THE CEDAR LOG The Cedar Log is published by the Cedar Lake Conservancy. The Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing the quality of the environment and life experiences in and around Cedar Lake. Summer 2017 Become a member of the Cedar Lake Conservancy! Annual dues are $25 and should be mailed to: Cedar Lake Conservancy P. O. Box 152 Aitkin, MN 56431 Your participation keeps us strong! CHECK US OUT! http://minnesotawaters.org /cedarlakeconservancy The darker shade on the graph (red) indicates lakes with AIS.
Transcript
THE CEDAR LOG TheCedarLogispublishedbytheCedarLakeConservancy.TheConservancyisanonprofitorganizationdedicatedtoprotecting,preservingandenhancingthequalityoftheenvironmentandlifeexperiencesinandaroundCedarLake.
Summer2017
Become a member of the Cedar Lake Conservancy!Annualduesare$25andshouldbemailedto:
CedarLakeConservancyP.O.Box152
Aitkin,MN56431
Yourparticipationkeepsusstrong!
CHECKUSOUT!
http://minnesotawaters.org/cedarlakeconservancy
The darker shade on the graph (red) indicates lakes with AIS.
THE CEDAR LOG 2
THEPRESIDENT’SPAGEBySteveHaasl
Hasn’t this been a pleasant change from 2016 storms and floods? As of this writing, the “No Wake” signs remain in storage. My dock is above water. No snail shells in the front yard. No trees or boat lifts blown over. No pieces of lakeshore floating around seeking a new home. And no drought. Hopefully, the remainder of summer will be as normal and we can all enjoy Cedar Lake with our friends and families. For those of us fortunate enough to attend the annual meeting in June—a record crowd of more than 50 friends and neighbors--we heard from a DNR rep about Aquatic Invasive Species identification, remediation efforts (nothing particularly successful to date) and what we – you and I – can do to try to stem their introduction into Cedar. CLC Board member and professional hydrologist, Bob Karls, followed with an eye-opening piece on AIS-infested lakes around Cedar (we’re surrounded) along with data from DNR launch surveys pinpointing where the majority of boats entering Cedar come from. No surprise: Mille Lacs leads the field with all the attendant AIS risk it carries. As I said, it was eye-opening. Bob’s presentation was a call to action, inspiring an anonymous donor to make a $10,000 gift that brings our AIS Fund to more than $13,000. The CLC Board was thrilled to receive this gift on behalf of all homeowners on Cedar Lake, and we hope this generosity inspires each of us to contribute as we can to this critical fund. While we recognize the substantial size of our AIS war chest, we must also recognize that the entire amount is just about the cost of one milfoil treatment. Gone in a flash. The risk to Cedar is real and imminent. All of us, CLC members or not, have a financial stake in defending our resource. The negative effect on our property value and our ability to enjoy the lake needs and deserves our focused attention. Governor Dayton (love him or hate him), shining a light on water quality threats in Minnesota, has declared this the Year of Water Action noting that “the land may be yours, but the water belongs to all of us”. How can you give? If you’re over 70-½ years of age, you may donate directly from your 401k to the CLC with the contribution counting toward your required distribution. Check with your tax advisor to see whether this method of gifting works for you. Write a check--any amount will be appreciated. Make a pledge and fulfill it over time. Remember the CLC AIS Fund in your estate planning through your Will or by making it a beneficiary of your IRA or 401k. AIS funds will be held independent of CLC general operating monies and used for only in eradication and treatment. I remember my mother complaining that her church was always asking for money. They were, and so are we so the CLC’s mission can be carried forward. We still need your on-going memberships/dues to fund education, prevention, and DNR launch monitoring. So, many thanks to all who have become members, volunteered, made donations, attended the annual meeting and participated in social events. You’re good stewards and good neighbors; we’re grateful you’re here. Enough with the bully pulpit and on to lighter fare. An organization like our runs on the strength, energy and enthusiasm of its volunteers and members. And a wonderful group we have. Mary Braton, our Board Member and Membership Chair, has been hard at work organizing members to focus the recruitment of adjacent lakeshore owners. After all, growth of membership and the involvement of members are vital to the effectiveness of our organization. Kelly Klinepier, another Board Member and Social Chair, will share news in this issue about two outings. First up is the Mighty Mississippi Paddle on August 12. Check it out on the website. Les Martin promises no floods this year. I’m amazed that in the late 1800s, riverboats of up to 100’ in length actually plied the Muddy Miss between Grand Rapids and Aitkin. For those that prefer drier fun our first annual Golf Outing is on August 27. Polish up those putters! And, again this year I invite you to join me in Aitkin’s world famous Run to the Dump 5k (or 10k if you prefer) on August 5th. Competition in the Super Senior Class is pretty intense. Come for the cool T-shirts. Susan Nielsen, who has been a rock for many years managing the milfoil search committee, is looking for a few more volunteers. It’s a good excuse to jump in the boat and do a slow putt around your bay or shore in August. Give her a call at 612.247.4147. Or, I’d be happy to volunteer you. Nudge, nudge…. You’ve seen Jon Campbell’s request for Secchi disc readers. I’ve noticed a remarkable improvement in water clarity late June, early July. His group’s efforts provide data to help track lake health and is another good excuse to jump in the boat. Have a great summer, enjoy our beautiful lake and support the organization that supports it. See you on the lake!
