Wall Lake Signal THANK YOU! A Publication of the Greater Wall Lake Association INC.

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1 Wall Lake Signal December 2014 A Publication of the Greater Wall Lake Association INC. December 2014 WEBSITE: Gwlaspace.ning.com FACEBOOK: Greater Wall Lake Association The New Year is upon us. The docks and boats are stored and the seagulls have flown south. But we are still experiencing the joys of nature as Wall Lake begins covering itself with its winter coat of ice. The wildlife continues to appear and the fish will be ready for catching. People traversed the Wall Lake waters by various methods throughout the summer. In fact, the yellow paddle boat travelled by itself, and remains unclaimed! greaterwalllakeassoc@gmail.com THANK YOU! The GWLA thanks all those who are members, both old and new. And due to your donations of time and money in order to help the Association continue it s mission, we pledge to work towards our goal to protect Wall Lake s ecology and preserve it s peaceful environment for the enjoyment of generations to come. Various wildlife were spotted, including a hooded merganser, blanding turtles, dogfish, and our ever present bald eagle who was seen in the treetops along Harrington and Beechwood, and then on the ice in late November. There were beautiful sunsets all year long which never ceased to make us believe in something greater than ourselves! January 1st October 21 November26 The Wall Lake Yacht Club had an exciting finish for the season, with the Summer Sunfish Series winner in the lead by only.2 of a point to capture the trophy. Racers ranged in age from late 60s down to 11 years old! Join us from Memorial Day through Labor Day for races every other week. Come learn to sail! We have boats available. Contact Commodore Cheryl Baker at Cheryl.Baker@med.wmich.edu.

2 Wall Lake Signal Page 2 The Fish Committee Report by James Lockwood Wall Lake experienced a minor winter fish kill. According to the Department of Natural Resources winterkill is the most common type of fish kill. When severe, it has devastating effects on fish populations and fishing quality. Winterkill occurs during especially long, harsh winters. Shallow lakes with excess amounts of aquatic vegetation and mucky bottoms are prone to this problem. Fish actually die in late winter, but may not be noticed until a month after the ice leaves the lake because the dead fish are temporarily preserved by the cold water. Winterkill begins with distressed fish gasping for air at holes in the ice and ends with large numbers of dead fish which bloat as the water warms in early spring. Dead fish may appear fuzzy because of secondary infection by fungus, but the fungus was not the cause of death. The fish suffocated from lack of dissolved oxygen. Trace amounts of dissolved oxygen (measured in parts per million, ppm) are required by fish and all other forms of aquatic life. Even living plants and the bacteria that decompose organic materials on the bottom of the lake require oxygen. As a rule of thumb, the critical level of oxygen is about 2 ppm for most game fish native to warm water lakes, and levels below 1 ppm for extended periods of time are lethal. A true fisherman: the Kingfisher, often seen in tree branches along the shoreline. Photo by Gisela Delpho Picture Press Species of fish vary in their tolerance of low oxygen. Trout are most sensitive; walleye, bass, and bluegill have intermediate sensitivity; and northern pike, yellow perch, and pumpkinseed are relatively tolerant. Bullheads and certain minnows are very tolerant. Lakes prone to periodic winterkill can often be detected from the composition of their fish populations - tolerant species predominate, sensitive species are rare, and prey greatly outnumbered predators. Fortunately, usually enough fish survive, either in the lake or in connecting waters, to repopulate the lake in a couple of years. Only for extreme die-offs is fish restocking necessary. The dissolved oxygen content of water depends primarily on three variables. These are the amount of mixing with the air above the lake, the rate of oxygen production by plants, and the rate of oxygen consumption (respiration) by living aquatic organisms. During periods of prolonged ice cover, the lake is sealed off from the atmosphere and cannot be recharged with oxygenated air. Furthermore, ice and snow reduce the amount of sunlight reaching aquatic plants, thereby reducing photosynthesis and oxygen production. (During photosynthesis, living plants use sunlight energy and carbon dioxide to make plant tissue and dissolved oxygen). Meanwhile, on-going consumption of oxygen depletes the supply of oxygen stored in the lake when the lake froze over. Shallow, productive lakes are at a disadvantage because they have a low storage capacity and high rates of oxygen-consuming decomposition.

3 December 2014 Page 3 Water Quality 2014 Jim Hagon, GWLA Committee Chair Have you ever wondered what our lake report looks like? Here are statistics from two readings during Andy from Professional Lakes Management felt that our lake quality was very good and that the invasive species were controlled. He also mentioned that native species did not grow as high as they might have due to the cold winter and water conditions. We will be coming to the end of our current contract in 2015 after a 5 year renewal. The GWLA hopes to have Andy Tomaszewski at our annual meeting in June, Starry Stonewort is the current invasive species under surveillance in Michigan. It acts like Eurasian Milfoil in that each small piece that breaks off of the plant begins another one! The DNR is doing everything it can to educate the public about this prolific new invader. Crooked Lake is full of this species. Please wash your boat and trailer before and after you leave any body of water! Protect Wall Lake. A note from Andy about Starry Stonewort: I have not seen it on Wall Lake thus far. Upper Crooked Lake is the only lake in the immediate area that I have seen it (at least that we work on). They do have a public access and I have been there when 16+ bass boats were out for fishing tournaments (which are frequent). These boats are the most likely source of the Starry stonewort introduction. On Wall Lake, you might be a little safer since you don t have a public boat launch. Although wildlife can spread exotics, it is highly unlikely. I frequently see that new exotic species tend to be found at public launches and proliferate from there. Starry stonewort has been a problem on the east side of the state for several years but I am seeing more and more of it in SW Michigan. It tends to be found in clusters. There are several lakes in the Kalamazoo area that have it most of which are connected by flowing water. It is also a cluster south of Battle Creek. Other than that, occurrences are random and isolated. Andy Tomaszewski Southern Lakes Manager PLM Lake & Land Management Corp. (616) ext 2002

