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The July 2002Newsletter FOURTH OF JULY FESTIVITIES PLANNED!!! Thanks to everyone for their generous fireworks donations and contributions that were collected during 2001 which will go a long way in making this year's 4th of July fireworks display simply spectacular! We need some volunteers to carry out the below activities. Please call and volunteer to help--with everyone doing just a little, no one has to do a lot in order to bring you this annual display of patriotism and colors you have come to expect every year. BOAT PARADE - JULY 4 - 7 P.M. Five judges are needed--preferably lake residents who are not entering the boat parade contest. Please call Pat Wolters if you are interested at 887-8707. If there are no volunteers, board members or others who are entering the boat parade contest may be judges. The boat parade will start at Pat Wolters' house and circle the lake twice. To help the judges with their job, prior to the parade, please pick up a sign which shows your "number" from her. The DNR urges each boat parade participant to be sure you have your safety equipment on board in case of emergencies. THEY WILL BE CHECKING INDIVIDUAL BOATS AT THIS TIME. No monetary prizes will be given this year--only fame and glory! The top three winners will have their pictures in the August CLA newsletter. RING OF FIRE - JULY 4 - 9:45 P.M. Your board representatives will be visiting you before July 4. Candles can be purchased at that time. Price: $.50 each. Start saving your milk jugs now for the big day. FIREWORKS - JULY 4 - 10 P.M. We guarantee this year's fireworks to be the biggest and best ever! Thanks to everyone's donations, we have $3,000 for fireworks instead of $2,500. It's gonna be great! We still need one "volunteer pontoon" for July 4-- to carry the equipment needed from shore to the rafts in the afternoon. This will involve approximately 30 minutes of your time. Contact Pat Wolters at 887-8707. Since the fireworks will be shot from rafts, it is
imperative that all boats stay out of the shooting area.
Boats are allowed outside the shooting area. Ottawa Co.
Sheriff will be "on patrol" to monitor boat
traffic during this time. South Side: Gustins (2471 VanDyke), Shukers (2491
VanDyke) CLA RUMMAGE SALE - AUGUST 24 & 25, 2002 - 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. 100% Of Profits Go To 2003 Fireworks Fund!!! Larry Edmonds has again generously volunteered to be in charge of this project. Larry will pick up items if necessary on August 22. You must call him ahead of time to make arrangements at 899-2914. A donations form is attached for you to start a list of the items you will donate. Have the donation sheet signed by a CLA representative and use it as a write-off on next year's tax return. '2002' CLA ANNUAL MEETING & ELECTION RESULTS Approximately 30 residents showed up for the annual meeting. Janice Tompkins from the DEQ, Surface Water Quality Division discussed a variety of subjects which impact on lake residents. Pat Wolters and Sue Wobma's terms had expired and they both sought re-election. At the annual meeting, Brian Strayer was nominated to run for one of the open positions. He accepted the nomination. Pat Wolters and Brian Strayer were elected as lake board representatives with terms of 2002-2005. Congratulations to both of you. We appreciate you carving out time from your busy schedules to help our lake. The lake board representatives and their terms are as follows: Pat Wolters 2002-2005; Brian Strayer 2002-2005; Dan Zimmerman 2001-2004; Buzz Holtuvuler 2001-2004; John Thornton 2001-2004; Lesha Gustin 2000-2003; Don Shuker 2000-2003. Officers for the 2002-2003 term will be elected at the regular board meeting on July 15, 2002 at 7 p.m. Linda Lane has resigned her position on the Board. She will continue to prepare the newsletter through the end of the year. A replacement for Linda is needed. If interested, plan on attending the July 15, 2002 7 p.m. meeting at Grose Park, Forest Shelter. MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2002-2003 For those of you who have not paid your membership dues yet, attached is a copy of the form. Either mail or hand deliver to: Don Shuker, 2498 Van Dyke, Conklin, MI 49403; or your Lake Board Representative. CROCKERY LAKE NOW HAS ZEBRA MUSSELS A very large zebra mussel was discovered on the south side of our the lake. What can we expect to happen now? The zebra mussels may not have infested the entire lake yet. We would like to know where they are so we can document their movement. If you find zebra mussels at your residence, please call Pat Wolters. (1) Anyone who has a jet boat needs to keep their boat out of the water when not in use. The mussels will attach to the intake and ruin your boat. (2) Paddleboats and small fishing boats may eventually be covered with the mussels and they are nasty to remove. (3) You might want to invest in water shoes for the whole family. If you walk on zebra mussels, they will cut your feet. (4) If you take your boat to another lake, make sure you have washed it off throughly so you don't infest another lake. This is disappointing