Fall Newsletter 2019

Fall 2019

Ron’s Weight Loss Graph? No…. See Page 10. FALL NEWSLETTER, 2019 End of the Dock 3

Lake Washington Improvement Assn. PO Box 68 Dassel, MN 55325 Geek World www.lwiaonline.com 4 Email: [email protected]

Grants 5

Watershed 7

Walleye Study 8

Green Lake 12

Water Quality 13 General Issues: [email protected] Watercraft Inspection 14 Membership Changes: [email protected] Zebra Mussels 15 Lost and Found: [email protected] Weeds 16

The Lake Washington Newsletter is Aquatic Invasives published three times a year (Spring, Summer 17 and Fall) by the Lake Washington Improvement Association. It is distributed free to lake property owners and friends around Lake Washington. Committees 18

2 End Of The Dock By Steve Grotbo, President

From my not so impartial view, I have to say that we are lucky to be living on Lake Washington. From all the various people I meet and hear from that live on the lake full time, use it seasonally, or those just visiting all have that welcoming attitude. The reviews from the VRBO / Airbnb places around the lake reflect these same welcome feeling. One neighbor taught my nephew and niece to water ski. Another neighbor gave me a pontoon ride on one very windy day to the east side sandbar area. This was looking a bit like “Big Island” with around 40 boats all parked in a calm part of the lake. Okay, so we will hopefully never be as crowded as Minnetonka, but it was nice to see that a windy day on one part of the lake brings the neighbors together on another part and you can still enjoy the water.

Two private events were posted on Lake Washington’s Facebook page inviting the entire lake to their place for live music. First being the fifth annual “Rock the Dock” and the other being the “Southside Sunset Rockin’”. This is besides the excellent firework display from numerous houses to celebrate the fourth. It is great to bring people together and announcing events on Facebook helps give the heads up for those who are wanting to avoid the crowds.

Please welcome Brett Rasmussen as the newest member of the board. Brett lives on the southwest corner of the lake. He has taken over from Cathy Klehr, thus a 1 ½ year term instead of the normal three. During the August potluck it was asked on exactly what does being part of the board entail? The board meets once per month between February and October alternating between first Tuesday and Thursday of the month for about an hour. Each board member chooses which committees to be part of and helps out with these areas. Contributing articles to the newsletter. Meeting new people and having fun.

We were very lucky with prior two seasons having very few weeds, but this season brought us back more to the norm. I was contacted a few times for recommendations for weed removal around the docks and beach area. Unfortunately I do not have any experience with this endeavor, so if people have found a service they like please do pass the information along.

The fishing at the lake has certainly changed over the years. With only 73 tags being reported out of the 1800 walleye tagged tells me that you are lucky to catch one. Not sure if the cormorants and pelicans are doing any better, but then again they are not turning in the tags. Perhaps the metal tag is poisonous to them and it is helping control the population? On the other side, we have had a number bass tournaments being held at the lake. So I guess the bass population is doing well, but personally is not my favorite fish for eating.

Party - East Side Sandbar Area

3 Geek World By Ron Bubany, Mad Scientist

Many of you readers have joined the 21st century and are using so- called “smart phones”. These devices can do many things - Angry Bird, Text, Photograph, and even make phone calls. And, of course, they can be used to access the World Wide Web. Apparently a lot of you Association members are doing just that. You are using your phone to peruse the Lake Association web site. It must be difficult to view 8.5 x 11 documents on a screen with a size of only 2.5 x 4 inches. As a possible solution, your mad scientist has re-engineered our web site to be more friendly to these modern devices. This new site (currently being developed and evaluated) is available for you to try out. It has all of the content that we have available on the existing web site - so they are interchangeable. The new site can be reached at https://www.lwiaonline.com. Try it out with your desktop, laptop, tablet and/or smart phone - whatever you have. If you are polite I will be happy to read your comments and suggestions. At my discretion, I will incorporate your ideas as best I can. You can email me at [email protected].

The web site you currently know and love is still there at lakewashingtonassn.com. So no need to be concerned that we have lost anything.

