Swearingen, Felzkowski discuss wake boat regulations at listening sessions

Wake boats were a prominent, if not passionate, discussion point at a listening session held by Sen. Mary Felzkowski and Rep. Rob Swearingen at Eagle River City Hall last Tuesday morning.
While the listening session, one of four hosted throughout the North Woods last week, was intended to discuss the 2025-2027 state budget and bring what they heard to the Joint Finance Committee, constituents’ concerns over wake boat regulations on Vilas County waterways dominated the discussion.
Those in attendance voiced their concerns over erosion of shorelines, disruption of shoreline ecosystems, the transmission of aquatic invasive species (AIS) like quagga mussels and eurasian water milfoil, the difficulty in enforcing wake boat regulations, and also the dangers posed to others as they try to enjoy local lakes as was described by Greg Schuenke, a Yellow Birch Lake resident, who says that he won’t let his grandchildren swim in the lake anymore out of fear of the dangers posed by the high wakes.
“Those waves came over my dock by about 6 to 8 inches. “It was almost impossible for me to swim through and keep my head above water,” he explained. “I was shocked by my inability to catch my breath between these waves, and I was scared. I won’t let my grandkids come over here anymore. That’s what this has done for my world. It’s just a shame.”
While constituents in attendance tried to call upon the legislators for firmer wake boat regulations, Felzkowski said that crafting legislation in regard to wake boats has been a challenge for legislators and law enforcement officials alike, namely due to a uniformity clause in the Wisconsin State Constitution that requires one piece of legislation capable of being applied to all lakes in the state rather than putting more emphasis on lakes in one county versus another.

“I can’t say, ‘Vilas County, you’re unique, I love you, I’m going to give you all these perks, and the other 71 counties don’t get it,’” Felzkowski explained. “These are the kinds of hurdles we’re facing while we try to work something out. That is why we’re going to try to bring everyone together and come up with a piece of legislation that works for the southern part of the state, the Manitowish Chain, the Eagle River Chain, and all the lakes in between…It’s not going to be easy, and I don’t know if we’re going to get it done, but we’re going to try.”
Ultimately, Felzkowski said that control of wake boats, in the meantime, will have to be up to local control and local ordinances.
However, some local towns have already drafted regulations into their town ordinances, but are struggling to enforce those regulations due to a lack of personnel.
According to Jim Egan, Town Chairman for the Town of Washington, where wake boat regulations are already present in the town’s ordinances, enforcement has been a challenge for the town due to both the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office stating that they lack personnel to help the town in policing wakeboats.
As a result, Egan explained that the town has considered hiring a constable to help combat this personnel shortage, but have decided that it would not be a cost-effective decision.
“It’s pointless to put these rules into an ordinance if they cannot be enforced,” Egan said.
Other constituents in attendance, including Chad Kravick, a Three Lakes resident and avid wake boater, said that along with regulations, there should also be an attempt at educating wake boaters on the effects irresponsible wake boating has on area waterways.
“I think they’re some bad players, absolutely,” Kravick stated. “I wish we could educate them, but we can’t. We stop and call them out. We’ll stop and call them out on their behavior.”
This meeting in Eagle River was one of four held throughout the North Woods last week, with other meetings taking place in Manitowish Waters, Minocqua and Rhinelander.
As they work with the Joint Finance Committee to craft the state budget, Senator Felzkowski and Representative Swearingen will relay what they heard during these listening sessions.

Compromise
To help craft a piece of legislation for wakeboat regulations that could appeal to both pro- and anti-wake boat arguments, Felzkowski says that she has organized a meeting to take place on Wednesday, May 28, in Madison that will bring together parties from both sides of the argument in an attempt to reach a compromise.
The meeting will include Legislators like Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Rep. Cindi Duchow, as well as lobbyists for both Lakes at Stake Wisconsin, an organization concerned about the effects wake sports have on lakes throughout the state, and boating industry groups, including the Water Sports Industry Association and the National Marine Manufacturers.
While both Felzkowski and Swearingen have previously been involved in authoring bills regarding wake boat regulations during the 2023-2024 legislative session, they will not be involved with this meeting.