Loon Calls. A s you know much, of our effort to this. Keeping Mussels and Other Invasives Out of Lake Sylvia. Lake John Zebra Mussel Infestation

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1 Loon Calls Spring 2016 G R E A T E R L A K E S Y L V I A A S S O C I A T I O N Lake John Zebra Mussel Infestation by Blaine Barkley Keeping Mussels and Other Invasives Out of Lake Sylvia A s you know much, of our effort to this point has been to stop Zebra Mussels (ZM) at the public access and to educate owners of private landings about the danger of letting boats launch from their sites without a thorough inspection. Once infested with ZMs, The association will continue to educate boaters on the dangers of invasives and stop their spread at accesses. sandy beaches can become littered with sharp mussel shells making it difficult or dangerous to walk on; rocks, docks, lifts water pumps and most anything left in the water become encrusted with live zebra mussels, plugging water intakes on lake pumps and cooling systems of boat motors. Fishing is also negatively impacted because ZMs filter water nearly 24 hours a day, eating fine plankton from the water that minnows and other small fish rely on for food. It is estimated that one adult ZM lays about 500,000 eggs per year that feed on the same food eaten by immature fish. While we presently have Curly Leaf and Milfoil in our lake that GLSA is identifying, treating, and monitoring in an effort to keep our lake the jewel we all recognize, ZMs, once introduced, have no known effective treatment and will generally spread through the entire lake. This means your beach and use of the lake by you and your friends and family will be impacted. AIS - Whole Lake Delineation The GLSA Board voted to have a whole lake delineation Lake John slowly empties into Lake Sylvia through John Creek. Lake John has a population of ZMs estimated to be three years old which infest many parts of the lake. In addition, unlike Lake Sylvia, the Lake John public access has minimal monitoring providing the perfect opportunity for other invasive species such as Starry Stonewort, water flea, big head carp, quagga mussels, and all manner of new invasive species to enter our lake. Since Lake John has been designated as infested with ZMs, your Board of Directors have been very busy looking at alternatives to keeping Lake John from infesting Lake Sylvia. Filtering the stream from Lake John is our only known option to prevent this. Members of the board have been working with the Wright County Soil and Water Conservation District writing grants to obtain funding to help cover a substantial portion of the cost of this project and have been meeting with county employees involved in project oversight to demonstrate the successful use of filtering technology for this problem. We have identified about a dozen contingencies that have to be accomplished for us to move forward, and we are in the process of moving through them with the first big hurdle, obtaining a grant to cover a substantial part of the cost with the results of that effort expected in the next two or three weeks. We have spoken with companies that make this filtering technology and have inspected the technology in the Twin City Area where it is used at Snail Lake and a lake in North Oaks to keep ZMs from spreading into these lakes. This technology is also used in a southern Minnesota stream and in fish hatcheries throughout the U.S to filter stream water flowing into fish hatcheries and out of fish hatcheries to eliminate all harmful plant and animal matter. Mussels continued on page 8 done this year for Curly Leaf, as we had done for EWM last year. Last year's EWM treating will be reviewed for evaluation of effectiveness, and will have new sites treated this year. We have 5 sites for CLP treatment that we have permits for, for a total of 3 acres. -Russ Fortner Inside this issue: Executive Board, Directors, Committees...2 A Word From Your President Event Calendar Ice Out Metrics GLSA Picnic Advertisers & 5 Fireworks return? Fall Loon Report Buckthorn Spotting News Flash Monitoring...back cover Al s Almanac by Al Ostlund Ice In Date / / / / / /3 Ice Out Date / / / / / /12 Total precipitation for this past winter (Nov. through April 5) was 5.49 inches and total snow for that period was 15.0 inches.