What was intended to be a 20-minute presentation at our annual meeting with a representative of the DNR about AIS stretched to about a 40-minute interactive discussion with lots of participation from the whole membership attending! Great participation and lots of ideas and topics for action and further discussion ensued. The graph shown on page one was displayed at the meeting. It caught everyone’s attention. A majority of boats launched came from our lake – returning from winter storage, etc. The graph shows why AIS inspections are important, prevention is paramount, and being ready for any “infestations” with our initial response and treatment or other interdiction attempts is a priority. Please see the President’s message on this topic. If you were up on the 4th of July or through mid July and have gone down to the end of your dock and made a casual observation, you might have been pleasantly surprised at the outstanding water clarity many parts of the lake have had as we roll through mid-summer. I have heard of Secchi disc measurements of 11’ from some monitors! This is great….why is it happening? Three reasons:
1. We are past the part of the season when we get lake turn over, and spring algae blooms that cause diminished water clarity for very
natural reasons. 2. We have not had any huge storms of 1+” of rain for over a month.
Large rain events wash sediment, biological material, and nutrients into the lake causing decreased clarity.
3. Maybe, just possibly … good stewardship of our shorelines and watershed are helping us hold the line on the nutrient inputs from
fertilizers, construction projects and unnecessary runoff into the lake!
There is not much we can do as individuals for #1 and #2 – nature has the upper hand, but each and every one of us have a very direct impact on #3. Please do your part on eliminating any fertilizers, manage your lakeshore to establish buffers and natural shorelines and contribute to the sustainability of the watershed around our lake by supporting the CLC and our efforts to preserve, protect, and conserve the watershed our lake is in.
CitizensLakeMonitoringProgramByJonCampbell
Cedar Lake residents have a rich history of joining the Citizens
Lake Monitoring Program (CCMP). We join over 1,000 volunteers monitoring 900 Minnesota lakes. As we discussed at our annual meeting in June, it is imperative we maintain or improve our water quality as it is central to our way of life on Cedar. CLMP participants take readings of transparency measurements on Cedar Lake at ten locations at least eight times during the summer using a Secchi disc.
For those who don’t know, the Secchi disc, as created in 1865 by Angelo Secchi, is an opaque disc, typically white or black and white, used to gage the transparency of water by measuring the depth (Secchi depth) at which the disk ceases to be visible from the surface. Data collected by our volunteers is entered into the State’s water quality database. The data is used to analyze water quality trends and provide a basis for water quality goal setting.
Though analysis work is not complete, we have finished our spring muskie assessment and our spring largemouth bass electrofishing survey. We caught slightly fewer muskie than the last couple of times we’ve done the survey, but feel the weather and timing of our survey may have influenced our results. In total, 14 adult and three juvenile were sampled with the largest being a 51.5” female. More information will come on the muskies in our final report. Largemouth bass catches during our night electrofishing survey were very comparable to previous surveys at about 30/hour with fish up to approximately 18” being sampled. The next part of our work on the lake will be the standard survey component that will be done the week of August 14 – 18. This survey is done every three years and is designed to catch and assess the populations of the major game fish and forage species throughout the lake such as walleye, northern pike, black crappie and tullibee. Preliminary results will be available in draft format immediately following the survey by calling or stopping by our office. The final results will be available on Lake Finder in the spring of 2018. If you see us working out on the lake, please stop by and say hi!
