The process to develop a lake plan is as important as the end result. The success of your exercise will depend on your ability to foster community involvement, and this can be a very challenging step. It is imperative to encourage the participation of all stakeholders private (commercial, residential and industrial) and public (government and interest groups). Therefore, identify stakeholders at the onset of the process and provide ample opportunity for the lake community to comment and participate. This approach creates an awareness of the issues to be dealt with and long-term ownership of the projects and approaches to be implemented.

There are several different approaches to preparing a lake plan, such as hiring a consultant(s), taking a self-directed approach, or pursuing a combination of the first two. Consultants can be hired to undertake all or portions of the lake planning process, including facilitating workshops, collecting information, writing and editing the lake plan, and/or providing guidance throughout the process. However, the more that an association can undertake on their own, such as a self-directed or the combination of a community-based effort and the use of a consultant approach, the more cost efficient and self gratifying the plan becomes. 

Remember that it is important to develop the expertise on the lake so that when the consultants leave, the expertise does not leave in a briefcase. Taking this approach will ensure that the expertise and knowledge stays on the lake, which makes it easier to implement the lake plan. 
 
      
Approaches:

• Self-Directed
  
  The hardest, yet most rewarding approach has been the use of local resource people who are willing to spend a lot of time collecting information and writing portions of the plan. 
  
  For this approach, your association would need 8 or 10 devoted individuals to collect and summarize information based on the themes of land use, natural features, physical elements, and social values. 
  
  The advantage of this approach is that it will cost less. The disadvantage is the large learning curve at the beginning of the process because most individuals may be novices at the experience of preparing a lake plan or interpreting information.
  
  
• Consultant
  
  Another approach is to simply hire someone to complete the whole process.
  
  The disadvantage of this approach is that it is quite costly and the knowledge and expertise usually leaves with the consultant when the job is complete.
  
  Another disadvantage is the lack of ownership in the lake plan by the lake users.
  
  
• Community-based — a combination of self-directed and the use of consultants
  
  Most associations have opted for a process that relies on a consultant to help facilitate and steer a committee of 4-5 people.
  
  The consultant will help organize the collection and analysis of information and summarize issues and recommendations, and can also provide examples of surveys, table of contents, and workshops.
  
  The benefit of this approach is that it utilizes the experience of a lake planning expert, yet promotes and educates a network of local resource people who will help with communication and implementation of the recommendations.