09183 - Shoe Lake Islands

Shoe Lake Islands comprises seven acres of lowland terrain within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin. The area centers on Shoe Lake, a shallow basin at 1,572 feet elevation, with small islands rising to 1,575 feet. This landscape sits within the Lake Superior basin, where glacial geology has created a mosaic of wetland and forest communities dependent on water movement through the system. The islands and surrounding shallows form part of a Special Management Area designated to protect the ecological integrity of this aquatic and semi-aquatic complex.

The vegetation reflects a gradient from open water to upland forest. Emergent marshes fringe the lake margins, where sedges and rushes dominate. Moving inland, Northern Sedge Meadow transitions to Northern Wet-mesic Forest, where black ash (Fraxinus nigra), red maple (Acer rubrum), and northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) form the canopy over a dense understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants. The islands themselves support Northern Hardwood Forest, with sugar maple (Acer saccharum), eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) creating a closed canopy. Northern Bog communities, characterized by black spruce (Picea mariana) and tamarack (Larix laricina), occupy the wettest depressions where sphagnum moss and low-growing ericaceous shrubs form the ground layer.

Shoe Lake's shallow waters support a diverse fish community—largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), northern pike (Esox lucius), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus), and black crappie (Pomoxis nigromaculatus)—that forms the base of an aquatic food web. The federally endangered northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) hunts insects over the water and roosts in the surrounding forest. Common loons (Gavia immer) and American black ducks (Anas rubripes) use the lake for breeding and foraging. Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) hunt fish and waterfowl from perches on the islands. The area also supports a reintroduced whooping crane (Grus americana) population, part of a non-essential experimental population managed to restore this species to the region. The federally endangered gray wolf (Canis lupus) ranges through the surrounding forest matrix. In the wetland margins, the salamander mussel (Simpsonaias ambigua), proposed for federal endangered status, inhabits shallow substrates where it filters nutrients from the water column.

A visitor moving through this landscape experiences the transition from open water to forest in a short distance. From the lake's edge, the eye follows the gradual rise of the islands, where the dark hemlock and hardwood canopy contrasts with the lighter green of the bog margins. The sound of loon calls carries across the water, while the rustle of sedges marks the boundary between open marsh and forest. Walking onto the islands, the understory darkens and the forest floor becomes thick with leaf litter and moss. The wetland communities surrounding the lake create a buffer between open water and upland forest, a zone where the presence of water shapes every plant and animal that depends on this small but ecologically rich landscape.

The Ojibwe migrated to the Great Lakes region and were well-established in northern Wisconsin by the 1700s, following centuries of Menominee presence in the area—a people whose name means "Wild Rice People" and whose ancestral ties to this region date back approximately 10,000 years. The Forest County Potawatomi Community, part of the Council of Three Fires alongside the Ojibwe and Odawa, moved into northern Wisconsin during the 17th and 18th centuries. These Indigenous nations practiced a seasonal subsistence cycle centered on the region's resources: harvesting wild rice from lakes and slow-moving rivers, hunting game including deer and bear, fishing for walleye and muskellunge, and gathering maple sap for sugar in the spring, as well as berries, nuts, mushrooms, and medicinal plants. The region's dense network of lakes and streams served as a primary transportation system. The lands comprising this area were ceded to the United States through a series of treaties in the 1830s and 1840s, including the Treaty of 1854 and Treaty of 1856, which established current reservation boundaries. Despite these land cessions, tribes reserved and continue to exercise hunting, fishing, and gathering rights on ceded territories under the oversight of the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission.

Beginning in the late 19th century, the region surrounding Shoe Lake became part of the intensive "Northwoods" logging era. Initial extraction focused on white pine, which could be floated down rivers, followed by hardwood and hemlock logging facilitated by the expansion of the Chicago and North Western Railroad in the 1880s. Nearby towns including White Lake and Elcho were established as major sawmill centers, while Antigo became a major hub for wood products. In 1925, the Vulcan Corporation established a factory in Antigo specifically to manufacture wooden shoe lasts and bowling pins, utilizing the region's hardwood timber. The Crocker Chair Company operated its own private rail lines in the Crocker Hills area of Langlade County to transport timber to its factories. By the 1920s, intensive clear-cutting left the surrounding landscape described as "over-cut, burned-over, and farmed-out," with much of the land becoming tax-delinquent and abandoned by private owners.

