7/19/25:  It's that time of year again! The Forest Lake Association (FLA) Annual Meeting/Picnic will be held Saturday, August 2, 2025.  (Agenda above)  Meeting at 4:00pm (2024 Draft Meeting Minutes - see password protected page with FLA Meeting Minutes)  and "eats" at 5:00pm. This year's event will be held at the Land O'Lakes Pavilion, 6300 Chippewa Road in the Memorial Park. For those who haven't paid their 2025 annual dues, you may do so as you enter the pavilion. If you have paid your dues, THANK YOU!   Stop by the table anyway to get a name tag. There will be picnic tables in the pavilion but you may still want to bring lawn chairs to sit on and be more comfortable. There will be hamburgers, hot dogs and the fixings, along with water, soda, beer and wine.

Please email me your RSVP (Attending Yes or No), if Yes - how many are attending and what you will be bringing as your dish to pass (very important)  - Appetizer, Side Dish or Dessert (enough for 8-10 people).

Also above is an order form for Forest Lake "swag". If you didn't get any last year, feel free to order. Julie Heberer will be making the swag and will try her best to have the items ready by Labor Day, 2025. THANK YOU, JULIE!!!! Please have orders in before the FLA annual meeting and picnic on August 2. Set margins to "narrow" before printing. Print this form and fill it out. Then, either a) mail it with your payment to Forest Lake Association, PO Box 952, Land O Lakes, WI 54540, or b) bring your completed form and payment to the picnic. Clothing available in Summer or Fall theme. T-shirts and sweatshirts have 3 colors available for each theme. Child and adult sizes for all T-shirts and crewneck sweatshirts. Hooded sweatshirts in adult sizes only. Thank you for supporting your lake association!

You can also make a tax-deductible donation for our fight against Eurasian Water Milfoil at the picnic (see the donation thermometer at the sign post on Forest Lake Road - thanks to Janine Smith). You can make a check payable to Forest Lake Preservation Foundation. See Tom Macak or Bruce Smith if you have any questions.

Thank you! We look forward to everyone attending. The more, the merrier!

Linda Bogdala

Email:  bogdale@comcast.net

6.12.25 Forest Lake Onterra 2025 Pre-Treatment Survey Results & Final Treatment Strategy:  Onterra sent the results of their milfoil survey to us today. They report that "........Our crew observed robust EWM growth in the treatment sites that sometimes exceeded densities that were present at the end of last summer. The crew also noted the presence of more EWM plants in adjacent areas within the vicinity of the treatment areas as compared to what was mapped last year........We confirm that the EWM is actively growing and ready for uptake of herbicide. All aspects of the dosing plan are confirmed and we are not recommending any changes to the strategy......".  We have been looking at the weather, and working out the logistics of required water sampling program and arrived at a date of treatment of Thursday June 19th.  Generally the treatment is done early in the morning.  As the summer continues we will also be removing the milfoil by hand and by the Diver Assisted Suction Harvest Boat ("DASH").  Our thanks to all of you that have supported these efforts through your support of the Foundation.  For those of you that have yet to contribute, here is a link to the Foundation web site.   https://www.forestlakepreservationfoundation.org/support-us/

Below is a PDF copy of the Forest Lake (Vilas) 2024 EWM Management & Monitoring Report. This fairly straight-forward report provides details of the 2024 EWM monitoring that took place surrounding the FLA’s coordinated professional hand harvesting efforts. Overall, harvesting led to EWM reduction in targeted areas, but the lake-wide population increased during 2024. Maps 4 & 5 display the proposed 2025 EWM management strategies (herbicide spots and hand harvesting/DASH) with additional text describing the monitoring in place which is consistent with the FLA’s Nov15 AIS-Control grant award.  Please take some time to read through this important report.  Thank you!

2025 Forest Lake Integrated Plant Management Strategy:  The Forest Lake Association has been fighting the invasive Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) since it was discovered in Forest Lake over 2 decades ago. While herbicides have been used previously, most of our EWM control has used hand harvesting of the plants.  However, in 2024, use of hand harvesting techniques was not sufficient to fully remove all of the EWM present in the lake. Significant areas remained infested with EWM. For 2025, the Forest Lake Association board has voted to apply to the Wisconsin DNR for the permits to use herbicides in areas where this method is most appropriate.  The goal is to remove as much EWM in 2025 as our finances allow.  Clean Boats Clean Waters folks will also be used again this year at the boat landing to help educate visitors to Forest Lake about the dangers of invasive species. 

If left uncontrolled, EWI has the potential to make large areas of the lake unsuitable for boating, fishing, swimming and other recreational activities. This is not a hypothetical concern. This video shows EWM on Clear Lake in Tomahawk, Wisconsin:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCIE8ZY2TJw&authuser=0 .  Such dense invasive vegetation on Forest Lake will adversely affect property values and reduce the value of the lake to community users. 

Therefore, the Forest Lake Board is taking the most aggressive stance in fighting EWM and our plans include the careful use of herbicides to combat the EWI. 

Below is a copy of the permit (which we have applied for which we hope will be approved by the WDNR) for herbicidal treatment. The herbicidal treatment will be done in limited areas. When the permit is granted, we anticipate the application to occur in late May, with the exact timing determined by water temperature. Also included in the attachment is a QR code which will allow you to see all of this information, the map showing the DASH/hand-pulling areas, along with a copy of the chemical warning sign with a QR code embedded in it. 

FLA MEETING DATES

5/25/25:  Please review the new Land O'Lakes Wake Enhancement Boating ordinance below and share this information with your family and visitors.

5/8/25:   Below is the Spring, 2025 FLA Newsletter.  Sincere thanks again to Julie Heberer, the editor extraordinaire!!  Enjoy!