2 Page 2 Loon Calls Spring 2016 Executive Board President Chris Hector chris@logictran.com Vice President Kent Davidson robinkentd@gmail.com Treasurer Tysann Forsman tysannforsman@gmail.com Secretary Allison Barkley allie_barkley@hotmail.com Board of Directors Blaine Barkley lksylvia@lakedalelink.net Jerry Dock jerry@greenhavenmarketing.com Jerry Euteneuer euteneuerd@aol.com Russ Fortner russfortner@hotmail.com Tom Hansen twhansen@lakedalelink.net Don Holm olmcyril5@aol.com Steve Holmstoen sholmstoen@yahoo.com Mike McNellis mmcnelis@lakedalelink.net Lisa Peery uragoodboy@gmail.com Jim Struble jim@electricalproduction.com Dave Wefring drwefring@mmm.com GLSA Loon Calls Editor Russ Fortner russfortner@hotmail.com GLSA Committees Executive Committee President Chris Hector (Chair) Vice President Kent Davidson Treasurer Tysann Forsman Secretary Allison Barkley AIS Committee Open Fundraising Committee Russ Fortner (Chair) Governance Committee Chris Hector (Chair) History Committee Nancy Hector (Chair) Membership Committee Allison Barkley (Chair) Nominating Committee Open Picnic Committee Mike McNellis (Chair) Water Quality and Clarity Committee Mike Mischuk (Chair) Wildlife Conservation Committee Kent Davidson (Chair) Please contact any chair if you would like to join their commitee Visit lakesylvia.org/board for additional contact information A Few Words From Your President Chris Hector Spring is in the air, and it is great to see friends and neighbors opening up cabins and putting out docks. The GLSA has been active over the winter months raising money and planning for the filtering project on the inlet from Lake John. We raised $9,250 in member donations toward this effort and have been working with Wright County on a grant for $50,000 and the Initiative Foundation for a grant of $286,500. Even with these grants we will still have to spend roughly half of our reserves to make this effort successful. Faced with the costs for the filtering project and rising costs for AIS treatment and ramp monitoring efforts, we raised our dues this year to $100. We appreciate your continuing financial support of our mission: To Protect and Improve the Quality of Lake Sylvia. Be sure to attend the Annual Meeting on June 4 at South Haven City Hall. Join friends at 8:30 a.m. for coffee/treats, followed by our meeting at 9:00-11:00 a.m GLSA directors will be available for pickup by dues-paid members. We ll update you on the Lake John filtering project, fireworks efforts, the boat parade, picnic, and golf events. GLSA Event Calendar for 2016 May 14 Board Meeting 9 a.m. June 4 Annual Meeting 8:30-11:30 a.m. South Haven City Hall 521 Oak Ave. N, South Haven July 2 GLSA Fireworks Display Camp Chi Rho July 4 Boat Parade 2 p.m. July 9 Board Meeting 9 a.m. July 16 Golf Fundraiser 12 noon Shotgun Start Southbrook Golf Club 511 Morrison Ave., Annandale August 13 GLSA Picnic 4-8 p.m. Camp Chi Rho 5750 Porter Ave. NW, Annandale August 20 Board Meeting 9 a.m. September 10 Board Meeting 9 a.m. October 8 Board Meeting 9 a.m. November 12 Board Meeting 9 a.m. All members are welcome to attend Board Meetings. To request a presentation to the Board, contact President Chris Hector.

3 Spring 2016 Loon Calls Page 3 A Red, White and Blue Picnic! by Mike McNellis M ark August 13th on your calendar for the GLSA Summer RED WHITE & BLUE Picnic. Times are from 4 to 8 p.m. This event has been a crowd pleaser year-afteryear. If you haven t attended before, be sure and come this year and share the fun. It s a patriotic theme this year, so show the colors, be proud of our heritage. There will be a prize for the most patriotic dressed, so be creative. The Picnic will be catered by Lu s Fire 101 Know Your Stuff by Joe Lepley W e all love a nice campfire on a cool spring weekend. It s a great way to clean up the sticks that drop over the winter while enjoying the crackling sound and warmth of the fire. The state defines a bonfire or campfire as a controlled recreational fire less than three feet in diameter and less than three feet high. A permit is not needed for a recreational fire meeting these size restrictions. However, in years of extreme draught, the DNR may issue a burning ban which does not allow fires of any kind including campfires. For a fire of any kind larger than three feet in diameter and three feet high, there are DNR permit requirements and numerous restrictions. Because it is often quite dry in the spring and fire risks are high, the DNR generally restricts burning permits in the spring. The DNR website includes a map showing the level of fire danger by county and the associated burning restrictions. Currently, the DNR is only issuing burn permits under a variance for Wright County and the metro area due to the dry conditions. Check the DNR website for an up to date fire risk status. Before starting a large fire, a DNR open burning permit must be obtained. A single use permit can be obtained at Lannto s Store in French Lake for a nominal fee; or,you can go to the DNR website and get a permit for $5 that you can use over the entire season. Each time you wish to burn, you just go to the website and request a new authorization. When a permit is activated, the DNR posts the information on a statewide map. The map is viewed by local dispatch offices, law enforcement and fire departments. To provide a clear map for these emergency managers, the map is reset every day at 