As I write this, the calendar says Spring, but the wintry sleet and snow mix outside my window tells another story.
In spring our thoughts turn to getting our boats into the water, and I am happy to report that the Tri Lakes Marina has been purchased and is offering full service including sales, service, parts, storage and repair, The phone number is 641-2154, or drop in and get acquainted.
The road clean-up has been scheduled for Saturday, April 26. Contact Phil Yoder for information or for bags. Hope for good weather so we can get out and get some exercise cleaning up the roadsides of Sunset and Hilltop.
The Baldwin Lake Association is hosting the second annual Speakers Forum to be held Wednesday, May 21st, at the Cass County Conservation Club. All residents from Baldwin, Long, Coverdale, and Indiana Lakes are invited. The meat for sandwiches, buns, condiments, and table service will be provided and everyone will bring their favorite “pot luck” dish to share, beverages can be purchased. Please watch for postings and handouts for details. The speakers will be: Dave Eby from AgriFlite on the topic of Mosquito Control, a representative from Wake Side Marine, and Don Huskins from Dock and Seawall Company. These speakers have been chosen for their expertise and for your enlightenment and enjoyment. Please join us for an evening of good food, good company, and good information.
BLA and CCCC are providing a Boating Safety Class Saturday, July 12th at the CCCC from 8:00am to 3:30pm (EDT). This class is required if you want to operate a personal water craft (PWC) on lakes in Michigan and were born after 12-31-78. You will need to bring a #2 pencil, a sack lunch, and a beverage. You will need to pre-register by contacting the Cass County Sheriff’s Marine Division. For dates and locations of other classes go to our website.
The BLA Advisors and Officers have decided to hold our annual picnic once again. It will be in the afternoon at the home of Weldon and Mary Lou Parks on Hartshorn following our annual meeting, July 19. Details for the meeting and the picnic will be in the June news letter.
Have a wonderful spring and I hope to see many of you at the Speakers Forum.
Alice Ann Troy - BLA President
Judy's Jottings
Submitted by Judy Kankel
At the Feeder:I always thought the Brown-Headed Cowbird was a pretty bird, but I have learned what thugs they really are. The shiny black bird with the brown head and neck (female is plain gray-brown) does not bother to build a nest, but instead uses the nests of other birds and leaves their eggs there for the host birds to incubate and raise as their own….a very different breeding strategy. Control of this naughty bird is both controversial and expensive. Now they don’t seem so attractive to me!
.
FROM MY KITCHEN: One of our favorite recipes we call “Trucker’s Pie” because it is a favorite diner recipe from Iowa.
TRUCKER’S PIE
1 lb. ground beef 1 Cup chunky salsa
½ Cup chopped onion ¾ Cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ Cup chopped green or red peppers 1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 ½ Cups whole kernel corn 1 Cup crushed tortilla chips
Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet, brown ground beef, onion, and peppers. Add corn and salsa, cheese and pepper. Spray a pie pan with non-stick spray and fill with mixture. Top with crushed corn ships. Bake 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving. Yum!
LAWNS: FINALLY the snow has melted and we can see our lawns again. Spring really is coming! Resist the urge to fertilize your lawns now because it may cause problems later in the summer with poor root growth and diseases. You can apply a pre-emergence crabgrass preventative now, but find one that doesn’t have fertilizer in it. Another important thing to know is that when you do fertilize, use phosphorus-free fertilizer to avoid polluting the lake and groundwater. This is so important to the good health of all of us!
MEMBERSHIP BOOKLET: I want to type up an addendum to make it more current. If you are already listed in the booklet, I will leave your information in as it is printed unless I hear from you. Newcomers, please contact me. If you find any errors or know of deaths besides Imogene Creakbaum and Georgia Leslie please let me know. If you have moved, changed phone numbers or e-mail or want something added, please let me know. I already have information sent to me from Baldwin Landing, Cunningham, Healy, Herendeen and Rhind’s e-mail. You can call me at 641-2335, leave a message, or e-mail me: judy@kankel.com Thanks for your help.
THOUGHT: Never be afraid to try something new. A lone amateur built the ark, but a team of professionals built the Titanic…………………………Dave Barry
Long Season Submitted by Mike Crofoot
Spring is officially proclaimed, according to the winter solstice, as we are half way to summer. It is Easter week, as of this writing, the earliest of the last 100 years on the calendar. Mother Nature is still fooling us though because I’m getting ready to go outside and move another 5 inches of snow we received. There also is still 6 inches of ice out front, on the north end of Baldwin Lake, complete with a few ice fishermen today. All together we had a normal winter, with over 12 inches of ice and plenty of snow, compared to the last two mild ones. Ice fishing was particularity good this year with dozens of fishermen everyday.
We went though our several hundred pounds of bird seed and suet again. The attendance of wild life was on going with the Michigan winter being a little harsh. It looks like the raccoon population is still up this year because of the many sightings already. We had our usual fox squirrels during the day and flying squirrels at night. Three pair of Mallard ducks is also flying in on the feeders, just like last fall before the ice. I also was blessed this week with an unusually close encounter with a Bald Eagle. This magnificent bird was sighted on the ground, in a ditch, along the road I was traveling on. Eagles will feed on carrion when they need to. They are quite large when you are within 30 yards of them.
The beaver population seems to be growing. The two lodges on the north end are growing larger with fresh cuttings being piled atop of them. These families have gotten nocturnal since last year so actual sightings have been down. I do hear them at night and see their handy work across the lake. Look in the woods, on the Westside, beside the camp ground you can see the dozen or more trees that have been dropped last fall.