And Now, A Word Or Two From Your Editor By Ron Bubany, Editor We have a great issue for you this fall. Our highlight article is a letter from Scott Mackenthun who is the Area Supervisor, Hutchinson Area Fisheries for our local Department of Natural Resources. Scott fills us in, in great detail, with what is happening with their walleye survey project. I’m sure that you will find it to be very interesting. It includes tagging, walleye migration and also a little bit about the controversial cormorant/pelican issues. And then there are all of our usual reports - Sharon Daniels updates us on Grant activity. Pat Hanson and myself update you on Eurasian Water Milfoil and other Aquatic Invasive Species. Skip Sustacek and Dave Rathe provide information about the watershed. Dave also updates us on Zebra Mussels, Water Quality and Watercraft Inspections. Steve Ullom (my nomination for Lake Historian) delves into the history surrounding weeds in the lake. And finally, we provide our information from the various committees. Enjoy!

4 2019 Approved Grant Program By Sharon Daniels, Grant Coordinator The Fall colors are beginning to come out brighter and very colorful! Such a pretty time of year. With Fall upon us it is now time to begin the grant process for MCAL and AIS for 2020. Board members and others have been busy all year long doing projects around the lake, thus the In-Kind hours (volunteer hours) have accumulated. I am working on completing an excel chart showing in-kind hours for 2019. Thus far there have been 882 volunteer hours! THAT’S A LOT OF VOLUNTEER HOURS INTO KEEPING THE LAKE AT ITS BEST BY MANY PEOPLE! THANKS TO ALL! In September I started to gather receipts for expenses for completing the lake projects and I will be billing out invoices for reimbursement from grant money allotted to us in 2019 from Meeker County Association of Lakes (MCAL), as well for Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). October 17, 2019 is the deadline to have the MCAL grant application completed for 2020. The AIS grant application is due November 15, 2019 for 2020. The board has identified prominent projects for 2020 for the MCAL application. They are: begin the process of water testing and water flow of 20 lake inlets around the lake, I-LIDS monitoring and maintenance, and education providing newsletters, boat safety and other information. The AIS grant application will involve projects of AIS education, search for Starry Stonewort, zebra mussel, and Eurasian water milfoil inspection programs, treatment and management. These projects are vital to us as lake owners, and to the public to keep our lake at its best. We apply for grant funding/reimbursement to help defray the costs of these projects each year. If anyone has any questions, comments, or concerns in regards to grant processing you can reach me at [email protected]. To all the volunteers that helped work on projects during 2019, THANK YOU! Grant Coordinator, Sharon Daniels

5 Eurasian Water Milfoil By Ron Bubany It turns out that there are not one, but two problems with Eurasian Water Milfoil. Firstly, when it grows to the top of the water, its clumps impede all sorts of water activity. It can even be dangerous to swimmers getting tangled up in it. Fortunately, during the last couple of years we have not had such a problem. A second category of problem is that the plants break off during the summer and float around the lake. Eventually they end up on the shoreline, creating a smelly mess for property owners. We have experienced this very problem during the past summer. From our bottom recordings taken summer before last I was able to manually find locations of probable milfoil growth. Those areas are shown in the map below. The “leafy” looking areas are places where we have actually found milfoil. Needless to say we will need to address this issue next spring. We will probably hire professional help to complete a survey of the lake. From that we can assess where treatments might be indicated.

Thank You for Supporting the Lake Washington Improvement Association! As a Lake Association we would like to thank the following for supporting us during 2019. B&B Sports paid for the pork chops at our Annual Membership meeting in May and EZ Dock and Lift for paying for the meat and buns at our Pot-Luck Dinner in August. Door prizes given away at our Pot-Luck were contributed by: Sear’s of Hutchinson, B&B Sports, Family Fare Foods, Runnings – Litchfield, Perrenial Bank – Darwin, Hewitt Dock, Darwin Monument, V’s Grill – Darwin, Darwin Liquors, Schmidty’s Darwin, Jimmy’s Pizza- Dassel, Red Rooster Foods, Midwest Gardens, The Garden Nook, Lake Region Insurance – Cokato, and Pat Hanson. A great way to acknowledge these contributions is to do business with them and personally thank them for their support. 6 Watershed Report By Skip Sustacek, Dave Rathe, Ron Bubany Watershed has received some very helpful people to make the committee more valuable to the Lake members.

A Water database will be developed by Cindy Hewitt so we are able to keep all data we collect from testing water entering the lake plus keep data that Dave Rathe’s testing of the lake in general. Dave, Mike Wosmek and Skip Sustacek all take part at helping with the water samples being tested.

Then we can’t forget Ron Bubany who puts together the wonderful lake maps with the marking needed so we can keep track of the places we want to be testing.

