The stillness of winter is upon us. The lakeshore is covered in a thick blanket of snow, ice is forming on the lake, and the days are shorter. This is a time for spending time with those we hold dear and reflecting on all that happened this past year. As 2025 comes to a close, we would like to extend our gratitude to all of you who share your love for Lake Leelanau with us and contribute to its care. Please join us in looking back at 2025 and some highlights of what we accomplished thanks to our community’s support.
1. Welcomed five new board members
Our board of directors grew this year with the addition of five highly competent individuals. These folks all bring new life to the board and new skill sets, contributing their expertise in business, communications, finance, leadership, and, of course, a strong love for our lake. We’re glad to have you on board, Catherine Dunn, Deb Fellows, Todd Kleinfeld, Tom Leugers, and Mark Weadick!
2. Successful control of Eurasian watermilfoil
2025 was one of the most impactful years in our efforts to control Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) on Lake Leelanau. We are happy to report that the biodegradable benthic barriers are proving to be highly effective at killing EWM, with only minimal maintenance required on barriers laid in previous years. This success allowed our crew to spend more time scouting and controlling sparse, small infestations or single strands of EWM in the regions beyond our previous maintenance sites. We have been able to move from individual infestation sites to larger regions, ensuring no EWM is left uncovered. We invite you to learn more about our control efforts in this year’s Field Report.
3. Hired a Stewardship Coordinator
This year, LLLA’s board and staff spent a significant amount of time researching and consulting with experts on ways in which the Association can better protect Lake Leelanau. We identified the need for an additional full-time, year-round staff member to support an expansion of our stewardship programs. After working on the lake all summer as our field technician and data manager for our EWM control program, LLLA hired Elizabeth Haber in September as our new Stewardship Coordinator. Elizabeth has hit the ground running, working to develop new programs to better monitor our water quality, detect new aquatic invasive species, and support our existing stewardship work.
4. Washed more boats than ever!
With the help of many volunteers and staff, more boats were washed and more people were educated about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species than ever on Lake Leelanau! Our four boat wash stations were operated from May through October this year, and staffed by about 20 volunteers, one boat wash manager, and four staff members. Their efforts and data taken at the stations showed an amazing 121% increase in the number of boats washed compared to 2024! In addition to the number of boats washed, our program provided much more educational value to our community. Our staff and volunteers interacted with 3,458 boaters while staffing the boat launches, a 43% increase from 2024!
5. First invasive Phragmites treatment
Through a shoreline survey conducted last year, several infestations of the invasive Phragmites (Phragmites australis) were identified along Lake Leelanau’s shoreline. Phragmites is a highly invasive wetland and shoreline plant that can grow in dense stands up to 13 feet tall, which can block access to shorelines, making the local habitats less suitable for wildlife and easily outcompeting native species. In partnership with the Northwest Michigan Invasive Species Network, LLLA performed our first treatments of Phragmites to protect our shoreline and wetlands from this dangerous invasive.
6. Launched our Business Supporter Program
In efforts to engage our local businesses, LLLA launched a new Business Supporter Program in 2025. Joining the Program demonstrates a commitment to the local community and the environment, while also receiving valuable recognition for one’s business. So far, we have 20 local businesses participating in the program. Do you have a business that benefits from the health, beauty, and prosperity Lake Leelanau brings to the region? We invite you to learn more about the Program here.
7. Record-breaking volunteer engagement!
This year, we had more volunteers participate in our programs and activities to support the stewardship of Lake Leelanau than ever before! This includes staffing and maintaining boat wash stations, filling pea gravel bags to weigh down burlap barriers to kill EWM, surveying for EWM and new AIS, and equipment support (boats, docks, etc.), water quality sampling, Galerucella beetle deployment, shoreline consultations, event planning, and educational initiatives. Nearly 135 volunteers were directly involved in volunteering for our programs in 2025, contributing approximately 835 hours to these activities! Thank you, volunteers!
8. Gained insight into our water quality
We contracted Dr. Megan Woller-Skar and her students at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) to analyze the water quality data collected over the past 34 years. We are happy to report that overall, Lake Leelanau’s water quality is in good condition! However, trends show that our lake’s water temperature is increasing and staying stratified longer. Also phosphorus levels are increasing. This combination has the potential to cause harmful algal blooms under the right conditions, so LLLA will be doubling up on our water quality monitoring program in 2026 to ensure we are monitoring the lake’s health to the best of our ability. You can read the full report from GVSU here.
9. Shared our love for natural shorelines
We are constantly trying to find ways to show our community the beauty and benefits of natural shorelines. For the second year, we hosted our Shoreline Restoration Field Day, an event that showcases several properties where there are current or past projects to restore the shoreline. Participants see firsthand how different erosion control techniques can look, experience different aesthetic designs of shoreline vegetative buffers with native plants, talk to the homeowners about their process, and ask questions from certified shoreline professionals. This year’s event hosted higher attendance than last year and added a new shoreline professional. Stay tuned for what we have in store for you in 2026!
10. Held fun events and gathered as a community of lake lovers!
Not only do we work hard to protect Lake Leelanau, but we also have fun! We have such a wonderful community, and we love getting together to bond over our shared love of our lake. This year, we hosted a Member Mixer to gather as a community, in combination with our friends from the Friends of Lake Leelanau Foundation. We also hosted another successful and engaging Annual Meeting where we shared updates on our activities, recognized our amazing volunteers, and elected new directors to the board. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Boathouse Winery and Noverr Farms for donating their gorgeous event spaces so we could gather!
Honorable Mention
We did so much this year that we couldn’t just leave it at the top 10 accomplishments. In addition to the above, we also:
- Honored our president, Nancy Popa, who won the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association's "Riparian of the Year" Award! Nancy was acknowledged at the annual conference for her dedication, leadership, and passion for protecting Lake Leelanau.
- Shared our knowledge with others! We participated in Boat Wash Collaborative Meetings with others in our region working to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species, hosted a webinar on how to build a boat wash station, and presented at conferences and classrooms to share our expertise in EWM control and our efforts to build a community of shoreline stewards.
- Worked together! We consistently collaborated with our local partners and organizations like the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, Leelanau Clean Water, the Benzie Conservation District, Leelanau Conservancy, and the Northwest Michigan Watersheds Coalition. We are stronger together!
- Successfully received and stewarded the first grant funds from the Friends of Lake Leelanau Foundation! After three years of hard campaigning and building an endowment, 2025 was the first year the Foundation awarded grant funds to the Lake Association. We are so grateful to all of those who contributed to the campaign and to the Foundation for their dedication to protecting Lake Leelanau in perpetuity and supporting our programs.
2025 was a banner year with a lot to show for it, all of which would not have been possible without the support and partnership from our community. We are busy planning for more programs and activities to protect the lake in 2026. As you consider year-end contributions to your favorite charities, would you please consider a contribution to the Lake Leelanau Lake Association’s year-end appeal? Your contribution to our general fund will help support these programs, which safeguard our lake and preserve its natural beauty. All of our programs help ensure that everyone can enjoy the lake’s beauty and health.
Learn more about how to donate: