Baldwin Lake Association Newsletter
An Anchor for our Community
OFFICIAL NOTICE OF THE ANNUAL MEETING
BALDWIN LAKE ASSOCIATION
All members of the Baldwin Lake Association are hereby officially
notified of the Annual Meeting of the association to be held
Saturday, July 19th, 2008
At the Cass County Conservation Club on US 12
9:00 A.M. (EDT)
A social time with coffee and donuts will begin
one half hour before the start of the Meeting.
The business of the Meeting shall be:
1. Reports from the officers and committee chairs
2. Election of President, 1 Vice President and Treasurer for 2 year terms of office.
Phil Yoder has agreed to serve as Vice President for another term.
Keith Kankel has agreed to serve as Treasurer for another term, as well.
Incumbent Vice President (ending 2009) Greg Buss has agreed to put his
name on the slate for President.
Additional nominees can be made from the floor if the nominee had agreed to run.
If the slated Candidates, above, are elected it is the intent to vote to appoint Mike Crofoot to fill the next year of Greg's term as Vice President.
3. Open questions and discussion from the floor.
By resolution of the executive and advisory boards,
Alice Ann Troy, President
President’s Corner
I have been waiting for some inspiration for this last note to the news letter as the president of Baldwin Lake Association, but what keeps coming back to me is how impossible this job would be without all the help from others.
On May 21st Mike Crofoot organized the second annual Four Lakes Speakers Forum.
Residents from all four area lakes met at the CCCC and heard interesting speakers and shared a pot luck dinner. Mike and Janice have been active members since the very first idea. Mike writes nature articles for the news letter, chairs the Water and Boating Safety Committee and co-chairs the Social Committee while serving as an advisor in his district and they single handed keep the roads in their area picked up. Mike has arranged for a boating safety class at the CCCC, July 12th at 8:00am.
The other co-chair for the Social Committee is Karen Balch. She is the one to thank for our wonderful annual Holiday Dinner Dance. She and John have been active members, work hard on the road clean-up project, and she organizes the mailing of the news letters all while she served as advisor to her district.
Weldon and Mary Lou Parks are faithful members and advisors to their area, offer their yard for our annual picnic, and volunteer to help with projects such as decorating for the dance etc.
Patti Hayne took on the job as news letter editor several years ago and has elevated it to something of which we all can be proud. Not only does she use the contributions from members but researches for materials and pictures to add to make it very interesting. I can’t thank her enough for the effort she has put into the news letter.
Phil Yoder was a part of the originating group 14+ years ago and has served as Vice President. He and Pat are willing to help with any and all association activities. He heads the Road Clean-up Project, helps with water testing, sets up and tears down for all activities all while serving as an advisor for District 3.
Carolyn Stevenson is a long time faithful member and has served as Secretary to the Advisory Board for as long as I can remember. She attends all activities and meetings and can be counted on to complete the many jobs she volunteers for as well as report on the community in which she is also active.
Greg Buss has been an advisor to his district and for the past several years served as Vice President. He and his family recently built a new home on Hilltop and he has agreed to put his name on the slate for the office of President.
Keith and Judy Kankel assumed an active role in the association as soon as they moved to the Lake. Keith has served as our Treasurer for many years, as well as our representative to the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association. They attend state and regional meetings and bring valuable information back to our group. Keith is active in community and township affairs and keeps BLA in the loop. Judy is responsible for the BLA directory, she compiled it, designed it and did the art work. It was a great idea and she is now updating the information. She also contributes “Judy’s Jottings” to the news letter.
Carol Erbe has been an inspirational leader and member since the inception of BLA. She was the first President, and set the bar very high. She currently conducts the water testing. She and Van have been lifetime residents of the area and are an excellent resource as well as advisors to their district.
Don Henke also was part of the founding group, he was our second president, conducts the secchi disk readings and is very active in the community and township and reports on community affairs for the association. He and Bev attend all meetings and activities while serving as advisors for their district.
Scot Billings stepped into a leadership role with BLA almost as soon as he and Peg moved here. He was our 4th President, helped set up and maintains the website and our email, coordinates the mosquito spraying, helps with membership, and is my advisor.
It is apparent that all these people do many tasks for your association and it would wonderful to have more active members to ease the burdens. I count these people as my friends and as a bonus, my neighbors.
Our annual meeting is July 19th at 9:00am at the CCCC with refreshments and social time one half hour before. The annual picnic is at 2:00pm that afternoon at the Parks’ residence. Bring a dish to pass, meat, buns, condiments, and service items will be provided.
While I will no longer be president, I plan to continue as an advisor and help out in the association activities.
Have a great summer and I hope to see you at the annual meeting.
Alice Ann Troy - BLA President
Judy's Jottings
Submitted by Judy Kankel
At the Feeder: You don't have to go out & buy that expensive hummingbird feeder mix at the store. You can easily make your own by simmering 1 part sugar & 4 parts water in a pan until the sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate what you don't use. Do not add color. The hummingbirds love it, & so do the orioles.