On March 12th Janice and I walked several miles around the lakes to take advantage of the nice weather. We thought with the 50 degree plus days and spring like atmosphere, we would see more wildlife. We did see our first robins, chipmunks and groundhogs at this time. Everyone knows skunks have been out already, in the roads. Woodchucks and skunks are true hibernators so maybe a real spring is near by. The Starlings, Cowbirds, Sparrows, and Redwing blackbirds are all back at this time.
We enjoy our fresh air all year around so we keep our upstairs sliding door cracked open off the bedroom. This also allows us to hear a lot of wildlife that is present. With this Easter week-end also came a full moon, if you remember. I’ve mentioned in the past about the swamp on the north end and the creatures that live within that system. IE: peacocks, beaver, night herons and deer for a few. Saturday night about midnight we had just retired for the evening, when we heard this extreme barking and howling coming from the north end of the lake. I’ve heard these sounds many times and so have others that live in the area. In our area around the lakes is a large population of coyotes. These animals are also mostly nocturnal, so one doesn’t think about their presence. Mating season for coyotes is the end of winter, along with foxes and raccoons. If anyone has ever heard these animals, it has to elicit some primordial thoughts, like when wolves howl.
It always amazes me on how much wild life is around us and how they adapt to us encroaching their habitats.
I’ve mentioned before that I would like to hear from others that have similar experiences with nature. My telephone and E-mail is available though the BLA registry.
LAKE MICHIGAN DOWN 40 INCHES From Feb. 2008 Michigan Lake & Stream Assn. Newsletter:
In less than 20 years, Lake Michigan’s water loss, which is near a record low, amounts to 14,880,000,000,000 gallons, which is equivalent to 10% of the needs of the entire nation for one year. Why is Lake Michigan low?
Evaporation is a significant factor and feeder rivers, such as the St. Joseph, Grand, Muskegon, and the Manistee have a lower flow because there has been less rain and snow than normal.
Shipping into many Michigan ports is hampered by shallow water which forces ships to carry lighter loads, increasing the cost of goods delivered. If the ports are dredged to accommodate the ships, that also increases the cost of goods.
Further, if the level of the Great Lakes drops below the ground water, the aquifer will be lowered which can affect the productivity of shallow wells.
Reduced water levels dry out wetlands that are necessary for spawning of northern pike. Low lake levels expose the spawning ground of sand/gravel bottom utilized by bass and panfish.
Though all of the above is true, it is also possible that changes in water flow and levels is simply part of the approximately thirty years cycles, which have been taking place for 4700 years.
The need to conserve fresh water to recycle and to desalinate ocean water, and even make stricter controls on the development is not “just around the corner.” The time to work at increasing efficiency of these processes has come.
Have you had difficulty getting your engine started?
Or maybe it just won't run at all? You may have water contamination in your fuel! There is an easy "fix". First, empty the tank of as much liquid as possible into a spare fuel tank. There is a small nut on the bottom of the carburetor that can be removed to drain it. If you do this, use the right size hex driver (most likely a metric size on newer motors) and do it inside the boat. If the nut falls in the lake, you'll probably never see it again! Turn off the fuel shutoff valve and remove the nut. Liquids will drain out. Replace the nut (do not overtighten it!) and refill the tank.
Why does this happen? Most gasoline today is mixed with Ethanol, which is, unfortunately, very efficient at picking up moisture. When there is water in your tank, it will displace the fuel at the bottom and the engine will not run. Larger engines now often have a filter to remove water from the fuel. In any case, here are a few tips to keep in mind that will help prevent fuel problems:
· Buy fuel only from a reputable supplier
· Avoid switching suppliers if you can
· Buy straight gasoline if you can find it (with no Ethanol). Try a marina...
· Do not mix fuel containing Ethanol and MTBE, an older additive that is now being phased out due to ground water contamination problems.
· Do not buy fuel containing more than 10% Ethanol. Especially, do not use E-85 in a marine engine!
· Keep the air vent closed except when your engine is running
Try to keep your fuel tank relatively full, and avoid running the level down to the point where the engine will be drawing fuel from the bottom
If your engine is getting hard to start, runs lean, or stops when there is still fuel in the tank, suspect water contamination!
LET'S GET THE LEAD OUT
The Common Loon, known for its haunting call and striking black and white breeding plumage, are large, goose sized diving birds that spend their summer on open fresh water lakes and winter on the seacoast.
Loons return to the lakes where they were born 7 years after first leaving. They mature at 12-16 pounds, live to be 30 years old, and like to be in pairs or else they will not nest. Loons become sexually active at age 7, and are incredible parents. They are unable to stand due to their feet turning backwards. 1/4 mile of open water is needed for them to take off.
Loons are becoming more scarce. One reason is that they are dying of lead poisoning after swallowing just one lead fishing sinker or jig lost by fishermen. A sinker or jig may accidentally detach from a line and fall into the water, or the hook or line may become tangled and the line may break or be cut.
Loons, ducks, and other waterbirds find food in the mud at the bottom of our lake. They swallow pebbles to help grind up and digest food. Unfortunately, they can also swallow lead tackle among stones on the lake bottom or attached to a fish that has broken free from an angler’s line.
LEAD POISONING DOES NOT HAVE TO HAPPEN. If you are an angler, use split shot, sinkers and jigs made from inexpensive, ecologically sound and non-poisonous materials such as tin, bismuth, steel, and recycled glass. Encourage other anglers to switch to non-lead alternatives
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO HELPING TO PROTECT OUR WILDLIFE!
President’s Corner