AITKIN AREA FISHERIES

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1 THE CEDAR LOG The Cedar Log is published by the Cedar Lake Conservancy. The Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing the quality of the environment and life experiences in and around Cedar Lake. SPRING 2017 ANNUAL MEETING Saturday, June 10 Postcards with details will be mailed out early May. Come meet new neighbors and learn what s happening on the lake! CHECK US OUT! /cedarlakeconservancy AITKIN AREA FISHERIES By Greg Berg, Assistant Fisheries Supervisor Our staff is looking forward to getting out and doing some work on Cedar Lake this spring and summer. We will be out sampling muskie beginning late April or early May. This is done every six years to monitor trends in the population. We will have about 15 large trap nets spread out throughout the lake. They are quite visible to boaters. If you see us out working, don t hesitate to come out and chat with us. Periodically throughout the spring we will be electrofishing for both muskie and largemouth bass. If you see or hear a boat out after dark with big lights shining in the water, it s just us doing our work. People commonly call the police or conservation officers, when they see us out there at night. Following our spring work we ll be out for our standard survey of the lake that s done every three years. That survey is scheduled to take place the week of August 14. This survey allows us to track changes and trends in the populations of all the main species present in the lake, such as walleye, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill and largemouth bass.

2 THE CEDAR LOG 2 THE PRESIDENT S PAGE By Steve Haasl There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder Welcome to spring in Minnesota! Rachel reminds me that although I m peering out at 3 4 of rapidly melting, fresh snow (on March 13th), spring is very close. In Minneapolis the lakes are ice-free, geese and ducks are back, bicycles have been out and redwing blackbirds have been heard. Truly a season of rebirth. And taxes. And mosquitos. Nonetheless, although we ve enjoyed this noniconic Minnesota winter we are eagerly planning spring and summer projects, guests, visits, gardens, the annual Boat Launch celebration (there may be alcohol involved) and the Fishing Opener. It will be interesting to see when ice-out is on Cedar. It is amazing how fast the calendar fills up. Even for us retired folks! So much to do and all very exciting. In a similar vein, your CLC Board did not winter in Tahiti but has been busy with a number of projects, which will flow into the 2017 lake season. Front and center is the push this year, spearheaded by Bob Karls, to give the Conservancy a wider reach in our mission to protect, preserve and enhance our wonderful resource. Bob has worked with various board members and has managed to identify funds and expertise from a variety of sources, both private and public, that we can use to try and safeguard water quality. His article this month will speak about what we all need to do to understand aquatic invasive species and prevent them from invading Cedar Lake. Meanwhile, the rest of us are trying to match Bob s energy. A few highlights of what you ll find in this newsletter. Jon Campbell is helping with the construction and setting of loon nesting platforms. After all the flooded summers we re going to try to give our state bird a little help in home building. In his spare time he s also volunteered to coordinate and manage the Secchi Disk readings. Anyone who is currently taking measurements or is interested in assisting, please contact Jon at or campbelljon807@gmail.com We all agree there is a need to grow the membership. Mary Braton is cooking up ways to engage with more of our neighbors, including a door-to-door approach with a CLC leave-behind including what will become a much-coveted CLC branded refrigerator magnet. Wait until you see it. And, if that weren t enough, branded Cedar Lake Conservancy items will once again be available from Shirtsplus of Aitkin June If you're interested in ordering tee shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, caps and more, please contact Shirtsplus at Everyone please recruit your neighbors! Kelly Klinepier has grabbed the reins of the Social group. The CLC Paddle, Pedal and Perambulate gang will be planning a Mississippi River float, a bike event, and the ever-popular Run to the Dump sponsored by the Aitkin JCs as part of the River Boat Days celebration. Meantime, the CLC website has never looked better. Debbie Campbell has been keeping it up to date and fresh. Take a look at: and share it with your friends who may have cabins on other lakes. She provides links to various other organizations and resources. Be sure to check out the News tab to see a seriously scary video about starry stonewort in Lake Koronis. I m delighted, as I m sure you will be, to have Aitkin County Sheriff, Scott Turner, contributing to The Cedar Log. He ll be keeping us up to date on what s happening on the lake and in our community. Lots to do this summer. While you re enjoying Cedar Lake, take time to reflect on the high quality resource we re challenged to protect, preserve and enhance. Once a watershed is damaged, it s nearly impossible to bring it back. Things we treasure don t happen by chance. Plan to attend the Cedar Lake Conservancy annual meeting on Saturday morning, June 10. Your presence and your voice really do make a difference. Go Twins! Communications Loon Counting Membership 2016/2017 CLC Board of Directors County Road 28 Cleanup Shore Land Social Water Quality Steven Haasl, President stevenhaasl1@gmail.com Katie Kraft, Secretary kdgofish@aol.com Debbie Campbell, Treasurer jackpine@aol.com , Director Jon Campbell, Director campbelljon807@gmail.com Bob Karls, Director bkarls58@gmail.com Kelly Klinepier, Director kklinepier@gmail.com Committees Debbie Campbell jackpine@aol.com Frank Simon frank@optimum-ts.com Susan Nielsen cedarlakesunset@gmail.com Kelly Klinepier kklinepier@gmail.com Bob Karls bkarls58@gmail.com Volunteers Always Welcome. Contact the Committee Chair!