8 a.m., so they know who is actively burning that day. You will find more information on burning permits at this address y/fire/questions It is to be noted that it is unlawful to burn painted wood or paper, plastic or other prohibited materials, and garbage under any circumstances. Burning of household garbage was outlawed in Minnesota in Waste and recycling services are readily available around the lake please use them! Ice Out Through the Years by Joe Lepley Barb Ostlund s father, Lewis West, began tracking ice out dates on the lake back in The data is recapped in the GLSA history book. Out of curiosity, I decided to graph the data and see what it might show. Unfortunately, my drafting skills are better than my computer skills, so all my handiwork is on a roll of graph paper not a computer screen, but here s what I found: Ice out generally occurs in April. In the 40 s and 50 s it occurred more in the latter half of the month. Since 1990, ice out has occurred more in the early half of the month. The first time the ice ever went out in March was 1968 on March 31. Since 1968, the ice has gone out six times in March, including this year. The earliest ice out ever was March 20, which occurred in Then in 2013 ice went out on May 2 which is one of the latest ice out dates! This year, official ice out was March 21 because Café and Catering. Music will be provided by the world famous Mark Miller Band. There will be fun events for the kids with prizes. The complete details for the Picnic are still being worked out. If you would like to volunteer for the day of the event, please let me know. Help will be needed in all areas. The fishing contest winners will be announced at the Picnic for the largest Sunfish, Crappie, Bass, Northern or Walleye caught in East or West Lake Sylvia. The fishing contest goes from the opening of fishing season until August 1st, Your dated photo entry must be posted to the GLSA website by midnight on August 1st to be eligible. In the picture we will need to see the fish with a tape or ruler alongside the fish, as well as the lucky person that caught the fish. Real simple rules. New this year, there will be a food drive, with donations going to the Annandale Food Shelf. Please bring a non-perishable food item and show you care. Reservations for the picnic can be made online at the GLSA website (lakesylvia.org/picnic) or mailed to the GLSA (P. O. Box 41, Annandale, MN 55302). Tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for anyone under 21. that s when the west lake finally opened, but the ice went off the east lake several days earlier. The GLSA history book also has data on ice on that dates back to I realized I could use this data along with the data on ice out to figure out the number of days of open water for each year starting with This exercise also provided some interesting insights: In the early 60 s, the days of open water averaged 233 days (about 33 weeks) per season. The average remained under 240 days per season through In the late 80 s, we had a stretch that averaged 250 days with one year that reached 265 days that was That s an extra month of open water folks! In the early 90 s the average dropped back to 233 days, but increased again in the late 90 s to 249 days. Since 2000, we have been averaging about 245 days of open water per season; an increase of about two weeks per season versus the early 1960 s. I m not sure this information has any real value hopefully you too will find it to be interesting!

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6 Page 6 Loon Calls Spring 2016 Loon Report by Mike McNellis, the Old Loon Ranger With the early ice out, we re all hoping for the Loons to have a good nesting year. I think for the most part there is a pair of loons at all nesting areas. There s a lot of ifs as the year moves forward. One of the biggest ifs, is cold rain once the chicks hatch. Second is interference from gawkers as they want to look and see if there re any eggs, or when they try to get as close as possible to the nest. In Shoot N Holler, we ve had three either fighting for the nest site or fighting for a mating partner. It s hard to tell when they all dress alike. They ve put on quite a show the last couple of days dancing, and chasing one another in and out of the bay. Survival of the strongest will endure. Welcome Wood Ducks by Kent Davidson Last fall, the GLSA Board approved up to $400 for materials to build 10 new wood duck houses to be placed in various settings around the lake. The Wildlife Committee finished the project by early spring. I bet you don t even know there is a Wildlife Committee, do you? Anyone interested in joining the committee, or with other Tom Morris receives his wood duck house. wildlife/nature There are now 10 such houses around the lake. project ideas, should call Kent Davidson at Here s what s been reported from the Loon Watching network: 3/19, Dave Wefring reported hearing loons but didn t see any 3/21, I saw a single loon flying south across the lake. 3/24 we had a Loon swimming around the nesting platform in Shoot N Holler. 