Ron’s Wonderful Inlet Map

Dave’s Quality Samples

On June 27th, following a +1 inch rain, samples of water were captured from inlet sites 302, 306, and 312.

Total phosphorus for site 302 measured 0.77 milligrams per liter (mg/L), site 306 was 0.16 mg/L, and site 312 was 0.354 mg/L.

Total suspended solids were also measured at the three sites. Site 302 total suspended solids measured 42 mg/L, site 306 measured 3.4 mg/L, and site 312 measured 18.4 mg/L.

These tests results, although just a single sample, demonstrate the difference between inlet types. Site 302 is surface runoff, site 306 is holding pond filtered surface runoff, and site 312 is ground water.

7 Hutchinson DNR Area Fisheries Office 20596 Hwy 7 West Hutchinson, Minnesota 55350

September 23, 2019

Lake Washington Improvement Association Waterbird Committee Members

Greetings,

Update on Lake Washington-Stella-Manuella Netting Results and Tag Returns

It’s time for a fisheries update on netting results and tag returns as part of the three year Washington- Stella-Manuella walleye population estimate.

Recall that we tagged around 1,800 walleyes between Washington, Stella, and Manuella over a 12 day period during the spawn in late April. An angler survey, commonly referred to as a creel survey, has been ongoing since fishing opener. We plan to utilize tag returns from anglers as well as from standard survey nets to estimate the walleye population in the three lake chain. Our hope is to tag a large percentage of the population and also get enough recaptures (tag returns) to get a meaningful estimate that we have confidence in. The more fish we tag and the more recaptures we get, the higher level of confidence we can have in our estimate.

Our last and only other walleye population estimate on the chain of lakes was done in 2001, which tracked to a year with the fourth highest relative abundance (catch per unit effort, e.g. walleyes per gill net) of walleye ever observed on the chain. In 2001, 1,851 walleye were tagged and the population estimate was 48,819 with a 95% confidence interval of 25,360-102,778 fish.

For 2019, the first of our three year study, we haven’t yet calculated an estimate since tags are continuing to roll in and our creel is still ongoing. Once the creel concludes and we catch up on data entry, we can provide an estimate. Know that the angler creel survey will run until the end of September, take a break, and then resume again at ice up through the end of February.

As of today’s writing, September 23, there have been 76 tagged fish reports turned in over 136 days. Through the first 60 days we averaged about a tag a day, but as summer has set in, the fishing effort and catch have declined. Depending on ice conditions effort should pick up again in the winter, but I won’t make any predictions just how much. We really didn’t know what to expect with angling effort or tag returns this summer but are pleased to have had a fairly steady churn of tag returns, including many from Manuella and Stella.

Our standard surveys on all three lakes also concluded a couple week ago. Washington was netted first and walleye abundance fell from 5.5 fish per net last year to 2.5 fish per net. Following spring netting we were hopeful gill net catches would increase as there was a 2017 year class that in late April was mostly 10-12 inches and made up half the tags in Washington. Those fish did not appear in our Washington nets, however we found some of this year class when we netted Stella and Manuella the following week. Manuella and Stella are not on the same every-other-year gill net schedule as Washington, so we don’t have the same frequency of monitoring as Washington. Manuella and Stella were last netted in 2014. The Walleye catch in 2014 was 3.7 and 8.4, respectively. The 2019 Walleye catch was 3.0 and 11.1, respectively again. The 2017 year class netted in Washington in the spring, which are not yet sexually mature, appear to have left Washington for Stella based on Stella’s gill net catch bump and our nets catching a number of fish that based on length track to 2017 as well as tagged fish originally from Washington.

