Lake Ripley Management District

10/13/2026

This Saturday there will be an Electronics and Appliance Recycling Event!

• Jefferson County Fair Park
• 8-11 a.m. (gates may close earlier due to turnout)
• Open to all Jefferson County households
• No registration -- just drive up!
• $10 cash per vehicle

Find more information about the accepted list of electronics in their press release below.

10/12/2026

Have you ever wondered where insects and other invertebrates go in the winter? Well, the vast majority spend teh winter right where they spend the all summer - just less active and more hidden!

Think twice before you rake, mow, and blow this year. Invertebrates rely on fallen leaves and other organic debris to cover and insulate them from the elements. Whatever your landscape, you can ensure that resources for nests and overwintering habitat are available.

If you’ve provided native and diverse habitat for invertebrates and pollinators during the growing season, helping those invertebrates in the winter is almost as simple as doing nothing. Leave those habitats alone for winter.

Leaving the leaves and other plant debris doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your yard to the wilderness. The leaves don’t need to be left exactly where they fall. You can rake them into garden beds, around tree bases, or into other designated areas. Too many leaves can kill grass, but in soil they can suppress weeds, retain moisture, and boost nutrition.

Find more great information on the Xerces Society website: https://xerces.org/leave-the-leaves

10/07/2026

Have you ever wondered how your waterfront property may be affecting Lake Ripley?

The Healthy Lakes and Rivers Program developed an easy-to-use online survey that waterfront property owners can use to learn how their shoreline is affecting their lake. Check it out - it could lead to healthier water, more diverse wildlife, and a shoreline you can feel better about sharing with family, friends and neighbors. And when those neighbors get curious, you'll have something to pass along, because it takes all of us to make Lake Ripley healthy!

Follow the link below to take the survey:

The Score My Shore Shoreland Evaluation Survey walks you through questions about the physical aspects of your lake or river property, as well as how you manage it. Questions are set up by property zone: Upland, Transition, and In-Water areas. The Survey also includes a section for you to identify ha...

09/14/2026

Are you hiring a dock service provider to remove your dock this fall? If so, read the following information to make sure we are protecting Lake Ripley!

Any activity that involves installing, removing, operating, and transporting water-related equipment, structures, and gear presents a high risk of inadvertently transporting and spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS) without proper decontamination. While everyone is required to “inspect, remove, and drain” per Wisconsin State Statutes NR40, these steps might not always be 100% effective especially for high-risk users such as service providers who are often working on multiple lakes in a single day and interacting with lake water and sediment in ways that recreational users are not.

To flex your consumer muscle, here are some simple ideas to consider:
1. Ask your existing or prospective provider what AIS prevention steps they take.
2. Build ‘decontamination’ into the service contract. Ask that the provider implement at least one decontamination option and provide you with documentation such as a video or logbook, or arrange to witness it in-person.
3. Talk with your neighbors or lake group to discuss the possibility of hiring the same provider to reduce the number of different providers coming to the lake throughout the season.

Thanks for caring about Lake Ripley!

09/11/2026

In the months leading up to the various Wisconsin seasons, hunters across the state anxiously await their favorite time of year. And that time of the year is almost here! The white-tailed deer hunting season starts tomorrow (archery and crossbow) and goes through the end of the year.

Read the DNR's post below for a breakdown of the season's dates! 🦌🦃🏹

The white-tailed deer hunting season is almost here! Starting Sept. 12, there are several unique opportunities to get your shot at filling your freezer with venison.

Hunters should be aware that some seasons have specific registration requirements. Below is the full calendar of deer hunting opportunities:

- Archery and Crossbow – Sept. 12 - Jan. 3, 2027
- Youth Deer Hunt – Oct. 10-11
- Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities – Oct. 3-11
- 9-Day Gun – Nov. 21-29
- Muzzleloader – Nov. 30-Dec. 9
- Statewide Antlerless-only – Dec. 10-13
- Antlerless-only Holiday Hunt – Dec. 24-Jan. 1, 2027

Bonus antlerless harvest authorizations remain available in many counties. Bonus antlerless harvest authorizations may be filled using any weapon type during the appropriate season with the appropriate license but must be filled in the designated zone, unit and land type (public or private).

The DNR also reminds hunters that there were updates to the deer management units (DMUs) for the 2025 hunting season. Refer to the updated Season Structure and Management Zone maps to see if your unit has changed. Hunters will need to know their management zone and DMU number/county when purchasing an authorization/license or registering their deer. Make sure you know yours. You can learn more in your Go Wild account or by visiting the DNR Hunting Regulations Webpage: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Hunt/regulations/OnlineHuntingRegulations

09/02/2026

BECI Transmission Line Update - Public Comment Deadline

The last day to submit public comment to Midcontinent Grid Solutions on the proposed BECI Transmission Power Line is Monday, September 7th. In order to submit a comment online, you will need to create an account with their online commenting tool, GeoVoice. The District encourages you to submit any public comment you may have. You can also mail your comments to Midcontinent Grid Solutions, LLC, 3902 Milwaukee Street, P.O. Box 7426, Madison, WI, 53714.

Find the link to submit comments here: https://mgs-projects.com/BECI

It is critical that you formally submit your comments and concerns, as this will help shape the future of the project and guide their decisions on where they are refining their routes.

