The Sacheen Lake Association (SLA), also known as the Sacheen Betterment Association (SBA) since its inception in 1957, was established for the purpose of protection and management of the lake and watershed ecosystems. Promoting a sustainable and strong sense of rural community has become more important with time. Both the SLA and SBA names are registered with the Washington Secretary of State on an annual basis. The use of the moniker SBA is used only through the continued recording of the SBA name; the Association is now recognized as the Sacheen Lake Association or SLA.
The SLA consists of paying members, eleven of which constitute the Board of Directors (Board). Members pay yearly dues as indicated below:
- Family $ 25.00/year
- Individual $ 10.00/year
- Public/Not for Profit $ 25.00/year
- Student $ 5.00/year
- Sustaining $100.00/year or more
To join the SLA, please print, fill out the below form, and mail it with your check (payable to “Sacheen Lake Association”) to:
Sacheen Lake Association
c/o Denise Reilly, Treasurer
P.0. Box 401
Newport, WA 99156-0401
PLEASE include your correct CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESS and PHONE #.
Dues may also be paid by cash to our Treasurer or to our PayPal account at [email protected] using the friends and family option (to avoid PayPal fees). If you pay without using the above form, please send an email to our Treasurer ([email protected]) providing the same information as on the form.
We use the above information to keep the community up to date, via emails as well as sending the SacheenSCOPE newsletter (digital format beginning in 2023). This contact information has supported the community in multiple ways (lost and found, sinking boat, forwarding information from the Sacheen Water and Sewer District, providing information from Department of Natural Resources regarding local forestry, updating the community on safe boating regulations, etc.). This contact information is kept only by the SLA and not distributed further. So, please let us know who and where you are on the lake as well as how to reach you, even if you don’t join the SLA.
The Board has a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and seven (7) other members, one of which may be the Past-President. Eight Board members are assigned to one of eight (8) Neighborhood Areas around the lake to aid in information distribution to members of the Sacheen Lake community, such as a Welcome Package to new neighbors, as well as being a contact for the lake community to reach out to as desired. There are three (3) at-large Board members who may be requested to help in any given Neighborhood Area. There are also Support Staff to the SLA that volunteer their help, such as spring buoy placement and fall removal, website management, and our SacheenSCOPE newsletter editor.
The SLA operates according to documented By-laws. Our most recent large-scale change occurred in 2023, including adding a formal Mission Statement and set of Goals. The Mission Statement and Goals follow.
Mission Statement:
The purpose of the Sacheen Lake Association is to advocate for the conservation as well as safe and environmentally sustainable use of Sacheen Lake and surrounding ecosystems, while promoting a strong sense of rural community.
Goals:
- Protect and enhance the natural condition of the lake and adjacent ecosystems
- Coordinate with government, corporate and private organizations, and people of the local rural community to promote the purpose of the SLA
- Advocate for safe, sustainable, and clean use of the lake and surrounding ecosystems and their public access avenues
- Promote education, involvement, and SLA membership of and by the local rural community for enduring SLA Mission Statement advocacy and a strong sense of community
The By-laws are provided to members each year after dues are received.
The SLA Board organizes and hosts, sometimes with the help or contribution from local businesses, such as Store n More or the use of the South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue fire station, events throughout the year to promote conservation of Sacheen Lake and its water ecosystems, educate the community about the lake, and to build a stronger sense of rural community. For example, the SLA hosts cleanup events for Hwy 211, Fertile Valley Road, the WDFW boat launch, and the Myers/Harter Sanctuary. The SLA, through a Hydraulic Project Approval permit obtained by the Sacheen Water and Sewer District, is the source for the volunteers that clear new beaver dams downstream and/or clear the downstream culverts to keep the lake’s water level from eroding our shoreline (natural wear and from boat wakes) and causing property damage. We also monitor the lake level and record the reading to know when beaver dam management may be needed. In the past when the water level was excessively high (e.g., spring 2017), we successfully requested that the County Commissioners put a temporary no-wake restriction on the entire lake to minimize wave damage. We host an Annual Meeting, often with informative guest presentations, for our members and the local community as well as invite the community to a summer picnic at the Myers/Harter Sanctuary. We coordinate with WA State Parks and Recreation to provide loaner life jackets at the WDFW boat launch. The light on Hwy 211 and Fertile Valley Road is funded by the SLA. The SLA has a great merchandise program so locals and visitors may buy merchandise with a Sacheen Lake logo or text illustrating pride in their community and lake environment. (Check out the “SLA Merchandise” on this website!) The picnic and other expenses we have are possible through the membership dues paid to the SLA and Merchandise Program profits (small as they are).
We also work in conjunction with the Sacheen Water and Sewer District (W&S) to keep the community informed of W&S activities (e.g., invasive lakeweed species treatment) and to maintain the lake level through beaver dam management. We host the W&S webpage on this SLA website as well.
The Board and Support Staff members are all volunteers and provide their service to the lake and community out of our desire to make the lake a great place to live and experience lake activities. In addition to this website, we communicate with the community through a newsletter, the SacheenSCOPE, and an email system with which we broadcast information regarding the Board and community activities, support the recovery of lost and found items on the lake, help a neighbor with a sinking boat, and many other ad hoc support concepts, as well as attempting to promote a strong sense of rural community through information connection. We encourage the community to provide their contact information to the Board so we may contact you with information about your lake and SLA activities. Please fill out the contact form (see above) or email us at: [email protected] to let us know who you are, where you live (and your lake address, if different), and how we can contact you (phone and email). This information is maintained by the President and/or Secretary only. And if you are interested in being on the Board or a member of the Support Staff, please send us an email! Requirements for Board membership are contained in our By-laws, but also summarized for prospective new Board members to consider.
We hope to see you at one of our volunteer events, Annual Meeting, Annual Picnic, or just out and about as we enjoy our precious lake life. We encourage our community members to join the Sacheen Lake Association as a means to contribute to the expense of the efforts executed by the SLA Board, volunteers, and the Support Staff on behalf of our wonderful lake community and in support of protecting and maintaining our greatest asset, Sacheen Lake!
2015 Plenty of food for all
