Lake Chippewa’s floating island that has to be boat-pushed every year

Lake Chippewa, also known as Chippewa Flowage, is Wisconsin’s third-largest lake and home to some peculiar “floating islands”.

As for the lake’s history, it was created by humans in central Sawyer County, some 15 miles east of Hayward, in 1923.

However, much of the 15,300-acre (61.92 km²) area that is today flooded was covered by swamps.

The result was many of the swamps’ peat bogs to detach from the bottom of the lake, due to the accumulation of gasses, and create floating islands around the lake.

These islands come in several sizes that range from that of a parking space to several acres.

Over time, seeds were transported to these floating islands by birds and the wind, resulting in grasses and trees growing on them.

Due to high winds, water heights, and growing trees acting as sails, some of these islands often travel around the lake’s surface, while a local man Denny Reyes characteristically said “It’s one of the first things you look for when you come in here in the morning: Where’s the bog?”.

Every now and then, new bog islands might reach the lake’s surface and sink back down again after a while, as others might scatter into pieces while drifting on the lake.

The largest one of these floating islands is the “Forty Acre Bog”, which today is located on the lake’s west side, and is home to mature trees and vegetation.

The Forty Acre Bog, like some more of these islands, is protected by law as it houses various species of animals and cannot be broken apart.

Moreover, this Forty Acre Bog island is located next to a bridge that connects the lake’s East and West sides, and almost every year drifts towards it, resulting in locals teaming up to push it away with their boats.

Some years, it might take as many as 25 bots to push the drifting bog island away, while you can watch the process in the following video.