The locals call it "the poor man’s Canada."  When the state purchased the 8720 acre Willow Flowage a year ago, using $9.8 million from the state’s Stewardship Fund, Governor Thompson described it as "one of the north’s remaining crown jewels."

Located in Oneida County, the Willow Flowage purchase included more than 100 islands (most smaller than 4 acres), 64 miles of shoreline, and nearly 6500 acres of woods.  Two wolf packs prowl a forest that’s home to bear, raccoon, fisher, deer, and otter.  Bald Eagle nests dot the land, a great blue heron rookery lies just north of the flowage, and migratory waterfowl cruise the waters each fall and spring.  Anglers consider the flowage excellent habitat for bass, muskie, northern, walleye, and panfish.

"You can get lost in it," says Jim Wise of Tomahawk.  "It has a wilderness quality to it."  Wise and other local environmentalists had been pushing the state for 12 years to buy the property from the consortium of insurance companies that owned the land and leased it to Tenneco Packaging for timbering and management.  He’s delighted that a "bean counter" never got the chance to carve the flowage up into 40 acre chunks for development but Wise is concerned that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is fumbling development of its management plan for the flowage.

In particular, Wise is irked by the opening of a formerly locked iron gate to the land that has allowed widespread access to the flowage by ATV users.  Historically, Tenneco would open the gate during the gun portion of the state’s deer hunting season.  During the rest of the year, the gate was locked although a number of Tenneco employees had their own keys that they frequently used for personal access (including ATV) throughout the year.

Last fall, the DNR opened the gate for deer hunting.  It stayed open until February and when they tried closing it, "somebody came through with a big skidder and ripped it off [the hinges]," according to Arlyn Loomans of the DNR.  The repaired gate now stands open.   In October, 1997, the DNR told the public that "in the meantime … the department will make management decisions in order to protect the property from uses that could potentially cause harm."

"They shouldn’t have opened any gates until such time as they could determine how they were going to manage the land," says Wise.

Loomans, who’s helping coordinate the development of the Willow’s management plan, has extensively hunted and recreated on the flowage’s land for 30 years.  He indicates a desire on the part of the DNR to accommodate traditional uses of the land by opening the gate and he notes that a second iron gate down the same road has remained locked.  "No one," explains Loomans, "could claim that they had to walk more than 1.5 miles to hunt."

Loomans says that the agency did berm and bunker side roads twisting off from the gated road to try and limit motorized access.  The approach, which Wise calls "half-assed," hasn’t really worked.  Observes Loomans, "the 4-wheel drive ATVers can get through damn near anything."

DNR Ranger Brett Bockhop confirms this view.  The ATVs, he says, "are running all over the place."  State law limits ATV use to only designated trails when the vehicles are operated on state lands.  With the dry summer, Bockhop says he’s even encountered ATVs running along the Willow’s shorelines.  "They were under the impression they could ride out there," he says.

The State Department of Tourism hasn’t helped matters much.  Their website lists the newly purchased state land as a spot for ATV users to ride their machines.  And the Rhinelander Chamber of Commerce has likewise been touting ATV use of the flowage.

Meanwhile, Bockhop has been busy this summer issuing citations and warnings to ATV operators.  He’s taken an educational tact, too, by visiting local local ATV clubs to speak about state laws and regulations.

Another part of Bockhop’s duties has included inventorying the dozens of primitive campsites scattered around the flowage so that the DNR can determine which will meet state guidelines for future use.  Bockhop has thus far identified 54 traditional campsites, about half of which meet current state standards.

The public, according to Loomans, has indicated strong support for maintaining many of the island campsites.  A preference has also been voiced for primitive style camping conditions.  "We’re hearing that loud and clear," Loomans says.

It’s these type of issues - the quality and quantity of campsites and access to the Willow - that have been occupying an important part of the DNR’s initial work on a fullscale management plan for the flowage.  The agency has held two open houses in the past six months as part of the issues identification process.

In November, the DNR will invite the public and stakeholders to a meeting where they will seek to establish goals and a vision for future use of the flowage.  The agency’s current mailing list consists of 300 groups and individuals who receive updates on the management plan and notices of future meetings.

Loomans hopes that the November meeting will help reconcile conflicting views from various interests.  "We are finding it on almost every issue," he says.  He mentions as an example how some people want to limit the Willow to walk-in access while some hunters advocate wide-open motorized access of all forms.

By next June, the Department intends to start the drafting of the final plan which will then be circulated to interested groups and the public.  The DNR’s Natural Resources Board could approve the management plan at its December, 1999 meeting.

Ninety-five percent of the Willow Flowage’s shoreline remains undeveloped - the highest percentage on any large water body in Wisconsin.  "This is the last of the good stuff," concludes Wise.  He wants people all over the state to voice their opinion on the future use of the flowage.  "All the state’s tax dollars paid for this and all the state should have a say in it."

Anyone interested in participating in the development of the Willow’s management plan can contact Arlyn Loomans (715-365-8922) at the DNR’s Rhinelander office.