Vern Wolf Lake

On the LakeGrade rubric, Vern Wolf Lake pulls an A: clarity at 21.3 ft and phosphorus readings still being added put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

Trophically, Vern Wolf Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. Vern Wolf Lake is a shallow lake at 12 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. Vern Wolf Lake covers 150 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Vern Wolf Lake sits at rank 8 of 13 in Kenosha County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Eurasian watermilfoil has been documented at Vern Wolf Lake, requiring shoreline management to keep dense mats from crowding native vegetation. Walleye are documented at Vern Wolf Lake, one of 4 fish species on record for the lake. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.