PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Mimi Zwolak

Transcription

1 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Mimi Zwolak Welcome spring! Thank you for your membership to Missaukee Lake Association! We have a common bond in our love for Lake Missaukee, a wonderful and vibrant body of water that is ours to enjoy and protect. I m glad you are here to help. There are a lot of things happening around the state with regard to the health of inland lakes. Please take time to read the articles in this newsletter about the challenges we are facing. I will be attending the Michigan Lake Stewardship convention, May 3 & 4, at Crystal Mountain. There are several sessions on issues that have a direct effect on the health of our lake. I will report to you at our annual meeting on Saturday, July 20 th, at 9am. GUEST SPEAKER - At our annual meeting on Saturday, July 20 th, at 9am, we will have a guest speaker, Bre Grabill, from PLM Lake & Land Management Corp. Bre will talk about proper lake management and aquatic plant control techniques from her years of experience. Did I mention our annual meeting is July 20, 2019 at 9am at the Lake Township Hall? Please consider becoming more involved by joining the board of directors this year! Dave Smith is retiring as secretary after decades of service to MLA. Thanks Dave! 2019 MLA Board of Directors President: Mimi Zwolak Vice President: Tom Borke Secretary: David P. Smith Treasurer: Jerry Grimwood Membership: Karen Williamson Directors: Gary Gremel Steve Wildes Editor: Mimi Zwolak FROM YOUR MEMBERSHIP CO-ORDINATOROR Karen Williamson Welcome back to Missaukee Lake Association news! Hopefully warmer weather is on its way!!! We have about 125 members. Please ask your neighbor to join! Benefits for a $25 membership in MLA include: An annual newsletter chock full of important articles! Access to our website: missaukeelake.org A Garage Sale by program for members oly Yearly subscription to Riparian Magazine, published by the Michigan Lake Stewardship Association Communication about local events and issues Education about ways to protectand enhance our beautiful lake I hope we have worked the kinks out of the s coming from our lake association . If you have questions or have something you would like to sell, send me an at: missaukeelakeassoc@gmail.com. If any of your contact information changes ( , phone, home address), please let me know. The lake association is going digital, so our newsletters, membership dues reminders, and important dates will be sent to you by . My family and I are looking forward to another enjoyable summer on Lake Missaukee! MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION You can download a membership application from our website: Suggested dues are $25 per year.

2 Page 2 AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES (AIS) SHORELINES SPRING 2019 We have spoken about Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) before. There is quite a long watch list of possible invasives. It is a bit scary, but there are a lot of people that are very active in trying to deal with this. If you can volunteer some time to help, please do! Education is our biggest tool for preventing the spread. If you thought Eurasian Milfoil was a serious problem; wait until you find Starry stonewort in your lake! - Bob Frye, President, Michigan Waterfront Alliance Here are a few of the things that are happening: Michigan Waterways Commission has made combating AIS one of its top priorities for There are new DEQ regulations for boat washing. The MI Secretary of State Office has agreed to include in each boater registration packet (close to 1 million over the course of the next 3 years - starting this year) the New Boater Law Effective 2019" card. The Michigan Waterfront Alliance is recommending to the DEQ that all marinas and launch sites (public and private) should be required to have qualified boat inspection personnel and/or boat washing facilities on-site. And working with the State to help find funding to support this. MLA will partner with the DEQ, DNR, Lake Township, the Missaukee Conservation District and others to host an AIS Landing Blitz at boat launches on Lake Missaukee again in July. Please look for a call for volunteers when a date is set. The AIS Landing Blitz is a collaborative outreach campaign to raise awareness about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species through recreational boating and related activities. THE MICHIGAN RIPARIAN MAGAZINE Membership Dues include a subscription to the quarterly Riparian magazine published by the Michigan Lakes & Streams Association. The magazine is DEVOTED TO THE MANAGEMENT AND WISE USE OF MICHIGAN S LAKES AND STREAMS. I hope you take time to look it over. There is a wealth of information on lake living. You can also search the web site for articles on topics of interest. MISSAUKEE LAKE IMPROVEMENT BOARD (MLIB) Our association is sometimes confused with the Missaukee Lake Improvement Board (MLIB). The MLIB was formed at the end of 2004 in order to create a Special Assessment District. This allows the MLIB to assesss all lake users in order to treat the Eurasian Water-milfoil that had taken hold in the lake. The Lake Improvement Boardwill meet August 17, 2019 at 10am, at the Lake Township Hall. You are encouraged to attend. MICHIGAN LAKE STEWARDSHIP ASSOCIATIONS Michigan Lake Stewardship Associations is a non-profit, state-wide organization dedicated to the preservation, protection and wise management of Michigan s vast treasure of inland lakes. The primary goal of MLSA is to assist lake associations as well as individual riparian property owners in water resource friendly techniques and methods of protecting their investment in waterfront property. MLA is a member, but you can join as an individual to help support their mission. You can also subscribe to their monthly newsletter. There is a wealth of information on their website for lake front property owners. Check it out:

