spring 2016 newsletter - minnesota waters · our thanks goes to jon and nora jennings who have...

terms of service for which we

are more than grateful;

2) LLLAA network support

including the newsletter and

web site (Grace Kuphal, Jane

Bovard):

3) further developing the

Neighborhood Networks

(Mitzi Balstad);

4) monitoring the North

Country Riders ATV trail ex-

pansion plans to insure that

the interests of Long Lost

Lake residents and the well

being of forests and wetlands

surrounding the lake, are fully

protected;

3) assisting with the revision

of the LLLAA section of the

Dan Wilson,

President

Our Long

Lost Lake

Area Asso-

ciation has been active and

strong over the years due to

the interest and commitment

of its membership to the goal

of ensuring a quality lake and

forest environment. The

newsletter and web site, the

service projects and social

activities that bring us to-

gether are possible only

through the work of dedi-

cated and talented volun-

teers. If you are interested in

becoming active in any of

the Associations activities

and projects, contact me or

any of the LLLAA Board

members, or the persons

listed as providing leader-

ship to the respective activ-

ity. Here is a quick list of

some of what we anticipate

in 2016, and don’t forget to

join us at the Spring LLLAA

meeting on June 4th

(see

below)

1) electing 1st

and 2nd

Vice

Presidents and Treasurer

for the LLLAA Board of Di-

rectors as Kathy Toomey,

Ellen Gugisberg and Richard

Bovard complete their

PREZ SEZ:

FIRE DEPT VOLUNTEERS 2

ATV TRAILS 3

WILD LIFE 4

TOWNSHIP NEWS 5

UP AND DOWN THE LAKE 6

WINTER ON LLL 7

LAKE DATA 8

Inside this issue: LLLAA OFFICERS

LLLAA OFFICERS Dan Wilson, President .................................... 657-2285, [email protected] Kathy Toomey 1st Vice President .................657-2299, [email protected] Ellen Gugisberg, 2nd Vice President ............657-2745, [email protected] Jane Bovard, Secretary ................................ 657-2827, [email protected] Richard Bovard, Treasurer ............................ 657-2329, [email protected] Peter Hovde, Historian .................................. 657-2346, [email protected] Grace Kuphal, Newsletter Editor ................ 657-2492, [email protected] Jane Bovard, Newsletter Layout Editor ..... 657-2329, [email protected]

North Country Trail (Dick

Toomey);

4) Cooperating with Clearwa-

ter County to support and

strengthen our efforts to pre-

vent aquatic invasive species

through inspections at the

public landing;

4) possible partnership with

the Clearwater Historical So-

ciety to mark additional his-

toric logging sites near the

lake (Peter Hovde, other vol-

unteers);

5) Continuing the monitoring

of the quality, depth and clar-

ity of our lake water (Peter

Gugisberg, Jim Svobodny,

Becky Bergerson, Ardell John-

son); continued on P2

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

LLLAA Spring Meeting

Saturday, June 4 3:00 PM

At Jon & Nora Jennings—12816 Ecton Trail

Come meet your neighbors --- bring your ideas and concerns

Long Lost Lake Area Association Spring 2016 Newsletter

PREZ SEZ CONTINUED

6) County Road 39 spring and fall cleanup (Becky Bergerson);

7) Water table monitoring (Marv Mortenson);

8) Road maintenance and non aquatic invasive species (Township board members); and

9) continue a range of social/networking activities including weekly dining out, book club, end of summer rummage sale (not yet

discussed), other.

Our thanks goes to Jon and Nora Jennings who have graciously offered to host our Spring meeting at their home (12816 Ecton

Trail). The meeting will be held Saturday, June 4th

at 3:00 PM. The meeting is open to all who enjoy full time and seasonal stays at

Long Lost and Glanders lakes and their guests. The business meeting will include coffee and dessert and a presentation by a guest

speaker on a topic of interest.

Dan Wilson, President

Your 2016 Dues are new due. Dues are still only $15.00 annually. They can be paid at the June meeting or mailed directly to

Richard Bovard 12346 McKenzie Rd., Bagley, MN. 56621

Name_____________________________________ e-mail address________________________________ Mailing Address___________________________________________________________________________ Amount enclosed:_____________________ For: ____ 2015 ____ 2016

The newsletter will be sent out by e-mail to people with confirmed e-mail addresses UNLESS Grace is notified that you

prefer to receive it by regular mail. Grace can be contacted at 657-2492 or by e-mail at gekuphal@aol. The newsletter

editor assembles, staples, folds, addresses and mails the newsletters that go out in the mail. It saves time and expense to

be able to e-mail them out and have the recipient print out their own copy if at all possible.

Support Needed For Our Local Volunteer Fire Department

Most of you are familiar with the Elbow-Tulaby Lakes Volunteer Fire Department which includes Long Lost Lake in their response area. The Fire Department, while partially supported by the townships they serve, must sustain their organization through a number of fund raising efforts in addition to the volunteer hours they con-tribute for fire prevention and response. You can support them by purchasing the raffle tickets sent to you (Winter raffle raised $8,000). You can also support them by attending one of their other fund raisers includ-ing the Memorial Day Pancake Breakfast on May 29th, the Annual Pig Roast on August 6th and/or the Labor Day Pancake Breakfast on September 4th. For more information, contact Fire Chief Dick Roman at 701-361-7341 or Greg Syverson, Assistance Fire Chief, at 218-849-4065. Some basic pointers they share in their circular include: 1) check smoke detector batteries; 2) install carbon monoxide detectors; 3) burning permits not required with 3” or more of snow but are required after the snow melts.

Long Lost Lake Area Association Long Lost Lake Area Association

Those of us on the lake at the time recall that in 2004 the DNR proposed an ATV ring trail around Long Lost Lake. The plan was to link our access roads into what became known as “the racetrack around a lake.” Just the publication of the proposal was enough to attract irresponsible riders from elsewhere to our lake, raising hell, noise, dust, and many near-miss accidents on our torn up access roads. The issue was discussed at the next lake association meeting. Some voiced resignation; that the DNR and rider groups could-n’t be stopped. Others volunteered, and a group of residents were authorized to fight the proposal. What followed was a lot of fieldwork, attending meetings and hearings—from Long Lost Lake to St. Paul, and linking with other groups fighting similar battles around their lakes. We later learned that “sensitive noise receptors” (that’s DNR-speak for “residents”) were not even considered in planning the proposal. In the end, thanks to these efforts, the DNR withdrew its plan, and “the racetrack around a lake” was not laid down. Yet now, here they come again. Appearing before the Clear-water County Commission, a Beltrami county ATV club pro-poses making “connector trails” linking present trails in Beltrami and Hubbard counties to areas in southern Clearwater County. Hundreds of research articles have been written about the wide variety of negative impacts of irresponsible ATV use in forests. For example, the US Forest Service lists “unmanaged motor-ized recreation” as one of four major threats to American for-ests. Apart from its own set of damages, ATV use in forests rises to a threat level because it is implicated in all the other three.

Fire. Connector trails bring people into the woods who are not knowledgeable of its ways, and are not careful with fire.

Invasive species. ATVs pick up seeds of invasive species and literally plant them in the forest soil torn up by their aggressive tire treads.

Forest fragmentation. Every time a new trail is laid down, a forest further fragments. Predators in particular feel insecure in smaller patches of forest, so they go else-where. Black-footed or deer ticks pick up the lyme-causing bacterium from blood of the white-footed mouse, and pass the disease on to whomever the tick feeds on next. With fewer predators, mice popula-tions explode. The vanishing predator-mouse-tick-deer-human cycle has affected places as diverse as the northern Twin Cities suburbs and southern Clearwater County.

The last thing we need in southern Clearwater County is more trails. Wildlife. Everyone—hikers to hunters, birdwatchers to trappers—want abundant wildlife. For wildlife, just rais-ing their young and getting through the winter are raging successes. If birds and animals are frightened away from favored feeding and nesting places—as they are by the noise and pollution, and simple presence of ATVs—they will have less success in producing the next generation and surviving the winter. It’s tough being wild. Connector trails provide many more opportunities for greater damage to the land. As these trails become soggy, the width of the trails expand as riders try to avoid sinking into the muck. Other riders cannot seem to resist “mudding.” Any wetland will do, wetlands which are es-sential parts of the freshwater supply system for those of us who live in the forests of southern Clearwater. Connec-tor trails also result in unauthorized trails—called “ghost trails”—formed by riders themselves. Trails created with no knowledge or concern about the impacts on soils, vege-tation, animals, or residents.

Residents. Those of us who live in southern Clearwater county chose to do so because of its undisturbed beauty reminiscent of Itasca Park and the BWCA, while the 10 mph speed limit on Long Lost Lake preserves the peace and quiet of the northwoods. By stopping the connector trails proposal in its tracks, the county will be following the prime best management practices (BMPs) of concen-trating the damage which inevitably occurs. Not to men-tion preserving, the natural beauty and quiet offered here in southern Clearwater County. No one intends to restrict the responsible use of ATVs by lake residents. We need to prevent southern Clearwater County from becoming a playground for the irresponsible use of ATVs. We need to prevent the inevitable damage which connector trails would do to our little bit of heaven. (For more on the impacts of irresponsible ATV use, go to YouTube and request “ATVs in Minnesota Forests,” a documentary film by Peter & Charlie Hovde, produced for each of Minnesota’s 201 legislators.)

(A further update is on the bottom of page 5)

ATV Connector Trails: Here They Come Again

Spring 2016 Newsletter

Birds:

American Tree Sparrow

American Woodcock

Bald Eagle

Blue Jay

Brown Creeper

Canada Goose

Chickadee

Crow

Downey Woodpecker

Golden Eagle

Great Horned Owl (call only)

Hairy Woodpecker

Pileated Woodpecker

Pine Grosbeak

Northern Flicker (call only)

Northern Goshawk

Northern Shrike

Nuthatch

Raven (call only)

Redpoll

Robin

Ruffed Grouse

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Slate-Colored Junco

Trumpeter Swan

Wild Turkey

Animals:

Cottontail Rabbit

Ground Hog (Woodchuck)

Porcupine

Red Fox

Red Squirrel

Snowshoe Hare (tracks only)

Vole

Long Lost Lake Winter Phenology* Report 2016

*Phenology refers to key seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year—such as flowering, emergence of insects and migration of birds—especially their timing and relationship with weather and cli-mate.

Eagle, owl, fox, swan and wood duck photos by Penny Kemmer, turkeys by Julie Thieshafer


.

Up and Down the Lake

SUPPER CLUB 2106

On Thursday evenings during the summer, at 5:00, a number of LLL residents meet for dinner at area restaurants. This event is open to all. An e-mail is sent out early in the week to get an esti-mate of the number attending to let the restaurant know how many will be coming. Upcoming ven-ues for 2016 are below. May 26 Hilltop June 2 Y Steakhouse June 9 Ice Cracking June 16 Lobos June 23 Boulders June 29 (Wed.)New Horizons July 7 Becida July 14 Companeros July 21 Daroos July 28 Blueberry Pines August 4 Vallartas Mexican Aug 6 Necce’s Aug 11 Vacationaire Aug 18 Zorbaz Aug 26 Mi Rancho Sept 1 Lobos Sept8 Douglas Lodge Sept 15 Hilltop Sept 22 Ice Cracking

Congratulations to Jim and Lin Svobodny who enjoyed a visit to New Zealand this winter.

Westside residents enjoying an eve-ning of Carbels (a combination game of cards and marbles) at the

Thieshafer’s home over the holidays. (The women won!)

