FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 13, 2025
Contact: Greg Matzke, DNR Fisheries Biologist
[email protected] or 715-528-4400 Ext. 5

DNR Seeking Public Input On Franklin Lake
Walleye Rehabilitation Project

DNR Fisheries staff will host an in-person meeting in Eagle River to gather input on a proposed walleye habitat project on Franklin Lake. / Photo Credit: Wisconsin DNR

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) invites the public to meet with DNR staff and partners in person on Wednesday, Aug. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the VFW post in Eagle River, Wisconsin, for a public meeting on an upcoming walleye spawning reef project on Franklin Lake.

This meeting will discuss the results of a 2025 comprehensive survey of Franklin Lake and the changes that have been documented in the fishery over the past 50 years. The majority of this meeting will focus on the walleye population, which was once strong but has been below what is considered a “fishable” level over the past 20 years. Public input will be sought on a proposed walleye spawning reef that would be constructed along U.S. Forest Service property to help rehabilitate the walleye population.

More information about this event is available on the DNR’s Meetings and Hearings calendar.

MEETING DETAILS

Presenter: Greg Matzke, DNR Fisheries Biologist
What: Public Meeting on Upcoming Walleye Spawning Reef Project
When: 6 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27
Where: VFW Post 8637
418 West Pine Street
Eagle River, WI 54521