Erosion on Lake Beulah’s shores has been a fact of life since the lake was formed. It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it weren’t for all the man-made structures put up over the years. The focus of this article is on the impact of power boats, but readers might be interested to know parts of the lake oftentimes experience serious shoreline erosion via ice damage.

Early lake property owners protected their shorelines with logs or long planks. Some had concrete seawalls constructed. Today, seawalls already installed are grandfathered, but otherwise no longer permitted.

Consternation continues to build over the impact of wake boats on Lake Beulah. Recent photos like those in this article point to how wake boats, with their deep ‘prop wash’ can chew up the lake bottom, sometimes in surprising locations. A previous article in LAKE VIEWS pointed to research showing wake boat prop wash can extend to a depth of 30’ below the surface.

Some are asking if this bottom disturbance is of any consequence, suggesting that the sediment stirred up simply resettles so that all is well. The answer is that while the sediment will resettle, a critically important component of the sediment is literally destroyed.

The NBC Olympics announcer reported: Stephanie Roble is from “a little lake in Wisconsin”! Well… that lake is Lake Beulah! Stephanie started sailing lessons at the Lake Beulah Yacht Club sailing school when she was 5 years old, honing her skills on a variety of sailboats.

In the 2024 Paris Olympics, Roble and her sailing partner Maggie Shea sailed a 49er FX! They finished 10th overall and were the only American women in the top 20 to advance to the medal round.

A month or so ago, I was out on the lake with a friend who had been away from Lake Beulah for a while. When he hopped onto my boat, the first thing he said was, “What’s the biggest threat to Lake Beulah?”… While there are always threats to the beauty and health of the lake, I couldn’t help but answer ‘Wake Boating’. He was surprised. He’d just been out to Lake Powell, a 186 mile long, lake in Arizona with a depth of 583 feet, where he and his family had a blast with a wake boat. In fact, he told me he had been out shopping for one the day before. Now, he’s looking for alternatives.

In 1894, long after European settlers had begun to realize the allure of Lake Beulah, visionary property owners of that time joined forces to manage the lake to their mutual benefit. They called the new organization the Lake Beulah Protective & Improvement Association, so as to clearly define their ultimate objective.

One hundred thirty years later, the LBPIA continues to aggressively strive towards its never-ending mission. The thing is, while the lake and the LBPIA remain, people come and go, and there is always need to educate newcomers to what we’re all about.

Quagga mussels have been detected in Geneva Lake, marking the first time this invasive species has been documented in a Wisconsin inland lake. This finding is especially concerning given Geneva Lake’s reputation for its clear, deep waters and scenic beauty.

In the event of a wildfire in your area, firefighters may need to reach your home. If firefighters cannot safely access your home, they will find an alternate way to get to you that may take longer — and when fighting fire, every second counts.

Help Firefighters Reach You

To enable firefighters and other emergency vehicles to locate and reach your home quickly, it’s important to establish a safe route with adequate driveway access.

When it comes to nature sounds, there’s nothing like the shrill scream of cicadas announcing the hot, dog days of summer. I’m not predicting the weather, but get ready for 2024. According to experts, this May & June we’re about to experience the largest emergence known anywhere when a brood of bulging, red-eyed insects will emerge after 17 years out of sight.