Show up! It’s the most persuasive thing you can do. Contact your State Senator and Assembly Representative to let them know your stance on this issue. Show up to Public Service Commission meetings and public hearings which serves as the formal record. Attending a meeting or filing a comment is how people are heard. We encourage residents, landowners, farmers, and businesses to learn about the project, review the available information, and participate in the public input process.

08/24/2026

Want to learn more about cover cropping in our watershed? Join the Jefferson County Soil Builders tomorrow night for a 'Field Day' hosted by a local farmer who uses cover crops regularly! You can meet the farmer who was recently featured in our latest Ripples newsletter and learn about cover cropping in our watershed.

For more information, reach out to Sam Peterson at 920-674-7112.

08/21/2026

The Lake Ripley Management District would like to make residents and property owners aware of an upcoming public open house regarding the proposed Bell Center–Columbia–Sugar Creek–Illinois/Wisconsin State Line (BECI) 765-kV Transmission Project being developed by Midcontinent Grid Solutions.

The project is currently in the early planning and public input phase. The project developers are inviting the public to review project information, view study segment maps, ask questions, and provide comments before potential transmission routes are developed.

Jefferson County Open House

Wednesday, August 26, 2026
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

County Fairgrounds Activity center
503 N. Jackson Ave
Jefferson, WI, 53549

There is no formal presentation. Residents may attend at any time during the open house. Project representatives will be available throughout the event to answer questions, discuss the project, and receive public input. Detailed study-segment maps will be available for review.

Additional Information:

Residents are encouraged to review the available project information before attending the open house. The information below was provided by Midcontinent Grid Solutions.

BECI Project Website (includes an introductory video): https://mgs-projects.com/BECI
BECI Interactive Project Map: https://mgs-projects.com/BECI
BECI Open House Information: https://mgs-projects.com/BECI -house

About the Project:

The proposed BECI project is a new 765-kilovolt electric transmission line planned to extend approximately 190-miles across southern Wisconsin. According to the project developers, the transmission line is intended to strengthen the regional electric grid and meet future electricity demand.

As proposed, it would run on 150–200-foot steel towers across southern Wisconsin, including the Lake Ripley watershed area. It is a pass-through line: built to move bulk power across the region, not designed to deliver power to our area.

As proposed, the towers stand up to 200 feet tall. The wood-pole lines already crossing these counties run about 70 feet. A mature oak tops out near 65. The corridors are not designed to deliver power to the communities they cross — and the data-center projects driving recent demand forecasts are separate proposals in separate proceedings.

One of the study areas shows the line travelling through, or extremely close to, the District’s 240-acre Preserve. This Preserve has been a contiguous 200-acre nature preserve for over 30 years. Our wetlands are vital networks for providing critical ecosystem services such as storing floodwaters, filtering harmful pollutants from surface runoff and sustaining rich regional biodiversity. Our woodland complexes are critical parts of our landscape for sustaining high biodiversity, regulating water cycles, and storing massive amounts of carbon. They provide essential migration corridors for wildlife while buffering ecosystems against climate and environmental stresses. Our prairies create essential spaces for wide-ranging wildlife, improving water storage and protecting native biodiversity. The Preserve is also an extremely important stop-over site for migrating birds.

The Lake Ripley Management District opposes this transmission line coming through Lake Ripley’s Watershed. The District has been diligently working towards our mission, which includes protecting the Lake Ripley watershed, for the last 35 years. The District’s residents, the State of Wisconsin, the federal government and many local, state or private organizations have supported the District over the years through grants, donations and in-kind services.

At this time, no final transmission route has been selected. The project team is evaluating broad study segments and seeking public input before developing preliminary route alternatives.

The Lake Ripley Management District encourages residents, landowners, farmers, and businesses to learn about the project, review the available information, and participate in the public input process.

Show up! It’s the most persuasive thing you can do. Contact your State Senator and Assembly Representative to let them know your stance on this issue. Show up to Public Service Commission meetings and public hearings which serves as the formal record. Attending a meeting or filing a comment is how people are heard.

Midwest Grid Solutions are asking for public feedback on the study segments by September 7th, 2026. You can mail your comments to Midcontinent Grid Solutions, LLC, 3902 Milwaukee Street, P.O. Box 7426, Madison, WI, 53714.

For Town of Oakland residents, contact Wisconsin Assembly District #46 – Representative Joan Fitzgerald: 608-237-9146 and [email protected] and Wisconsin State Senate District #16 – Senator Melissa Ratcliff: 608-266-9170 and [email protected].

07/27/2026

Phone Number Update☎️

Due to the merging of T-Mobile and USCelluar, the District no longer has a landline phone number. The number that has been discontinued is 608-423-4537.

You will be able to reach the office using the District's cell phone number, which is 608-445-4536. This is the only phone number for the Lake Ripley Management District moving forward.

06/25/2026

Have you seen a turtle run over in the road? Let the DNR know! Reporting turtle mortality can help the DNR identify hotspots where aquatic passageways may be warranted. You can report amphibians and reptiles, too! Find the two forms linked below 🐸🐢🐍

Turtle Reporting Form: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/c442cb3ff48742f29df172587cec5d4a

Reptile and Amphibian Road Mortality Reporting Form: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/376fdb89dac942079b179ce6d17efce5

A public-facing form for reporting snake/lizard and amphibian road sightings.