Some times I think the fall is the best time of the year at the lake. The fishing is good, it is less busy, there are beautiful trees and blue sky reflected in the glassy surface of the water. Then there is spring, summer and even winter. We need to take time to ponder how fortunate we are to live and vacation on or around this lovely body of water.
This summer was wet and hot which let to a larger than average population of mosquitoes and with the threat of West Nile Virus on the rise the association arranged for four sprayings, 1-2 more than usual. This completely depleted the funds collected this year as well as funds carried over from 2005. If this service is to continue to be provided and effectively control the population more funds will need to be collected. Sadly not everyone who benefits contributes. While larger donations are greatly appreciated
there would be more that adequate funds if everyone contributed $25 per year to the spraying effort. Please urge you friends and neighbors to send at least $25 when they send their dues. Each of you will need to determine how much a pest free and potentially disease free summer is worth to you and your family. .
By this time each of you who indicated you wanted your name in our new directory has received one. If you did not include your name and would like a directory or if you would like an extra one they are available for $3 by contacting and advisor or officer. Thanks to Judy Kankel for making it possible..
Also thanks to Phil Yoder for taking on organizing the road clean up project. Hopefully we can get more residents involved. .
I would like to encourage residents to send letters for publication in the newsletter but they need to be signed. Please send your thoughts, ideas, and opinions, we are glad to hear from you..
Our annual Holiday Dinner Dance is Saturday, December 2nd at the Cass County Conservation Club. We need to limit the attendance to 100 so get your reservation and check in early.
Many districts are in need of advisors. The plan is for there to be two from each district and the officers to make up the advisory board. In some districts the officers are serving as advisors also. Please set aside one evening a month to meet with and bring fresh ideas to the advisory board. The more help there is the less there is for each to do..
Please vote on Election Day, November 7th. Voting is at the Township Hall behind the fire station. There are some issues important to local residents on the ballot.
Enjoy the autumn and have a Happy Holiday Season. The next newsletter will be out in January. Hope to see you at the party..
Alice Ann Troy BLA President
Time to Once Again Get in the
Holiday Spirit
With Your Friends, Family, & Neighbors for the
Baldwin Lake Christmas Party
Saturday, December 2nd at 6:30
At the Cass County Conservation Club on U.S. 12 in Union
Dance to: Prime Cut
D.J. for all your favorite music
Cocktails at 6:30, Dinner at 7:00, Entertainment at 7:30
$25.00 per person
Call Mike Crofoot 641-7968 or Karen Balch 641-2512 if you have any questions
Please complete this form & mail to:
Baldwin Lake Association, P.O. Box 311, Union, MI 49130
RESERVATIONS WILL BE HONORED ON A FIRST-COME BASIS
name _________________________________________________________________
number of people attending _____ phone number _________________
number of pork dinners _____ number of chicken dinners _____
any special request for ordering beverages?__________________________
Summer Fades by Mike Crofoot
I write this letter to share again some of the experiences of Nature around us.
This morning at 7:oo am, while retrieving my news paper from on top of the hill, I spooked two or three deer out of the empty lot beside me. It was dark outside yet at this time of the year, but we did have a big full harvest moon shining, to the west, over Baldwin Lake. As the deer crashed through the underbrush to get into the main woods behind us, I was reminded of how many times they have been between the houses and cottages. We have even had footprints on the patio, going to the bird feeders, ten feet from our door. Deer move more at this time of the year and for the next month than any other time of the year. One has to be aware while driving along the roads from dusk to down during this time.
This summer was another beauty, although not as grand as last year, but we were still out on the water as much as we could be. Moving around our wonderful lake does provide everyone a great view of nature above and below the water.
We keep our pontoon in the water thru most of October because of the beautiful fall colors. With all the rain we have been getting, the lake level is high again, but, I believe, along with this type of weather pattern of so many over cast days, the trees are turning faster. Deciduous trees are affected by lack of light more than cold or frost.
My wife and I were just starting to take a late afternoon cruise last week, when from across the lake we spotted a large bird land on the top of the willow tree in our front yard. I of course, had to see what kind it was so we turned around to observe it closer. It turned out to be a Cooper’s hawk, which is rarer than the larger Red Tailed hawks we see more often. I mentioned last winter of a smaller, faster version of this type of hawk the Sharp-Shinned hawk that was raiding birds off the feeders.
Did anyone notice we didn’t have as many Sea Gulls this year? Except for the ones that always roost at the unfortunate peoples boat lifts along Sunset, where they like to roost every summer.
