About us ...

Way back some residents talked about forming a group to represent the entire lake whose purpose would be to protect and improve Lake Wandawega. Hank Pyzyna was one of these. His son John stepped up after Hank passed away. The reality became closer as the WDNR stepped up their regulations affecting lakes and the lake continued to decline primarily due to excess aquatic plant growth, specifically Eurasian milfoil.

Property owners from around the lake who were concerned about the condition and sustainability of Lake Wandawega formed LWIA in June of 2004. LWIA stands for the Lake Wandawega Improvement Association. LWIA is a voluntary organization whose purpose is to preserve and protect Lake Wandawega and its surroundings while enhancing the water quality, fishery, boating safety, and aesthetic values of Lake Wandawega as a public recreational facility for today and future generations.

We had our first informational meeting on June 12, 2004 and held our first organizational meetings in July, August and September of 2004. These meetings were advertised in the Shopper and open to the public where we had guest speakers from Walworth County Land Use & Resource Management, Jeff Thornton from Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and Walworth County Lakes Association to discuss the pro’s and con’s of lake associations.

At our October 16 th, 2004, meeting, sample by-laws from the University of Wisconsin Extension’s lakes program were reviewed and modified for our organization

On November 13, 2004, our membership reviewed, amended and approved our by-laws and on April 25, 2005 we incorporated as a non-stock company under chapter 181 of the Wisconsin Statutes.

LWIA’s 1 st annual meeting was held on May 28, 2005 for 33 members and interested parties, where the members present reaffirmed our by-laws and John Pyzyna was named honorary founder of the organization.

We incorporated as a non-stock corporation under Chapter 181 of the Wisconsin Statutes in April of 2005 and were approved by the Internal Revenue Service as an exempt organization under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code in June of 2006.

In July of 2006, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) recognized LWIA as a “qualified lake association”, making us eligible for funding through the Wisconsin Lake Management Grant program administered by the WDNR. Grants for eligible projects fund up to 75% of the project cost with the remaining funding coming from LWIA membership dues and contributions.

LWIA is not directly affiliated with Wandawega Country Club (WCC), Interlaken Property Owners Association (IPOA), Seminole park (SP) or any other property owners’ association. LWIA does not receive any funding from any property owner association or group, but do work with these organizations on projects affecting Lake Wandawega. Our sole source of funding comes from membership fees and contributions.