In 1993 the Forest County Association of Lakes (FCAL) was formed to serve as a forum for education and information exchange on lake issues. In 1994 the group applied for a lake planning grant through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). The grant, the first given for a county wide project, was approved and work began in 1995.

Map current development on 20 of the more heavily developed Forest County lakes. Map current shoreline use and habitats on those same lakes. Estimate areas of possible future development and make recommendations for restricted development based onshoreline morphology, habitat, and water quality considerations on those same lakes. Map current macrophyte populations on the above-mentioned lakes. Identify areas for different types of recreational use. Identify exotics, endangered and threatenedspecies. Develop management strategies to deal with exotic, threatened and endangered species. Collect water quality data on at least 10 lakes. Compile current lak property values on at least 10 of the 20 lakes. The grantee will disseminateinformation to the public by newsletter mailings, fact sheet distributions, entire report mailings, public meetings, summary report mailings, and local newspaper articles. Project results will be reposited at Crandon Public Library, Crandon UW-Extensionoffice, Wabeno Public Library.