Navigation Buoys – Minocqua, Kawaguesaga, Thoroughfare

•  How many are installed each year on the chain of lakes?  70
• How many of these are on Lakes Minocqua & Kawaguesaga?  44
•  Who has been responsible for installing and removing these buoys for nearly 20 years?  Chief Backhaus – Woodruff Police – multi jurisdictional effort Minocqua Police Dpt & Woodruff Police Dpt
• How long does the process of installing (removing) these buoys take? 16 hour x 2 workers
• How much does a buoy, chain, & weight block weigh?  Approximately 100 lbs.
•  When are the buoys installed each year? Spring – hopefully before Fishing opener, 1st week of May (weather permitting)
•  When are the buoys removed each year?  Fall – hopefully before Beef-A-Rama – 3rd or 4th week of September (weather permitting)
•  Who permits a buoy being placed on a Wisconsin Lake?  DNR
• Who maintains the GPS Coordinates for buoys placed on Minocqua & Kawaguesaga Lakes?  Chief Backhaus – Woodruff Police
• Who maintains and manages buoy locations throughout the summer?  Boat Patrol Officer – tries to keep tabs on them to make sure they stay in place and will be responsible for any replacement/repairs.  

Important Information from Chief Backhaus

Every year people take it upon themselves to re-adjust the buoys because they feel they were not placed correctly, if you ever see anyone messing with the buoys, please try to get a hull id# so the Police Dpt can issue them a citation.

Also, please let the Police Dpt know if a buoy floats away, sometimes people will pull them up on shore or tie them to a dock without reporting this to the Police Dpt.  Without reporting, this makes it difficult finding them to get them re-installed.  Simply call Police Dpt’s non-emergency number at 715-356-1150 to report.

Thanks to Chief Backhaus, Woodruff Police Dpt , Chief Jaeger, Minocqua Police Dpt, & Mark Pertile, Town of Minocqua for contributing information for this article