Current News

Members of the Eagle River Chain of Lakes Association (ERCLA) are invited to learn about important lake-related topics during the upcoming ERCLA Annual Membership Meeting.

This year’s Silver Jubilee Celebration and 25th Anniversary of ERCLA will be on Saturday, July 25^th, from 9:00 to 10:30 am at the Kalmar Community Center, located at 1013 North Railroad Street in Eagle River. The agenda includes the election of directors, a review of ERCLA activities, year-end financial report and keynote speakers. Attendees will also enjoy refreshments while browsing the 2002 historical displays.

Sharing their knowledge with guests will be a Vilas County conservationist who will address the Chain’s lake ecology, a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist who will explain the fisheries population assessment and creel survey for the Eagle River Chain, and a Vilas County Sheriff’s deputy who will speak on boating safety. There also will be an open forum for questions and comments from ERCLA members.

RSVP names and number of attendees via email at [email protected], or text or leave a voicemail with Secretary Teri Stecker at 920-428-6743.

ERCLA is conducting an anonymous Stakeholder Survey through the Summer of 2026. The survey is open to residents, property owners, visitors and anyone who uses or enjoys the Chain of Lakes.

The Stakeholder survey for the Eagle River Chain of Lakes is primarily facilitated by ERCLA to help guide comprehensive lake management planning and future funding from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Stakeholder participation is an important part of the ongoing management of the Chain’s ecosystem. The community provides feedback which will help ERCLA accomplish the following:

Educational Outreach: Introduces residents to lake ecology and the management planning process.

User Preferences: Gathers data on how stakeholders utilize the Chain (e.g., fishing, boating, swimming).

Chain Management: Helps ERCLA and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shape goals for controlling shoreline and aquatic invasive species and tracking lake changes.

We are asking for the public’s input. Just 10 minutes today can help protect our lakes for future generations. Scan the QR code in the image or visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ERCSHS. Your voice matters in protecting our Chain of Lakes, its watershed and its ecosystems.

The Unified Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes Commission will hold its next meeting on Thursday, June 4, 2026 at 10:00 am at Eagle River City Hall (525 East Maple Street). Click the links below to view the agenda and previous meeting minutes.

The June 4, 2026 Meeting Agenda

The April 22, 2026 Meeting Minutes

The Unified Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes Commission will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 11:00 am at Eagle River City Hall (525 East Maple Street). Click the links below to view the agenda and previous meeting minutes.

The April 22, 2026 Meeting Agenda

The October 29, 2025 Meeting Minutes

This year provides us an introspective opportunity to remember where we came from, as it marks our 25th anniversary as a lake association on the Eagle River Chain of Lakes. What initially started as a group of individual lake associations was consolidated into one unified organization, known today as ERCLA.

We acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of our predecessors and rededicate ourselves to our charter to protect and preserve our chain. That mission has successfully guided us through our first 25 years, and it continues to shape the work we do today.

Jody Voight
ERCLA President

At a recent meeting of the Town of Washington, the Eagle River Chain of Lakes Association (ERCLA) donated $5,000 to support the Eagle River Chain Buoy Program.

ERCLA has provided annual funding for many years, enabling the purchase of new buoys and lights. In addition, the association collaborates with the Town of Washington in maintenance of the buoys.

Click here to read the full article!

Learn more about the Vilas County News-Review.

The Unified Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes Commission (ULERCLC) is meeting on Wednesday, November 19th at 7:00 pm at the Washington Town Hall. Eddie Heath, Aquatic Ecologist – Onterra LLC will present results of the 2025 Eurasian Water Milfoil management program. Preliminary plans for the 2026 Eurasian Water Milfoil treatment program will be reviewed. For additional information contact Dave Mueller at 715-297-6636.

Click here to view the agenda.

The Unified Lower Eagle River Chain of Lakes Commission will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 11:00 am at Eagle River City Hall (525 East Maple Street). Click the links below to view the agenda and previous meeting minutes.

The October 29, 2025 Meeting Agenda

The May 28, 2025 Draft Meeting Minutes

NPS photo by Neal Herbert

A group of volunteers continue to monitor the native bat population with an acoustic monitoring device for the WDNR on a handful of lakes on the Eagle River Chain. The lakes that were monitored this Summer included Duck (5), Otter (1), Cranberry (8 parts of the lake), and the Wisconsin River just off of Watersmeet (3).

As mentioned in the 2023 Fall Newsletter, starting in 2006 and confirmed in Wisconsin in 2014, an invasive fungus from Europe called White Nose Syndrome (WNS) has negatively affected our local hibernating bat populations, especially Little Brown Bats.

However, all news on our endemic bat populations is not negative. Bat numbers have been slowly creeping up. The Summer monitored sites have started to increase slightly. For example, individuals who have been monitoring bat houses may have seen populations go from 200 bats to 30 bats in one year and now it is slowly approaching 100 bats.

Bats are long-lived, up to 30 years of age. They generally only have one pup a year, that makes a disease like WNS able to almost wipe out colonies. It is very difficult and long process for them to rebound.

WNS is now considered endemic in Wisconsin. With bat numbers greatly reduced or non-existent at most underground hibernation sites. The site visits are being put on rotation of two, five or ten-year schedules, depending on their original population size, level of disturbance and species.

There are important ways landowners can help bats on their property. Some species of bats roost in dead trees that have peeling bark or cavities in them. Keeping those dead trees (snags) that are not a human safety hazard will provide habitat. Another way is to keep areas around creeks and rivers clear. These are both important migratory corridors and foraging areas. For folks who don’t have woods but are close to water, consider putting up one or more bat houses. Little brown and big brown bats in particular are known to use artificial structures.

Bats also have high site fidelity, returning to the same locations every year. Once you have an established colony of little brown bats in a bat house, for example, the same bats will return repeatedly. Females give birth to pups in early to mid-June. The pups are flightless for the first few weeks until they learn how to fly. In mid-July they begin to disperse, but the females will return to the maternal roost and share the same bat house with several generations. Information courtesy of H. Kaarakka, WDNR.

Vilas County is fortunate to have one of the most active bat monitoring programs in the country, thanks to many volunteers, including local ERCLA members. Currently, Cranberry Lake (Steve Skora), Duck Lake (Marc Groth), Watersmeet Lake (Ed Bonack) and Otter Lake (Jody Voight) have been active monitor participants joining hundreds of volunteers across the state.

If you have questions or would like to get involved as a volunteer, please feel free to contact Mariquita (Quita) Sheehan, Conservation Specialist, Vilas County Land and Water at 715-479-3721. It is Quita’s dedication to these activities that have made the Vilas County Program so successful and impactful.