The Community Development Foundation, Inc. was formed in 1966.  Facing a rigorous process, the residents of Rib Lake knew they had a long, hard road ahead.  The purpose of the Community Development Foundation, Inc. was to provide organization and direction to the grassroots project.  With a small village, and even smaller bank account, the group started by trying to search for investors, identify markets, and value that could be added locally.

Many ideas and goals were brought to the table by various community members.  The most common concerns were about both recovering the logs and improving the water quality.  Some common goals and ideas were to:

• Stock fish
• Aerate the lake
• Take Secci disk readings
• Promote tourism
• Create jobs
• Create opportunities for all citizens
• Look to the future and sustainability

The Community Development Foundation, Inc. constructed a mission statement to establish the direction and broad goals of the project, "WE WORK TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF RIB LAKE’S WATER, FISHERY AND AESTHETIC BEAUTY AND CREATE SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES."

In order to help the community achieve it's goals of determining the amount and location of logs beneath the lake, improving the water quality, and the feasibility and potential use of removing the in filled lake-bottom sediment they have contacted many different private companies and government/public organizations.  To date, 4 studies have been conducted at Rib Lake by outside organizations, as well as, the community members themselves.

Money has been raised and rewarded for the studies that have been completed by private companies or government agencies in several different ways.  The DNR Lake Study and Lake Improvement Grants funded 50% of the work.  The rest of the money for the studies came from the Inland Lakes Improvement District of Rib Lake, the Community Development Foundation, and the Rib Lake Fish and Game Club.

Legally, before any large scale removal of logs could take place at Rib Lake, the project would have to be passed by the DNR.  The DNR first has to assess the environmental risks and hazards associated with this type of project.  In order for the project to get passed, proposals have been made to try and classify Rib Lake as a Brownfield or Superfund site.  If a significant amount of logs can be harvested, money raised from the sale of the lumber could be used to fund future, or simultaneous, projects such as dredging. 

January 1999

Volunteers drilled 250 holes through the ice in Rib Lake.  Rods were then push down through the water and sediment.  A recording was made if the rod hit something solid or not.  Something solid was recorded in roughly 20% of the 250 holes.  Assuming that almost all of the solid hits relate to logs buried below the sediment, this simple study proved insight to the theory that many logs were below the lake.

Summers of 2000 & 2001

Talented and motivated community members assembled a floating "dredge" to try and harvest the buried logs and grasp a better idea of the actuality of this type of project.  The process was slow and arduous, but proved to be successful.  The method consisted of standing on the front of the rig and utilizing the "poke-and-hope" probing method developed in the January 1999 study.  Once a potential log was located, the hydraulic powered claw would be lowered into the water in attempt to grab onto the log and raise it to the surface.  Recovered logs would then be transported to shore, and the process continued.  Much of this work was done by local volunteers.  They also received two weeks of work from the Wisconsin Conservation Corps.  Remarkably, approximately 4,000 board feet of lumber were recovered by this method.  About 3,000 board feet of hemlock and 1,000 board feet of yellow birch were harvested from Rib Lake.  The harvested logs were sawn locally, dry kiln and planned in Stetsonville.  Some of the lumber was used by a local company to make cabinets and furniture, and samples are on display in Rib Lake City Hall.  The recovered logs were found to be in near perfect condition, even the stamps placed on the logs after they were fell (so that they could be later identified and claimed by the logging companies) could still easily be read.  The condition of the lumber, and large amount harvested again reassured the community that this could realistically become a large scale operation.