From My Kitchen: Have you ever made omelets in a bag? You use quart-sized freezer bags. Into the bag, crack 2 extra-large eggs. Close bag & shake up. Then add whatever ingredients you like: cheese, ham, cooked sausage, peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc. Zip bag closed again, trying to get all the air out. Place in rolling boiling water for 13 minutes. You can cook 6 to 8 at a time in a large pot. You will be surprised at how nice these turn out & no pan to wash! Fun project with grandchildren.
Bottled Water Facts: (from the Newsletter of the Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation)
1. The bottled water fad is booming at increases of 10% per year.
2. Bottled water costs about 1000 times as much as tap water.
3. More than 1.5 million barrels of oil are needed each year to produce plastic water bottles in the US. Enough to fuel some 100,000,cars per year.
4. More than 1.5 tons of non-biodegradable plastic were used to package 6 billion gallons of bottled water sold in the US & 20% are recycled.
5. Between 1976 & 2006 annual consumption of bottled water rose from 1.6 gallons per person to 27.6 gallons, an increase of 1,625%.
6. The US spent $15 billion on bottled water 2006.
7. Backed by scientific testing, experts say bottled water is not cleaner or healthier than tap water in most communities.
8. FDA standards for bottled water are looser than EPA standards for public water.
9. To distribute bottled water within the US every week requires 37,800 18-wheel trucks.
10. $1.50 for a single 10-oz. bottle of water would pay for about 1000 gallons of municipal water.
11. Between 25% & 40% of bottled water sold in the US is purified tap water.
Hello Fellow Lake Dwellers
Can you say summer please?
In a few more weeks it will officially be summer on the calendar. From my last news letter writing
not much has changed going into the Memorial Day week-end. The lake is still high water and upper
50’s temperature because of spring weather which will go down as one of the coolest.
The lake does look very clear though. This will be substantiated later when our water clarity test
(Secchi Disc) is performed. These readings are going up every year, so we must be doing something
right environmentally.
I want to pass on some important information in case you missed it, in previous publications,
of the news letter.
July 12th a boating safety class is at the CCCC.
July 19th is the BLA annual meeting, with the picnic following afterwards.
For continuing updates with the BLA go onto the website which will give you important time and dates for community and lake related information.
See ya out there,
Mike Crofoot
Back Yard Adventures
by Patti Haynie
My aversion to flying birds began years ago. Hawaii, 1973...sea gulls flying low overhead, taking French fries from our hands and we held them over our heads...and pooping on us. Chicago, 1993...my sweet, innocent pooch, snoozing under the tree in the back yard. A red-wing blackbird plunges down and repeatedly pecks at the dogs head. My deaf dog hears nothing, and cannot prepare for the attack of this dive bomber. Or, perhaps I watched Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, just a few too many times. Whatever the reason, whenever there are birds swooping to close to me, I take cover. And now I’ve got a Kamikaze in my backyard here on the lake. Can’t cut the grass too close to the bush he sits upon, or he begins to attack me. Had a friend cutting down some dead sumac plants and he had to contend with that darn bird. Now I suppose you could make a case for the fierce protectiveness of the male species toward its young, but you will not change my dislike of this bird.
One of the most abundant birds in North America, the Red-winged Blackbird is found in wetlands and agricultural areas across the continent. Measuring about 8 inches long, the black male can hide his brilliant red shoulders or show them off in a dazzling display. The striped female looks strikingly different than the male and could almost be mistaken for a large dark sparrow.
The Red-winged Blackbird is a highly polygamous species, with one male having up to 15 different females making nests in his territory. In some populations 90% of territorial males have more than one female. But, from one quarter to up to half of the young in "his" nests do not belong to the territorial male. Instead they have been sired by neighboring males.
The male Red-winged Blackbird fiercely defends his territory during the nesting season. He may spend more than a quarter of all the daylight hours in territory defense. He vigorously keeps all other males out of the territory and defends the nests from predators. He will attack much larger animals, including horses and people, and have been known to follow targets for up to 100 yards. Nesting season runs roughly from late May through mid-July.
So, it looks like I have a few more weeks of the mad bomber to deal with. I suppose I will have to wear a helmet and bring my tennis racket along when I mow the grass. Here is tip I read in Saturday’s Chicago Tribune. Stay alert and look directly at the bird. And when all else fails, and dignity is not a factor, (does it sound like I have dignity issues...me riding the mower with a bike helmet on and randomly swinging my tennis racket above my head???) the bird will shoo if you bark like a dog. My neighbors are in for a show, don’t you think?
Membership Dues to July 2009 are $25
Adult Names: ______________________________________________________________________
Children (with ages) _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
Lake Address: _______________________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________ Fax: _______________ Email: _______________________
Winter Address (if different):
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________ Fax: _______________ Email: ________________________
Donation for Mosquito Control – We hope everyone can donate $25 or more
Name: ________________________________________________________________________________
Lake Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Comments: ______________________________________________________________________________________