FEATURE
WAPOA is still going strong after 50-plus years Water quality remains group’s top mission The Whitefish Area Property Owners Association’s mission has always been about water quality. Since 1970, the group has led the effort to permanently protect the land and water on and around the Whitefish Chain of Lakes in central Minnesota. WAPOA was formed 50-plus years ago, in 1970. The first two presidents (Dick Schalow and Roger Schwieters) were instrumental in forming WAPOA in response to an issue that arose due to drought conditions in the area. At that time, there was a proposal to connect the Whitefish Chain to Pelican Lake using a channel/flume system to raise the water level in Pelican with water from the Whitefish Chain. Many lakeshore residents and resorts on 38 | 2021 LOVE OF THE LAKES
the chain were quite concerned about this, so a meeting of concerned citizens was held in Breezy Point with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Natural Resources to discuss the pros and cons of the proposal. About 400 people attended and the meeting was emotional and heated at times. Since the Whitefish Chain is a reservoir that supplies water to the Mississippi River, and ultimately Minneapolis, it was determined that the proposal was unacceptable and it did not pass. Even back when WAPOA was in its infancy, it built bridges for water quality and relationships that were forged in the name of water quality. Much success is owed to the collaboration with others. WAPOA and the Pine River Watershed
Alliance created the Land and Waters Preservation Trust, which is a partner fund of the Initiative Foundation. Thousands of meetings and handshakes, meetings with state employees, University of Minnesota researchers, lake associations and their board members has netted what WAPOA is today - a vibrant organization working with citizens, local businesses, cities and local units of government to bond together with ideas and work to preserve Minnesota’s most cherished resource - its lakes. Over the years, WAPOA and its members have implemented many programs. These include a Neighborhood Watch Program; the Big Island restoration and maintenance project; aquatic invasive species inspections and prevention; shoreland restoration projects and grants; collaborations with