The beaver clan is still with us. If you cruise into Little Baldwin along the south shore line, you can see the trails into the marsh where they are working and feeding on saplings. With all the boat traffic we have and people around they have become more nocturnal in their ventures. We already know they frequent the marsh at the north end of the lake. The other end of this marsh goes though to Sunset, (beside Long Lake’s public access) where a large beaver was spotted crossing to go to the marshy area on the North end of Long Lake. Years ago beavers habited that area and changed some of the water flowing under US 12, through the North channel along North Terrace Drive.
Hope everyone can get out and enjoy this end of summer and fall time, on and around the lake, because it really is a good time to fish and see all the colors. If I don’t see you out there anymore this year, be sure to keep our association Christmas party, on December 2nd., in mind. Good food and fun was had by all at last year’s party. This year’s party is the same format of good food and entertainment, but probably with more people attending, so get your reservation in early.
Community Affairs - Lake Clarity by Don Henke
We have just completed our last secci disk reading for 2006. These recordings show that Baldwin Lake showed an increase in depth readings of three feet. The average depth recorded in 2005 was 10 feet 4.5 inches. The average depth readings for 2006 were 13 feet 4 inches. A total of 11 readings were recorded and can be viewed on the Baldwin Lake Web Page. Early readings showed a significant clarity of the water but as the summer months arrived the increased boat activity and activity on the sand bars brought them down. The last few weeks have stormy and water movement didn’t help the last few readings. We feel this increase in water clarity will continue in 2007.
We also have a full year of lake level records. This is the first year that we have been able to monitor the new marker installed late last year. We think most people will be surprise that the average lake lever for 2006 was 755.04 feet above sea level, which is .04 feet above our legal lake level. We recorded a lake high of 755.24 feet (2 ¾ “above normal) and a low of 754.88 feet (1.06 “below normal.) The high was taken after a heavy rainy period and the low was taken when no rain had fallen for many weeks. We will need a few years of data to determine what, if any, action may be needed to maintain our lake level. With this information, it appears this year was a fairly normal one relative to water level on Baldwin Lake.
Michigan's Hidden Treasure: Groundwater
Michigan is known as the “Great Lakes State” because its’ coasts touch four out of the five Great Lakes. The Great Lakes hold 20% of the world’s available surface water. Michiganders are well aware of the benefits of living in the Great Lakes region: ample drinking water, coastline recreation (such as boating,) unique aquatic ecosystems, and world-class fisheries that feature cool water species, such as walleye and perch, and coldwater species such as trout and salmon, just to name a few! These water resources are a unique and central part of Michigan’s ecosystems and cultural heritage.
However, most people are unaware that a lot of the water we benefit from is located underground. Groundwater plays a critical role in maintaining streams and lake levels. During summer, it keeps streams and lakes cool and during the winter it ensures critical habitat for some fish and water fowl by keeping some water free of ice. Groundwater is also very important to Michigan’s economy. Over 90% of the people in Michigan use groundwater in their homes for drinking, cooking, and cleaning and many of the state’s industries including auto, paint, pharmaceutical and plastic companies use groundwater for manufacturing. Farmers also use groundwater for irrigating crops such as corn and potatoes.
GROUNDWATER FACTS:
1. The earth is a closed system; there is the same amount of water here today as there was 3 billion years ago.
2. Water moves through the hydrologic cycle, changing from solid to liquid to gas (water vapor) over and over again.
3. About 95% of the United States total supply of fresh water is groundwater. The remaining is surface water found in lakes and streams.
4. Unconsolidated sands and gravels compose nearly 90% of all aquifers developed for water supplies. Porous sandstone, limestone, and highly fractured crystalline and volcanic rock make up most other aquifers
5. 43% of Michigan’s residents depend on groundwater for drinking.
6. 37% of Michigan’s farmers use groundwater for irrigating crops and watering livestock.
Agricultural activities constitute the single largest use of groundwater.
7. Groundwater supplies water to many of our streams, lakes and wetlands. In fact, about 30% of stream flow in the U.S. is from groundwater discharge.
8. Rainfall is the main source of fresh groundwater. About 25% of rainfall in the U.S. becomes groundwater. That is equal to about 300 trillion gallons per year.
9. Groundwater nearly always contains more mineral matter than nearby surface water, but it is generally much cleaner.
10. The two major groundwater problems are overdraft (withdrawing more water than is being naturally replenished,) and unnatural contamination.
11. Groundwater contamination has been found in every state. It is known to be contaminated at about 1,300 sites in Michigan. Just one quart of oil can contaminate up to a quarter million gallons of drinking water or cause an oil slick almost 2 acres in size.