8 What do the Netting Results and Tag Returns Mean?

Our best guess is that the walleye are responding to habitat changes in Washington; at least for this year there is evidence that some proportion of the fish have moved out of Washington and into Stella. Movement between lakes is expected; what will be interesting is looking at that movement over three years and doing some comparisons. The 2017 year class and a number of our tagged fish have moved west to Stella and even Manuella. Transparency is increasing and will continue to increase as zebra mussels continue their expansion. Walleye have certain habitat requirements and preferences; a couple of those requirements include temperature and transparency. Nigel Lester, known academic walleye expert, et al., authored a paper in 2004 (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1577/T02-111.1) about the importance of light and temperature for walleye abundance and production, introducing the term “thermal optical habitat area,” or TOHA. TOHA is a metric being calculated by MN DNR as we’ve seen walleye productivity and abundance decline in certain lakes. Other states and provinces are seeing similar ecosystem change situations, often tied to water quality changes as a result of the Clean Water Act or introduction of filter feeding invasive animals. Mille Lacs and Green Lakes are a couple examples that come to mind. As the aquatic habitat changes, so too does the fish community. We may be seeing those changes at Washington and into the Chain of Lakes. In Washington, sunfish and bass have been thriving. This has been noted similarly in other lakes. Sunfish and bass are warm water fishes that do well in clear waters with abundant vegetation. We had a record high catch of bluegills in 2019. Smallmouth bass abundance has been stable; with an average around 2 smallmouth per gill net. While electrofishing is the preferred method of sampling bass in Minnesota, it hasn’t been particularly effective on Washington, which is why we’ve adopted the gill net catch as our index. Bass anglers have taken notice of the fishery – we are seeing more club level tournaments and derbies on the lake as the lake’s reputation as a bass lake grows.

We don’t know yet why the fish appear to have moved. One possible reason could be depth and oxygen. It has been noted that both angler catch and gill net catch of walleye on Green Lake by Spicer is occurring in deeper water. The walleye are having to move deeper to find their optimal temperature and light levels (recalling that walleye are a light sensitive species). In the case of Washington, the maximum depth of the lake is 17 feet, as opposed to Stella where it extends to 75 feet. During the survey week on Stella, there was suitable oxygen down to twenty feet along with cooler water. I don’t think temperature is the ultimate driver, since historical surveys have noted similar warm waters on Washington during the week of netting. Washington is large enough and shallow enough that it is usually mixed during the summer and rarely sets up for stratification (layering of warm and cool waters and well-oxygenated and poorly-oxygenated waters). It’s just too early to make any predictions – we have two more years and thus will have the chance to see if similar patterns emerge.

Vegetation can respond to water clarity changes as well. I know the lake association hired Limnopro to look for Eurasian watermilfoil and it was found in a cluster of points midlake near the south shore. Anecdotally, anglers are reporting clearer water and more plants. Conditions could change enough that natives and/or Eurasian watermilfoil could become more abundant. These type of habitat changes would continue to favor sunfish family species.

DNR Fisheries’ plans for the Washington chain

Our approved and funded project runs through 2021. The angler creel will wrap up at the end of February 2020. Spring tagging will occur in 2020 and 2021, as well as gill net surveys in those years on Washington, Stella, and Manuella. Moving forward we’d like to survey the lakes together rather than separate, knowing we are going to experience more ecosystem change and knowing the connectivity we have. Hutchinson DNR Fisheries will continue to stock walleye fry to supplement natural reproduction. We’re going to propose a habitat use study project but there is no guarantee it will get funded. In said proposal, we’d like to track fish movement between lakes and see what areas of the lake the fish are using seasonally. Washington is going to be part of a statewide yellow perch study that is using some experimental small mesh gill nets to examine what has happened to yellow perch across the state.

9 It is known that small perch are not well sampled by MNDNR standard gill nets and trapnets and there is some evidence that yellow perch are sexually maturing earlier and being utilized at smaller sizes as prey items, to the point that we are essentially entirely missing the fish and their role in the fishery. This study is at least an attempt at sampling smaller fish and validating if some of the above named issues with perch are legitimate. Washington is also a candidate for a walleye – zebra mussel interaction study being done by Dr. Gretchen Hansen at the University of Minnesota. We won’t know if it’s officially included for a little while yet, but we’d like to collaborate with research partners and academics as much as possible because walleye and zebra mussel issues are an issue in a number of fisheries across the state. It’s important that we learn as much as we can while we have this opportunity. Predicting change as a product of zebra mussel introduction is challenging. No two lakes respond the same way. You know you’ll get clearer water, but you don’t know exactly what the biotic response will be. We’re hoping the study may shed some light on outcomes and help us with some predictions. It will be a study of national/international importance given the walleye’s stature in North America.

