the cedar log - Minnesota Waters

THE CEDAR LOG
TheCedarLogispublishedbytheCedarLakeConservancy.TheConservancyis
anonprofitorganizationdedicatedtoprotecting,preservingandenhancingthe
qualityoftheenvironmentandlifeexperiencesinandaroundCedarLake.
SPRING
2016
Become a member of the Cedar Lake Conservancy!
Annualduesare$25andshouldbemailedto:
CedarLakeConservancy
P.O.Box152
Aitkin,MN56431
Yourparticipationkeepsusstrong!
ANNUALMEETING
Saturday,June11
Postcards with details will be mailed out early May.
Come meet new neighbors and learn what’s happening
onthelake!
AITKINAREAFISHERIES
ByGregBerg,AssistantFisheriesSupervisor
Not familiar withthe Fisheries officeand its role with Cedar? In a nutshell, our office
surveys the fish community and stocks the lake with walleye and muskie fingerlings. We
survey the lake every three years and annually stock. The last survey was done in
2014.ResultswerepublishedinMayof2015andcanbefoundontheMNDNR’swebsite:
dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport.html?downum=01020900
Thenextsurveywillbein2017andwillincludeaspecialsurveyfocusingonthemuskie
population. When targeting muskie (every other survey), we use special, large trap nets to
samplethemuskiefishery.Insurveyyearswealsoexaminethelargemouthbasspopulationin
thespringwithelectrofishing.EachAugustwedotemperatureanddissolvedoxygenprofiles,
as part of a statewide project to measure thermal habitat for tullibee. Everything appeared
normalinthe2015survey.
Don’thesitatetocontactouroffice(218-429-3010)ifyouhaveanyquestionsornotice
any“exotic"speciesinyourcatchsuchaschannelcatfish,whichmaycomeintoCedarfromthe
Mississippi.
THE CEDAR LOG
2
THEPRESIDENT’SPAGE
BySteveHaasl
On behalf
of
the
board,
welcome to the
Spring 2016 CLC
Newsletter. Winter
is clearly over. I’ve
traded my XC skis
for two wheels, and
am enjoying this
iconic
Minnesota
spring weather. I
hope you all had a
chance to visit
CedarLakeoverthe
winter and take in
the quiet, cold,
white,sereneenvirons.Whilewinterclearlyhasitscharm,
and its supporters, the idea of another, warm, season at
thelakegetsmemoreexcited.
Whilefrozeninthiswinter,yourboardhasbeen
busy on a number of initiatives. In this newsletter you’ll
read about the 2016 DNR launch monitoring, aquatic
invasive species and water quality actions, plans for
upcoming social events, our ever-expanding membership,
the2016annualmeeting,andDNRprojects.
Whetheryouagreeinwhole,inpart,ornotatall,
I’vebeenbuoyedbyrecentwaterqualityeffortsproposed
by the State. Spreading the word about the benefits of
cleanwatercanonlyhelppreserveourresource.Similarly,
the
group
MN
Lakes
and
Rivers,
www.MNLakeAndRivers.org, an advocacy group working
tocreateamorepowerfulvoiceforusall,hasbeentouting
the huge economic benefit of clean water as it affects
lakeshore owners, resorts, retail and hospitality and tax
base. MNL&R is also instrumental in working to control
taxesonlakeshoreproperty–toourmutualbenefit.Take
alookattheirwebsite.
Tom Watson, Whitefish Area Property Owners
Assn., has dugdeepinto this andfound that, according to
the 2015 State of MN Tourism and Economy Fact Sheet,
the2013leisureandhospitalityspendinginAitkinCounty
was >$21M in gross sales, and accounted for nearly 500
jobs.CrowWingCountyclockedinat>$219ingrosssales
andover3,900jobs.Clearly,goodqualitylakesbenefitthe
economic and municipal area, and greater consideration
shouldbegiventotheircare.Asalakeshoreownersgroup,
weareallawareandthoughtfulinourtreatmentofCedar
Lake.But,wecanalwaysdoalittlebetter.AsyourBoard,
wewillcontinuetoworkonyourbehalf.
Speaking of websites, the soon-to-be launched,
newandinformativeCLCwebsite,whichhastakenalotof
volunteertimeandeffort,andlooksterrific,isnearlyhere.
After some years without this resource, we’re looking
forward to having an effective tool to disseminate
information, pictures, newsletters, upcoming events,
contactinformationandsuch.And,itwillallowustodo
informal surveys, such as tallying lovers and haters of
muskiesinthelakeandtheDNRstockingthereof.Watchfor
it.
Finally, I want to thank the Board – Les Martin,
Debbie Campbell, Katie Kraft, Jon Campbell and Kelly
Klinepier for their work. Board member, Bernie Brand, has
tenderedhisresignation;wethankhimforhisservice.That
said, we will be looking for another board member (or
three) at the upcoming annual meeting. Please consider
volunteering for a position. The burden is not onerous and
you get to meet some interesting people--and to make a
difference.
