Upcoming events
The spring LOFA board meeting is coming up this Sunday, May 29 at 10:00 at Beavers Resort on Lake of the Falls Road.
The 2023 newsletter is here!
The Summer 2023 Newsletter (click here to read it) has a larger format because there was so much to say! Read about our latest efforts to control invasive species upriver,
Thinking about spring
. . .and wondering how long it will be before we can get out there and pull some more pondweed! Many of us received this letter from Bob Kary of the Rice Lake Association reminding us that help will be needed again in 2023 in the ongoing battle against Curly Leaf Pondweed and other aquatic invasives in the Turtle River watershed.
More shoreline gardening! With native plants!
The best thing we can do to keep our lake in good condition is to take care of our shorelines. The Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department’s Native Plant Sale,
Shoreline gardening with native plants, revisited
For those who missed it, here is a link to the recording of the December 14 webinar presented by the Citizens Lake Monitoring Network on shoreline gardening.
Shoreline Gardening with Native Plants
The Citizens Lake Monitoring Network has announced their 2022-23 Winter Water Talks online webinar series, and it starts on Tuesday, December 14 with a subject dear to all of our hearts,
Save the date: October 12, 2022
Two things are happening on Wednesday, 10/12/22, that we should all know about. At 3:00 pm there will be a meeting at the Mercer Community Center for people from all the lakes on the Turtle River Chain to organize around the need to control aquatic invasive species that are threatening our waters.
Another great Annual Picnic!
Forty LOFA members and guests came out for our Annual Membership Meeting and Picnic on July 31 and a good time was had by all!
The social event of the season is on July 31st
The Lake of the Falls Association annual general membership meeting and picnic will be held on Sunday, July 31st at Beaver’s Resort on Lake of the Falls Road.
Pondweed and fish update
Here is an excerpt from the thank-you letter sent by the Rice Lake Association to the many volunteers who participated in The Great Weed Pull 2022.
“Lake Plants You Should Know”
, , , is a field guide published by UW-Extension Lakes, the Citizens Lake Monitoring Network, and Clean Boats Clean Waters that features LIFE-SIZE photos of many of the aquatic plants we find in our lakes,
Update from Rice Lake, and the May board meeting minutes
After the first two days of “The Great Weed Pull” volunteers on Rice Lake have harvested over 6000 lbs of Curly Leaf Pondweed from the north shore of the lake.
Zach Wilson to speak at the May board meeting
Join Iron County Land and Water Conservation Specialist Zach Wilson on Sunday, May 29 at 11:00 (after the board meeting) at Beaver’s Resort to learn about Water Quality and Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring.
Conservation on Tap
Here is the Conservation on Tap schedule for Summer, 2022. Print it out and hang it on your refrigerator. See you at The Pines!
The 2022 Annual Newsletter is here!
Click here to read the Lake of the Falls Association’s annual newsletter for 2022. It has the dates for all our upcoming events,
Volunteer to protect Lake of the Falls
The Rice Lake Association’s website now features a sign-up page where we can volunteer for specific days during Week 1 (May 31-June 4) and/or Week 2 (June 6-June11) of their 2022 Pondweed Pull.
Getting organized for The Great Weed Pull 2022
LOFA members on our mailing list all received this email from Bob Kary of the Rice Lake Association outlining this year’s plans and asking for help this June,
Proposed change to Iron County shoreland zoning ordinance
Edit: The Iron County zoning commission met on Tuesday and agreed to leaving the zoning ordinance as-is. Seems like we’re in good shape on this front.
Jack Schuett
Lake of the Falls lost a valued member of our community last Friday when Jack Schuett passed away after a 2-year battle with cancer.
Registration is open for the 2022 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention
Registration is now open for the 2022 Wisconsin Lakes and Rivers Convention, taking place April 6-8 at the Stevens Point Holiday Inn as part of Wisconsin Water Week.
Another post about Curly Leaf Pondweed
. . .and unfortunately it’s not good news. It seems that, in spite of all their efforts, the 15 families that make up the Rice Lake Association have lost their DNR grant to fight CLP in Rice Lake,
Remembering George Laugerman
Long-time Lake of the Falls resident George Laugerman passed away last Wednesday following a massive stroke. His family was by his side. Here is a link to his online obituary.
