November 17, 2011 – LSIA General Meeting Minutes

  1. Call to order – 7:05

Present (Board): Joe Baker, Roger VanBeusekom, Sonja Tilbury, Jessica Fischer, Mark Holten, Mel Knapp

Not present: Joe Slavec, Scott Walsh

  1. Approval of the agenda (board unanimously approved at 7:07)
  2. Approval of October meeting minutes (board unanimously approved at 7:08)
  3. Approval of Treasurer’s report
  4. Reviewed 2011 financial audit. Thanks John Wise!
  5. Roger explained United Way Fundraising and went through the budget
  6. Approval Treasurers report (board unanimously approved at 7:12)
  7. Report on Fishery/DNR
  8. Joe Baker discussed walleye stocking, and DNR’s role
  9. Fish survey scheduled for 2015
  10. Report on membership, dues, trash and salt program
  11. “It pays to be a member”
  12. 179 members this past year! Largest number to date. Way to go Sonja!
  13. Questions about who can be a member – anyone can be a member!
  14. Can people in the watershed become members to get the Randy’s discount as well? Joe/Sonja to follow up with Randy’s/Salt company
  15. Report on lake level/Outlet/Bogs
  16. Joe Baker discussed water levels, no wake zones this summer, discussed bogs,
  17. Beaver trapper was there for 3 or 4 days, and wasn’t successful.
  18. Would it be possible to put piping in to allow the beavers to build on top of it, and still let the water run through? Joe to follow up.
  19. Thank Brad Spencer and Joe Keeting? for gathering lake levels for the past 10 years.
  20. Ending at the average fall lake level this year
  21. Report on water quality
  22. LSIA water quality objectives for the coming year
  23. TMDL implementation plan finalized with help of Richard Brash (in attendance).
  24. Phosphorus is our problem, and we need to reduce it
  25. Curly leaf pond weed, and milfoil are the most intrusive
  26. Lot of things worked in our favor this year, high water levels, etc.
  27. Would like to do an early season low dose treatment for curly leaf pond weed
  28. Cost per lb of harvesting, too expensive and doesn’t solve the problem long term
  29. Would like to cut the cost by applying it ourselves this spring.
  30. We are going to do a pilot program this spring with spot treatment areas.
  31. Want to perfect process first before we treat the whole lake
  32. We can ask the state for $ to treat lakes. MN Waters is working on this. Joe to follow up. John Wise would like to help. LVMP will give you permission, DNR will help you.
  33. LVMP to be completed by the end of the year.
  34. 2 water quality grants filed this year, educational component.
  35. Guest Speaker: Terrie Christian of AMLAC and MN Waters
  36. Speaking on West Metro COLA and what’s worked well on medicine lake
  37. 950 acre lake. 400 acres of curly lead pond weed.
  38. Two kinds of phosphorus, available phosphorus rises to surface. As it dies it further releases phosphorus into the lake. Grows in up to 15” depth.
  39. Medicine lake was one of the first lakes to do whole lake treatment. (2004, 2005, 2006) (2008-2010 target areas were treated)
  40. Are not having the large problem anymore
  41. BUT they are now having large milfoil growth. Up from 7% to 70%.
  42. Lake Minnetonka approved bay-wide treatments to the lake
  43. First city in the state to have city phosphorus restrictions (no applications to your yard)
  44. Terrie discussed the safety of the chemicals used in the treatment of the lake
  45. Been around for 30-40 years. Dose is so small it doesn’t have a high toxicity. EPA and MN DNR has been using these chemicals for years. Never had an adverse reaction from people who use the lake.
  46. Curly Leaf Pond weed grows in the winter under the water. Needs to be treated at 55-60F water temp (early spring) so it doesn’t affect native plant growth.
  47. Last couple of years medicine lake hasn’t had a lot of milfoil. Think that it has probably used up the available nutrients and died off. But it will likely be back as nutrients build up again. It grows in cycles.
  48. Phosphorus goal is 38 micrograms per liter
  49. External water efforts
  50. Water quality ponds built
  51. Passed surface water management, and city has done restorations to work on restoring erosion in streams, etc. Levied a tax to raise money.
  52. 70% of water comes in from Plymouth creek.
  53. Mics./open topics
  54. Questions by Membership:
  55. Will treatment/chemicals hurt animals, people, downstream wildlife.
  56. No, it only acts on chlorophyll
  57. Adjournment at 8:58