Lake Updates and Lake Learning Articles
Update for 2008 Mosquito Control
Chairman of Mosquito Abatement, Vance Stueness
I want to give a quick update on what will be happening for mosquito
control this summer.
There will be an emphasis on controlling mosquitoes, since higher
confirmed cases of West Nile Virus are being reported.
We have a very large area to control and will continue to do
the best job possible. I
just want to remind all, we cannot do 100%, as this is impossible.
We are using the same spraying service and chemical as we have been
using for the past three years.
The company was PMC and was sold out to Clarke Environmental
Mosquito Management from Clearwater, MN.
You might have noticed the big iron mosquito on the south side
of the Interstate going through Clearwater.
They are sometimes referred to as Clarke Mosquito Control (CMC) and
are a professional mosquito control company with a great
reputation. CMC has
geared up with new and better equipment for application.
Following is the game plan:
·
14 sprays are scheduled and will be done on Thursday nights (very
late)
·
Spraying starts Memorial weekend and ending Labor Day Weekend
·
Two sprays will be done……barrier and fog
·
One spray by pickup and the other by 4 wheeler ATV.
·
GPS will be done this season…this was requested to identify any
areas that might not be sprayed or tell you the exact time the
sprayer went by your lake home.
·
CMC will offer individual owner spraying if
needed, please contact them directly with your 911 address.
John Kreyer is the contact and can be reached at 800-240-4262
or
johnreyer@clarkmosquito.com
·
Questions or concerns, contact
vance_stueness@hotmail.com ,
218-532-7665 or 701.261.3123
Shoreline Restoration Grant
PGOLID
was awarded a Shoreline Restoration Grant by the DNR this year.
The purpose of the DNR
Shoreline Habitat Program is to improve the quality of shoreline
habitat, to expand the diversity and abundance of native aquatic and
terrestrial plants, and to enhance and protect water quality in
Forest
Tent Caterpillar Update
We are within the range of the cycle that we would expect to get an infestation of Forest Tent Caterpillars. In doing some spot checks for Larvae, the early indications are that we might miss it this year. Now is the time to look for the Larvae which can be found on smaller stems, usually close to a joint (see picture) and within a couple weeks, we would expect to see the Caterpillar (see picture) if we are going to have an outbreak. If you see more than an occasional one, please contact Moriya Rufer, PGOILD Water Resource Coordinator, 218-846-1465, lakes.rmbel@eot.com
PGOLID obtains Invasive Species Prevention Grant
This is a matching fund grant that will allow twice as many landing inspections for the same amount of money as in the past. It also provides for educational materials and events. Moriya Rufer will be in charge of this program which will fit in with the rest of the PGOLID educational program. Times and places for these events will be announced shortly.
PGOLID monitors
Flowering Rush
This in an invasive aquatic plant that is currently in Detroit Lakes, Lake Sally, and Melissa, but stops at Buck’s Mill. PGOLID is working with the Pelican River Water Shed and the DNR on a program to reduce or eliminate Flowering Rush along with regular trips down the river to monitor the situation. Click HERE for a description of the plant.
Septic System Law changes
Over the winter, some revisions were made at the State level. Bill Kalar (Ottertail Land & Resource Coordinator) says the changes will be implemented by the county over the next two years. For the most part, these changes are minor in nature like depth required for creating mound systems. More in-depth changes were made to cluster systems. If anyone is interested, the County Board will be discussing those changes at their May 6th meeting that at 1:30.
Lake Region Electric Coop has a summer controlled AC program
The system works by attaching a signal device to your air conditioner (usually in the quick disconnect box) that allows the AC to be rippled on and off in 15 minute intervals for up to 6 hours. A credit of $10 per month for 3 months will be applied to the account. Call 218-863-1171 for more details.
Shoreland
zoning reshapes county
Lake preservation at core of shoreland ordinance changes
By
Tom Hintgen (Contact)
| The Daily Journal…Published Monday, March 17, 2008
The revised Otter Tail County Shoreland Management Ordinance is in
the hands of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
which will review the document. The effective date will come when
the DNR gives its official okay to the document that has been in
place, until the latest revision, since Jan. 1, 2004.
“We don’t see anything the DNR would object to, since we’re in compliance with the Statewide Standards for Management of Shoreland Areas,” county Land & Resource Director Bill Kalar said.
By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal...Published Wednesday, January 16, 2008
County residents and county commissioners, on Tuesday afternoon, waded through the final one-third of proposed changes to the Shoreland Management Ordinance. The next step — prior to the next public meeting on Feb. 19 — calls for Land & Resource Director Bill Kalar to make a final draft in consultation with commissioners.
County tackles shoreland ordinance changes
By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal…Published Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Residents from throughout Otter Tail County packed the Otter Tail County Commissioners’ Room Tuesday afternoon to wade through two-thirds of proposed changes to the Shoreland Management Ordinance. After nearly three hours of discussing individual topics, the board agree to reconvene the gathering at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15. The State of Minnesota requires all counties to have a Shoreland Management Ordinance. A public hearing also is required when changes to the ordinance are proposed. Final changes will later be adopted by the county commission. One of the hot topics Tuesday afternoon concerned designated sewage treatment areas for parcels of land near shorelines.
Safe Ice recommendations
The DNR recommends 4 inches for ice fishing, 5 inches for a snowmobile or ATV, 8 to 12 inches for a car or small pickup, and 12 to 15 inches for a medium truck. Considering the recent conditions, ice that may be thick enough might not be of high enough quality to hold.