Curly Leaf Pondweed and Rice Lake’s DNR grant, part 1
LOFA members, please take a look at this letter from Bob Kary of the Rice Lake Association with an update on the status of their DNR grant,
Curly Leaf Pondweed and Rice Lake’s DNR grant, part 2
It bears repeating that the presence of Curly Leaf Pondweed upriver is a direct threat to our way of life and our property values on Lake of the Falls.
Science on Tap and the ICLRA
Science on Tap Minacqua is hosting a presentation called, “Using Science to Wrangle Aquatic Invasive Species,” featuring Michelle Nault of the Wisconsin DNR. It’s tomorrow night (Wednesday,
Waiting out the winter – 2 things to do
Happy New Year! Only a few more months until ice-off, so here are some things to do while we’re waiting. Coming next week is an online seminar presented by Wisconsin Lakes (LOFA is a member) titled,
Curly leaf pondweed wrap-up, Fall meeting minutes, and some swans
Thanks to the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department and our friends upriver on Pike Lake, the aquatic invasive plant Curly Leaf Pondweed has been kept out of Lake of the Falls for another year.
Our final board meeting of 2021
The final LOFA board meeting of 2021 is scheduled for this Sunday, September 5 at 10:00 at Beavers. Anyone interested is welcome to attend!
Don’t forget about the Fish Count Form!
Reposting from 2019, just as a reminder:
Our local DNR Fisheries Biologist Zach Lawson feels that any data on fish that are caught on Lake of the Falls or the Black Lakes will help give a better picture of the numbers and health of our fish populations.
Together again
The Lake of the Falls Association Membership Meeting and Annual Picnic on Sunday couldn’t have been nicer with 29 people attending the meeting and 47 at the picnic.
LOFA’s Annual Picnic is back!
The LOFA annual general membership meeting and picnic will be held on Sunday, August 1 at Beaver’s Resort on Lake of the Falls Road. The meeting will start at 11:00 am with the picnic 
immediately following.
Our website has moved!
Our fancy new website is now being hosted by Lakekit.net, a network of Wisconsin lake organizations who collectively help each other build and maintain their websites without needing extensive technical knowledge.
Annual newsletter and Spring board meeting
This year’s annual newsletter, which was mailed to all LOFA members on May 1st, is also available here on the website. contains more info abut our ongoing fight to prevent the spread of Curly Leaf Pondweed,
Rice Lake gets the grant
The Rice Lake Association has received a three year, $127,000 Aquatic Invasive Species grant from the Wisconsin DNR to aid in removal of the invasive Curly Leaf Pondweed from their lake.
Things to do while we’re waiting for Spring
Two virtual conferences are coming up in March which may be of interest:
Wisconsin Water Week, March 8-12. Replacing the in-person Lakes and Rivers Convention that was held yearly in Stevens Point,
Support for Rice Lake from the Mercer Town Board
We received this email from the ICLRA on Friday evening:
Thank you all for your support.
Today we received notice from the DNR that the Rice Lake grant had gained high scores in the DNR grant ranking.
Curly Leaf Pondweed threatens Lake of the Falls: how you can help
LOFA members, please read this letter from Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance secretary Dick Thiede which updates us on the efforts being made by the Rice Lake Association to get their infestation of Curly Leaf Pondweed (an aquatic invasive species) under control.
Northern Wisconsin’s declining loon population
This article about loons in Northern Wisconsin appeared this morning on WXPR’s web page. It seems that the loon population has declined by 20% in the last 30 years.
Citizens Lake Monitoring Network webinars
The Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (CLMN) is the organization that coordinates over 1000 citizen volunteers (including volunteers on Lake of the Falls) and shares the results of our findings with the Wisconsin Lakes Partnership and the general public.
Wisconsin Lakes virtual Annual Membership Meeting is on December 15
Learn about what your statewide lake conservation organization and association of local lake organizations accomplished in the past year as well as hear about the exciting plans for 2021 including information about “Wisconsin Water Week 2021” (the “amped up” virtual Lakes Convention),
Autumn
This week on Lake of the Falls and First Black Lake.
Sad news
Long-time lake residents might want to know that Maureen Leibach passed away last Sunday. As per Maureen’s wishes there will be no services held. The Leibachs were the owners of Musky Point Resort years ago and were good friends with many around the lake.
Pictures from a beautiful year
With the season winding down Di Sino has sent some lovely photos to share, starting with a great shot of that spectacular rainbow we had back in June.
Board meeting and Lake Tides
This is just a reminder that the fall board meeting, originally scheduled for this Sunday, September 6, has been cancelled due to the pandemic. Our next board meeting will (hopefully) be at the usual time next spring on May 30.