THE CEDAR LOG 3 The Relationship Between Water Clarity and Loon Populations Water Quality By Bob Karls One of the things many of us cherish about being at the cabin or on Cedar Lake is the call of

3 THE CEDAR LOG 3 The Relationship Between Water Clarity and Loon Populations Water Quality By Bob Karls One of the things many of us cherish about being at the cabin or on Cedar Lake is the call of the loons, the site of a loon parent with one or, hopefully, two babies on their backs. We know the loons are a good indication of water quality, baitfish availability and enough protected environment and space for the loons to feel that Cedar Lake is a good place to call home. You can find actual data supporting the relations between clear water and loon populations at this DNR site: It s an interesting read. Keeping the water in Cedar Lake clear and clean is the responsibility of everyone in the watershed and especially lakeshore owners. How do we do that? By taking the following basic actions and steps: 1. Don t fertilize and if you must, then choose a low-phosphorus fertilizer. It s phosphorus that accelerates algae growth in our lakes and rivers. Most lawns and gardens already contain adequate and often excessive amounts of phosphorus. 2. Minimize erosion. If you are planning a construction project develop an erosion control plan - preserve existing vegetation, build an access drive, install a sediment fence, protect soil piles, clean up sediment and replant the area. Look at runoff from drives and other areas and create diversions and sediment traps. 3. Inspect and maintain your septic system. We all have them. Does yours meet the best current design standards or is it old and outdated or under capacity? Maybe it is time to have a licensed contractor upgrade your system. Maintain your system it should be serviced by one of the local, licensed service companies at a minimum of once every three years. 4. Reduce hard surfaces like paved drives and roofs, if possible or divert the water to catchments or rain gardens that will slow the water and its path to the lake. 5. Protect, preserve or replant your shoreline buffer. If you have native vegetation along your shoreline, consider yourself and the local wildlife fortunate. A mature native buffer represents many years of nature at work and discourages undesirable, exotic plants and animals while attracting songbirds, butterflies, turtles and frogs. If you have lawn to the water s edge, a simple, no-cost way to get started in restoring your shore land is to stop mowing next to the water. Seeds in the soil will germinate and valuable native plants will begin to reappear. If you would like to play a more active role in restoring your shore land, you can replant native trees, shrubs, grasses and wildflowers to attract songbirds and butterflies. The main area where water runs off your property is the best location to start planting to improve water quality. If you would like more information on these or any other steps to preserve and improve our water clarity and quality please contact me, the Aitkin Soil and Water Conservation District ( ), or the DNR. In closing, a big thank you to our volunteers who measure and record our water clarity at numerous places on Cedar Lake and report their measurements to the DNR! The data and results of their monitoring will be reported in a future newsletter. Aquatic Invasive Species Update In the fall 2016 edition of The Cedar Log I provided an update on several issues related to Aquatic Invasive Species or AIS. We have all heard about milfoil for over a decade and zebra mussels for almost as long. The new bad actor that entered the picture this past year is Starry Stonewort. Starry Stonewort is grass-like algae that are not native to North America. The plant was first confirmed in Minnesota in Lake Koronis, near Paynesville in Stearns County, in late August of Starry stonewort is believed to be spread from one body of water to another by the unintentional transfer of plant fragments and bulbils, the star-like structures produced by the plant. These fragments, or mud containing them, can be transferred on trailered boats, personal watercraft, docks, boat lifts, anchors or any other water-related equipment that is not properly cleaned. Plant fragments were probably brought into the state on a trailered watercraft from infested waters in another state. In August of 2016, starry stonewort was confirmed in several north-central Minnesota lakes in Beltrami, Itasca and Cass counties. Please, I urge you to watch the YouTube on this and other AIS in Minnesota at: It will only take three minutes of your time, but the video and pictures are worth more than thousands of words from me to communicate how serious the threat of AIS to Cedar Lake and our other lakes in Minnesota is now. Like the zebra mussels and milfoil we are surrounded. We have to be vigilant, and we have to fund and support the inspectors at the public access! Cedar Lake Conservancy AIS Fund P. O. Box 152 Aitkin, MN No gift is too small and all contributions are tax deductible!