A special thanks to all our CLMP volunteers: Bruce Bogema, Dale Dragovich, Katie Kraft, Les Martin, Jeff Mitchell, Ron Nelson, Frank Parisi, Heather and Bob Rykhus, Herb Schoon, Bill Stein and Todd Werner. I’ll provide a recap of this summer’s readings in the fall newsletter.
THE CEDAR LOG 4
Communications It’s a big job keeping our database current, and I need your help on a continual basis. Please let me know asap if you have new neighbors or change your mailing or email addresses. Not only does this save time, it cuts down on our printing/postage costs. Also, please consider receiving all CLC communications via email. Contact me! Debbie Campbell [email protected] 952-240-3772 CountyRoad28CleanUp The CLC will meet on Saturday morning, September 30 @ 9 a.m. at Sunset Bay Resort for supplies. The resort is the staging point for our semi-annual roadside clean up along the edges of County Road 28 (Pioneer Avenue). All Cedar Lake residents, friends and Conservancy members are invited to join in this effort. We were quite shorthanded at the spring clean up. The more volunteers, the less time it takes! Contact me if you need more information. Mary Braton [email protected] 218-670-0497 LoonCounting As stated at the annual meeting, we had six known loon nests marked on the map. On the last count done by Heather and Bob Rykhus, we had 26 adult loons with eight baby chicks. The DNR has banded some loons with colored leg bans. If you come across a banded loon, please let me know asap. The DNR is still collecting dead loons and unhatched loon eggs for environmental contaminant testing. If you are aware of freshly dead loons or abandoned eggs, contact me and I will make arrangements for the DNR to collect them. Remember, using nonlead fishing tackle is an effective alternative, and it protects loons, eagles and other wildlife. Loons can mistake lost fishing weights for the pebbles they seek to help grind their food. Loons die within two to three weeks after swallowing a lead sinker or jig. Frank Simon [email protected] 612-616-3737 Membership Did you know there are 46 different roads with property addresses in our database? This is why beach captains are so necessary to help keep our records up to date. Many thanks to the beach captains already canvassing their roads/neighborhoods, but we still need more! Please consider helping out. As of this writing, we have 135 members out of our database of approximately 445 property owners. Become a member and send in your $25 check today! Mary Braton [email protected] 218-670-0497
ShoreLand Stewards will be searching for Eurasian water milfoil August 1 – 15. It will be close to the surface along with native growth. I REALLY need the names of people who are willing to search…area searchers and subs, please call me asap! Thank you, stewards for checking again this year. Please let me know when you have completed your search. This is a critical part of our proactive plan. Susan Nielsen [email protected] 612-247-4174
Social Summer is quickly flying by! It was a perfect July day for our Grill & Chill picnic. You can find some pictures on the website. A BIG thank you to John McIntosh for once again hosting this AIS fundraiser at his home. Over 40 attended and $285 was raised for the AIS fund! There’s still time to get in on the fun
with Aitkin’s Riverboat Days 5k and !0k Run to the Dump. The run starts at Paulbeck’s at 8 a.m. on Saturday August 5. On August 12 is the ever-popular Paddle and Float down the Mississippi lead by Les Martin. Departure will be at the boat landing at the Aitkin Campground at 9:30. All canoe and kayakers are welcome to enjoy this easy journey several miles down the river. Check the website for further details. Calling all golfers! An 18-hole event at Cuyuna Rolling Hills is being organized for either 8/26 or 27. All are welcome. Contact Debbie Campbell at [email protected] asap for details. Kelly Klinepier [email protected] 763-350-1596
COMMITTEENEWS
Crow Wing County Fair August 1 – 5 Aitkin Run to the Dump August 6 Deerwood Summerfest August 11 – 12 ACLARA Meeting August 12 Paddle the Mississippi August 12 MN State Fair August 24 – September 4 Golf Outing August 26 or 27 ACLARA Meeting September 9 County Road 28 Clean Up September 30 ACLARA Meeting October 14 Aitkin Fish House Parade November 25
THE CEDAR LOG 5
Winners from the drawing at the June 10 annual
meeting were:
Jeana & Mark Asmus Thea & Bob Dahleen
Kris & John Davis Michelle & LeRoy Giesler
Bonnie Girard & Bob Karls Robin Keyworth & Steve Haasl
Pat & Kevin Lietzau John McIntosh
Keith Nentl Judy & Nick Priadka Carol & John Reiners
Linda & Richard Salden Sally & Jack VanValkenburg
Many thanks to the following who donated gifts for the raffle. Please patronize these businesses that support the CLC! Bill’s Sportsman Services The Forty Club Minnesota Meats Paulbeck’s Shopko The Deerstand The Landing
TIDBITS
Do you enjoy reading about the activities on the lake? This publication is sent to every Cedar Lake property owner. If you don’t belong to the CLC, please consider joining to support this newsletter and the efforts of all the volunteers.