We have several deaths of lake resi-dents (or former residents) to report. Bob Snyder, son of Lil Snyder, passed away December 14 in Bis-marck after a long illness. Bob’s mother, Lil, was instrumental is the establishment of our lake associa-tion. John Debauche also passed away in December after a long illness. For the past twenty years, John has shared his life with Dorothy Eckhoff. Together they built their "cabin in the woods" on Long Lost Lake. John was happiest in the outdoors and many hours were spent "baiting" the bears, fishing, and hunting with John's children and Dorothy's son. John's favorite sport was around the campfire at happy hour, surrounded by neighbors and friends with Doro-thy by his side. George Zender died in January 2016 in Sarasota, Florida. He was originally from Fergus Falls and was one of the earlier owners on LLL. He enjoyed hunting grouse at Long lost lake, swimming and telling tales on the dock. He will be remembered with a Coke and a Smile. Surviving wife is Phyllis and seven children.

"Ice Out" is a great way to celebrate the

end of winter particularly when it comes

by April 4th.—6th. (depending on where

you are on the lake!) The return-

ing trumpeter swans, ducks and Canadian

geese also welcome in Spring.

To make sure their dining out skills have

not become rusty, winter residents practice

all winter to be sure they are ready for the

rigorous social calendar come summer

Connie Silkett is moving to a Memory Care Unit. Her address is: Weatherly Inn 6016 N Highlands Pkwy, Tacoma WA 98406

We want to welcome Todd and Stacey Bietes from Thief River Falls

Our teenager, Donna Houglum celebrated another birthday on February 29. She and Ruth John-son partied together.


TOWNSHIP OFFICERS

Dave Johnson, Supervisor …………….………….. 657-2853, [email protected] Greg Scherzer, Supervisor……………………..…..657-2557, [email protected] Ardell Johnson, Supervisor ……………………….. 657-2606 Dick Toomey, Treasurer ……………………………657-2299, [email protected] Laurie Wilson, Clerk ……………………….………657-2285, [email protected]

TOWNSHIP NEWS

Are you interested in being part of a garage sale this spring? Current plans are for a 1-day sale held on Saturday, May 28th starting at 9:00 AM and running until 4:00 PM. Greg Scherzer has ok'd use of the ditch area that we used for last falls sale. If you are interested in participating please call 218-657-2853 to express your interest. Your only cost would involve sharing in any paid advertising that is done.

Linden Wilson

can claim to be

the first in 2016

to go for an

(unintended )

swim in Long

Lost Lake on

April 3rd.

ATV Trail Expansion Proposal: update

The following information was taken from the February 17th Farmers Independent. “Jay Vold and Paul Schummer of Bemidji, and Joe Mayer of Bagley, members of the North Country Riders ATV Club, at-tended the February 9 meeting of the Clearwater County Board to discuss the possibility of extending ATV trails from Beltrami and Hubbard counties into Clearwater County. Their goal “is to get members over here (Clearwater County), so people know what we’re doing. We keep trails and driveways clean, and want to keep homeowners happy”. They plan to seek grants from the State of Minnesota and Polaris Industries, and indicated their plan to work with DNR foresters. They have 160 members in their club. Joe Mayer explained that the primary goal is to tie in existing trails so riders can access the Buckboard Hills on the south end of Clearwater County”…..and eventually they would like to link the northern route which includes a railroad grade heading into Leonard from Beltrami County with the southern routes in Beltrami, Hubbard and Clearwater Counties. During that meeting, Commissioner Newland shared that this is a controversial idea and thinks there would be more against it.” The above was discussed at the Annual Meeting of the Long Lost Lake Township Board. Peter Hovde, LLLAA historian also submitted an article to the Farmers Independent in opposition to trail expansion. Commissioner Newland indicated he will keep our Association and Township informed of any scheduled county board discussions or plan review.


