--The Wisconsin Chat-- (Appleton, Wausau, Greenville: moving to, sold, courthouse)

[JoshB]

Originally Posted by susancruzs

Being a weather hound, the pattern lately (actually for a long time) shows storms coming across but missing a great deal of the NW corner. Snow last year wasn't that great for the corner either.

I know Kate has been posting on here they thought they'd see more snow over in Ashland then they have. She moved around the same time I did, I guess I took their snow and she can have it back!

Susan, I agree about the lack of snow up by Bayfield/Ashland. I think it would be safe to assume that you see more snow in Two Rivers versus Bayfield. Portage probably has seen more snow than Ashland lately. It's been weird.

A while back there was an article in the Wisconsin State Journal about a lake that dried up completely in Waushara county. I think it was some time in 2006/2007? They were talking about all the huge homes that were built on the lake and the dnr thought maybe the amount of wells had an impact on water levels.

In Wyocena, a village of about 600 just 10 minutes from Portage there was a lake called Wyona Lake. Well it was formed from a dam down stream. The damn gave out during the 2008 floods. The village hasn't been able to repair the damn due to insufficient funds, or so I've heard. So for now a little trick of water flows through this big dry field that was once a beautiful vast lake. It's weird walking out in the middle of a field that was a lake only a year earlier. The lack of rain hasn't helped the creek either. It seems we've had some real extremes around here lately. Last year was tons of rain. This year was dry and cool.

[JoshB]

Getting back to the subject of dried up lakes. I found the article in the WSJ that I was talking about, pretty interesting.

As lakes dry up, concern swells - JSOnline

[Hntr]

Good article Josh! My wife parents have had a cottage on Pine Lake in Washara county since the early sixties. In the last ten years the shoreline grew by about thirty feet. There was a sandbar that separate the lake in two. It was probably underwater about a foot or foot and half. We went out there this year, the sandbar is exposed about a foot or two above the water line.
You could walk out twenty or thirty feet from the end of a forty foot pier to the drop off, now the drop off is at the end of the pier.
I had heard that it was an eight or nine year cycle, the lake levels, but the water levels have never been this low in the last forty years I have been going to Pine Lake. The small half of Pine Lake is hardly navigable anymore.


And yes, we've gone to a couple of lakes this summer where the people didn't even bother to put in their piers.

[susancruzs]

Great article, Josh, thanks for sharing! Some people say there are patterns, 10 or 20 yr. whatever, but I'm not convinced.

My sister lives on a bay at the top of Lake Michigan and the bay has been way down for a long time. Of course, if they are right and it comes back up, all these fancy dancy new homes people built between US 2 and the lake towards Manistique are going to be in trouble!

Amazes me where property is bought up then people are allowed to build, scarey!

[ImaloneJill]

We were very skeptical to buy by a river, but we are at an elevation that won't be an issue.
It is so sad to see any body of water disappear. Sort of like an animal becoming extinct.

[susancruzs]

Looking at the pictures you posted, I think you are pretty high and dry on your property!

Where I question it (and I could be wrong) is low property near the lake being bought up and then sold as lots for people to build. I know it is probably more complicated than it appears to be.

[JoshB]

Wow this place is a ghost town. What has everyone been up to?

[tet tea]

Hey just want to let you guys know about a cool event going on in Wausau this weekend.

The Indigenous Circle of Nations (ICON) are having their 2nd annual PowWow at Wausau East High tomorrow, Sat. 7th Nov. First grand entrance is at 12:30 p.m., and the second is at 7 p.m. It's a great event. We went last year and really enjoyed it.

[Hntr]

Thanks tet tea, I've always wanted to go to a PowWow, never made it yet. It's going to be a beautiful fall day, maybe we can go over there early.

[BacktoNE]

Originally Posted by JoshB

Wow this place is a ghost town. What has everyone been up to?

Packing! We will make a good dent in the actual move tomorrow, and finish up on DH's day off Wednesday. The closing is the 18th. Can't wait!