OCLRA eNews – March 2026
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- 6-County Lakes and Rivers Meeting set for July 17
- Celebrating art at the Lakes and Rivers Convention
- VCLRA publishes winter 2026 newsletter
- VCLRA recognizes two couples with Blue Heron Awards
- Lawsuits looming over limitations on enhanced wakes
- Two events to celebrate “Tying Land and Water”
- Oneida County Lake Classification System goes live
- Discovery Center’s Licia Johnson joins environmental education board
- Update your group’s information on Extension Lakes website
- Discovery Center plans third annual Woods and Waters Conference
- Oneida County Clean Waters Action issues update
- Author recounts a life journey with water
6-County Lakes and Rivers Meeting set for July 17
The annual Northwoods 6-County Lakes and Rivers Meeting will be held on Friday, July 17, from 8:30 a.m. to noon, at James Williams Middle School in Rhinelander. A committee is working on the agenda; save the date!
Celebrating art at the Lakes and Rivers Convention
The 2026 Wisconsin Lakes Convention includes an opportunity to explore and celebrate water through art. The Flow Project paired undergraduate students from UW System campuses with water professionals across the state to create art inspired by water. Stop over from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15 to visit with some of the students who will showcase their pieces. The exhibit will be displayed until Friday afternoon. The convention runs April 15-17 in Stevens Point.
VCLRA publishes winter 2026 newsletter
The Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association’s winter 2026 newsletter includes articles on climate impacts, connecting youth to clean water, reaching out to new shoreline owners, the Northern Lakes Toolbox workshops, Blue Heron award winners, and more.
VCLRA recognizes two couples with Blue Heron Awards
The Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association (VCLRA) present Blue Heron Stewardship Awards to the Brad and Jean Ciske family on Broken Bow Lake and the Fred and Stephanie Gruber Family on Irving Lake. The Blue Heron Awards recognize lake property owners who champion strong lake stewardship principles in developing and using their waterfront properties. The annual awards generate awareness and educate lake property owners on the importance of shoreland stewardship by showcasing excellence in lake-friendly waterfront development.
Lawsuits looming over limitations on enhanced wakes
After lake protection advocates fought off state legislation that would have failed to protect our lakes from enhanced wakes, the boating industry and wake surfing advocates are looking to intimidate towns that have passed wake ordinances by threatening lawsuits, such as one filed last year against the Town of Scott in Burnett County. This suit, brought by two out-of-state surfers, alleges that the ordinance is invalid under various legal theories. The plaintiffs claim that the state’s Public Trust Doctrine and riparian rights guarantee them a right to wake surf on the lake where they have lake homes. Visit www.oclra.org to read a complete update on the battle to prevent the harmful effects of enhanced wakes.
Two events to celebrate “Tying Land and Water”
Trout fishing enthusiasts can learn about fly tying at two events sponsored by the Northwoods Land Trust and the Wisconsin River Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Both casual walk-in events are free and open to the public. Experts will be on hand to demonstrate fly tying patterns and help newcomers create their own flies. Seasoned fly tyers will show their favorite designs. The events will be held at Rhinelander Brewing Company, Thursday, March 19, 4 to 7 p.m.; and at Bill Sherer’s We Tie It Fly Shop in Boulder Junction, Monday, March 23, 4 t0 7 p.m. To learn more, go to northwoodslandtrust.org under the events tab. RSVP is optional; email john@northwoodslandtrust.org or call 715-479-2490.
Oneida County Lake Classification System goes live
The Oneida County Land and Water Conservation Department has developed a lake classification and protection framework to help keep our lakes healthy. It evaluates each named lake in the county based on physical sensitivity and watershed health and then assigns a protection priority level. Visit here to read an article about the classification system by OCLRA secretary Beckie Gaskill at her Midwest Conservation newsletter.
Discovery Center’s Licia Johnson joins environmental education board
Licia Johnson, education director and naturalist at the North Lakeland Discovery Center, has joined the board of the Wisconsin Association for Environmental Education. WAEE is a professional community of people and organizations that promotes responsible environmental action, elevates voices for environmental justice, and celebrates excellence in environmental education.
Update your group’s information on Extension Lakes website
Extension Lakes has improved its Lake List Directory and now allows lake organizations to update their own information, instead of emailing staff to do so. Check out the new look and keep your organization’s contacts current at https://extensionlakes.org/
Discovery Center plans third annual Woods and Waters Conference
The North Lakeland Discovery Center’s third annual Woods and Water Conference will be held Friday, April 24. The full-day conference brings together ecologically minded people to discuss topics relevant to our Northwoods waters and forests. Registration opens on February 1 for in-person and virtual attendance.
Oneida County Clean Waters Action issues update
Oneida County Clean Waters Action provided February updates on critical issues on its website at www.occwa.org/. Highlights include:
- Efforts by OCLRA and OCCWA to amend the county Shoreland Protection Ordinance to prohibit clear-cutting in access and viewing corridors.
- Report on pollution from plastics and the myth of recycling them.
- Report on the DNR’s Biennial Habitat Work Plan.
- Latest on the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program’s funding issues.
- Jo Anne Lund’s Clean Water Minute? The northern leopard frog.
Author recounts a life journey with water
In Water and What We Know: Following the Roots of a Northern Life, author Karen Babine explores the meaning of being in a certain place on a particular day. “In essays that travel from the wildness of Lake Superior to the order of an apple orchard, Babine traces an ethic of place, a way to understand the essence of inhabiting a place deeply rooted in personal stories,” says the publisher, University of Minnesota Press. “And through it all runs water, carrying a birch bark canoe with a bullet hole and a bloodstain, roaring over the Edmund Fitzgerald, flooding the Red River Valley, carving the glaciated land along with historical memory.