******************************* TIP hotline – Anyone witnessing a fish or wildlife violation is encouraged to contact the 24-hour, toll-free Turn-In-Poachers (TIP) hotline at 1-800-652-9093. Cell phone users can dial #TIP. ******************************** Attention VRBOers! If you rent out your property, make sure your guests are familiar with Clean, Drain and Dry before they launch any watercraft into our beautiful lake!
******************************* Did you know? There’s a deadly, hidden danger when lakeshore property owners electrify their docks. Please check out this link so your family and friends remain safe! http://www.electricshockdrowning.org/preventing-esd.html
******************************* Remember to be considerate of where you are boating and creating huge wakes. And, keep in mind it’s against the law to operate any watercraft so its wash or wake endangers, harasses or interferes with any
person or property.
Quiet Time? ByScottTurner,AitkinCountySheriff
Summer is now in full swing and people are out enjoying the lake in a number of ways. Not all activities are enjoyed by all ….. and not all activities are safe. Over the July 4th weekend we arrested some for BWI (Boating While Intoxicated) including one on Cedar Lake. Like many things, it once again comes back to stewardship: the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care. It can be the water, the land, the air or your behavior. Interestingly, early one Monday morning not long ago, when I returned to my desk, there was an email from a concerned person who wanted to know at what time was “quiet time” on Aitkin County lakes. My first thought raced back to the days when I worked in Yellowstone National Park and I received a call from someone overseas who wanted to know the times in which we let the animals out. Both sincere questions, a bit naïve perhaps, but for which there is not an exact answer. It is also a very legitimate question that we routinely get calls about when someone is creating noise well into the night. It also brings us into the discussion about stewardship. What you do and what your neighbors do certainly does have an impact on each of your respective enjoyment of the lake. If you like to, as they say, “party like a rock star” until the wee hours of the morning and your neighbor likes sleeping with the window open and enjoy the sounds of nature – there is likely to be a conflict. Conversely, if you like to sleep in (after partying like a rock star) and your neighbor starts cutting with a chainsaw at 6:00 a.m. – there is likely to be a conflict. Since our number one goal is public safety, accomplished through a number of means, including reducing conflict in the many neighborhoods, it is worth discussing each time the question arises. In about seven weeks, it will be Labor Day weekend. The “last hurrah” of summer and a weekend that people like to cut loose for one last time of the year. When you do so, remember that not everyone in your neighborhood is on your timetable, nor do they all enjoy the same things you do. Please be considerate. As always, enjoy the Cedar Lake community…safely!
Dear Cedar Lake Conservancy Members, Thank you so much for your generous donation to the Aitkin Area Food Shelf. The food drive donations allow us to give our clients a little extra that is always so appreciated. The cash helps us buy groceries. Thank you for your continued support. It is your generosity that keeps us feeding people. Aitkin Area Food Shelf Lee and Rita Pierce Janice Fairchild
The next generation of CLC members at the Chill & Grill picnic and the reason why the Conservancy is so passionate about “….protecting, preserving and enhancing….Cedar Lake”!
Left to right: Taylor, Lucas, Zoe, Castiel and Aiden