See you on thelake. If you’re onLittle Cedar,stop
in!
BOARDOFDIRECTORS
SteveHaasl,President
[email protected]
KatieKraft,Secretary
[email protected]
DebbieCampbell,Treasurer
[email protected]
JonCampbell,Director
[email protected]
KellyKlinepier,Director
[email protected]
LesMartin,Director
[email protected]
Committees
Communications LoonCounting
Membership
CountyRoad28Cleanup
ShoreLand
Social
WaterQuality
DebbieCampbell
[email protected]
FrankSimon
[email protected]
DebbieCampbell
[email protected]
JimSpaeth
[email protected]
SusanNielsen
[email protected]
LesMartin
[email protected]
LesMartin
[email protected]
VOLUNTEERSALWAYSWELCOME!
THE CEDAR LOG
3
PUBLICLAUNCHMONITORINGUPDATE
ByLesMartin,WaterQualityChair
Thecommitteecontinuestofocusonbuildingdefensesagainstharmfulinvasivespecies
suchasEurasianmilfoilandzebramussels.ThisyearwehavecontractedwithAitkinCountyto
havethepublicaccessmonitoredbytrainedpersonneleveryweekendandholiday.Monitoring
shouldstartaroundthefishingopenerandcontinueatleastintoSeptember.ThankstotheAIS
contributions from members earmarked for boat inspections, the amount of monitoring will
only be limited by how many monitors the County can hire and train. If you know someone
lookingforasummerjob,theCountyisstilllookingforadditionalmonitors.Contactthem.
As many of you noted, last year saw some surprisingly intense algae blooms. These
bloomsareusuallybrought on bywarmerwatertemperaturesand increasednutrientsinthe
lake. We haven’t seen blooms like these in a long while. Most lakes in the area saw blooms,
manyofwhichweremuchworsethanCedar’ssuggestingtherewasmorethanalocalnutrient
problemgoingon.TheCountyandDNRhaveprimaryresponsibilitytorespondtothesetypeof
eventssowewanttodoabetterjobofgettingtheminvolved,ifthebloomsreoccuragainthis
yearonCedar.Wewouldreallyappreciateyourhelp,ifyounoteanalgaebloomtakingplacein
yourarea.Pleasealertmeoranyboardmembersowecandosomesampling.Overtheyears,
the CLC has monitored nutrient levels inthe lake. We will sampleto see ifnutrient levels in
Cedarhaverecentlychanged,andwe’llkeepyouinformed.Idohopeeveryonecontinuestodo
theirparttokeepnutrientsoutofthelakebyemployinggoodshorelinemanagementpractices.
Otherwise,aslaketemperaturesrise,asseemstobetheforecast,anyincreaseinnutrientlevels
willcertainlymaketheseproblemsworse.
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is
earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his
own nature.”
- Henry David Thoreau in Walden
PhotobyJimSpaeth
ReportedIceOutDates
BellBay
March29
LittleCedar
March29
SunsetBay
April2
BigLake
April9
THE CEDAR LOG
4
OurdeepestsympathiestothefamilyofDon Blount, who passed away last month. Don loved In Remembrance
CedarandwasafoundingmemberoftheCedarLake
Homeowners’ Association back in the early 1990s
(now know as the CLC). His foresight and wisdom
regarding the formation of an association remains
beneficialtousalltoday.RaisedonCedarintheBay
Parkareaandlatersettlingonthemiddlepartofthe
lake near Goat Island, Don remained active in the
organizationformanyyears.Wearegratefulforhis
dedication and efforts to preserving the pristine
watersofCedarLake.
COMMITTEENEWS
Social
The social committee’s goal is to provide more
options for CLC members and friends to become
acquainted and improve the Cedar Lake experience. Last
yearwetriedtoexpandtheopportunitiesbyhostingabike
ride and a canoe of the Mississippi River. Although
attendance at both events was not large, both were well
received andwill berepeated thisyear. We hopeto add a
third event. If you have any ideas for something that
would be fun for everyone to attend, particularly if you
wouldbewillingtohelpsetuptheevent,letmeoroneof
theBoardmembersknow.Thedatesforthecanoetripand
bikeride havenotbeenfirmedupyetbutwillbesetatthe
annualmeetinginJune.Seeyouthere.
LesMartin
[email protected]
LoonCounting
Final counts were higher in 2015 than 2014. If
Mike Patterson and I could get a few more volunteers to
join us, Cedar’s counts may be higher. The more eyes
watching the loons, the better the count! If you are
interested,pleasecontactme.
FrankSimon
[email protected]
CommunicationsandMembership
Currently, there are 131 receiving all
communications via email. Thank you! If you haven’t
already done so, please give thought to joining the list.
This considerably helps keep our printing/postage costs
down.Also,ifyou’vegotastoryorpicturestoshare,don’t
hesitatetosendthemtome.
Membership…in2015wehad142paidmembers.
This is up substantially since 2013. There are
approximately400inourdatabasesothereisstillwork
tobedone!Pleaseconsidersendinginyour$25dues.