THE CEDAR LOG 4 COMMITTEE NEWS Communications Please let me know if you have new neighbors so our database is kept current. Do check out the website!

4 THE CEDAR LOG 4 COMMITTEE NEWS Communications Please let me know if you have new neighbors so our database is kept current. Do check out the website! Tabs have been updated and there s a new one called Links. Here you ll find a plethora of information having to do with the lake. In addition, you ll find an Aitkin Area Fisheries tab; checkout their newsletters! Debbie Campbell jackpine@aol.com County Road 28 Clean Up The CLC will meet on Saturday morning, May 9 a.m. at Sunset Bay Resort for supplies. The resort is the staging point for our semi-annual roadside clean up along the edges of County Road 28 (Pioneer Avenue). All Cedar Lake residents, friends and Conservancy members are invited to join in this effort. Contact me if you need more information. Loon Counting Spring is around the corner and the loons are on the way back to Minnesota. Once again we need to greet them as they arrive home at Cedar Lake. They will probably arrive sooner than Bev and I because we won t be back from Florida until the April 11 and won t make it to the lake for another week or so. Volunteers are needed to do the loon counts. We do one in May, to check for nests, and then again in June to check for babies. We like to do counts once a month through September. You can do it once or as often as you like. The whole lake needs to be done so don t hesitate to contact me about joining the team. The Board is considering placing nesting boxes on the lake for the loons. If you have a suggestion for a good location let me know. We have the plans, if you ve got the time. Placement needs to be done as soon as the ice is out. Frank Simon frank@optimum-ts.com Membership Membership has been around 25% of property owners. I'm working to increase the numbers substantially! We're starting the process of using "beach captain" volunteers for the many and varied sections of Cedar Lake. These volunteers will go door-to-door to ask their neighbors to join the CLC for $25 yearly dues. Don t hesitate to let me know you want to help! We'll also be passing out refrigerator magnets with the CLC website your go to spot for the most up to date information about what s happening on the lake. We are all volunteers on the CLC board and interested as you are in protecting our lake. We'd like to see as much of the dues as possible used for efforts such as preventing aquatic invasive species, boat inspections, water quality testing, etc. As such, please help us keep costs down by receiving newsletters and other pertinent information via . The printing and postage of the newsletters are a big expense. Rest assured the CLC does not share your information. You ll note two new additions on the Membership/Renewal form this year. One is a spot to note your tax-deductible donation to the AIS Fund. The second asks you to give a brief description of where your property is located on the lake, i.e. Sunset Bay, Thorsten Park, Edgewater Bay, etc. Don t forget to fill these in! Please contact me with any questions or if you want to be a beach captain. Shore Land Happy spring! I am depending on the following searchers this summer: Bailey, Bogema, Docken, Giesler, G. Hauge, P. Hauge, Rykhus, Hippen, Jameson, Jones, Klinepier, Kraft, Mackaman, Martin, Menge, Menth, Moga, Nelson, Priadka, Patterson, Van Valkenburg and Voorhees. If you are unable to participate in our one-time search the first half of August, please let me know asap. I am always looking for volunteers. Contact me to join the hunt. You ll be briefed for the search. We have been so fortunate to be free of Eurasian milfoil to date and must remain vigilant in the search for anything suspicious. Cedar Lake is dear to us all. Let s keep it clear. If you notice anything unusual, take a sample, note the exact location and then take it to the DNR office on Highway 169. It is imperative we stay on top of this situation. Please check out the links below to see what we don t want in our beautiful lake! - breakout Susan Nielsen cedarlakesunset@gmail.com Social I m looking forward to another season of lake fun with a little extra socializing with friends and neighbors. Steve touched on some events in his column that are in the planning stages. We re working on finalizing details so keep watching the website for updates! If you ve an idea for an event or have any questions, don t hesitate to share it with me via , phone or at the June 10 annual meeting. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon! Kelly Klinepier kklinepier@gmail.com They re Back First loon hoot heard on Little Cedar on Saturday morning, April 1.