3 Page 3 SHORELINES SPRING 2019 GARAGE SALE BY This special program for members only has been a huge success! Karen Williamson will be coordinating this. The idea is that if you have something to sell, someone on the lake might be interested in it. Here s how it works: If you have something you'd like to sell, or a place to rent, please send an with the following information to: missaukeelakeassoc@gmail.com Your name address and phone # if you want Short description 1-2 pictures if you have them Price Members will contact you directly. MLA will not be involved in the exchange. Please let us know when you sell an item. These notices will go out periodically when items are submitted. Ideas include boats, furniture, tools, household goods, lake toys, rental properties (for overflow guests), etc. If you DO NOT want to receive the s for the Garage Sale, just respond back we will take you off the list. We will continue to send other info. WATER QUALITY by V.P.,Tom Borke Water Quality Monitoring Report from PLM Lake & Management for the summer of 2018 (5/1/2018, 7/12/2018, & 9/12/2018) has been received. In summary, results show that conditions remain good for fish growth with minimum Dissolved Oxygen being adequate for fish production. ph levels (balance between acids & bases in the water) were within acceptable limits. Total Phosphorous levels were, however, uncharacteristically high warranting a watchful eye for a trend in the next year. Note that phosphorous is a nutrient of concern because even small amounts can cause excessive plant and algae growth in our lake. Bacteria Sampling on 7/12/2018 for E-coli shows that the water met bacteriological standards for safe swimming in all three locations. As residents living on property adjacent to or near our lake, we should all be aware of minimizing nutrients and chemicals entering the water by controlling the following potential contributors: Fertilizers Storm runoff Yard waste (lawn clippings, leaves, branches, weeds) Soil from shoreline erosion Ash from campfires and burning yard waste Animal waste from pets and wildlife such as waterfowl Pesticides Oil and gas from boats and other motorized watercraft Salt More information and the full water quality report may be found at:

4 Page 4 SHORELINES SPRING 2019 LAKE TOWNSHIP S LAKE ENHANCEMENT COMMITTEE - by John Beck, Chairman, beckj@sbcg The Lake Township Board created the Lake Enhancement Committee (LEC) in This committee was tasked with helping the Township find ways to maintainn and improve the health of the three main lakes within its borders. Funding was set aside to accomplish the committee s recommendations. Crooked Lake, Sapphire Lake, and Lake Missaukee all have representation on the committee. This committee works through meetings, s, phone calls and face to face encounters. The Committee brings recommendations to the Township Board for their final approval of the expenditures needed to accomplish projects. Some projects are of a continuing nature. An excellent example is that Lake Township is currently paying for the water quality and clarity testing done three times a year in three separate locations on Lake Missaukee. Why is this water testing important? There is a direct correlation between the water quality and clarity and lake property values. Simply put, the better the water, the higher the property value. Keeping professionally done records also allows us to watch for any sudden changes in lake quality and respond as needed. global.net The LEC has been involved with many projects. Up to date lake mapping has been done. Lake map signs were made and posted at boat landings showing lake depth contours to alert boaters to shallow areas. Eight fish habitat structures were installed in Lake Missaukee. Members of the committee regularly attend conferences, monitor lake associated issues and report findings to the township board members. Meetings have taken place with local officials such as the sheriff and marine safety officers to discuss lake safety issues. Members of the LEC continue to work with the township to improve its website. This committee is always looking to find ways to improve our lakes. Things like lake friendly local ordinances, sewer system future developments, keeping ahead of nonnative invasive species, working directly with Missaukee Conservation Department to value our lakes, and possibly creating boat washing facilities within easy access of the lake are examples of some of the projects we are working on. Committee members continue to look for suggestions and ideas to help manage and protect our Lakes for this and future generations. Please contact Lake Missaukee committee members: Bill Collins, Jerry Grimwood, Chad Moore and Mimi Zwolak, or Rob Hall, Township Supervisor, or John Beck, LEC chair if you have a proposal that would benefit Lake Missaukee. FROM THE LAKE CITY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WEBSITE: tymich.com/ The 2019 Greatest Fourth In The North Celebration Wednesday, July 3 rd to Sunday, July 7 th. The theme this year theme is THROUGH THE DECADES. MISSAUKEE COUNTY PARKS UPDATE We had record numbers of campers last season! There will be electrical upgrades done to the campsites in the fall with help from a grant we received. Unfortunately, the Park grounds sustained considerable damage from cars and trucks driving over soft ground in the off season. The rental house, across the street from the park, was very popular last season and is available to rent.

