Earl L Cook resides on the shore of Bass-Patterson Lake in Washburn County.  He is the President of the Bass-Patterson Lake Association; Director and past Vice-President of the Washburn County Lakes and Rivers Association; and President, past Vice President, and Director of the Wisconsin Association of Lakes.  Earl is the Citizen Lake Monitor for Bass-Patterson Lake.  He is regularly involved in town and county activities serving as the Town of Bass Lake's Plan Commission Chair.  In that role, he guided the development and adoption of the Town's Comprehensive Plan.  Earl has also works closely with the County Zoning Department, Zoning Committee, and Board of Adjustment as an advocate for the 964 lakes in Washburn County.  In his county activities, he has served on several county committees addressing the Zoning Ordinance, Shoreland Zoning, and strategic planning. He has served as a member of the Organizing Committee of the Northwest Wisconsin Lakes Conference for the last 6 years and participated regularly in the annual Wisconsin Lakes Conference.   Earl is a graduate of the Lake Leaders Institute, Crew IV, served on the NR115 Advisory Committee, and several other state-wide committees.   As a member of WAL's Legal and Legislative Committee, Earl closely follows and advocates for state legislation that promotes the protection and well-being of Wisconsin's water resources.

Wisconsin's waters are a part of my psyche. Many of my fondest thoughts and memories are associated with being on or near water, liquid or frozen. We can all share these special feelings together because we all own the water in common here. Our public waters bring us together in important ways and create all kinds of linkages and a sense of interdependence so that "we're all in this together". I am deeply interested in contributing to the preservation of a lakes legacy for future generations.

WAL provides an important part of the structure for bringing citizens together in a common cause; preserving and protecting the lakes that are important to them. WAL leads and organizes around issues that are important for sustaining lake ecosystems, and helps citizens, government, and businesses make smart decisions. This ensures a balance between public and private interests, ecological concerns and economic development, and results in good public policy. WAL and it's member organizations help facilitate positive/progressive social interaction, community-building, and "banding together" to look beyond private and special interests to focus on sustaining our outstanding lake resources.

If society is concerned about future generations, changing the way we live now is part of the long view, having more respect for the land, treating the land less as a commodity, and being better stewards of the land. We are not making any more land. We are not making any more lakes. It’s a matter of balance: balancing what is good for the people with what is good for the land. And I trust WAL is working toward that balance, and that is why I support WAL."

Lakes, their watersheds and the ground water systems associated with them are valuable and abundant natural resources and economic assets in Wisconsin. From childhood I simply loved “going to the lake” and now have the great pleasure of living beside a lake. People have different mind’s eye views of “the lake”. My mind captures the beauty, the ambiance, the creatures, the quiet, the reflections, and opportunities to sit back, breathe deeply, and enjoy. The legacy I wish to leave for my grandchildren’s’ generation includes opportunities to swim, to sail, to paddle, to fish, and to immerse themselves in the joy of being at a clean, healthy lake where they can have experiences to build their own memories.

To insure a legacy of quality lakes in Wisconsin requires a personal stewardship commitment by all citizens. It is WAL’s mission to foster a level of stewardship that will protect and provide clean, safe, healthy lakes for everyone. I believe this goal can be achieved through educational opportunities that provide people with the basis for advocacy efforts that promote sound policies and stewardship decisions that benefit our lakes. WAL plays a vital roll in bringing citizens information and forums where positive steps can be made toward that goal. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to share in and contribute to WAL’s programs.

Sandy is past president of Vilas County Lakes Association and currently serves as co-chair of her town’s lakes task force.

I was born and grew up in Berwyn, IL but was fortunate to have spent summers at a family cabin in Wauconda, IL, where I learned to swim, fish, catch frogs and turtles, and "fall in love with nature". Every one of my Dad's two-week vacations from Western Electric was spent in a small one-room cabin on Bony Lake (part of the Eau Claire Chain) in Barnes, WI, Bayfield County. In those early days, the road beyond Hayward was sand, and every mile was an adventure if there had been rain during the preceding days. When the car door finally opened by the lakeside resort cabin, it was the smell of the pines that told us we were "back in the northwoods"…and it was the "call of the loons" that confirmed that this was a very special place.

For over 60 years I have been spending time on Bony Lake, 33 of those as a property owner. I have watched the changes take place on the area lakes and on the environment in general. Without serious efforts to control development, not just on the shorelines but within the entire watershed areas of the lakes, and to wisely manage recreational use of the lakes, we will surely push them beyond their "tipping points". Once lost, these unique resources will not be "retrievable". Far too many of our decisions are based on short-term financial gains of individuals or government entities without sufficient study and awareness of the long-term effects of these decisions on our natural resources. It is time to reverse this dangerous trend.

Sam has spent sixty-four years on Lake Nancy and is the current President of Lake Nancy Protective Association. A resident of Stillwater, Minnesota, he is interested in serving as a WAL representative for seasonal property owners, finding ways to enhance the role of lake associations and districts and to further youth education on lake issues.

"WAL can help protect Wisconsin's waters across the state. Only WAL has the perspective of the whole state. I would like to be able to feel that in 50 or 60 years when my grandchildren are thinking of retiring that Lake Nancy in Washburn County will still be in the kind of shape it is today. It would be great if the water quality is still good so my grandchildren's grandchildren can still swim in a clean lake. It is my hope that there will still be loons nesting on the lake, that there will still be natural shoreline and vegetation, and that the lake is not overrun with noisy machinery.

Will it be possible in 2060 to find frogs along the shoreline and eagles soaring overhead? Will there be white, yellow, and blue water lilies and flowers in the shallows? Will the residents around the lake care for their lake, and will they be able to get good assistance from governmental bodies, the lake association and WAL in preserving the waters of the area and in educating lake users in ways to help the lake be a great place? For these reasons, I believe that WAL can be very important to me and my descendents."