Keep Torch Lake Blue Campaign
TLPA and TCC will not sit “on the sidelines” and watch our beloved lake transform dramatically before our eyes.
Fantastic Matching Challenge Opportunity Available for any New Keep Torch Lake Blue Campaign Donors
The most successful fundraising campaign to support Torch Lake in history is in its final stages. Our Keep Torch Lake Blue Campaign (KTLB) has raised one million dollars and fully funded three years of unprecedented research on and in Torch Lake.
In the summer of 2026, we all look forward to the presentation of the final report including the analytical models. The USGS has been a fantastic partner in this research.
To complete the final report and analytical models, we need just $100,000 by year’s end. A WONDERFUL TLPA donor has offered an incredible matching challenge where ANY funds donated by any NEW donor to the KTLB Campaign, that amount is TRIPLED! In other words, if you donate $100, we get an added $200 making your donation worth a total of $300!! This match is for any new KTLB donation up to $5,000 (which would give us a total of $15,000!)
Of course, ALL donations of any amount are needed and appreciated. We very much appreciate the many TLPA members that have stepped up and helped out by already donating to the KTLB campaign.
From the research so far, we have learned so much. In fact, as you might expect, when we have turned over “one stone” in Torch, we have learned that there is another different world at the 75-to-100-foot level! TLPA Board Member, Wayne Lancaster, is leading the work on the quagga mussels that were found in Torch. His estimate is that there are over 40 BILLION of them in Torch (yes, billion with a “b”). How do they impact our beloved Torch? What is their impact on Golden Brown Benthic Algae?
Please help us reach the $100,000 in funds needed before December 31, 2025.
Want to send a check? That is wonderful!! Please make your check payable to: Torch Lake Protection Alliance and label it for the Keep Torch Lake Blue Campaign.
Please send to:
TLPA
P. O. Box 706
Bellaire, MI 49615
Thank you so much. Together, we have done so much for our lake, and we are all eager to hear the final report next summer. Thank you for your part in making this all happen.
KEEP TORCH LAKE BLUE CAMPAIGN (KTLB) NOW AND FOREVER
Torch Lake is an integral part of our “Up North” lives. Whether you visit for just a week or two, or have summered here your entire life, the fabric of our lives is woven into our Torch Lake. Referred to as “the Caribbean of the North,” Torch Lake has transformed over the past twenty years. Long-time residents have observed these changes first-hand, including the proliferation of algae on the sandy bottom. Whether Golden Brown Algae (GBA) is an isolated nuisance or an indication of a larger problem, it is imperative we take a comprehensive approach to understand “the why?” Therefore, Torch Lake Protection Alliance and Torch Conservation Center, both 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, are teaming up to implement a long-term water quality monitoring program on Torch Lake in collaboration with the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Over three years, through the collection of comprehensive water chemistry data, the USGS will investigate the primary causes of the changes to the lake we have all observed. This 3-year intensive endeavor will cost $975,885.
The NEEd
We are accountable to those who come after us. We want your grandchildren to thrive in a Torch Lake Watershed that is ecologically rich and sound. The Elk River Chain of Lakes is the largest sub-watershed of the Grand Traverse Bay watershed and contributes over 60% of the water flowing into the bay. Torch Lake is one of the most beloved lakes (ecologically and economically) in this system. Some community stakeholders think that Torch Lake is going through a natural aging process. Some people believe Torch Lake has changed in irreversible ways. Has the lake approached or passed a tipping point? The only way we can begin to answer these important questions is if we bring the best scientists to our doorstep and commit to creating a long-term, comprehensive monitoring program that will inform future remedial management actions.
TLPA and TCC will not sit “on the sidelines” and watch our beloved lake transform dramatically before our eyes. This partnership between TLPA and TCC will pursue action from our lake residents while challenging those with the scientific knowledge to assist us in understanding the cause and effect of lake changes like GBA and the inevitable additional challenges we will face in the future. This is our “call to action.” We are prepared to address this vital need.
WILL YOU JOIN US?
Torch Lake is a gathering place. It provides us with experiences that bring us closer to each other and to nature. It is a vital natural resource whose health directly affects ours and the wildlife that reside in its watershed. We cannot do this work without you and your family’s love for Torch Lake. Thank you for your gift to the “Keep Torch Lake Blue” Campaign.
The Terry Malone Lake Management Memorial Fund
With the full support of the Malone Family, all funds donated to the KTLB Campaign are deposited into the Terry Malone Lake Management Memorial Fund. Terry was a Past-President of TLPA, a huge champion of Torch Lake, and encouraged us wholeheartedly from the beginning to research why our beloved lake is changing so much.