5 Page 5 SHORELINES SPRING 2019 GROWING THE AREA OF LAKE CITY UPDATE 2019 by Craig J. Ardis Last spring, I informed the Missaukee Lake Association about the City of Lake City adopting policies to encourage investment and economic growth through a statewide assistance program called the Redevelopment Ready Community (RRC) program, an assistance initiative offered by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), a publicprivate, non-profit organization. A small steering committee was formed to work on this. We completed the certification process in the spring and were waiting for results from the MEDC. We received those results and learned that we came up short in a couple of areas. The most important deficiency was not having an up-to-date, living, Master Plan. In reviewing the current Master Plan, we learned that it was outdated and would be of very little help. We hired a consultant, Becket & Raeder, from Ann Arbor/Petoskey. Becket & Raeder are not only experts in Master Plan development, but also consultants with communities trying to achieve RRC certification. We thought it was important to accomplish these two objectives simultaneously, as well as be prudent with our resources. Members of the Missaukee Lake Association may have received a notification to complete an on-line survey last fall. That survey has been completed and tallied. Becket & Raeder has been working through the winter months collecting other Missaukee County data, documents, demographics etc., to help develop the Master Plan. We reached out to Lake, Reeder, Caldwell and Forest Townships asking for their input, direction and support developing the Master Plan. It was critical to engage these Townships because whatever Master Plan we develop will impact them. The more populations and local governments participating in the Master Plan means more opportunity for grants and support from the MEDC. Lake and Forest Townships joined with excitement and financial support. They will have representation on the steering committee along with receiving documents to support their townships. Caldwell and Reeder were enthusiastic for the project but felt they could not contribute financially. This will not exclude them from the development of the Master Plan. All the townships will participate in community information gathering workshops, surveys and any other general engagement we request during this process. We are grateful and excited that so many interested community parties are willing to engage in this exciting project. The next steps for the steering committee are to meet sometime in April to review much of the data and documents collected by Becket & Raeder, determine our direction, schedule community input meetings, and begin the Master Plan design. We have accomplished a great deal over the past few months, but have much more to do. We hope when we call on members of our community to engage that you will be there participating. This is for anyone who has an interest in this great community. The Master Plan and Redevelopment Ready Community Certification is on schedule to be completed by August. Watch for future communication! Editor s note Craig and his wife Carol have been long time Missaukee Lake Association members.

6 Page 6 SHORELINES SPRING 2019 SWIMMER S ITCH We did not hear very many complaints about swimmer s itch last summer. It can come and go. There is new research being done about this again. The best practice is to use a heavy cream to create a barrier so the larvae cannot burrow into your skin. The Lake City Pharmacy carries Swimmer s Itch Guard. Showering and brisk towel drying has been suggested to help as well. Do not feed the ducks! MISSAUKEE CONSERVATION DISTRICT missaukeecd.org HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTION June 1 st, 9am 1pm RECYCLING CENTER HOURS Wednesday 9-5, Saturday 9-1 Check the website for more information. WHAT IS MLA? The Missaukee Lake Association, Inc. (MLA), formed in 1997, is a nonprofit voluntary dues organization incorporated under the laws of the State of Michigan. Membership comes from property owners and other interested parties surrounding the lake. The purpose of the MLA is to promote and protect the environmental integrity of the lake through education, safety and quality initiatives, and public awareness. The focus of MLA is on the global issues impacting the lake: water quality, wetland protection, weed control, environmental protection, and safety initiatives. Our objective is simple: to maintain and/or improve the overall water quality of Lake Missaukee. GOING PAPERLESS You are receiving this newsletter digitally this year. At the Annual Meeting last July the membership overwhelming agreed that a paper copy was not necessary. We will print several copies and put them at the Chamber of Commerce office. You are welcome to pick up a copy there. LOCAL WEB SITES Missaukee Lake Association missaukeelake.org Lake City Chamber of Commerce Lake Township Missaukee Sentinel Missaukee County - Missaukee Conservation District missaukeecd.org