March 29, 2025 Meeting Minutes

Members present: Gary Waller, Dave Zabel, Richard Pautsch, Scott Rortvedt, Kathy Eystad, and Terry Groves (remotely). Also present Roger McCannon, Carol McCannon and Sharon Waller.
1) Merchandising: Terry has out together a merchandising committee to handle our annual t-shirt/sweatshirt order. Members include Staci Holzheimer, Shelly Darsow Benolkin, and Kristie Moseng. They are planning on using the logo that was used on the can coozies that were thrown out at the boat parade last year.

2) Treasurer report: Terry had distributed the treasurer’s report in advance of the meeting. He asked if there were any comments or concerns and there were none.

3) Secretary report: Gary read the minutes he had taken at the January 18th meeting. Gary had taken minutes, as Scott was unable to attend.

4) Annual Meeting: The shelter is reserved (fee went up) and we have not found a guest speaker at this point. We will discuss final plans for the annual meeting at our next board meeting in May.

5) Wildflowers: Gary brought up again that Douglas County Soil and Water offers pre-mixed bags of wildflower seeds to promote good land stewardship. The bag we would be looking at is 3lbs, covers 1000 sq. ft., and costs $70. The board was in agreement that we will purchase seed and distribute the seed to lake association members. Gary will get two of the 3lb bags, Scott will get 2oz cups with lids, and the board will package up the seeds for distribution at the annual meeting in July. We will also include an informational sheet with instructions and benefits of planting the seeds.

6) Zebra Mussels- Discussion was had about an article that Gary had read about the affect zebra mussels have on the mercury levels in the lake. The article states that for lakes were with higher than normal mercury levels, individuals under 16 years of age and pregnant women should only eat one meal of fish per month and all others should limit their intake to one meal of fish per week.

7) Dust Control- Richard discussed different options that are available for dust control on the road coming into the lake and around the lake. There are 3 primary options:

a. Magnesium Sulfate

i. This is product of Canada and is the safest for the environment. The issues are that it is very difficult to find and it has to be applied with a higher frequency for it to work well.

b. Magnesium Chloride

i. This product is commonly used, but it very bad for the environment. It is also highly corrosive to vehicles.

c. Calcium Chloride

i. This product is also commonly used, but is also bad for the environment. It has a veryhigh salt content.

The board was in agreement not to get involved with promoting any specific product or plan. It should be left to each individual to do what they wish for the stretch of road in front of their property. Richard is hoping to put a layer of gravel on the road this year, this would help and be taken care of by the township.

8) Seining of minnows: Gary reported that a non-lake resident had acquired permit to sein minnows from the lake. The seining of minnows by outside parties has taken place many times over the years, but now that the lake has zebra mussels the Minnesota DNR gets involved. They are planning on installing a weather station, most likely on the island, to monitor lake temperature. With the presence of zebra mussels, seining in only permitted within a certain temperature range. Some board members commented that it would have been courteous of the DNR for us to have been made aware of the permit application before it was approved. Although it is difficult to say if we could have done anything to stop it.

Next Meeting: 10:00 am Saturday, May 24th, 2025 at Gary Waller’s house.

Respectfully submitted,

Scott Rortvedt