THE CEDAR LOG 5 Working Together By Scott Turner, Aitkin County Sheriff Greetings to all of you who choose to make Cedar Lake a place to call home or get away.

worthy causes. As your sheriff, the cause of public safety is at the top of my list. Lake associations and other neighborhood groups have become an increasingly important piece in safer neighborhoods.

5 THE CEDAR LOG 5 Working Together By Scott Turner, Aitkin County Sheriff Greetings to all of you who choose to make Cedar Lake a place to call home or get away. I have long valued lake associations, not only for their common cause of protecting the most valued of Minnesota resources (we love our lakes) but also for their ability to unite people for other worthy causes. As your sheriff, the cause of public safety is at the top of my list. Lake associations and other neighborhood groups have become an increasingly important piece in safer neighborhoods. Short of the neighborhood watch programs with block captains and patrol schedules similar to those that are seen in metropolitan communities is the act of getting to know your neighbors. There is no better way for this to happen than through a lake association. We have seen a downward trend in burglaries over the last several years and I attribute that to among other things, an engaged public that serves as the eyes and ears of the law enforcement community. That engaged public is one where everyone knows their neighbors and reports suspicious activity to law enforcement. Studies have shown that neighborhoods with low crime rates and/or decreases in home burglaries often have an involved community that acts as the eyes and ears of law enforcement. Property crimes, such as burglaries, thefts and vandalism are crimes of opportunity. The trend away from personal contact in the neighborhood and the decrease in time that families spend at home are two reasons why communities are susceptible to crimes of opportunity. Law enforcement would rather work with citizens to keep their neighborhoods safe than spend time and resources investigating crime after it occurs. With that in mind we ask all of you to get to know your neighbors, the vehicles that should be present and when someone should be at a particular home or cabin. We ask that you report suspicious activity no one knows what is dubious in your neighborhood better than you. We are here to serve, but we do need your help. It is..working together for a better community for all. As always, enjoy the Cedar Lake community safely! REPORTED ICE OUT DATES Bell Bay April 1 Little Cedar April 2 BUILDING OR REMODELING? KNOW THE CODE! Aitkin County Crow Wing County Eagle on Little Cedar as ice going out. Photo by Robin Keyworth Sunset Bay April 3 Big Lake April 3 Fishing Openers 2017 MN BOATING REGULATION CHANGES New carbon monoxide law requires certain motorboats to install carbon monoxide detectors and warning stickers by May 1, 2017 (page 11). CAUTION: Check with your engine manufacturer before using fuel with 15 percent or greater ethanol. May 13 Walleye, Sauger & Northern Pike May 27 Smallmouth & Largemouth Bass June 3 Muskellunge TIDBITS NOTE: Fastening a boat cushion to a car seat is not considered a lawful flotation device for an infant and could trap the baby underwater if your boat capsized and the seat entered the water upside down. Find the complete Minnesota Boating Guide 2017 at: files.dnr.state.mn/rlp/regulations/boatwater/boatingguide.pdf May 6 May 13 June 10 June 10 June June 17 July 5 8 July 8 County Road 28 Clean Up ACLARA Meeting CLC Annual Meeting ACLARA Meeting CLC Online Store Open Aitkin County Lakes & Rivers Fair Aitkin County Fair ACLARA Meeting

P. O. Box 152 Aitkin, MN 56431 Find Us At: http://minnesotawaters.org/cedarlakeconservancy facebook.com/cedarlakeconservancy JOIN/RENEW TODAY!

6 P. O. Box 152 Aitkin, MN Find Us At: facebook.com/cedarlakeconservancy JOIN/RENEW TODAY! Preserving the quality of Cedar Lake is paramount to future generations enjoying the lake as we do now. Annual dues are $25 and should be mailed with this application to: Cedar Lake Conservancy P. O. Box 152 Aitkin, MN Name(s) Mailing Address (street, city, state, zip) Lake Address (street, city, state, zip) Location of Property on Lake (Name of Bay, Island, Point or Subdivision) Preferred Telephone Number to Reach You I/We are the property owners Yes No I/We prefer to receive any information via Yes No Address please print clearly I/We are making an additional, tax-deductible donation of $ to the CLC Aquatic Invasive Species Fund.

THE CEDAR LOG 2018 AIS CHALLENGE FALL Double the impact! Finding a Little Piece of Heaven on Cedar Lake By Ray Sigurdson

THE CEDAR LOG 2018 AIS CHALLENGE FALL Double the impact! Finding a Little Piece of Heaven on Cedar Lake By Ray Sigurdson THE CEDAR LOG The Cedar Log is published by the Cedar Lake Conservancy. The Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing the quality of the environment