News

Newly Introduced Legislation Threatens Our Lakes

Our mission guides us as a board and organization, always reminding us of our commitment to protect, preserve and improve the natural resources around us. So when new recreational uses of our lakes emerged – wakesurfing and wakeboarding – we took time to research the design of wake boats and

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Lock Between Middle and Lower is Closed for Repairs

The lock between Middle and Lower Eau Claire Lakes is now closed for repairs due to seepage issues. The dam alongside the lock was originally constructed of logs to impound and propel felled logs downstream during the late 1800s. It was called Smith Dam. At the outlet from Lower Eau Claire

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FOECLA Awarded 2nd Healthy Lakes & Rivers Grant!

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded our second Healthy Lakes & Rivers grant from the DNR! Our application on behalf of area property owners was fully-funded. We will administer $10,000 for shoreline improvement projects this year and next. The projects will include rain gardens, infiltration and

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LEEP Featured on Live! from North Woods and Waters Oct. 25 7-8pm

Our Lake Ecology Education Program (LEEP) will be featured on Live! from North Woods and Waters on October 25. Christine Neff and Melissa Kjelvik will discuss how LEEP engages local youth to launch them on a positive lifelong relationship in environmental stewardship. A comprehensive lake ecology education program aligned with

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New Lake Brochures with Valuable AIS Info Now Available!

Visitors and property owners alike will benefit from three brochures recently published by the Town of Barnes. The brochures are tailored to Tomahawk/Sand Bar, Upper Eau Claire and Middle Eau Claire lakes and provide information on boating safety and preventing the spread of aquatic invasive plants. Of particular interest is

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Boating Safety Brochure Now Available!

Check out our new boating safety brochure! In addition to information on boating laws, the brochure provides practical suggestions for taking care of our lakes and their sandy soils, which are particularly vulnerable to shoreline erosion and plant displacement from boat wakes. To download and view our brochure, just click

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First Healthy Lakes Projects Completed

This month we mailed our first reimbursement checks to property owners who are participating in the WDNR’s Healthy Lakes & Rivers grant program with us, and we’re enjoying this more than we can say! Reimbursements so far are for a shoreline 350-square-foot native planting ($1,000), an upland water diversion ($445),

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FOECLA Welcomes New Board Members

Four people joined our board of directors this fall! On October 8, we gathered to thank our two outgoing directors and welcome our new directors. Outgoing board members Barbara Possin and Thom Storm each received an Aldo Leopold bench handcrafted by board member Marty Olson and signed by board members.

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FOECLA Awarded 2021 DNR Healthy Lakes & Rivers Grant

Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area (FOECLA) has been awarded a 2021 Healthy Lakes & Rivers (https://healthylakeswi.com/) grant from the Wisconsin DNR. The purpose of this grant program is “to protect and restore the health of our lakes and rivers by increasing property owner participation in habitat restoration and

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A Day on the Water with the BAISS Boat Crew

The Town of Barnes BAISS boat crew harvested curly-leaf pondweed (CLP) on June 23 as part of its ongoing efforts to reduce the spread of this aquatic invasive. Two divers joined the boat operator for six hours on Upper Eau Claire Lake. In addition to “bagging” a lot of CLP,

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White Hummingbird Visits Sweet Lake

White Hummingbird 8/26/20 (Credit: Thom Storm) A white hummingbird was seen on Sweet Lake on August 26. While it moved too quickly to get a good look at it, it’s more likely it was a leucistic hummingbird than a true albino. True albinos have pink eyes, while leucistic hummingbirds have

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Playful River Otters in Upper Eau Claire Lake

A friend sent in this photo from a video he made of 4 river otters playing in Upper Eau Claire Lake one recent morning. He said he hadn’t seen river otters for a long time and it was fun to see them swimming past his pier. In Wisconsin, river otters

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USDA Issues Warning Regarding Unsolicited Seeds Mailed from China

Jill Jacoby, Douglas County AIS Coordinator, reports there have been people in our area who have received unsolicited mailings from China containing seeds. Residents in all 50 states have received these mailings and USDA officials are advising people to not plant the seeds, which are unknown and could be invasive

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Prevent the Spread of Oak Wilt

Recent brushing operations on the River Road right-of-way damaged oak trees, creating the possibility of an oak wilt outbreak. Paul Cigan, WDNR Forest Health Specialist in the Hayward office, shared a flyer about oak wilt in our area and how to prevent its spread (click here).  He also wrote the

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Fireworks? Don’t Forget the Permit!

With the cancellations of “Good Neighbor Days” in Gordon and the Fourth of July parade and fireworks in Barnes this year, residents and guests who wish to display fireworks on their property (owned or rented) are reminded to contact their town clerk for a fireworks permit.  There are public displays

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FOECLA Awards 2nd Annual Student Scholarship

Bode Rasmussen, a graduating senior at Drummond High School, has been selected to receive this year’s Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area $1,000 Scholarship. Bode will enroll in UW-Stevens Point’s College of Natural Resources in the fall. Bode’s chosen course of study strongly aligns with our mission to help

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FOECLA Awards First Student Scholarship May 15, 2019

Iris Wichman and board member Martin Olson. Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area is pleased to announce Iris Wichman is the recipient of its first annual student scholarship. Ms. Wichman, a 2019 graduate of Drummond Area High School, will pursue a degree in environmental studies at UW-Barron County this

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July 11, 2016 Storm Brings Flooding to Area

On the night of July 11, a severe rainstorm struck the Eau Claire Lakes Area, saturating woodlands, farms, lake properties and communities from Hayward to the Ashland area and Lake Superior overnight. The next day we awakened to damage from 10 to 13 inches of rain that washed out roads,

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2015 Middle Lock/Dam and Mooney Dam Repairs

During the summer of 2015, both Bayfield County’s Middle Lock and Dam on the Eau Claire River between Upper and Middle Eau Claire Lakes, and Douglas County’s Mooney Dam located where the Eau Claire River drains Lower Eau Claire Lake’s Mooney Bay, underwent significant repairs. Both dams were originally constructed

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