Help for frogs and their friends
Animal lovers across Wisconsin are being asked to help keep native frogs, salamanders, lizards and snakes from perishing under the wheels of cars and trucks.
Board meeting and Fish Count Form
The LOFA board meeting, scheduled for September 6, has been cancelled by unanimous consent of the board members. Hopefully by next spring things will be returning to something close to normal,
Election results
In a normal year the LOFA Annual Picnic would have been happening right now as I’m writing this. Considering that it’s 62 degrees and raining,
Don’t forget to vote and pay your dues!
If you haven’t already, please follow this link right now and cast your votes to approve (or not, it’s up to you) the proposed LOFA budget for 2020-21 and the proposed changes to our bylaws.
Curly Leaf Pondweed update
Volunteers have stopped pulling CLP on Rice Lake, Pike Lake, and the Turtle River for this year, as the plants have started growing their reproductive parts and disturbing them would only spread them more.
LOFA Board votes to cancel 2020 Annual Meeting and Picnic
At the LOFA Board meeting on Sunday, June 14, the board unanimously agreed to cancel this year’s Annual Meeting and Picnic due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zach Wilson’s Curly Leaf Pondweed Training
Here is the Power Point that Zach presented to volunteers at his training last week. Volunteers pulled weeds in Rice Lake over the weekend and are going to pull between Rice and Pike Lake on the Turtle River this week.
Curly Leaf Pondweed
Last week several LOFA members attended an online training session led by Zach Wilson of the Iron County Land and Water Conservation Department about how to identify Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP),
The 2020 Annual Newsletter is here
The annual newsletter of the Lake of the Falls Association went into the mail on Monday, so LOFA members probably have their copies by now.
Turtle River Watershed Stewardship Project to Fight Curly Leaf Pondweed
This letter from LOFA treasurer Jack Schuett was sent to everyone on our mailing list earlier today:
LOFA members,
I received this from Dick Theide yesterday.
Turtle River Watershed Management Conference recap
Fifty-four people representing 31 local and statewide organizations attended last Wednesday’s conference at the Great Northern Hotel, which was highlighted by speakers from the Wisconsin DNR,
Turtle River Stewardship Program set for January 29
The Turtle River Stewardship Program is scheduled for next Wednesday, January 29 starting at 11:00 at the Great Northern Hotel Banquet facility. This is the kickoff conference for the Turtle River Watershed Management Plan (see the previous post) and will feature speakers,
Turtle River Watershed Management Plan
In response to concern about environmental threats to our waterways in Iron County, the Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance (of which LOFA is a member) has been working with the State of Wisconsin to create a new model for assessing and improving the health of our lakes and rivers.
Our second annual fall get-together
. . .at Beaver’s Resort was a success last Saturday with 17 people in attendance (at least that’s what I counted) and lots of lively conversation and good feelings all around.
LOFA signs revisited
It’s nice to see our shiny green and blue LOFA signs popping up around Lake of the Falls and First and Second Black!
Our 2nd annual end-of-summer get together
Come out to Beaver’s for supper or just for drinks and enjoy the company of your neighbors as we say farewell to another great season on the lake!
LOFA Board of Directors meeting
The next meeting of the LOFA board of directors will be on Sunday, September 1 at 10:00 am at Beaver’s Resort. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Beautiful day for a picnic
The weather was perfect for the Lake of the Falls Association’s annual meeting and picnic, held last Sunday August 4 at Beaver’s Resort. The 42 people in attendance enjoyed burgers and brats cooked by grilling expert Jeremy Wehrmann and delicious sides and desserts provided by everyone.
Come to our annual picnic on Sunday, August 4!
The LOFA annual general membership meeting and picnic will be held on Sunday, August 4 at Beaver’s Resort on Lake of the Falls Road. The meeting will start at 11:00 am with the picnic immediately following.
Turtle crossings and meeting minutes
Please remember to report your turtle sightings to the Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program! Let’s help them make life better for our little hard-shelled buddies.
Broadband Update
Below is an excerpt from the Spider Lake newsletter regarding local broadband.
BROADBAND: Norm McKindles offers this update:
Gogebic Range.Net,
Just in time for opening day! Our new Fish Count Form
From Bill Dalpiaz of our Fishing and Water Quality Committee:
Our local DNR Fisheries Biologist Zach Lawson feels that any data on fish that are caught on Lake of the Falls or the Black Lakes will help give a better picture of the numbers and health of our fish populations.
