Mission Statement

The purpose of the Clearwater Lake Association is:
  1. To preserve, protect and promote the general welfare of Clearwater Lake located in Crow Wing County, MN.
  2. To educate Clearwater Lake homeowners and others who use the lake to be fit stewards of the lake and surrounding areas and to teach proper lakeshore management practices and the impact of invasive species on the waters and wildlife.
What this Means?

How We Got Here

The Clearwater Lake Association has been in existence for 45+ years.   In fact it has been around so long, that no one knows for sure when it began.    One member recalls his dad being president in the 70's!   If you remember more about our lake association we would love to hear about it.  Please Contact Us to tell us your story.
 
The lake association went through a big change in 2014.   With the invasion of Eurasian Milfoil on our lake,  the board knew that it needed more resources and people to combat this danger.   A call for volunteers was made and at the annual meeting a board of 7 people was elected.  

They decided on a 2 prong approach; find the right professional to help us with the Milfoil and become a 501 c (3) organization.   With a lot of dedicated volunteer work they accomplished both our goals. 
 
You can find out about our Milfoil success under Lake Health.

Becoming a 501(c)(3)

To fight the Milfoil the board knew it would need money,  lots of money.    Becoming a 501 C (3) was the next logical step.
 
501 C (3), is a fancy way of saying Clearwater Lake Association is recognized by the IRS as a charitable organization.    That means that money you donate unconditionally to Clearwater Lake Association can be taken as an itemized deduction on your tax return.    Here is the typical disclaimer: "You should consult your own tax advisor regarding your unique tax situation."  
 
Before the association could be approved as a charity by the IRS, we needed to be incorporated by the State of MN.    It took a series of meetings of the whole board, a several rounds of revisions and editing, a lot of government forms and finally several submissions fees.   But in the end SUCCESS!   Clearwater Lake Association Incorporated became officially incorporated on 8/22/2014 in the state of MN and we were recognized as a 501 C (3) by the IRS on 12/12/2014!

The Legal Paperwork

By-Laws and Articles of Incorporation - Members Only