MEMBERSHIP
Many Faithful Members
Over the last several years we have been blessed with many faithful members who give of both their money and time. These people keep us going, they encourage us and they have been very generous with their contributions. They understand that we are the line of defense against challenges to the quality of our lakes. We tip our hat to you and give you a big THANK YOU!
996 property owners around our two lakes. We would like for every one of these properties to be on our membership rolls. Our current membership is 410 which represents 41% of our property owners. However, we know that lake stakeholders include everyone who use and benefit from clean, accessible water like businesses, visitors, recreation enthusiasts, and naturalists. Please accept our invitation to support our efforts in maintaining Lake Minocqua and Lake Kawaguesaga by joining and donating here.
| Year | Membership | Dues and Gifts | Average Family Contribution |
| 2024 | 410 |
$64,787 |
$158.02 |
| 2023 | 374 |
$68,157 |
$182.24 |
| 2022 | 382 |
$69,560 |
$182.09 |
| 2021 | 405 | $68,402 | $168.89 |
| 2020 | 415 | $75,120 | $181.01 |
| 2019 | 407 | $77,250 | $189.80 |
| 2018 | 286 | $37,694 | $131.80 |
| 2017 | 317 | $41,615 | $131.28 |
| 2016 | 314 | $37,105 | $118.17 |
| 2015 | 315 | $43,260 | $137.33 |
It should be noted that all of the membership numbers are for the end of the year.
Lake Association faces reduced State funding to fight weeds
The Minocqua Kawaguesaga Lake Protection Association (MKLPA) has been fighting invasive Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) for over 20 years and has become quite successful at keeping this monster at bay. Left unchecked, milfoil propagates rapidly and creates a mat on the surface of the water that makes water use in the impacted areas nearly impossible.
Thanks to the efforts of the MKLPA, the waters of Minocqua and Kawagusaga are in very good shape today, however, the monster is still lurking. There is no way to completely eradicate Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM), it is a permanent inhabitant of our lakes. However, its impact can be mitigated through variety of methods including mechanical harvesting, diver assisted suction harvesting (DASH), and herbicide treatment.
The MKLPA participates in a complex process to manage our lakes, this process has to be recreated every year;
- Process starts with the Wisconsin DNR which uses the Lake Management Plan created by the MKLPA’s consultant, OnTerra – this plan has to be updated every five (5) years for MKLPA to be eligible for permits and grants
- OnTerra assists MKLPA in applying for permits and grants to mange our lakes.
- Permits are approved or denied by the Wisconsin DNR
- Permits that receive approval, MKLPA initiates a grant writing process to assist in paying for the execution of the approved permits
- MKLPA contracts with Aquatic Plant Management (APM) to execute the permit using the monies from grants, membership dues and donations
- APM manages the mechanical harvesting and herbicide application in the permit-approved areas.
Needless to say, this all costs money. Over the last 5 years, the MKLPA has spent an average of $170,000 per year to fight milfoil on our two lakes. The organization was formed because there is no government agency that executes or pays for lake weed mitigation. It is only through applying for grants, public fundraising events, annual lake association dues, and generous contributions from lake users that the MKLPA is able to fund these efforts.
As you might expect, under the current administration, grant funding is being sharply reduced across the board. The impact to the MKLPA will likely become significant, as they depend on grants to cover much of the cost to manage Eurasian watermilfoil.
Thank you in advance for your generous donations in support of MKLPA mission – “to improve and maintain the quality of our lakes’