News

FCAL 2025 Essay Contest

  “What (fill in the blank) Taught Me About My Relationship with Nature” was  the topic for this year’s Forest County Association of Lakes (FCAL) essay  contest. Students from 5th and 6th grades in Crandon, Laona and...

Trapping season

Trapping season

Northern Wisconsin offers a landscape abundant in forests, rivers, and wetlands—ideal habitats for a variety of fur-bearing species, including beavers, minks,muskrat, foxes, and fishers. The state’s trapping history is tied closely to both subsistence and commerce....

Proposed State-Level Regulations for Enhanced Wake Sports

Proposed State-Level Regulations for Enhanced Wake Sports

Dear Members and Supporters,   You may soon see Wisconsin Lakes in the news, and here's the reason.  Wisconsin Lakes and the Last Wilderness Alliance are renewing their call for bipartisan state-wide regulation of enhanced wake recreation to protect Wisconsin’s...

Wild Instincts releases rescued bear cubs back to the wild

Wild Instincts releases rescued bear cubs back to the wild

Five young bears now roam the wilds of northern Wisconsin, thanks to the help of a wildlife rehabilitation center north of Rhinelander. Wild Instincts posted video of the five cubs being released over the weekend. They’ve been raised over the last few months by the...

Wisconsin’s first Rustic Road turns 50

Wisconsin’s first Rustic Road turns 50

50 years ago, the first Rustic Road in Wisconsin received its formal designation. Now, the program is up to 126 roads spanning hundreds of miles across the state. Katie Thoresen / WXPR Sam Osborn has travelled every mile of designated Rustic Road in Wisconsin behind...

Environmental Day

Environmental Day

On October 2nd, the Forest County Association of Lakes (FCAL) hosted Environmental Day. Roughly 55 high school science students from Crandon, Laona, and Wabeno were able to get hands-on training opportunities both on and off the water. Lee Lamers (member of FCAL) and...

More people leaving leaves, a boon for sustainability, survey finds

More people leaving leaves, a boon for sustainability, survey finds

More people are leaving leaves on the ground during the autumn season, providing a boon to local ecosystems and cutting down on methane gas in the atmosphere. A new survey by the National Wildlife Federation found nearly 20% of people don’t collect or remove fallen...