Wisconsin is home to an awful lot of lakes. Precisely how many of these freshwater bodies of water there are in the state depends on how they're defined and, of course, is also the subject of a long-running squabble with neighboring Minnesota. Either way, lake lovers know that the number of lakes is trivial in comparison to their quality and whether they’re able to support healthy ecosystems and the ways of life that hinge on them.

So, what defines a healthy lake? As defined by Buzz Sorge, a lake management planner for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in west-central Wisconsin, a healthy lake is one whose physical, biological and chemical properties are in equilibrium. This balance provides stability that allows native aquatic organisms to flourish, Sorge explained in a March 31, 2016 talk at the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership Convention recorded for Wisconsin Public Television’s University Place.