Waterbird Concerns

Finally, let me address concerns about waterbirds, the original focus of this committee. In 2012, then-Commissioner Tom Landwehr addressed the topic of control of waterbirds (double- crested cormorants and American white pelicans) by noting that “the DNR would strongly consider moving toward a request for a Public Resource Depredation Order (PRDO) if “the gill net abundance for walleye is below the 25th percentile for two or more standard surveys.” During the 2019 survey, gill net abundance for walleye fell below the 25th percentile. A second survey is likely to fall under this threshold as well if habitat changes and habitat usage changes within the chain. I must confess that I don’t find the Commissioner’s recommendation appropriate at the present time. Zebra mussels were found in 2015 in Washington and Stella Lakes, three years after the Commissioner’s letter. The changes seen so far in the fish community are similar to those observed in other impacted walleye fisheries where habitat has shifted away from that favorable to walleyes instead to sunfish family species. The other issue is the fact that presently, PRDOs exclude free-swimming fishes. As an agency we are currently unable to use any control measure for double-crested cormorants, but this may change depending on what USFWS does with PRDOs.

One positive nugget I can share with you folks is I did get confirmation last week that DNR Nongame Wildlife will be continuing double-crested cormorant and American white pelican surveys across the state. I don’t yet know when the work will be completed but it has been approved. I would assume it will again be contract work with the University of Minnesota. I take this as good news because we need to have this data in hand to monitor population trends. There are a number of fisheries across the state where this comes into play, including in and around Pigeon Lake.

Summary

While I’m not pleased that walleye abundance in summer gill nets fell again on Washington, I am pleased with the direction the three year population estimate is going and encouraged by the thought of all the information we are going to glean from it. It may be small consolation, but there is a great amount of interest and resources going into Washington and the greater chain of lakes because of the tremendous opportunity there is to learn and be able to answer some questions about what is happening – for the local resource and for informing management statewide.

10 Thank you for your interest in Washington Lake fishing. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to visit with me at any time – drop by, call, write, or email.

Best regards,

Scott Mackenthun Area Supervisor | Hutchinson Area Fisheries Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 20596 Highway 7 West Hutchinson, MN 55350 Phone: 320-234-2550 X223 Fax: 320-234-2553 Email: [email protected] Equal Opportunity Employer

Migrating Walleyes

11 Five Years Later, Zebra Mussels’ Impact On Green Lake Becoming Clear SPICER, Minn. — It was July 21, 2014, when a property owner on the southeast corner of Green Lake found a single, adult zebra mussel on the post of his dock in four feet of water. It was the first ever found in the lake. One year later: “There are billions of them,” Mike Schoffman, of Mike’s Dock and Yard in Spicer, told the West Central Tribune as he removed docks from the lake in October 2015. “They are in every nook and cranny.” That remains the case five years later too. We are only now learning what the arrival of this aquatic invasive species means for Kandiyohi County’s most popular recreational lake. We can say this much for certain: Their arrival is bad news for the lake’s walleye and perch populations. Zebra mussels are accelerating changes in the lake that are reducing walleye numbers. The number of walleyes caught in gill nets by the Spicer-based fisheries crew with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been declining for years, and walleye fell to their lowest numbers ever, according to Dave Coahran, fisheries supervisor.

Beach-goers enjoy Saulsbury Beach on Green Lake in Spicer. Recreational activities on the lake and property values do not seem to have been hampered by the arrival of zebra mussels as many feared would happen when the aquatic invasive species was discovered five years ago. 12 Water Quality Testing By Dave Rathe

Water clarity this spring was quite good, but not as clear as last spring. 10 feet in 2019 compared to 14.5 feet in 2018. As the summer progressed the water gradually became less clear as you can see in the chart

5/20/19 6/3/19 6/17/2019 7/1/19 7/15/19 7/30/19 8/12/19 9/4/19 9/16/19

10’ 9’ 7.5’ 6.8’ 5.6’ 5.7’ 5.2’ 3.8’ 3.9’

Water Clarity for 2019: Clarity measurements are taken at 5 sites around the lake and those measurements are averaged. For the average, we do not use measurements where the secchi disk hits bottom. Many folks have asked or postulated what caused the unusually clear water the past two years. You pick, because we don’t know.

Zebra mussels filtering the water here and in Stella, Watershed improvements around the lake, Unusual winter & spring, Changes in the precipitation pattern, Fewer fish stirring up the bottom of the lake, Combination of all of the above.

Total phosphorus this year averaged 28.6 micrograms/liter vs a historical average of 28.4, which is a measurement of nutrients in the water.

Total chlorophyll-a this year averaged 10.2 micrograms/liter vs a historical average of 12.1, which is a measurement of algae in the water.

Water clarity this year averaged 6.4 feet vs a historical average of 3.3 feet.

