Here are several items included in a 'WAL TOOLKIT' by Jim Brakken to help in the struggle to protect our lakes.


SIMPLE AND FREE: A WEBSITE FOR YOUR LAKE

Jim Brakken, WAL Director

Been wondering about a website for your waterbody? Reluctant to tackle the technical tasks? Concerned about cash commitments? I may have a solution! If anyone on your lake has a computer and internet access, your organization can easily have your own website up and running. Not only will the task be easy, but it will also look very professional and, best of all, it's free!

Here's what you'll need: Information about your organization such as a mission statement, list of paid members, another list of board members with phone numbers, recent minutes or upcoming agenda, other lake news or articles from past newsletters. All of this should be on your computer or on a floppy disk in MSWord, Works, Write or any text form. You can also include a couple of photos, either from a digital camera or scanned to your computer or a floppy in JPEG format.

Now go to www.freewebspace.com where you'll find a simple, cut and paste program for your lake's website. Type in your name, the name of your lake association, a password and then start filling in the blanks with your information by cutting and pasting. Photos are easier yet! Your lake organization can be on line with less than an hour of work. You may choose to keep your site small and to the point. You can expand it to include all the bells and whistles. You can change it at any time. Anyone can do it!

Freewebspace.com makes its money by offering members upgrades and by posting banner ads on your pages. The banner ads are rather benign and you have no obligation to choose the upgrades.

I recently used freewebspace.com to build these pages, the website for the Bayfield County Lakes Forum. Although parts are still under construction, you can see some of the variety and tools available to your lake.

Still reluctant to dive in? Find a youngster on your lake to help. Or, find an oldster! This could be a great opportunity for a senior volunteer!

As you build your website, be sure to include WAL on your list of links and let WAL know when you are ready to post your link on Wisconsinlakes.org. Welcome to the World Wide Web!


MORE TOOLS FOR LAKE ASSOCIATIONS:

Here are several 'tools' that I hope will help you develop your lake management organization or lake association.

First, read 5 STEPS, below. You'll see how easy it is to form an association. Contact me for a digital copy of MODEL BYLAWS FOR LAKE ASSOCIATIONS. It's a simple, fill in the blank tool that will make the bylaw writing chore a breeze! This will save one of your members from the tedious task of typing the document.

DECIDING ON DUES
Most lakes ask for annual dues per member. Ten dollars per year is typical. When you consider your dues amount, please plan for $1.25 per member per year for WAL membership. This may be one of the best investments your members will ever make on behalf of your lake and all Wisconsin lakes.

I included below several articles I have prepared for LAKE CONNECTIONS, the WAL newsletter. One of these, WHY JOIN WAL, explains the enormous benefit we all receive when we unite to preserve and protect our lakes. Please be sure to read WHY JOIN WAL. WAL is ready to help you form your association. Give WAL a call at 1-800-542-LAKE or call me at 715-798-3163. I am one of your WAL representatives.

Why Do We Need Lake Associations?
Lake management organizations serve many functions. They promote communication between lake folks, help clarify the needs of the lake, assist the DNR and other government agencies in environmental conservation and promote water education. They also give the lake community a strong, united voice in local government, promote environmentally sound policy, contribute to the community and help all lake users understand the fragile nature of out waters. Associations give lake folks a chance to volunteer or donate to their own lake. They can preserve the memory of the past and they can help prepare for the future. This because every lake will, in time, experience a challenge, perhaps even a crisis. Having your lake organization in place will give you a head start as you face the challenge of protecting your lake.
When lake organizations group together, their combined strength can positively effect the future of our environment. The Wisconsin Association of Lakes has enjoyed many important successes because our lake districts and lake associations have come together on behalf of all Wisconsin lakes. WAL will enjoy many more successes. We hope your group will join with the 300+ lake organizations in WAL to help preserve and protect Wisconsin's wonderful lakes.

Good luck with your organization and thank you for your interest in the future of our lakes!

Jim Brakken
Cable Lake Assn, BCLF and WAL Director

Some Contacts:
WAL's toll free line is 1-800-542-LAKE. Give WAL a call! For those in Bayfield County, The Bayfield County Lakes Forum is your association of lake associations. No dues, just a chance for your group to have a united voice in lake matters and to be in our communication network. Your group should be part of the Forum. Contact the BCLF by e-mail at bclf_2000@yahoo.com or email Roger Dreher, our BCLF President at RHDreher@aol.com.
Also, Tim Kane is our UWEX Agent for Bayfield, Ashland Counties. Reach Tim at timothy.kane@uwex.ces.edu or Lissa Radke, UWEX in Washburn, lissa.radke@uwex.ces.edu
Jim Brakken, WAL Northern Region Director, brakken@citizens-tel.net or 715-798-3163 in Cable.
Dan Ryan is our DNR Lakes Specialist. He's the one to call when you want a DNR opinion. Reach him in the Spooner WDNR Field Office. Dave Blumer works with Dan and is our local self-help lake monitoring specialist.