3/31, the Ostlunds reported a pair swimming in front of their home. 4/6, Jerry Johnson reported the nest was in place but no lookers yet. 4/11, Renee Wyffels reported there was a pair in Turtle Bay hunting for a nest. Randy Wilson, Mayor of Glencoe and a resident on West Lake Sylvia, approached the GLSA Board with a proposal to bring back 4th of July fireworks on the lake. According to Randy, I think the kids, their parents, and grandparents really missed not having the fireworks last year. The Board agreed. So Randy set off to make it happen. As a Mayor, he had dealt with a number of pyrotechnics firms in the past. Randy formed a committee of volunteers, and met with RES Specialty Pyrotechnics to develop a plan. RES was not able to contract for the 4th of July, but they did have some openings on July 2. For $5000, they would create a 15-minute display, with an enthusiastic finale. That means that the show 4/12, Aloys Olson reported a pair feeding in Boy Scout Bay. 4/12, Rose Mary Nelson also reported a pair in the Channel. Keep the reports coming everybody, lets help the loons have the best year ever, have fun on the water and steer away from the Loons. Bring Back Fireworks? by Kent Davidson will be smaller and shorter than in the past, but the intent is to make it sustainable so it will be an annual event. Camp Chi Rho agreed to let us use the same site as in the past. The Board had been very clear that they would not support the effort financially, so Randy set about drumming up a plan to request donations. The minimum goal was set at $5,000, with a maximum goal of $7,500. So please dig deep! This is a proposed/tentative plan, and if $5,000 is not raised, the money will be sent back. I know we are constantly barraged with requests for money, but this is for the kids! Donations can be sent to the GLSA and will be tax deductible. You may also donate by going to the GLSA website.

7 Spring 2016 Loon Calls Page 7 Lake Sylvia Residential Well Testing by Blaine Barkley A s many of you have read before in prior Loon Calls, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has taken over responsibility of an old landfill just south and east of Lake Sylvia along County Road 3. They have tested water samples from several homes west of the landfill, but have done very little testing of wells closer to Lake Sylvia. At the present time the MPCA is treating well water for several homes west of the landfill due to contamination, but few or none of the homes to the northwest of the landfill. If you measure the distance from the landfill to the furthest home being treated for contaminants and then draw a circle around the landfill of the same distance, the area within the circle comes very close to the south end of Lake Sylvia. The committee working on this issue is trying to determine that homes close to the south end of the lake, and the lake itself, are not subject to the same contaminants as they have found in wells the MPCA have tested. There seems to be strong resistance to testing any new wells to the north or northwest of the landfill on the part of the MPCA. Since last fall, two additional items of concern have been identified. Based on an article in the Minneapolis newspaper, much of the state testing of water for contaminants was done incorrectly, bringing into question their results. Once the water sample is drawn for testing, the water must be kept within a designated temperature range prior to laboratory testing so some of the most harmful contaminants do not dissipate. This was not consistently being done. Most recently, a new monitoring well (s) has been drilled on the edge of the landfill without any communication about the reason for it and the results. We have also asked the MPCA to help us identify homes for well testing and they have not been of help in us helping them better understand if there is water pollution from this landfill impacting residential wells or slowly contaminating our lakes due to the many underground springs feeding it. In addition, in trying to work with the contact people in the MPCA, there seems to be a reluctance to any type of partnering and open sharing of information by them with our team. As we obtain the results of our testing, we should have additional information for the next edition or Loon Calls, although we will not be identifying any specific property where the wells were tested or the test results. Our results will either dispel many of our concerns or provide serious discussion points with the MPCA about the landfill for which they are responsible. New GLSA Directory by Allison Barkley The 2016 GLSA Directory will be available for paid members to pick up at the Annual Meeting on June 4th, or at the Annual Picnic on August 13th. In years past, the directory was a complete listing of homeowners on East and West Lake Sylvia; however, the 2016 directory will only include members who paid dues for this past year (May 1, 2015 thru April 30, 2016, and dues had to be paid by April 1st, 2016). An online version of the directory is also available to members at lakesylvia.org under the MEM- BERS tab. If you would like a copy of the directory and are unable to attend the Annual Meeting or Annual Picnic, please contact me at allie_barkley@hotmail.com, to make arrangements to pick up your copy. Please plan to attend the Annual Meeting on June 4 at 8:30 a.m. at South Haven City Hall GLSA Picnic A huge thanks to Allison Barkley, Rhonda Brau, and their team for leading us this wonderful event for two years! We also thank Mike McNellis and his new team for taking on this important event. See the Picnic insert and mark your calendars for August 13. Watch for further information on reservations GLSA Golf Fundraiser! See