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Lake Ripley Management District
Welcome to Lake Ripley Management District!
Lake Ripley is protected by the Lake Ripley Management District. Their mission statement is “to protect and enhance Lake Ripley’s water quality and overall ecological health, while maintaining public access and use of the lake that is safe, fair, and practical.” The Lake Ripley Management District maintains 207 acres of restored habitat!
History
The Lake Ripley Management District (LRMD) was formed in 1990 under the authority of Chapter 33 of the Wisconsin Statutes. Its purpose is to help ensure the protection and effective management of Lake Ripley. The LRMD is a local, special-purpose unit of government that serves close to 2,000 property owners around the lake. LRMD boundaries closely follow those of the Oakland Sanitary District, and incorporate slightly less than one-half of the total watershed area. It is roughly bounded by USH 18 to the north, USH 12 to the south, Simonsen St. to the west, and County Rd. A to the east.
Fun Facts
- Ole Evinrude, founder of Evinrude Outboard Motors, tested some of his first motors on Lake Ripley in 1907
- The state record largemouth bass was caught on Lake Ripley in 1940, weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces
- O.H. Perry Sr. donated 41 acres of wetlands located adjacent to the Lake Ripley inlet to the DNR around 1940
- A public sewer system was installed around most of the lake in 1984
- Lake Ripley was selected by the DNR as one of 50 Wisconsin lakes to receive long-term trends monitoring (e.g. water quality, fisheries, aquatic plants, etc.) in 1986
- Lake residents purchased Lake Ripley’s first mechanical weed harvester in 1989 to combat nuisance Eurasian watermilfoil growth
- The Lake District acquired the 166-acre Lake District Preserve starting in 1998 to protect threatened natural areas surrounding the lake’s only inlet
- The Lake District acquired an additional 41 acres of wetland from the WDNR in 2017 to further protect the lake’s inlet
- The Lake District has obtained well over $1 million in grants since it was formed in 1990