4 December 2014 Page 4 Wall Lake Level Tim Harsevoort lives near the Wall Lake Drain and dam. He and many other lake lot owners have made trips to see the water level over the year. The water never stopped running over the dam! So Tim did some research and provided this article of explanation for the high water which is also being experienced in the Great Lakes. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron continue to rise. The continued rise means Lakes Michigan and Huron have achieved something in November that has never before been recorded. Data from Keith Kompoltowicz of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shows that the water level on Lake Michigan-Huron continued to rise in November. This means Lake Michigan-Huron still has not reached its seasonal high water mark. Usually the high water mark is reached between June and August. But this year the water level on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron has continued to rise each month since April Data from the Corps of Engineers dates back to of those years had the peak water level in June, July or August. Only one year had the peak water level in November, and two years the Lake Michigan-Huron water level topped out in December. This year Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are higher again in November. Although not a big rise in water levels, Lake Michigan-Huron rose.12" in November. That means the seasonal peak this year will occur either in November or December. Unless we get a widespread heavy rain, November will likely be the seasonal high this year. So only two years, 1928 and 1951, will have a seasonal peak water level later than this year. What's the historic feat? Never before, since good records started in 1918, has Lake Michigan-Huron water levels been higher each month from July to November. While there have been two years when water was highest in December, those years also saw water levels drop some in the fall, before surging during a very wet December. This year the water levels have steadily been increasing. Since July 2014, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron have risen 3.24". During this time period we would normally see a 7.87" decline in water levels. In my mind, this means those lakes have actually gained the combined total of 11.11". This won't be realized at this time of year, but could very well show up next summer, at the high water level. Of course this assumes that from now through next summer we will have "normal" precipitation and evaporation rates. If we actually continue on the wet path, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron could be more than a foot higher next summer, as compared to this summer. Even if Lake Michigan-Huron is one foot higher next summer, the water level would still be two feet below the record levels of Just imagine three more feet of water on top of current water levels. MLive Chief Meteorologist Mark Torregrossa The Wall Lake Dam in March, 2014 View of the channel area in 1960 located along Reynolds Road now. This was an area that John Beukema (shown above) and his sister Susan played before the area was developed and the houses were built on each side. The point that John is spanning would be the west end of the channel now. Tim Harsevoort s house would eventually be built on the left bank.

5 What did the GWLA do in 2014? Greater Wall Lake Association INC PO Box 56 Delton, MI EVENTS: Yacht Club: May 22 Dinner/meeting Each year there seems to be something that requires attention based on the Association s mission to preserve this unique resource as a pristine legacy for future generations. In 2013 we tested our water wells due to the oil well drilling along M 43. We also dealt with the Invasive Species Mute Swan Poll for the DNR. We added 2000 walleye to the lake also. In 2014 we hired an attorney to help with the Hope Township Temporary Outdoor Event Ordinance issue and to protect the lake as a result. Wall Lake Residents stepped up with generous donations to help with this cause. And you also donated $3670 for the DeltonKellogg Odyssey of the Mind Program! The GWLA kept you updated on power outages, lost and found dock sections and boats, and all the Hope Township news that affects you. What will 2015 bring? The GWLA has become involved with the Four Townships Water Resources group, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, and WMEAC in an effort to keep Wall Lake clean and provide more education for our Riparians at the same time. We hope to have PCCI researchers on our lake next summer. And we are participating with MiCorp by uploading lake quality data to their data base for the Michigan DNR. Garage Sale: June will bring more opportunities and events. How about having a perennial plant exchange next Spring? Learn to sail? Learn how to restore your shoreline and plant native vegetation to protect the water while providing a natural setting to encourage wildlife like turtles and frogs and keeping geese OFF of your property! Annual Meeting: June 20 With Raffle/Auction Become a member, join the Greater Wall Lake Facebook site for news and updates, register on our website at and post your current and historic photos! Dues for 2015 are $35.00 per family. Send your check made out to GWLA to PO Box 56, Delton, MI Your dues are good from January through December. You will receive the Riparian Magazine, and have voting rights for our board of directors. Boat Parade: July 4 Alan Freid We feel that 2015 will be a fantastic year to live at Wall Lake! So join up and be in the know. Help the GWLA keep Wall Lake the pristine gem that your grandparents remember and that you want your grandchildren to enjoy! Who Are We? This list of residents was posted in Many of the families remain on Wall Lake. That in itself is a tribute to the value of Wall Lake living! Tell us your story. Send an to greaterwalllakeassoc@gmail.com We will post your photos and share your history. Join us during our events, and bring us your ideas for something new. We hope to have block parties next summer so that all of the new residents can meet their neighbors and enjoy the Wall Lake community. We thank all those who have been members for so many years, and those who have joined more recently. Thank you to those who install and maintain our buoys each Spring and Fall. We also thank you for your donations, volunteerism, and dedication to keeping your boats and trailers clean and free of invasive species! The board of the Greater Wall Lake Association Board wishes you a VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!