Long Lost Lake Township Meeting Schedule for 2016

Tuesday, June 14 Board Meeting 7:00 pm A. Johnson residence

Tuesday August 9 Board Meeting 7:00 pm A. Johnson residence

Tuesday October 11 Board Meeting 7:00 pm

D. Johnson residence

Tuesday November 15 Board of Canvas 1:00 pm

L.Wilson residence

Tuesday December 13 Board Meeting 7:00 pm

D. Johnson residence

Musing’s on a Long Lost Lake Winter

By Dan Wilson

As I write this, winter still lingering, and Spring shows up every third day. There is nothing to do but use this confused state of af-

fairs to reflect a bit while gearing up for the busy summer to come.

For starters, a Long Lost Lake winter brings with it a beauty that is incomparable to any other time of the year or any other place

for that matter. The stark whiteness accented by the bright greens of our white and red pines, with a deepest blue sky cannot but

impress even those who feel the cabin fever of indoor life. The stars seem brighter, turning night into day with the snow as a re-

flector. The quiet speaks through the occasional hoot of the owls, night time bark of a coyote or howl of a gray wolf.

Under the full light of day, however, it becomes clear that such serenity is only a muse for night time goings on that should be trou-

bling to any Lutheran conscience. The brush pile that was intended for, well… piling brush, has now become a fun house, with rab-

bits and squirrels and woodchucks all occupying common space under conditions we can only imagine. The ever increasing num-

bers of each species that emerge each morning document fully that little time has been spend in quiet reflection. And the fox, who

earlier was a frequent visitor to the brush pile, rarely stops by, having learned that there is an interspecies conspiracy to avoid be-

coming fox food.

The ice was only a foot or so thick this winter, much to the relief of the men who were being pressured by their wives to build an

“ice carousel” (imagine a 60’ diameter circle of chain saw cut ice, turning under the power of an outboard motor to the tune of an

old fashioned carousel). Ice fishermen seemed happy with their endeavors in spite of the results. More time was spent talking

about snow removal than actually doing it, and the adherents to the philosophy ”if you wait long enough, it melts anyway” seem

to have won out. One of the chief achievements was to refine dining out skills, in preparation for fast paced Long Lost Lake sum-

mertime social life that is now part of our shared heritage.

Ski trail through the woods—Babe Mortenson

Carson Simison doing the annual Detroit Mountain Pond skim.

Photo by Becky Bergerson

Todd Simison, family and friends enjoying the winter on LLL.

Thieshafer grandchildren having fun in the snow.

Winter on LLL



LAKE DATA - WINTER 2015

Lake Level Temperature Extremes

Ordinary High Water Level - Stan-dard 1605.50 ft Date High Date Low

Highest recorded lake level 7/22/02 1617.74 ft 3-Dec 46 27-Dec -2

First recorded reading 5/28/92 1604.74 ft 30-Jan 40 17-Jan -35

27-Feb 55 13-Feb -28

This year the loons made it out before the final freeze. 29-Mar 63 1-Mar 5

The first snow was at the end of October. Thank you Shirley for the info

Snow fall data in inches - Total so far 59.5 inches (most snow in one day was 7 inches)

Oct 2.5

Nov 6.0

Dec 15.0

Jan 12.5

Feb 14.0

Mar 6.5

Apr 3.0

Now starts the beginning of spring and the ice break up!! The offical call is on April 8th or maybe April 9th.

Greg reported some more ice again in the Southeast bay.

The beginning of Ice out at the South end of lake - Thanks Julie

Ice out at the North End of Lake - Thanks Dan

The loons are back - This is the re-peating of the circle of life and a new beginning for a great season.

People awake to a beauti-ful sunrise and sunset - Pictures by Julie and Penny

Jane and Grace would like to thank the many people who help con-tribute their pictures and ideas to us. It makes this news letter a truly community effort. Please keep them coming!!

spring 2016 newsletter - minnesota waters · our thanks goes to jon and nora jennings who have...

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