural Significance below

In the late 1800's early 1900's there was a logging operation near Trout Lake in Boulder Junction. To help transport products from local sawmills, Yawkey Bissell Lumber Co. built an extension of the Milwaukee Railroad Line from Velasco Junction (east side of Trout Lake) to one mile north of Trout Lake in 1905. Further expansion of the railway happened in 1913 when Milwaukee Railroad Company purchased the previously built line from Yawkey Bissell Lumber Co. This included two stops on Trout Lake.

With all the added miles of track, the area surrounding Trout Lake saw a lot of tourists. In 1888, John Manns opened a small hotel in Minocqua, WI. However, the small hotel could not accommodate all the travelers, so Manns decided to buy one mile of frontage property on the south side of Trout Lake for a new resort. This resort was called "The Manitowish". Around 1916, John Manns sold the resort to Dan Cardinal. Other resorts on Trout Lake during this era included Coon's "Franklin Lodge" and "Rocky Reef". Coon's "Franklin Lodge" is still open to this day. Although, you will not be able to find their historic $1 per day rates.

The State of Wisconsin purchased 662 acres of land that became the start of Northern Highlands State Forest. Later, in 1912, another 27,000 acres were purchased for the park. By 1996, a total of 222,000 acres encompassing Vilas, Oneida, and Iron counties made up the now Northern Highland and American Legion State Forests.

First DNR Field Station
Formerly called the Wisconsin Conservation Department (WCD), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) built its first headquarters and field station in 1911, located at Trout Lake. There were also a number of roads, phone lines, ranger stations, and fire towers. Trout Lake was the sight of the first forest fire patrol by air. Logan Archbold Vilas, nicknamed Jack, was a famous aviator who was part of these historic first flights. He brought his Curtis Hydro Aeroplane to Trout Lake by train from Chicago, IL. During his time at the Trout Lake, he took rangers from the ranger station on several of his flights over Northern Highlands State Forest.

First State Nursery
In 1911, WCD planted the first state pine plantation consisting of Norway Pine, Ponderosa Pine, and Norway Spruce. The trees came from the University of Michigan. In 1916, WCD established the first state tree nursery at Trout Lake, consisting of two one-acre plots. The trees grown at the nursery were used to replant areas within the state park, but some were also sold to the public.

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Article/CS16351

Flora
As of 2018, there were 16 submersed macrophyte species sampled within the lake, including the Canadian waterweed, large-leaf pondweed, nodding waternymph, and Dortmann's cardinalflower.

Present-day Fauna
https://www.wisarc.org/dnrhistory.php The area is known for having good fishing,. Trout Lake is one of the few inland lakes in Wisconsin to host lake trout.

According to LTER surveys, 42 species have been found in Trout Lake including:
 * Bowfin
 * Trout-perch
 * Lake trout
 * Lake whitefish
 * Cisco (fish)
 * Northern pike
 * Muskellunge
 * Burbot
 * Largemouth bass
 * Smallmouth bass
 * Rock bass
 * Bluegill
 * Yellow perch
 * Walleye

Elk Reintroduction in the 1910's
https://www.wxpr.org/post/history-elk-reintroduction-efforts-wi#stream/0

Invasive Species
The lake has a serious problem with the invasive rusty crayfish, which has destroyed fish habitat. In addition, the invasive European zooplankton Bythrotrepes longimanus or spiny water flea has also established numbers within Trout Lake, and its population density began to be surveyed in 2014. If the spread of the spiny water flea is not contained, its predation on endemic herbivorous zooplankton can lead to a severe decline in water quality via a trophic cascade, which has been observed in places such as Lake Mendota in Wisconsin.

Recreation
Tourism/Recreation

Trout Lake hosts a variety of both summer and winter activities.

In the summer, the lake is a popular fishing location, swimming destinations, has numerous hiking trails, and has several campgrounds. There are websites that monitor fish catches based on species and size, so other anglers are able to find the best fishing locations and times of year. A popular hiking destination is a place located on the narrow passage between the North and South portions of the lake called Cathedral Point. Surrounded by 130 ft pine trees, the slight rise in elevation at Cathedral Point allows for fantastic views of the lake.

For winter activities, while there is less activity overall, the lake still has tourists. Winter activities include ice fishing, ice hockey, and ice wind boarding, which is similar to windsurfing, but on ice.

There are also several lodges and resorts scattered around the lake.

Research
Who used the lake

Fishing and resource exploitation

https://limnology.wisc.edu/about-cfl/history-of-limnology/#TLS

Trout Lake is one of seven lakes studied at the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER) site. The lake houses a sensor buoy, which feeds data to the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON). Trout Lake is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison Trout Lake research station, where research on lakes and streams in the area is carried out. Once, when the research station needed to be moved from its old location to the new location on the other side of the lake, the structure was pulled on the frozen lake and slid across the ice. The former research laboratories were transformed into cabins for student-housing.