STARTING A LAKE ASSOCIATION: 5 Simple Steps

It may sound like a big task. It really isn't. With the tools and advice available today, forming a lake association can be simple, rewarding and maybe even fun! Here are the steps you will need to take. You will start with . . .
1. Informal Discussion Session: Talk it over with a few folks on your lake. If interest is there set a time and date and arrange for your lake group's . . .
2. Exploratory Meeting. Invite everyone who may be interested. Snacks, and beverages may help bring folks in. Also invite a leader from a neighboring lake association, your UW Extension Agent, and/or a WAL representative to offer technical advice. Pass a sign up sheet to get contact info. Discuss issues facing your lake and the advantages of organizing. WAL and UWEX can help. Poll your group. If still interested, ask for volunteers to set up the Charter Meeting and others to develop bylaws. Choose dates for your Charter Meeting and your . . .
3. Bylaws Committee Meeting. Here you will choose a name for your group, draft bylaws using the Model Bylaws for a Lake Association'. [A fill-in-the-blank process. Get a copy of the model on disk from WAL to save keyboard time.] This meeting will take a group of 2 to 4 volunteers 2 hours or less. Ask UWEX or WAL to review your bylaws, send copies to your members, then present them for adoption at your . . .
4. Charter Meeting. Be sure to publicize this well. Let everyone know that you will vote on bylaws and elect officers. Inform your local newspaper. Encourage them to do a story and a follow up on your new organization. Here you will ask folks to sign a roster with contact info, review and vote to approve or reject the bylaws. Your Bylaws Committee can make changes on the spot, if needed. Once adopted, hold elections. Your leaders should immediately A, form committees, B, accept dues, C, discuss joining your county lake organization, D, discuss joining WAL, E, fill out a UWEX Lake List contact form and sign articles of incorporation [available from WAL], F, select dates for your first BOD Meeting, Annual Meeting, and Social, and G, adjourn. Then you should . . .
5. CELEBRATE! You have just taken the most important steps to protect and preserve your lake!


Calendar items:

March 7, 8, 9, 2002 Wisconsin Lakes Convention, Green Bay. Probably the world's best lake convention. Call 1-800-542-LAKE for info.

NW WIsconsin Lake Leaders Conference: June 2002 Hayward Area. Plan to send a representative from your lake! Watch for updates in the WAL Newsletter and on this website.

30 WAYS FOR A LAKE ORGANIZATION TO STAY ORGANIZED
1. Post or publish notices of all meetings (required by law for districts).
2. Meet regularly at a public place (required by law for districts).
3. Have your Hospitality Committee provide snacks, maybe door prizes at big meetings.
4. Prepare a written agenda, which is distributed in advance.
5. Start and end your meetings on time.
6. Conduct your meetings in a business-like way. Be fair, brief, and to the point.
7. Provide every member with minutes of all meetings.
8. Review your Bylaws and Mission Statement annually.
9. Provide for 'every member' communication, such as a newsletter.
10. Involve your lake's youth through water education activities, events.
11. Establish a web page for your lake group.
12. Establish an e-mail list for 'lake updates' and a phone chain for 'urgent' issues.
13. Keep members informed of key lake and community issues.
14. Provide an officer/board orientation fact sheet that spells out duties.
15. Create a member inventory file with interests, resources, and skills, contact info.
16. Form committees & delegate responsibilities to involve more members.
17. Develop new leadership by mentoring, training members.
18. Send members to attend Lakes Convention, WAL workshops and events.
19. Send out surveys to give members input opportunities and ownership.
20. Join WAL and your county lakes organization, if one exists.
21. Meet with other lake organizations with similar objectives.
22. Enroll members to receive Lake Tides, free UWEX Lakes newsletter.
23. Establish opportunities for volunteers to gain a sense of ownership.
24. Recognize volunteers publicly and reward the work of members.
25. Provide community publicity through news releases, pictures, etc.
26. Invite local media to your meetings, activities and events.
27. Plan social as well as educational opportunities for your organization.
28. Develop a 'courtesy code' to help all lake users understand your lake and group.
29. Maintain an active, creative recruitment effort.
And 30 . . . Work with your Board and Volunteers to make it fun for all!

Prepared by Jim Brakken and Mary Platner



WHY JOIN WAL?
An open letter to all lake organizations.

Dear Fellow Lake Leaders:

I would like to recommend that your lake establish membership in the Wisconsin Association of Lakes (WAL). You are an important link in the chain WAL is forging on behalf of lake protection and preservation.

