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The June 2002Newsletter 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! CLA ANNUAL MEETING - JUNE 19,
2002 7:00 p.m. Free To All. Have a homemade dessert and find out what your CLA board has been up to this year! 2002 DIRECTOR NOMINATIONS REPORT On Thursday, May 23, 2002, the Nominations Committee
for the CLA met to discuss our 2002 Annual Membership
Meeting and to formally nominate those members who are
interested in filling the two (2) open director positions
for the following term: 2002-2005. Thus far after running
articles in both the April and May newsletters, we have
two (2) members who have communicated their desire to
work yet another term on the board of directors: Current
Board Chairman Pat Wolters and current board member Sue
Wobma. According to CLA By-laws, nominations are still
welcomed from the floor on the night of our 2002 annual
meeting. 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 BALLOT ANNOUNCED Members of the Crockery Lake Association (and those who would like to be) are invited to attend the '2002' Annual Meeting for the purpose of Director Elections, special announcements, open discussions, guest speaker(s), and yummy refreshments. Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, June 19, 2002 7:00 p.m. at the Chester Township Hall located on 32nd Avenue in Conklin. This year's election ballot consists of two (2) incumbents running for office: President Pat Wolters and Director Sue Wobma. Thus far there has been no nomination of challengers for the two (2) open director positions available, however, nominations may be submitted at the Annual Meeting from the membership at large. Please come and join us for a fun and informative meeting of friends, neighbors and CLA officials. Current membership is required for voting purposes so now is the time to renew your membership or begin a brand new relationship with your CLA partners. If you prefer, you can pay your membership dues for 2002-2003 at the Annual Meeting itself. We'll be LOOKING FOR YOU at our '2002' CLA Annual Meeting. MEMBERSHIP DUES FOR 2002 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. TENTATIVE SECOND TREATMENT SCHEDULE 2002 Second Treatment - Weed & Algae - June 24, 2002 Please remember that these dates are subject to change due to weather and DEQ permitting factors. If you do not want weed treatment done in front of your residence, you must have called Professional Lake Management prior to the May treatment. All requests made at this time will not be honored. Professional Lake Management is on a tight schedule as they can only treat when weather conditions are correct. Please cooperate with their request. WHY DO WE TREAT THE WEEDS? We treat 5% of the lake with chemicals because we have Eurasian Water Milfoil. The quotes below state why the milfoil is not good for the lake: "The submersed plant, Eurasion water milfoil, is an invasive aquatic weed in the U.S. that typically degrades lakes, reservoirs, and rivers once it becomes firmly established. . . . Environmental degradation occurs as Eurasian milfoil expands to occupy large areas . . . chocking out valuable native plants and reducing the biological diversity (plants and animals) of a system. In addition, large contiguous stands of milfoil can alter water circulation patterns, reduce light penetration, and create a negative impact on water quality by increasing water temperatures and producing large daily shifts in dissolved oxygen and pH. Dense milfoil stands can also negatively impact fish populations by reducing foraging and spawning success." ("Selective Control of Eurasian Water Milfoil in Northern Lakes," Kurt D. Getsinger, PhD 2002) "Excessive aquatic plant growth is blamed on invasive species (milfoil), fertilizer draining off lakefront yards and failing septic systems that feed nutrients to lakes. . . . Eurasian watermilfoil had made swimming and boating impossible and disrupted the balance of its [ Little Pine Island Lake] aquatic wildlife. . . . Mats of Eurasian watermilfoil, which first appeared in Michigan in the 1960's, are so thick in some lakes that boaters get stuck in them. It happens so often in Houghton Lake that local sheriff's deputies no longer rescue weed-mired boaters. . . ." (Grand Rapids Press, May 26, 2002.) One of the CLA Board's hopes is that a chemical will be created that we can use in our lake which will permanently eradicate the milfoil so we won't need any chemical treatments. Several products are in the developmental stage but have not received U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approval. 2001 RESULTS ON TOTAL PHOSPHOROUS AND WATER CLARITY TESTS RECEIVED Attached are test results for 2001 for summer mean transparency (water clarity) and spring total phosphorous (nutrient loading) for Crockery Lake. The tables show our results since 1994. Phosphorous This is an estimate of the total amount of phosphorous in the lake. Phosphorous is the nutrient most responsible for increasing weeds, algae, and sediments in the lake. The higher the phosphorous count, the more problems the lake will have. Our lake has one of the highest counts of the 133 lakes tested. Summer Mean Transparency This is simply, how clear is our lake water? Our mean clarity is 4.7 feet. Over 200 lakes participated in this test. Only 2 lakes have a worse clarity rating than we do. What does this mean? The overall quality of the lake is poor and will not improve until something is done to: (1) stop farm runoff from entering the lake and (2) prevent lake residents' septic systems that are not functioning (well or at all) from leaking their contents into the lake. What can you do to help remedy this situation? NEWS FROM AROUND THE LAKE......... 4 lake residents (Mike Jachim, Dave Wobma, Karel Wolters, Brian Wolters) showed up for the annual trash clean-up on May 11. They cleaned the roadsides around the whole lake--Gooding, 32nd Ave., Crockery Shores Road, 16th Avenue., Hoover. Thank you for all your work! Congratulations to John and Angie VanderWerff on the birth of their son, Kyle John. He was born on Mother's Day. JUNE TO-DO LIST Rake up and dispose of all weeds which float in. Right now the weeds you will see are milfoil and curly leaf pond weed. Neither are desirable weeds for the lake. Milfoil will spread if left to float. LOWELL-DOWN ON FISHING Well, the Big Day has come, Opening Day of Bass Season--something I always look forward to. I did finally manage to get out and fish. M grandson & I had a good time but didn't boat any fish. I did have 3 strikes but was a little slow on setting the hooks. Hey, it's been a long winter! I'll have to fine-tune my reflexes. With the water temperature in the 40's, a slow presentation is needed to boat these fish. I haven't heard of anyone catching anything lately, but I have seen some surface activity along the shorelines. I try to take 3 poles with me when I go out. Each one rigged with a different depth running lure. That way you can find the fish faster and the depth they're at. I plan on using a lot of tube baits this year. My tip for using tube baits is to put one of those foam earplugs inside the tube to keep it off the bottom. I'll be out fishing this weekend--so see ya 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. Sewer seepage is a major cause of nutrient
loading to the lake, which creates more weeds and
adversely affects water clarity. VanDyke & Myers group pumping price: Discount prices for Crockery Lake Residents: 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 portapotty for large parties at your home, or for $300 you can rent one for the entire summer! 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. FREE SEASONED FIREWOOD! Great for campfires. Pick up any time, no appointment necessary. Take as much as you want. 2732 Crockery Shores. If the firewood is not gone by this fall, they will be burning it up. BOATING VIOLATIONS Call 9-1-1 for violations on which you
want "same day" action |
