Tomahawk Lake Association, Inc. Wisconsin

Welcome to the first installment of the “Executive Director’s Blog.” I’m excited about the opportunity to bring my thoughts about our wonderful Tomahawk Lake to you, and I hope to hear back from you as well. Things are constantly happening on the lake, and sometimes it’s a good idea to slow down and reflect on the “important stuff” that makes it all worth while.

One of my first priorities for this summer is to learn more about the ecology of our lake, and even though I’ve been coming here for nearly fifty years, I am constantly reminded of how little I actually know about the little things that make the lake “tick”. Yesterday I took our two divers from the Hydraulic Conveyor, April Londo and Nick Strupp, to a one-day UW Extension workshop on identifying and cataloging aquatic plants. As I drove home at the end of the day, I thought about the nine hours that I had just spent in the classroom and in the boats, trying to absorb the Latin names, and the physical characteristics of fifty or so different aquatic plants that we had pulled up just from Kemp Station Bay! I was struck by a couple of different but connected thoughts.

I was amazed at the number and diversity of the plants that inhabit the shoreline of Tomahawk Lake, and each one has its own little niche in the whole design. Each plant takes from the lake the things that allow it to live. Moisture, nutrients, various gases, light. All of these things the plant receives in one form or another from the lake environment.

But each one of the plant samples that we looked at also gives back. Each has a job to do in the lake system. Some provide food for other organisms, such as ducks, fish, and even other plants, while others provide stability to the lake bottom, or put oxygen back into the lake. It was the interaction and dependence upon each other that gave the plant community its stability and continuity. The truth is that I couldn’t help but make a comparison with the folks that enjoy life on Tomahawk Lake.

Each of us that enjoy the Tomahawk Lake experience is part of a bigger whole. Just like the individual plant at the bottom of the lake, we all take from the lake something that makes our life better. Perhaps it’s a sense of peace and tranquility in our life, or maybe it’s the drawing together of family and friends that we don’t get anywhere else. What ever it is, each one of us receives something from the lake when we are here.

Just like the plants however, we all contribute to the lake community, as well. The cliché that “no one is an island” is after all, true on Tomahawk Lake. We all have responsibilities to make our lake a better place. Every one of us needs to take to heart a spirit of stewardship on our lake, and to work together to ensure that we enhance its beauty and its healthy condition. We are just like the shoreline aquatic plants that inhabit our lake. Each one takes, and each one gives back.

So it is with the Tomahawk Lake Association. I think of our organization as the framework that will play the role in maintaining this balance between taking enjoyment from the lake, and giving back to ensure its continuity. As you enjoy the many wonderful things that make up the Tomahawk Lake experience, won’t you also consider what you personally can offer back to her? You would be surprised at just how important you are to the whole Tomahawk Lake community. If you have not become a member of The Tomahawk Lake Association, won’t you please consider joining us? We can help you make a difference on Tomahawk Lake!