Crappies in First Black Lake
In the last few years some LOFA members have expressed concern about perceived changes in the crappie population in First Black Lake.
Walleyes reconsidered – a conversation with Zach Lawson
On October 23rd several LOFA members met with Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Biologist Zach Lawson to talk about fish species, catch limits, habitat, and the health of Lake of the Falls.
The Walleyes have arrived!!
Tom, at Beaver’s, said the DNR stocked 4500-5000, 4″ to 6″ walleyes yesterday. The driver ended up at Beaver’s because he didn’t like the boat landing on Lake of the Falls Rd where they told him to put them in.
Farewell to Summer Gathering
There were about 15 people that gathered at Beaver’s last Sunday, some happy some sad.
Happy, because the Milwaukee Brewers took the first step for a shot at the World Series!
I Saw The Sign
No…not the Ace of Base 1993 hit but the new LOFA member sign.There here and they look great.
Tom, at Beavers Resort, has graciously agreed to be a distribution point for them.
More fishing news
LOFA Fish Czar Bill Dalpiaz has arranged a meeting for LOFA members with WDNR Fisheries Biologist Zach Lawson at 10:00am on Tuesday, October 23rd at Beaver’s Resort.
Fishing News
Bill Dalpiaz of our Fishing and Water Quality committee reports that WDNR Fisheries Biologist Zach Lawson conducted an electrofishing survey on Lake of the Falls last Monday night,
Suggested revisions to the bylaws, and a rainbow!
LOFA members, please click here to review the revisions to the bylaws that were submitted at last week’s Annual Meeting by Board member Jim Hannemann.
LOFA Picnic 2018
We had record-setting attendance at this year’s picnic as 52 people enjoyed brats, burgers and lots of delicious side dishes and desserts on a really beautiful day,
Our annual picnic is right around the corner!
The LOFA annual general membership meeting and picnic will be held on Sunday, July 29 at Beaver’s Resort on Lake of the Falls Road.
New Lake Association Sign
We would like to thank LOFA Board member Jim Hannemann and craftsman David McNutt for our new sign under the lake kiosk, it really looks great.
Turtle crossings again
This is a re-post from last year, but it’s worth putting up again. Michael spotted this turtle today on Lake of the Falls Road.
With the breeding season in full swing for our local turtles,
Save the date! Our annual picnic is Sunday, July 29.
As usual, we will have our Annual Membership Meeting at 11:00 followed by the picnic at noon. Thanks as always to Tom and Nikki at Beaver’s for letting us use their beautiful grounds!
The 2018 Summer Newsletter is in the mail
. . .and also here on the website! It includes details about the Annual Picnic, a couple of proposed changes to the Association’s bylaws,
Open water at last
Finally! Spring arrived last week, May 2-5, after 6 months of snow and ice. Visit the Mercer Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page for ice-off photos from lots of area lakes!
You can help bring broadband Internet service to Lake of the Falls
Please read this letter from the Gogebic Range Broadband Committee about their effort to bring broadband Internet service to our area. Anyone who has missed an important email or waited forever for a very slow download will appreciate how great it would be if we had better online access!
Nikki saw that moose!
Nikki Millet saw this guy strolling along Lake of the Falls Road right past Beaver’s Resort last Friday morning. Great pictures! Thanks for sending them!
Recycle your fishing line here
Monofilament fishing line is the line anglers most commonly use: single-strand, high density nylon. If left in the water or on shore, it can harm wildlife that become tangled in it or ingest it.
Our final Board meeting of the season
The LOFA Board of Directors will have our final meeting of the year on Sunday, September 3 at 10:00 at Beavers Resort. Everyone is welcome and it’s always nice to see new faces at the meetings!
LOFA Picnic 2017
We had a beautiful day for our annual picnic on Sunday, August 5. Thanks to Randy Roets for organizing it, James Wehrmann for cooking the burgers and brats (6 years in a row!),
Our annual picnic is right around the corner!
The LOFA annual general membership meeting and picnic will be held on Saturday, August 5 at Beaver’s Resort on Lake of the Falls. The meeting will start at 11:00 am with the picnic immediately following.
Wow! A moose!
Bonnie Hill sent this a few days ago:
“My Husband Rich and my brother were fishing on the lake on Thursday,
Turtle crossings
With the breeding season in full swing for our local turtles, the Wisconsin Turtle Conservation Program is asking for our help. If you observe a turtle crossing a road on her way to a nesting site,
Summer Newsletter
The 2017 Summer Newsletter was mailed out to all of our members last week. Here is a copy in case you missed it. Enjoy!