What is WAL? Like your organization, the Wisconsin Association of Lakes is a group of citizen volunteers working on behalf of our lakes. WAL represents over 300 lake associations and lake districts across Wisconsin. We work to protect and preserve all of our lakes, including yours. As you know, some issues are just too big and too complex for the financial and legal capabilities of individual lake organizations. Sometimes sensible management of our lakes may call for changes in laws, and dealing with complex issues such as pollution, development, exotic plants and animals, or recreational use conflicts. Folks like you, concerned with the future of their favorite lake, realized that to look out for the interests of the lake they enjoy they needed to be advocates for all of Wisconsin's lakes. They realized that lake organizations and lake advocates would be able to do more to affect state policies if they spoke in a unified voice. Thus was born the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.

Recently George Meyer, then Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, referred to WAL as "the most influential water issues lobbying group in Wisconsin". The Wisconsin Law Review (July, 1999) referred to WAL as a "growing, well-educated, and respected force within the state, in a position to generate an informed and active citizen network on both a lake-by-lake and a statewide basis."

WAL's efforts reach far beyond lobbying, however. The scope of our successes is far ranging. Every one of those successes benefits folks on your lake, either directly or indirectly.

Why should you join WAL? Let's look at a few things WAL has done for all Wisconsin lakes:

- WAL captured marine fuel tax monies that were being siphoned off into the highway tax fund. These were dollars from your pockets. WAL got the legislature to return those marine fuel tax dollars and now they are used to protect lakes. Because of this effort, millions of dollars have benefited our lakes, including yours. WAL is working now to recover more of your tax dollars for lakes.

- WAL then urged these new funds be used to create DNR and UWEX Lake Specialist positions. Now, each region of the State has specialists working for our lakes and for you.

- WAL helps create educational programs, offers training and provides opportunities for all Wisconsinites, young and old, to learn how to enjoy our lakes without damaging them. For example, the Adopt-A-Lake program was initiated and funded through WAL efforts.

- WAL hosts events that bring together lake leaders to share concerns and successes and develop lake protection strategies, including the Wisconsin Lakes Convention, Lake Fairs, and Regional Lake Workshops.

- WAL helps establish the direction of Wisconsin lake policy and programs. We have now developed a strategic plan for the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership to will guide the next decade of lake protection and enhancement work in Wisconsin. Your organization can become part of that process.

- WAL fights 'anti lake' legislation and activities. We are currently pursuing legal action to uphold the public trust doctrine and prevent the sale of 'dockominiums', which would give your neighbor the right to sell several hundred deeds to one dock. Each deed would then give every owner mooring rights. Imagine a hundred speed boats at one lake lot! Now imagine a dozen or more of these dockominium sites on your lake! FALL 2001 UPDATE: WAL HAS WON THE DOCKOMINIUM CASE!!

- WAL has initiated a fight to reverse the 140 year old cranberry rule which gives growers uncontrolled, unregulated water rights and the potential to ruin any lake or stream without DNR inspection or regulation.

- WAL is working to establish a near shore, no wake buffer on our lakes both in the interest of lake protection and for the safety of boaters, swimmers and others using the near shore waters.

- WAL just established the Friends of Wisconsin Lakes program, allowing individual participation in lake protection activities.

- WAL has a staff of lake experts, Board members, and Lake Leader volunteers ready to assist you with your concerns. We have a web site and a toll-free number to help answer your questions. WAL's attorney specializes in lake law. Many legislators frequently consult our attorney regarding water issues. The WAL staff is at your disposal as soon as you join.

This is only a partial list of our successes and a partial list of the benefits of WAL membership. Look at what WAL has done for you. Now, imagine how much more we could do with your participation! Also, consider the many issues we have not addressed simply because we have not had the support of some of Wisconsin's lake management organizations. Some of these issues may be of importance to your lake!

Membership in WAL would cost your organization $1.25 per member per year. (WAL's organization rate has a minimum of and a maximum of per year). That's slightly more than 2 cents a week! I believe this may be one of the best investments your organization can make on behalf of your members.

Lake organizations, like yours and mine, need members to be strong and effective. If yours is like most lake associations, this is what happens: 1) Many responsible lake owners will support your association, as they should; 2) A few will work hard to make it a success, and 3) Some folks simply will not join. Unfortunately, this third group will sit back and watch the rest of you work to protect their lake interests. They will squirrel away their small annual dues, probably saving pennies a day. A true example of penny-wise but pound-foolish. Sound familiar? We all know the correct thing to do is to support the organization which works on our behalf.

WAL has been working for you and is working on your behalf right now. Our member organizations will see to it that WAL continues to work for you into the future. Again, look at what we have done. WAL can do more with your support. More for your lake . . . more for all lakes. Your membership will give added strength to our united voice.

As President of a northern lake management organization, the Cable Lake Association, and as one of your representatives on the WAL Board, I ask you to bring a motion before your Board of Directors to become a member of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes. Thank you.

Jim Brakken