information, but we knew it would happen eventually. Attached is a map showing infestation by county and by lake. If you take your boat to any of these lakes it still would be wise to either wash off your boat, motor and trailer before putting your boat back in Crockery Lake; or leave your boat, motor & trailer out of the water for at least 3 days. Karel Wolters regularly uses Whitefish Lake for ski practice. He reports he scraped 5 gallons of zebra mussels off his equipment last week. ; JULY TO-DO LIST Check your docks, rafts and boats for zebra mussels. If you find any, please call Pat Wolters at 887-8707 to let CLA know. This is important. Continue raking up and dispose of all weeds which float in. Right now the weed you will see floating in is coontail--a native weed. Coontail is easy to pull and does not spread like milfoil. You can avoid the second chemical treatment by pulling your own weeds in front of your house. QUESTIONS ASKED BY RESIDENTS AT ANNUAL MEETING 1. Dry Hydrants. There are 4 hydrants. 3 are operating now. 1 is not. This problem is being addressed by the Township. Can residents get a discount on their home insurance? Check with your insurance agent. It is possible a 5th hydrant will be placed at 24th and Crockery Shores. Yes, if there is a fire it is possible the fire department will pump water out of the lake. 2. Boat Size On Lake. Is there any law regulating size of boats on lake? No. There is a speed limit of 55 mph on all inland lakes. 3. Marine Patrol for 2002. We have 24 hours of patrol for summer season. 4. Possibility of Ordinance Regulating Use of Road Ends (Public Landing on Lake). CLA looking into this. 5. Next Weed Treatment. Moved to after the 4th of July because of possible algae bloom problems. Spot treatments may be used. CLA to check the lake and call Professional Lake Management. NO WAKE ISSUE Several new residents expressed interest in having a no-wake on the lake. You may have a resident ask you to sign a petition to get no wake on the lake. As always, CLA feels strongly that each resident should be given as much information as possible before they make a decision. Attached is information gathered from the DNR regarding this subject, and a list of "pros" and "cons". Please read carefully before making any decision because "no wake" is a permanent decision. SECOND WEED TREATMENT Will take place the second week of July. IF YOU DO NOT WANT YOUR WEEDS TREATED, YOU MUST CONTACT PAT WOLTERS BEFORE JULY 7. She will keep track of the callers on a lake map. If at least five houses in a row do not want the treatment, our chemical applicator will not apply chemicals in that area. Otherwise, the weeds in front of your house will be treated. The weeds that are currently in the lake are native weeds and we would like to keep as many of them as we can. Also, if you do not get "posted" when the second treatment occurs, please contact Pat Wolters. LOWELL-DOWN ON FISHING The first couple weeks of June the fishing was hard and slow. With cooler than normal water temps and spraying of the weeds the fish were not biting too good. Now with water temps on the rise, the bluegills are coming in with reports of some good catches down by the park--with some bigger than I've seen in a while. I talked to many fisherman who now say they've caught and released some big bass mostly in the 3lb range with some reporting that they lost huge bass up on the west side. My son-in-law Andy boated a nice 4 1/2 lb bass. Bait of choice: a black skirted buzz bait. I hope everyone has a nice safe 4th of July and see you on the water. IT'S TIME AGAIN TO PUMP YOUR SEPTIC TANK(S)! For the past three years, CLA has negotiated a special
group rate for septic pumping with VanDyke & Myers.
Each year, more residents are taking advantage of the
reduced price. Spring and Fall are the most advantageous times to pump your septic to help keep any seepage from entering Crockery Lake. But any time is better than not at all! Sewer seepage is a major cause of nutrient loading to the lake, which creates more weeds and adversely affects water clarity. We will be running the Pumptitude Honor Roll for all of you who have your septic pumped from January 2002 through October 2002. VanDyke & Myers reports the residents below who have pumped their systems. To help keep the lake clean and keep your septic systems working properly you should have your septic tanks pumped each year. VanDyke & Myers group pumping price: Call them at 899-2324. You will need to let them know you are from Crockery Lake to get the discount. They would also appreciate it, if possible, if you could tell them your tank capacity. PS: You can help the wear on your septic tank by renting a porta-potty for large parties at your home, or for $300 you can rent one for the entire summer! PUMPTITUDE HONOR ROLL FOR SALE: 12.5 foot Minnow Paddle Cruiser, White River Mfg., Wisconsin. Mercury 6.0 h.p. This is a small pontoon boat. Great for cruising, fishing, sitting and enjoying the lake and scenery or anything you desire. $2,700. Call 899-5402. BOATING VIOLATIONS Call 9-1-1 for violations on which you
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