Water Quality for 2006 by Carol Erbe
Well, we come to the close of another great year on Baldwin Lake. We started the year out with no ice. That is the first time that in 24 years I have seen that. The “turning of the lake” officially is supposed to happen 3 weeks after “ice out”, usually in late March or April. This year it must have happened in late December or early January. The lack of ice had a drastic effect on weed growth, a longer growing season, more sunlight to the bottom and it seemed to warm the water quicker. These are all factors of weed growth. The Eurasian Milfoil, which I hope you have been reading about in your Riparian Magazine, seems to be more of a problem in Michigan lakes including our own. There is no cure and this weed is very detrimental to the natural ecological balance of the lake. Some lakes in the state have had to have special assessments because of the long term treatments that are needed to try to control this weed in the shallow parts of the lake. This weed grows to the top of the water and will eventually become so thick you can’t get a boat through it. I have had a few calls from residents around the lake that they noticed it more this year. I don’t know if that had to do with our long growing season or we just have more of it. We will be watching this closely in the next few years. Oh, by the way, please don’t cut this weed as it seems to propagate growth more fiercely. Chemicals seem to be the best treatment but please don’t try that without it being done by a professional in a controlled study. A one time deal will not stop this invasive weed.
Our fecal coliform tests were strange this year. Some areas are clean as a whistle while others still test high right after holidays. When this happens the lab calls me and has me retest those areas to eliminate the possibility of contaminated bottles or errors in analysis at the lab. The problem with that is the timing between the holiday and the second test. If we have a really high count in a spot the lab does not want to publish it until a retest is done and the time in between always seems to lower the count dramatically. To complicate figuring out the problem, these spots are where there is public use or areas where sewers have not been hooked up yet. Only about half of us are actually hooked up and running. We will also be watching these spots closely. The first round of test done in July ranged from 5 to 1300, retest brought these down to normal range below 200 with the exception of one spot at 550. Some of the September counts were so high they would not release them and had me retest with the retest coming back ranging from 5 to 150. Much better but then also the water was colder and we were farther from the holiday. Once everyone is hooked up to the sewers we will be able to tell if our problems come from public use of the lake or watershed environmental issues.
Judy's Jottings
submitted by Judy Kankel
FLYING AROUND: The only unusual bird we saw in the past few weeks was a Kingfisher, royally perched atop the flagpole near the lake, waiting to dive down at the sight of a fish in the water…very interesting to watch how fast he can move. We also discovered while sitting on the deck in the evening, we were being visited by bats flying around. So I had to research about the flying mammals. A few interesting things I learned: First of all, they are not blind, in fact they see very well. They are very clean animals and will not get caught in people’s hair. Bats do not eat through people’s attics or interfere with pets or feeding birds. In addition, no bat species preys on humans. The vampire bats of South America will drink small amounts of blood from cows, goats and chickens, but there are no vampire bats in the US. Some bats weigh as little as a dime and others have a wing span that may stretch to 5 or 6 feet. They have been known to migrate at altitudes of 10,000 feet (much higher than most birds,) The bats in Michigan are all nocturnal and feed nearly exclusively on flying insects including moths, beetles, and mosquitoes. Hope this qualms some of the fears you may have if you spot them. They are beneficial!
LEAVES CHANGING COLOR: Did you ever wonder what makes the beautiful color in the leaves we see every fall around the lake? To simplify the process you have to understand that plants make their own food. They take water from the ground through their roots and a gas called carbon dioxide from the air. They turn water and carbon dioxide into food using sunlight and chlorophyll (which makes the leaves green.) Winter days are short and dry and many plants stop making food in the fall. The chlorophyll goes away and then we see the orange and yellow colors. These colors were in the leaves all summer, but the green covered them up. Some leaves turn red because this color is made in the fall from food trapped in the leaves. Brown colors are also made in the fall from waste left in the leaves. Now you know the process of photosynthesis.
HYPERTUFA : Do you know what it is? If not, stop by the Mason-Union Garden Club’s booth at the bazaar in November and check it out. We will have lots of bird treats and other handmade items available. Please support our local Club.
FROM MY KITCHEN: A recipe from a Polish friend that is always a hit.
MOCK PEROGI (POLISH NOODLES)
Sauté 1 chopped onion in 1 stick of butter until transparent. Add 1-15 oz. can sauerkraut, drained. Set aside. Boil 12 oz kluski- type noodles until done, drain and add to sauerkraut mixture. Stir in 1 can undiluted cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. Heat until warm enough to serve. You may add pieces of cooked polish or smoked sausage for a nice casserole. Yummy!!
Make a tossed salad and you have a complete meal
QUOTES:
A woman is like a teabag….you never know how strong she is until she is in hot water….Eleanor Roosevelt
You can only be young once. But you can always be immature….Dave Barry
President’s Corner
Judy's Jottings