the insert in this newsletter and make your reservations now! Not only is this event great fun, but it provides funds to prevent AIS in Lake Sylvia. Do you want Fireworks back on Lake Sylvia? Please read the article in Loon Calls and make a contribution toward this event. Please submit your ideas for future articles in Loon Calls to Russ Fortner Buckthorn on Peninsula By Sarah Stephens Last fall, we learned we had a shoreline densely populated by an invasive species named buckthorn. Now, I am seeing it along Lake Sylvia shorelines and up and down the Peninsula road. Buckthorn is registered on the Minnesota DNR site as a restricted noxious weed. These plants, brought from Europe in the 1800s, are listed by the DNR as detrimental to human or animal health, the environment, public roads, crops, livestock or other property. They crowd out native plants, displacing other growth and wildlife. To prevent their spread, they are prohibited from importation, sale, and transportation (Minnesota Statutes, Section 18.82). The only way to reliably eradicate buckthorn is to uproot them (clipping back won t do). If stumps must at russfortner@hotmail.com) The Editor of Loon Calls reserves the right to edit for grammar, punctuation, and inappropriate language. If you do submit articles and want to see the final copy before going to print, please let Russ Fortner know when you submit your articles. Thank you for your submissions! If you would like to receive your Loon Calls electronically, please contact Allison Barkley at allie_barkley@hotmail.co m). You would receive an with a link to the newsletter it s that easy! remain, they should be poisoned immediately after cutting down the tree. Buckthorn seeds, little purple berries, can remain viable for up to 5 years in the soil. Follow-up treatment and a long-term commitment are required for successful eradication. Check over your property for buckthorn. Spring is the best time to identify and remove the plant since their leaves sprout early and they are easy to identify. Help get rid of this invasive species from our beautiful lake and provide space again for native plants and wildlife to grow. I encourage you to go to buckthorn/index.html" Minnesota DNR Buckthorn - Minnesota Noxious Weed Law.

8 Mussels Continued from page 1 We will continue to search the area where the stream enters Lake Sylvia for any evidence of immature ZMs or eggs in the water using divers and very fine screen filters. So far it appears the swamps between the lakes are of some filtering value, but we feel we are unable to rely on this for any prolonged period of time. Most recently, we have approached two land owners that own property along the creek suitable for constructing a water filter, seeking a relatively low cost option to buy.4 acres from one of them. Much of what remains to be done involves obtaining permits from various regulating entities. In addition to ZMs, this filtering plant serves several purposes since it is also able to eliminate Starry Stonewort, water flea and several other invasive species should Lake John become infested with them. However, should we be turned down in our funding request, our efforts to stop the spread of invasive species from Lake John are likely over. Cross your fingers that our funding grant application is approved as the next major hurdle in this process. If all of the required contingencies are able to be completed, it is anticipated that construction of the filter would not start before this fall. Further reading Please see the Department of Natural Resources Web page for Invasive Species at for an understanding of the serious harm Zebra Mussels (ZMs) and other invasive species are to our lake should they infest it. This site shows real examples of what happens to lakes once they become infested. Also, for information on the Starry Stonewort, now found in Lake Koronis, west of Annandale: orts/outdoors/2016/04/10/attacking-aquatic-invasives-lake-koronispilot-projects-augment-starrystonewort-research-inspections/ / Ramp Up Monitoring by Chris Hector Monitoring at the public access will begin on the weekend of Fishing Opener (5/14) and will cover weekends until Memorial Day. We will monitor 7 days a week through the summer until Labor Day, and then go back to weekend monitoring through the end of September. This monitoring effort becomes even more important as more lakes are infested with Zebra Mussels, and with the recent discovery of Starry Stonewort in Lake Koronis. For 2016, GLSA has again contracted with Anchor Dock and Lift for the monitors under a county-wide inspection program. All boats should be inspected at the public access before launching. We are asking all residents to direct all friends and family to the public access instead of using private ramps. Likewise, any residents who are renting their property should direct renters to the landing. Monitoring hours are: Week days (Mondays through Thursday), 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Week days (Friday), 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Weekends/Holidays (Saturdays and Sundays), 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 5 Annandale, MN GREATER LAKE SYLVIA ASSOCIATION PO Box 41 Annandale, MN Deliver to addressee or current resident. Editor: Russ Fortner Advertising: Lisa Peery Layout & Design: Annandale Advocate Mission Statement: To Protect and Improve Lake Sylvia