RMB Labs provided the analysis of the water samples and all data is reported to the MPCA.

All-in-all, very good water clarity and average

13 Watercraft Inspection By Dave Rathe As many of you noticed, there was a watercraft inspector at Ellsworth Landing most Friday, Saturday, and Sundays during the summer. On some days the DNR had a decontamination station at the landing as well.

DNR decontamination unit: The inspectors were looking for and helping folks decontaminate their watercraft, clean off weeds, drain water out of live wells & bait buckets, and ensure drain plugs were in or out.

Our I-LIDS system captured over 4900 videos this year as of this writing. The I-LIDS system plays audio messages reminding folks to clean, drain, dry their watercraft as well as taking a 15 second video, which is reviewed by Environmental Sentry Protection.

Remember: The MN DNR requires you take the following steps to prevent the spread of zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species:

Clean – weeds and debris from your boats, and remove any attached zebra mussels, Drain – your boat, live wells, and bait wells, and keep all drain plugs out while traveling, Dispose – of unwanted bait in the trash, Dry – docks, lifts, swim rafts and other equipment for at least 21 days before placing equipment into another water body, Do not transport – a special permit is required to transport aquatic invasive species for any reason.

Thanks to Skip Sustacek and Mike Wosmek for helping with the I-LIDS system.

14 Zebra Mussels By Dave Rathe Just when you thought you were starting to understand what was going on in the lake, the lake surprises you. Our zebra mussel settlement plates “hotels” had fewer zebra mussels this fall and they were mostly juveniles. I don’t have an explanation for this, other than the possibility the zebra mussel hatch was delayed due to the wet spring and cooler water temperatures. The water didn’t reach 70°F until mid-June this year compared to mid-May in 2018. I didn’t count the zebra mussels this year, but only took photos of the front and back plates.

Example of hotel from Site 11 backside of plate: Most zebra mussels were juveniles in the 1/16” to 1/4” length range. Only included one photo here, but the rest can be viewed on the Lake Washington Improvement Association’s web site.

The locations of the hotels are the same as the last three years. Thanks to all of the residents that allowed the hotels to be placed on their docks.

More information on zebra mussels can be found on the MN DNR website. http://www.dnr.state.mn.us

There is no need to report zebra mussel findings on docks, boat lifts, etc. when putting them up for the winter. Pretty much everyone will have them.

The zebra mussel shells are sharp especially dead ones. It’s a good idea to wear sandals or shoes while wading in the lake.

Special thanks go to Mike Wosmek for setting out and picking up the hotels this year on Memorial Day and Labor Day.

15 Weeds By Steve Ullom When do Native Lake Plants turn to weeds?

On numerous occasions this year we have been hearing the refrain, “this is the worst year yet for weeds on the lake.” We are asking those of you thinking this to “Step Back From the Edge” and allow us to provide some historical perspective. Naturally occurring vegetation is necessary for the health and well being of every lake. I might suggest this vegetation becomes a weed problem when they wash up on our shorelines. Making it difficult or impossible to get in and out of the lake, fouling the water and creating a smelly mess that diminishes our enjoyment of the lake.

The amount of vegetation washing up on our shorelines is dependent on a variety of things: numbers and density of vegetation growing in the lake, boat traffic, wind and wave actions, water levels, and possible treatments to AIS growing in the lake. As has been noted by our Vegetation Survey Committee from 2015- 18, surveys have found little to no Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) in the lake, along with, in general, less density and overall growth of vegetation in the lake for the past three years. The last time we treated EWM was in 2013, we treated about 120 acres and retreated about 20 additional acres from the previous year. In 2018, Limnopro, a professional lake assessment company, completed an Aquatic Invasive Species survey of 20 points on Lake Washington. They found EWM growing in 10 foot deep water and noted it is very expensive and not easily treated at this depth. We are working with Limnopro to do follow-up assessments of lake vegetation and AIS density in the lake.

