Read more about the article Youth Conservation Poster Contest

Youth Conservation Poster Contest

Daryn Smolinksi, Mollie Waltz, and Clark Higley are the winners of the 2022 Vilas County Land & Water Youth Conservation Poster Contest.

The Vilas County Youth Conservation Poster Contest is held annually to promote youth awareness of local land and water conservation issues.  Vilas County Land & Water staff partner with teachers, home schoolers, and other educators to offer lessons that meet academics standards.   This year Land & Water staff were able to go into classrooms with soil samples and vegetables to teach the theme of “Healthy Soil: Healthy Life”.

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Read more about the article Science on Tap: Using Science to Wrangle AIS

Science on Tap: Using Science to Wrangle AIS

Wednesday,  January 5, 2022 6:30 pm —
Live Event – Oakfire Pizza, Minocqua

UPDATE — due to Covid this is now a remote event.
Visit  http://www.scienceontapminocqua.org/ to connect.

Michelle Nault is the statewide lakes and reservoir ecologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Water Quality and is responsible for providing technical guidance to a wide variety of lake management and restoration efforts.  Michelle will discuss how the DNR and its partners use science to deal with these troubling aquatic invasive species.

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Read more about the article 2021 Six County Lakes & Rivers Conference Video

2021 Six County Lakes & Rivers Conference Video

View all presentations from the 2021 six-county lakes and rivers conference, which  was hosted by Vilas and Oneida County Lakes and Rivers Associations on July 16th 2021. Attendees were invited from Oneida, Vilas, Forest, Langlade, Iron and Lincoln counties.  Pat Goggin, lake specialist at the UW Extension Lakes, was the conference leader.  Climate change, high water, development, and less state protections can all impact water quality in the Northwoods and were some of the topics addressed during the meeting by lake leaders and experts from Wisconsin and Minnesota. 

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Read more about the article Izabella Mitchell of AV-W Wins Vilas County Poster Contest

Izabella Mitchell of AV-W Wins Vilas County Poster Contest

The Vilas County Youth Conservation Poster Contest is held annually to promote youth awareness of local land and water conservation issues. This year’s theme was “Healthy Forests, Healthy Communities,” and the winning poster was created by Izabella Mitchell. Her entry will next compete with nine other county winners in WI.

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Read more about the article Debbie Millar (Ballard Lake) receives Blue Heron Award

Debbie Millar (Ballard Lake) receives Blue Heron Award

The Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association (VCLRA) awarded our Blue Heron Shoreland Stewardship Award to Debbie Millar of Ballard Lake for restoration completed on her lakefront property. This award was presented at our “Celebrate the Lakes Day” on July 10, 2020 via Zoom Conference Call. Congratulations to Debbie Millar!

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Read more about the article Note from the President
(c) T F Ewing

Note from the President

The corona virus (Covid-19) has created an unprecedented global health and economic crisis. In this moment in time, we have in common with all other people on our planet the same fear, anxiety and stress over its impacts on the health of our family and friends, as well as its consequences for our society and economy.

Yet I look out the window and see an entirely peaceful and calming scene, seemingly detached from the human toll worldwide. It is amazing to look at our lakes and their natural surroundings and see that the natural world does not appear to have noticed our crisis or been impacted at all. Well, the skies are maybe a little clearer. (more…)

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Read more about the article Special COVID-19 Alert

Special COVID-19 Alert

Vilas County issues advisory to seasonal homeowners.

On March 20, 2020, the Vilas County Public Health Official declared that a Public Health Emergency exists in Vilas County. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the national spread of the COVID-19 virus, Vilas County Government issued the following inter-county Travel Advisory. It urged seasonal or second home owners to stay away from the area due to high community transmission in outside areas. It also noted the very limited healthcare infrastructure in Vilas County and the high population of older adults that are most vulnerable as other factors for issuing the advisory.

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Read more about the article 2020 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Online Learning Event

2020 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Online Learning Event

Focusing on Resilient Lakes and Rivers is the theme for this year's annual Lakes & River Convention, which will be held on April 1-3 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point. For the first time, the lakes focus of this annual event has been broadened to include rivers and streams...

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Read more about the article VCLRA Scholarship awarded to local student
(C) Steve Kohls/ Brainerd Dispatch Brainerd High School students Gavin Metz (left) and Abby Wohl-Kovatovich search for aquatic specimens in Boom Lake Wednesday as part of their biology field trip.

VCLRA Scholarship awarded to local student

The Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association (VCLRA) was pleased to award its inaugural scholarship to Lakeland Union student, Joseph Boyle. 

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