The federal government acquired these lands under the Weeks Act of 1911, which authorized the purchase of cutover and burned-over lands for forest restoration and watershed protection. The lands were formally designated as part of the Nicolet National Forest by presidential proclamation on March 2, 1933, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In July 1933, the original Nicolet land base was divided, with the western portion designated as the Chequamegon National Forest. The forest area expanded significantly: from approximately 409,000 acres in 1929 to over 1.5 million acres by the present day. Executive Order 10374, issued by President Harry S. Truman in 1952, further enlarged both forests by adding lands acquired under the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act and the Weeks Act.

During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps performed extensive reforestation and fire protection work throughout the district, planting millions of trees and constructing fire towers and fire lanes. This effort transformed the abandoned cutover lands into the second-growth forest visible today. The administrative management of the Chequamegon and Nicolet National Forests was combined in 1993, creating the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest as a single managed unit. In 2001, this area was designated as an Inventoried Roadless Area and is now protected under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which preserves its status and restricts road construction within its 7 acres.

Vital Resources Protected

Emergent Marsh and Bog Habitat for Federally Endangered Species

The roadless islands and shoreline support emergent marsh and northern bog ecosystems that provide critical breeding and foraging habitat for the federally endangered whooping crane (experimental population) and federally endangered gray wolf. These wetland-upland transition zones create the shallow-water and open-canopy conditions that whooping cranes require for nesting and feeding on aquatic invertebrates and vegetation. The bog's acidic, nutrient-poor soils and sphagnum moss structure cannot be recreated once drained or filled; loss of this habitat would eliminate breeding opportunities for this species in the region.

Maternity and Hibernation Habitat for Federally Endangered Northern Long-Eared Bat

The northern hardwood and wet-mesic forest canopy provides roosting sites and insect-rich foraging habitat for the federally endangered northern long-eared bat, which relies on intact forest structure for maternity colonies and summer feeding. The proximity of these forests to the lake's emergent marsh—which concentrates aquatic insects—creates a high-productivity foraging zone that supports bat populations during the critical breeding season. Fragmentation of this forest canopy would eliminate the continuous, sheltered habitat these bats require to successfully raise young.

Freshwater Mussel Spawning Substrate in Lake Ecosystem

Shoe Lake's sediment composition and water chemistry support populations of the salamander mussel (proposed federally endangered), a freshwater bivalve that depends on stable lake-bottom substrate and specific host fish species for larval development. The roadless condition preserves the hydrological integrity of the lake by preventing erosion and sedimentation that would bury spawning substrate and degrade water quality. Once mussel populations are lost to sedimentation or chemical change, natural recolonization is extremely slow or impossible.

Monarch Butterfly Breeding and Migration Corridor

The diverse herbaceous layer in the northern sedge meadow and emergent marsh provides milkweed and nectar plants essential for monarch butterfly (proposed federally threatened) breeding and energy replenishment during spring and fall migration. These lowland wetland-forest mosaics are rare in the region and create concentrated resources for monarchs moving between southern wintering grounds and northern breeding areas. Loss of this habitat would fragment the migration corridor and reduce breeding success for a species already experiencing population decline.

Threats from Road Construction

Sedimentation and Substrate Burial in Lake Ecosystem

Road construction on rolling terrain requires cut slopes and fill placement, which expose mineral soil to erosion during precipitation events. Runoff from disturbed areas would carry fine sediment into Shoe Lake, smothering the lake-bottom substrate where salamander mussels spawn and where monarch butterfly host plants and aquatic invertebrates depend on clear water and stable sediment. The shallow, low-energy lake environment means sediment would accumulate rather than flush, creating permanent degradation of mussel habitat.

Forest Canopy Fragmentation and Edge Effects on Bat Habitat

Road construction through the northern hardwood and wet-mesic forest would remove canopy cover and create a linear corridor of light and wind exposure that fragments the continuous roosting and foraging habitat northern long-eared bats require. The resulting forest edge would increase predation risk, reduce insect abundance in the microclimate immediately adjacent to the road, and isolate maternity colonies from high-productivity foraging zones near the lake. Bats cannot easily cross open areas, so fragmentation of this small (7-acre) roadless area would effectively eliminate its value as contiguous habitat.