Statewide CWD Survey
LOFA Members:
Our new Iron County Wildlife Biologist, Jenna Kosnicki, asked that we help spread the word about the below survey on CWD in the deer herd.
Gorgeous
Bonnie H. sent these beautiful Autumn photos from the Turtle River at the south end of the lake. Wow! Thanks, Bonnie!
New webcams
The Mercer Chamber of Commerce has erected a new webcam on Highway 51 and has improved the webcam page on their website. Now we can watch the snow fall from anywhere!
More! More!
MORE FISH!
Earlier this month we received this email from Zach Lawson, Fisheries Biologist with the Wisconsin DNR:
We stocked 4,454 walleyes (in Lake of the Falls) the last week of September average size about 7-8”.
Putting Wetlands to Work for Your Community
On October 18th at 6:30 pm at the Oma Town Hall the Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance and the Iron County Citizens’ Forum are co-sponsoring a program titled “Putting Wetlands to Work for Your Community”.
Kiosk
Our new informational kiosk, donated by the Lake of the Falls Association and built by 
LOFA member Elmer Gosh, was approved at the Mercer Town Board meeting on Thursday,
In case you missed it
We’re very grateful to Wendy Thiede for recording Zach Wilson’s excellent presentation about shoreline buffer zones at The Pines last Wednesday night. In case you weren’t able to attend,
Two things to do this week
Thing one: Buffer zones and the critters that inhabit them with Zach Wilson at The Pines
Iron County Lakes and Rivers Alliance (ICLRA) will present their next educational program on Wednesday,
A beautiful day for a picnic!
The Lake of the Falls Association’s annual picnic was last Sunday and we all had a great time! Thanks to Lynn and Jim at Beaver’s for hosting,
The Summer Newsletter is here!
Read the LOFA Summer Newsletter for 2016 here. Have a great summer, everyone!
Seaplanes on Lake of the Falls
Some board members have gotten questions from area residents about the seaplanes that come and go on our lake. Pilot Jim Hannemann sent along this helpful information to answer some of those questions.
ICLRA newsletter with program dates
Dear ICLRA members and friends,
As many of you know 2015-16 was not a good year for protection of our lakes, rivers and the wetlands that feed them.
A successful study!
Here is a nice article about Zach Wilson’s pine marten study, which wrapped up this week:
Iron County students collect data on marten population (link expired)
DNR Fish Survey
To make page larger click on view full size lower right
Here’s one!
On November 3, this was posted to the Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department’s Facebook page:
“Yah…. We finally got ourselves a marten on camera.
Wildlife in our forest
Last August we enjoyed a presentation by Zach Wilson, of the Iron County Land & Water Conservation Department, about his research on the American martens that live in the woods to the west of the lake.
Welcome, walleye!
Jack, Arch, Mike, and Bob introduced over a thousand walleye from Kalaap Fish Farm to their new home in our lake on Wednesday. Hopefully, we’ll meet some of them again in a few years!
Outdoor Rec Plan survey
Hi folks – I wanted to share the below survey information. As you might know, Iron County will begin revising some of its planning documents this year.
Grant money for shoreland restoration is available
This came from Jack S.:
I spoke with Heather Palmquist, Iron County land and water, last night at the Conservation on Tap program.
Fish stocking
This came from Bill D. the other day:
“I have a couple of things for the LOFA web page if you care to put them up.
That’s “American” Marten!
Not Pine, American!
Last Friday Iron County Conservation Specialist Zach Wilson gave us a great talk on the American Marten, and described his efforts to identify and track them in the woods in our area with the help of local high school students.
Please join us for some social time, learning and fun!
Please join us at Beaver’s Resort:
On Friday August 7th at 2PM for an entertaining program about our native Pine Martens.
The end of the mining project
“Gogebic Taconite, LLC, was considering development along a four-mile stretch east of the community of Mellen. However, in March 2015 the DNR received a letter from Gogebic Taconite notifying the department that the company is withdrawing its preapplication notice related to a proposed mine.”
First snow
“The snow and the calm lake made quite the reflection. This is how you look from my side.” –Thanks, Ann! What a beautiful view you have.
Not only for birds
LOFA President Jack Schuett took this pic of a hungry bear at his bird feeder on a snowy day in mid-May. Look at those claws!