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Bayfield County is blessed with some of the most scenic shoreline along the Lake Superior coast. From low coastal wetlands to towering sandstone bluffs, the shoreline along Bayfield County exhibits a dynamic range of form and beauty. Our shoreline is a valued natural heritage and a treasured resource for landowners and visitors alike.

What comes as a surprise to many is that the shoreline along Lake Superior is always changing.  Variable lake levels and weathering lead to shoreline erosion.  Some of it is very gradual and nearly imperceptible; some can be rapid and catastrophic, as when a bank or bluff breaks apart and slumps downward.

The Bayfield County government is dedicated to protecting our Lake Superior shoreline and has actively supported research on coastal shoreline dynamics over the past several decades.  Our goal is to provide objective scientific information to our community so that, together, we may chart the best future for this valued resource.

In the pages that follow, we provide a collection of shoreline information we hope you will find informative.  The first is a set of oblique aerial images that provides a comprehensive view of our entire shoreline, documenting its condition as it existed in the Fall of 2002 (see Photo Background and Highlights). 

The second is a compilation of shoreline profile measurements collected by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison which describe the nature and erosional tendencies of specific points along the shoreline (see Profile Analysis).

Our ShoreViewer web application was designed to provide our community access to this valuable research information.   

Bayfield County, with the support of the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, will be holding a series of community informational meetings on shoreline erosion in September 2003.  Call 715-373-6156 for details.