Hydrological Disruption and Wetland Drainage

Road fill and culvert installation would alter water flow patterns through the emergent marsh and bog, potentially lowering water tables in these wetland-dependent ecosystems. Whooping cranes and gray wolves depend on the shallow-water conditions and vegetation structure that result from stable, seasonal hydrology; drainage would convert marsh to upland forest and eliminate the open-water nesting and foraging habitat cranes require. Bog ecosystems, once drained, do not naturally rewet and cannot support the specialized plant and invertebrate communities that depend on waterlogged conditions.

Invasive Species Establishment Along Road Corridor

Road construction and maintenance create disturbed soil and a linear corridor of human activity that facilitates the establishment and spread of invasive plants and animals into the roadless area. Invasive plants would compete with native milkweed and sedges that monarch butterflies and marsh-dependent species depend on, while road salt and vehicle traffic would alter soil chemistry and hydrology in ways that favor invasive species over native wetland vegetation. Once established, invasive species are extremely difficult to remove from small, isolated wetland areas.

Shoe Lake Islands is a 7-acre roadless area in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest consisting of small islands and lowland terrain within a 170-acre lake. The area protects Northern Hardwood Forest, Northern Wet-mesic Forest, Northern Bog, and Emergent Marsh ecosystems. Access is by water only—there are no roads to or through the islands, which keeps the lake quiet and the shoreline undeveloped.

Hiking and Paddling

The Ed's Lake National Recreation Trail, accessed via the Eds Lake Trailhead, follows early 1900s railroad grades through northern hardwoods and is open to hikers and cross-country skiers. The trail features an Adirondack-style shelter overlooking the water. Shoe Lake itself is the primary recreation destination. A public boat landing provides access for non-motorized watercraft—canoes and rowboats. Motorboats are prohibited on Shoe Lake, which preserves the quiet water conditions and allows paddlers to approach the islands and shoreline without engine noise. The lake's maximum depth of 15 feet and rolling lowland terrain make it suitable for exploration by paddle.

Fishing

Shoe Lake supports Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, and Panfish. Bass fishing is open year-round for catch-and-release; harvest season runs early May through early March with a 14-inch minimum length and 5-fish daily bag limit. Northern Pike have no minimum length and a 5-fish daily bag limit during the same season. Panfish are open all year with a 25-fish daily bag limit. Anglers access the lake via the public boat landing in Forest County. The roadless condition means the islands themselves remain undisturbed, preserving fish habitat in the surrounding waters.

Hunting

White-tailed deer and black bear are present in the forest. Ruffed grouse and woodcock inhabit young aspen and alder stands in the region. Hunters must access the area on foot from parking areas identified on the Motor Vehicle Use Map—motorized vehicle use is prohibited in the roadless area. Portable stands and ground blinds are permitted but must be removed within one week after season close. Nails, screws, or other metal fasteners cannot be used on live trees. Hunting is prohibited within 150 yards of developed recreation sites. The roadless status protects interior forest habitat from fragmentation by roads, maintaining the unfragmented forest structure that supports grouse, woodcock, and deer populations.

Birding and Wildlife Observation

The area is documented habitat for Whooping Crane (Experimental Population), Bald Eagle, and American Black Duck. Nearby eBird hotspots include Freedom Corners Pond & Mile St./Range Line Rd. Farm Fields, Laona/Scattered Rice Lake, Knowles Creek Impoundment, Wabikon Lake, and Bog Brook. The surrounding forest supports boreal species such as Spruce Grouse, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Canada Jay in tamarack and black spruce bogs, along with breeding warblers including Nashville, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Magnolia, and Canada Warblers. During migration, Palm Warblers, Lincoln's Sparrows, and Yellow-bellied Flycatchers pass through. Winter brings finch irruptions including Pine Grosbeak, Red and White-winged Crossbills, Common Redpoll, and Pine Siskin. The roadless condition preserves interior forest habitat essential for breeding songbirds and maintains the quiet shoreline and bog environments that support waterfowl and wading birds.

Photography

Shoe Lake's shoreline is undeveloped and surrounded by dense forest, offering natural aesthetic for landscape and water photography. The islands provide vantage points within the lake. Wetland ecosystems—emergent marshes, northern bogs, and sedge meadows—present distinct botanical subjects. The lake's calm water (due to the motorboat prohibition) allows for reflection photography. Wildlife subjects include Bald Eagles, Common Loons, and American Black Ducks. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest is recognized as a Class 2 dark sky site where the Milky Way is visible with high detail; the lack of shoreline development and motorboat prohibition on Shoe Lake create localized dark conditions suitable for astrophotography. Access is via the public boat landing on Shoe Lake Road.