Looking back over the past forty years, the vegetation/weeds washing up on our shorelines has varied over time. In 1984-86, we were cleaning up dozens of wheelbarrows that turned to trailer loads of weeds away from the beaches every weekend. Then in the late 80’s and early 90’s there were many years with very few trailer loads of weeds to be hauled away. In the early 2000’s, EWM was discovered in 1999, there was a steady increase in the weeds washing up on shorelines. By 2005 we were again hauling many trailer loads of weeds off the beaches every week. Some years the weeds were wrapped in such a way that one would have to tear this wound up mess apart to get them out of the water. There has been somewhat of grace period the last 3-4 years with fewer weeds on the shoreline. If I were to rate the weed problem on our shorelines this year, with 10 being the worst and 1 no problem, I would say it is about a 3 to 4. I did haul 6 trailer loads, in a two week period, over the 4th of July. Vegetation washing up on our shorelines is certainly a nuisance that has many of us frustrated with all the extra time needed to clean up our beaches. Also, a reminder as part of helping our shorelines recover from ice ridges, it is recommended that all vegetative material be removed from the beach areas to help maintain stable shorelines. 16 Aquatic Invasive Species By Pat Hanson What is AIS?

It means Aquatic Invasive Species, or water based organisms that are NOT native to our waters. So I went to the University of Minnesota in St. Paul at the Continuing Education and Conference Center. Many scientists, educators, and Lake Association members attended this September seminar. There were many workshops to choose from. I tried to choose wisely.

My first one was about phragmites. Well, did I learned about that topic. I saw on the U. Of MN's screen an invasive species of a large perennial grasses found in wetlands in Kandiyohi County. That held my interest! Where did it come from. Originally it came from Europe. And now it out competes our native plants like cat tails and wild rice. It has been found in our highway and county ditches! We are at risk of this organism spreading by SEED. Also they stated that we need to check our wastewater treatment plants. I will check the Litchfield one. If you are interested in more info check out MNPhrag.org.

I attended another workshop on AIS Values: Four Minnesota Lakes were surveyed. They were: Lake Pokegama, Gull Lake, Lake Koronis, and Lake Minniwaska. The surveyors questioned only people that put their watercraft into the public waterways. So the outcome was that many people were not in favor of paying more to help protect our waterways. The AIS watercraft surcharge on a three year watercraft registration will increase from $5.00 to $10.60.

These people were surveyed for about ONE week total. At the end I questioned if they really interviewed Lake owners and their opinions/values about our Lakes and maintaining them? They said no, the boats had to come into the water at the public water landing. Those of us that were Lake owners explained we have boat houses where we store our watercraft. They did this survey by sending random emails and mailings. They are now dissecting the results.

People are interested in learning more about Eurasian milfoil, starry stonewort, zebra mussels and cormorants. Our state spends $4.90 a Year in Minnesota per adult on maintaining our Lakes, rivers and ponds. People stated they were willing to spend $5.17 per adult. Overall, fisherman were not so willing to spend that much. Does this surprise you?

I will be visiting with Lake Koronis MCAL representative about this survey at our next MCAL meeting on October 17th.

In the spring newsletter I can tell you about workshops on zebra mussels, curlyleaf, milfoil, and walleye genetic engineering being done in Minnesota at the MAISRC (Minnesota Aquatic Species Research Center).

17 Committee Reports SHORELINE CAPTAINS/MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE By Ron Bubany

For several years (since at least 2012) Cathy Klehr has been the driving force behind our membership participation. During this time her reports have appeared in this section. But we won’t have the pleasure of any more of her updates, since she has had to leave us. Here she is receiving our go- away gift of a Lake Washington mug. It in no way matches her contributions to the Association, but it nevertheless represents our sincere “Thank You” for all she has done for us.

For changes of address, phone, e-mail or any other information we should be aware of, please contact us at [email protected]

FINANCE / FUND RAISING COMMITTEE By Lyle Walker As the 2019 season winds down, financial activity is likewise winding down.

As of September 30, there are no unpaid bills on hand. Membership is 242, generating $12,100 for the Association. This year’s membership is an increase of 16 over last year’s 226 members.

In October, the Dassel Fire Department will receive $2,120, which has been donated by 79 members through the Association. The financial position remains strong with total funds at September 30 of $130,600.

18 Committee Reports (continued) SOCIAL COMMITTEE By Sandy Wosmek

Quietness settling in at the lake.

Docks and lifts are being pulled in from the lake,

Cleaning up things,

Cool mornings - Cool nights - Beautiful days.

FALL HAS ARRIVED !!!!

In a few months 2019 a memory ----- then 2020 new adventures.

Hope everyone had a great summer.

Dates to remember for 2020 -

Saturday, May 2, 2020 - Pork Chop meal and Membership Saturday, August 1, 2020 - Pot Luck

Have a great fall and winter ----- Welcome in 2020.

Meat Raffle!