Still Wanted: Membership stewards! Please
think about taking a section of your road, bay or even
just the neighbors on either side of you and letting me
know if ownership changes hands so I can keep the
databaseuptodate.Contactme!
Finally, a special shout out to Katie Kraft and
DarHeino. Their behind-the-scene helpsince 2013has
mademyresponsibilitiessomucheasier.Thankyou!
DebbieCampbell
[email protected]
ShoreLand
This season’s Eurasian milfoil search will be
doneJuly19–August7.Ifyouareunabletoparticipate,
pleaseletmeknowassoonaspossible.Stewardstodate
include:
Bailey
Menge
Bogema(sub)
Menthe
Docken
Moga
Giesler
Nelson
Gurr
Patterson
Hauge,P.
Priadka
Hippen
Rodenborn
Jameson
Rhykus
Jones
Schoon
Klinepier
Seberg
Kraft
Strand
Mackaman
Martin
Last season everyone did not report their
findings to me. It is imperative that we stay on top of
thissituation.AsCedarhassuchalargeareatocover,I
am always looking for volunteers. If you’d like to join
theteam,pleasedon’thesitatetocontactmeviaemailor
cell(612-247-4174).You’llbebriefedbeforethesearch
sothere’snodoubtaboutwhatEurasianmilfoilis.
SusanNielsen
[email protected]
CountyRoad28CleanUp
The CLC will meet on Saturday morning, May
7,@9a.m.atSunsetBayResortforsupplies.Theresort
is the staging point for our semi-annual roadside clean
upalongtheedgesofCountyRoad28(PioneerAvenue).
All Cedar Lake residents, friends and Conservancy
membersareinvitedtojoininthiseffort.Contactmeif
youneedmoreinformation.
JimSpaeth
[email protected]
THE CEDAR LOG
5
TIDBITS
OnceagaintheCLCwillhostafooddrivefortheAitkinFoodShelfat
the annual meeting. As mentioned before, the food shelf operates
strictly on donations and receives no funds from Aitkin County or
the state of Minnesota. Director, Florence Tarr, has stated staples
like flour, sugar and toilet paper are desperately needed. Please
bringanitemwhenyoucometothemeeting!
**************
June18 Rivers&LakesFair
July6–9 AitkinCountyFair
August2-6
CrowWingCountyFair
August12–13
DeerwoodSummerfest
August25–September5
MinnesotaStateFair
November25
AitkinFishHouseParade
**************
2016MEMBERSHIPDUES
Annual dues of $25 are now due. Pay at the June 11th annual
meeting or mail in before the meeting, and your name will be
entered into a drawing. Winners need not be present to win.
ChecksshouldbemailedtoCedarLakeConservancy,
P.O.Box152,Aitkin,MN56431
ANDSPEAKINGOFFISHING…
This 47” lunker was caught over Thanksgiving, 2015,
weekend. Thanks, John McIntosh, for submitting.
Reconsideringswimming…justsaying.
FISHINGOPENERS
May14 May28 June4 Walleye,Sauger,NorthernPike
SmallandLargemouthBass
Muskie
2016MNBOATINGREGULATIONCHANGES
KudostothosewhodonatedtoourAISFund
in 2015! Please consider a gift in 2016 to
support the crucial work by monitors at the
public landing. Your donation is tax
deductible!Sendyourcheckto:
CedarLakeConservancy
P.O.Box152
Aitkin,MN56431
!
BUILDINGORREMODELING?
KNOWTHECODE!
AitkinCounty
218-927-7342
[email protected]
CrowWingCounty
218-824-1125
www.crowwing.us
!
!
!
Analcoholconcentrationof.16ormoreis
nowanaggravatingfactorelevating
BoatingWhileIntoxicated(BWI)toa
grossmisdemeanor.(Page33)
Wakesurfingisnowsubjecttothesame
regulationsastowedwatersports.(Page
33)
Watercraftarenowprohibitedfrom
towingpassengersfromone-halfhour
aftersunsettosunriseofthefollowing
day.(Page33)
Personalwatercraftlifejacketsmustnow
beU.S.CoastGuard-approved.(Page35)
FindthecompleteMinnesotaBoatingGuide2016at:
files.dnr.state.mn.us/rlp/regulations/boatwater/boatingguide.pdf
P.O.Box152
Aitkin,MN
56431
www.facebook.com/cedarlakeconservancy
JOIN/RENEW TODAY!
Preserving the quality of Cedar Lake is paramount to future generations enjoying the lake as we do now.
Please consider becoming a member of this vital organization.
Annual dues are $25 and should be mailed with this application to:
Cedar Lake Conservancy
P. O. Box 152
Aitkin, MN 56431
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name(s)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mailing Address (street, city, state, zip)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lake Address (street, city, state, zip)
Preferred Telephone Number to Reach You ____________________________ I/We are the property owners ____ Yes ____ No
I/We prefer to receive any information via email ____Yes ____No
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Email Address – please print clearly