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 on ‘Water Safety’ at the […]
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), and a rain garden ($962). […]
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. Photo (L to R): Denny […]
You Are Invited to Our Annual Meeting!
Please join us on Saturday, July 17, 2021 for our annual meeting. Following the 9 am business meeting, we will welcome our guest speaker, Jim Bakken. Jim will present information about why area lakes rise and fall, current lake water levels, and a new project undertaken by Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area to […]
FOECLA Awards 3rd Annual Student Scholarship
Congratulations to Kayla Schultz, the first student from Northwood High School to be awarded the Friends of the Eau Claire Lakes Area Student Scholarship! Our $1,000 scholarship is awarded to graduating seniors who plan to pursue degrees that support our mission “to protect, preserve and improve the environmental and aesthetic qualities of the Eau Claire […]
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 runoff and erosion control projects.” […]
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, the crew noted the presence […]
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 black eyes, bills and feet. […]
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 are generally found in the […]
Northwest Cleansweep – Protect Our Lakes and Groundwater
Septic tanks can’t treat everything, so don’t pour hazardous waste such as paints, solvents, pesticides, antifreeze, and hazardous cleaners down the drain or flush old medications down the toilet. Wastewater eventually makes its way to your drainfield and joins groundwater traveling towards surface waters. Protect our precious lakes and rivers by properly disposing of hazardous […]