Chippewa Moraine Lakes features a dense concentration of nine lakes in a relatively natural state, situated within the morainal topography of Chippewa County just west of the Chippewa River. Lakes include Camp, Spence, Plummer, Little Plummer, Bass No. 1, Bass No. 5, Deer, Fishpole, and Burnt Wagon. Each exhibit differences in plant species composition and population densities due to depth, alkalinity, and shore features. An open floating mat surrounds the 6 acre Camp Lake. Sphagnum mosses and white beak-rush are dominant with small cranberry, tawny cotton-grass, few-seeded sedge, and leatherleaf also present. The lake's hydrology appears relatively intact and numerous openings in the mat support northern yellow-eyed grass, narrow-leaved sundew, rose pogonia, and grass pink. Fishpole Lake is a soft-water meromictic lake with a depth of 12 feet. Meromixis, the permanent thermal stratification of the water, results from the lake having an extremely small surface area in comparison to its depth. The lake never "turns over" and circulates as the water temperature changes in the spring and fall as is typical of most other Wisconsin lakes. Instead, its waters stay stratified creating unusual chemical and biological layers. Spence Lake is an acid bog lake having a small outlet that is the headwaters of Foster Creek. Plummer Lake is a 41-acre deep hard-water seepage lake with a small outlet stream to Bob Creek. Wood ducks nest here. Little Plummer Lake is a 10 acre hard-water seepage lake with an outlet stream to Plummer Lake and the Mud Creek drainage system. It is a wilderness-type lake with no access roads or private development. Fish include northern pike, largemouth bass, perch, bluegills, rock bass, pumpkinseed, and bullhead. Mallards, wood ducks, and mergansers use the lake area for nesting. Bass Lake No. 1 (Town of Birch Creek) is a 6-acre soft-water seepage lake with an intermittent outlet to Mud Creek. Bass Lake No. 5 is a deep, hard-water seepage lake with a small inlet from Bass Lake No. 4 and a small outlet that is the main headwaters branch of Mud Creek. The 15-acre Burnt Wagon Lake is a landlocked, soft-water seepage lake with no development. Chippewa Moraine Lakes is owned by Chippewa County and DNR (Plummer Lake). The site was designated a State Natural Area in 2010.
