about FCAL
The Forest County Association of Lakes (FCAL) is a cooperative effort between each of the lake associations in Forest County, Wisconsin to protect our inland water bodies, environs, and watershed. As a team, we facilitate research and sharing between organizations, governmental bodies, and the general public and work together to preserve the aesthetic beauty, water quality, wildlife habitats, and fisheries within Forest County.
Join FCAL
Join online or by mail.
Our Environment
2026 Northwoods Six-County Lakes & Rivers Annual Meeting
Friday, July 17, 2026 – 8am -12:30pm
James Williams Middle School, 915 Acacia Ln, Rhinelander, WI
A G E N D A
7:00-8:00am — Doors Open for Exhibits Setup
8:00-8:30 — Exhibit Booths & Hospitality Light Refreshments
8:30-8:40 — Welcome – Beckie Gaskill, OCLRA
8:40-9:00 — Wisconsin Lakes Update
9:00-9:30 — Oneida County Lakes Classification-JoAnn Lund, Oneida County Land & Water, Grants/ Special Projects
9:30-10:00 — What Manoomin (Wild Rice) Tells About Your Lakes Report Card-Esiban Parent, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission
10:00-10:15 — BREAK & VISIT EXHIBITORS
10:20-10:50 — Lake Steward Program—Ted Rulseh, Pres. OCLRA
10:50-11:20 — Fisheries Classification & How to Interpret Fish Reports—John Kubisiak, DNR
11:20-11:50 — Light Pollution & Your Lakes Report Card—Michele Sadauskas, Oneida County L&W, Conservationist
11:50 — BREAKOUT SESSIONS including Last Wildnerness Alliance Wake Boat presentation, exhibitors and speakers available for individual questions/discussions
12:30 — Meeting Concludes
Sponsored By: OCLRA and VCLRA
Steering Committee Members: Amy Arlen, Tom Boisvert, Beckie Gaskill (Chair), Mary Jung, Susan Knight, Keith Montgomery, Mariquita Sheehan, Michele Sadauskas, Derek Thorn, Nancy Ver Kuilen
Annual Meeting & Dinner Saturday, October 24, 2026
Where: Wolf River Rendezvous, Crandon
Times: 4:00 pm – Registration — Cash Bar and Joviality Begin 4:15 pm – Annual Meeting with/election of board members 5:00 pm – Presentation by ?
6:00 pm – Dinner menu TBD
The cost of dinner is $30/person for members. You may make your reservations in one of the following ways, but please do so no later than October 18th:
– go to the FCAL website to reserve and pay on line at https://fcal-wis.org/product/fcal-annual-dinner or,
– mail your payment with the form below to
FCAL, Inc., PO Box 68, Pickerel, WI 54465.
******************************************
*Board Members – There will be a short board meeting after the dinner for the election of officers.
The public is welcome.
Name(s): ___________________________________________
Lake Association/District: ______________________________
Members = $30/per person x ___(number of people) = $ _____ (total enclosed).
Please make checks payable to the Forest County Association of Lakes. Reservations should be received no later than Friday, October 18th.
Forest County Courtesy Code
- Be Kind to Wildlife, Your Neighbors, & Your Lake
- Watercraft Safety – OBEY THE LAWS, REGULATIONS, & RULES
- Clean Boats/Clean Waters – OBEY THE LAWS, REGULATIONS, & RULES
REPORT INVASIVE SPECIES VIOLATIONS TO THE DNR’S TIP LINE
1-800-847-9367
OTHER VIOLATIONS CAN BE REPORTED TO Austin Babich WDNR WARDEN
608-896-5217 or
Or FOREST COUNTY SHERIFF
715-478-3331
WDNR Tip Line
800-847-9367
Forest County Sheriff’s Recreation Officer–Chad Mullis
715-478-3331
RECYCLING MONOFILAMENT FISHING LINE
If left out in the environment, monofilament fishing line can tangle or be ingested by wildlife, endanger swimmers or become wrapped around boat propellers. It can last up to 600 years in freshwater, meaning it poses a threat for a long time. Removing discarded fishing line from the environment is a great first step. Recycling gives it new life.
Anyone who is interested in obtaining a container can contact us through this website by filling out the contact us form or purchase one.
News & Events
To view the whole article tap or click on the picture
Field Notes: Bountiful Blooms in our Water Bodies
By Gretchen Gerrish - Published October 11, 2024 This summer, plant and algal blooms in northern Wisconsin lakes have been a hot topic of discussion. At UW Trout Lake Station, we have received reports of surface-covering purple bladderwort, heard stories of bright...
Field Notes: The Fish of Vilas County
By Lonnie Parry Gillis, WXPR - Published December 10, 2024 Hi my name is Lonnie Parry, I am a Masters Student at the University of Wisconsin- Madison studying fisheries science. Today, I am going to guide us on an exploration of the fish of Vilas County, Wisconsin—an...
Documentary brings Wisconsin tribe’s pipeline resistance to national stage
By Judith Ruiz-Branch/Wisconsin News Connection via WXPR Patty Loew attended five screenings of a new film this year. She wasn't joining box office masses at Wicked or Inside Out 2, but Bad River: A Story of Defiance. The independent documentary, directed by Mary...
Waterfowl create new challenges in effort to restore wild rice on Spur Lake in Oneida County
By Katie Thoreson, WXPR - December 19, 2024 Strapping his canoe back into his truck bed, Brian Biermier remembers Spur Lake in the 70s when wild rice grew thick on the Oneida County lake. “It was solid rice, shore to shore, you could not see the water,” said...
Nine Lessons about Aquatic Invasive Species from the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research (NTL-LTER) Program
Abstract: Freshwater ecosystems can serve as model systems that reveal insights into biological invasions. In this article, we summarize nine lessons about aquatic invasive species from the North Temperate Lakes Long-Term Ecological Research program and affiliated...
MGLP Lake Conservation Grant
The MGLP is one of twenty partnerships that span the nation under the umbrella of the National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP). The MGLP area of focus is glacial lakes and their watersheds (see figure). Nine Midwestern states, numerous federal agencies, tribal...