PGOLID Lake Management Plan is now on the web!
The PGOLID Lake Management Plan is a comprehensive
report from over a decade of data collection and effort from many
organizations. It is a summary of water quality data along with
information and background about the surrounding area, demographics
and land use. Moriya
Rufer, our Water Resource Coordinator, has done an excellent job of
organizing this into easy to navigate segments so you can quickly
find particular items of interest. Go to
http://pgolid.org/LMP/main.htm to view the information.
DNR official: Lake ice can be
treacherous
Amber Nohrenberg
DL-Online...Published Friday, November 30, 2007
Buckthorn is designated as a restricted noxious weed in Minnesota
The Shoreline Habitat Restoration Grant program is to help with shoreline restoration, specifically to: restore native shoreline vegetation across the state, expand the diversity and abundance of native aquatic and shoreline plants; improve and protect the quality of shoreline habitat; enhance and protect water quality; raise awareness of the value of native shoreline and aquatic vegetation.
While there, Linda became aware of Buckthorn growing on this property and the neighbors. The buckthorn is designated as a restricted noxious weed in Minnesota. Fall is the easiest time to identify buckthorn. The leaves of buckthorns do not change color until late in the fall, after most other trees have changed. The berries usually stay on the branches until March and are widely dispersed by birds. Once established, these species aggressively invade natural areas and form dense thickets displacing native species. They leaf out very early in the growing season and keep their leaves late into the fall helping to shade out native trees, shrubs and wildflowers. These branches have numerous thorns. The side branches have short terminal spurs, or thorns, which are literally a pain if you try to remove the plant.
Linda is encouraging PLPOA members to read up on the Buckthorn and do all they can to eradicate this invasive plant. To read more about it and what you can do to remove it please go to:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/woody/buckthorn/index.html
The University of Minnesota is doing research on the control of Curlyleaf Pondweed
To read a progress report on their efforts, follow this link. http://www.cfans.umn.edu/solutions/water1.htm
Take steps now to
protect your septic system from freezing
Common reasons systems freeze are lack of snow cover, cold temps
Low snowfall amounts can mean potential danger for your septic system. For the last few winters, we have had a pattern of sub-zero weather arriving before major snowfall. Remember last winter? We did not get significant snowfall until March.
Dock rules
• Minnesota limits docks to 8 feet wide.
• Docks are regulated because they cross public waters. Lakeshore owners are
allowed reasonable access to water because they own shore land, but their
ownership ends at the shoreline.
HOW IS IT ENFORCED?
Because hundreds of people have built platforms or decks that violate the rule,
the DNR decided it would not enforce the 8-foot rule this year until officials
reassess it. The agency is expected to make a decision by early December. Its
options are to further restrict the 8-foot limit, leave the current rule in
force or allow wider docks.
Ottertail County has been doing some spot septic inspections
It has been brought to our attention that the Ottertail commissioners requested that Ottertail Land Management complete inspections of septic systems that are 20 years and older on Pelican lake (including Little Pelican, Fish and Bass). Apparently, they have inspected A-H in their files this year, which is about 1/3 and expect to do another 1/3 in 2008 and the last 1/3 in 2009. Below is the information provided by Bill Kalar of Ottertail Land Management on the inspections done this year.
2007 ABATEMENTS ISSUED ON SYSTEMS 20 YEARS OLD OR OLDER FOR PROPERTIES IN THE A - H FILES PELICAN LAKE 56-786 GD A-H
8 Illegal Cesspools
3 Block Tanks
2 Tanks with Broken Bottoms
2 Paved over Drain fields
1 Holding Tank with apparent Illegal Outlet installed
1 Tank too close to the new deep well
7 Illegal Sink drains
12 No apparent Risers or Access to Certified Systems
2 Illegal Outhouses
1 Illegal Dump Station in ground not connected into a system
39 ABATEMENTS
142 PROPERTIES REINSPECTED 27.5% OF PROPERTIES ABATED
PGOLID has put together an aquatic plant guide.
For a better understanding of
different weed and algae species and which are considered Invasive
, click HERE.
This is a helpful link to the DNR
page for permit requirements to control weeds:
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/permits/water/needpermit.html.
There have been a lot of questions about spraying for the Forest Tent Caterpillar.
We are now
past the window for the need to spray this year, but still need to be alert in
the next couple of years as the cycle is not exactly 7 years, but a range of 6
to 10 years. Many of the sightings this year were not the species of
caterpillar we were looking for, so here is picture to help with identification.
Note the white or light colored dots on the back. Also the Forest Tent
Caterpillar does not form spider-like webs like other tent caterpillars.
NOTICE TO DUNN TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS
*TOWNSHIP RULES REGARDING ROAD RIGHTS-OF-WAY*
It is unlawful to place any debris including leaves, branches,
compost, refuse, etc. in the road right-of-way. It is a
misdemeanor to: “Obstruct any highway”, “obstruct any ditch
draining any highway” Minn.Statute § 160.27, subd. 5.We would
also ask that boats, trailers, etc., not be parked in
cul-de-sacs so that they can be used for their intended purpose.
If you need to dispose of any material/refuse it can be taken to the Pelican Rapids Landfill/Transfer Station site at 1101 9th Street NW- Pelican Rapids, MN-West on Hwy 108 or call Ballard Sanitation of Pelican Rapids at (218) 863-1386 for pick up. Any costs are the property owner’s responsibility.
The PGOILD Septic inspection report is now complete.
There is a lot of informative and educational material that can help preserve our lake, so be sure to read it!!