Attached below are the slides presented at the LMPA Annual Meeting on April 24, 2012. These include the slide packages from DNR watercraft inspection coordinator representative Heidi Wolf and LMPA president Steve Gunther
LMPA Meeting Minutes – May 2012
May 22 2012 Board Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the May 22, 2012 LMPA Board Meeting.
Attendees: Judy Berland, Helen Gunther, Eileen Sternard, Steve Aldritt, Jim Ginther, Steve Gunther, Scot Lacek, Keith Paap
Approval of last meeting’s minutes (All)
- No meeting minutes were presented.
Finances
Financial report (Steve Gunther)
- The current balance of funds in our Beacon Bank Money Market account totals $16,539.65 as of 4/30/12.
- We have been awarded grants from the DNR for two projects thanks to the efforts of Scot Lacek:
- A Zebra Mussel Awareness campaign – Up to $7,424 for reimbursement of expenses incurred.
- Invasive Aquatic Plant treatment – Up to $6,000 for reimbursement of expenses incurred for our 2012 AIS treatments.
- While we have a good balance of funds in our account, we decided to do a much larger than normal treatment of invasive weeds this season. Therefore we agreed that an outreach for donations would be required to replenish our funds for 2013.
ACTION: Steve Gunther to work with Scot Lacek to include our newsletter and donation request in an electronic blast planned for early June as part of the Awareness Grant
ACTION: Scot Lacek to drive the mailing of our newsletter and donation request as part of the Awareness Grant.
Lake Stewardship report
Zebra Mussel Awareness Plan update (Scot Lacek)
- Scot gave a verbal update to the status of our Awareness Plan.
ACTION: Two interns will be hired to take on the duties of the plan under the direction of Scot Lacek.
Weed treatment update (Pete Plucinak)
- Pete was unable to attend the meeting but reported prior that our permit to treat is in process and should be completed by late May.
- Approval for treatment of a total of 40 acres was requested, the most ever
- Weed treatment is to be scheduled with Lake Restoration for early June
ACTION: Pete Plucinak to drive issuance of permit and completion of weed treatment
Lake Management Plan update (Paul Quarberg and Pete Plucinak)
- Former LMP leaders Paul Quarberg or Pete Plucinak were not in attendance.
- Jim Ginther volunteered to take the lead on this project.
ACTION: Steve Gunther to ask Paul Quarberg and Pete Plucinak to coordinate the knowledge transfer to Jim
Coalition of Lake Associations update (Steve Gunther/Steve Aldritt)
- A group has been assembled from to develop a West Metro Coalition of Lake Associations and one kickoff meeting held
- Next session is planned for Tuesday June 19th.
Membership
Neighborhood captain organization status (TBD)
- Judy Berland suggested that her husband Rick was willing to serve in the leadership role for Neighborhood Captains
ACTION: Steve Gunther to confirm with Rick and ask Dave Peterjohn to coordinate the knowledge transfer to him
Communication and Education
- No new input
Social Activities
- No new input
Administrative Activities
2012 Annual Meeting Recap (Steve Gunther)
- Steve briefly recapped the results of the annual meeting.
- We were disappointed in the small turnout at the meeting with only 12-15 non board members attending.
- We were successful in raising over $800 in donations with the use of the Square credit card processing device provided by Helen Gunther.
- A lot of very good dialogue occurred, revolving around the coming Aquatic Invasive Species threats and other similar topics.
ACTION: Presentations by Steve Gunther (LMPA president) and Heidi Wolf (DNR) will be posted on the LMPA website
New Business
Election of Officers for 2012
- The duties and responsibilities of the Officers of the board were reviewed and discussed.
- No candidates stepped forward to serve in these positions so the election of officers was deferred until the May 2012 board meeting.
ACTION: Attendees were urged to reach out to potential board and officer candidates and invite them to the next board meeting.
Date, time and place for next meeting
- Tuesday or Wednesday June 19th or 20th was proposed
Adjourn
Carver County Commissioners Vote to Authorize an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Inspection Program at Lake Minnewashta
I am very happy to report that the Carver County Commissioners voted in favor of the LMPA’s request to authorize an Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) inspection program at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park, to allocate $15,500 from the County’s Year End Savings Account for the program and direct staff to develop a contract with Minnehaha Creek Watershed district for financial participation in the program.
Details of the 2012 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) inspection program at Lake Minnewashta Regional Park include:
· The outlined AIS program would begin May 15, 2012 and run for 89 consecutive days ending September 19, 2012.
· Boaters entering Lake Minnewashta through the regional park would be inspected for AIS at Boat Access #1.
· Hours of inspection operation would be from 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
· Labor and material costs are estimated at $31,000.
· The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District has offered to participate at 50% of the cost of the program.
· Training for AIS inspectors and law enforcement is to be provided by the DNR at no cost.
Please extend your sincere thanks to our County Commissioners, particularly Tom Workman who led the charge for us and Randy Maluchnik and Gayle Degler who cast the supporting votes. Also to Eric Evenson from the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District for driving the MCWD’s financial support and Marty Walsh, Carver Parks Director for taking the lead to protect Lake Minnewashta. And special thanks to all of our friends and supporters from Lake Minnewashta, Lotus Lake, Christmas Lake, Lake Riley and others who were vocal and present in their support for this. Without all of you, we would have failed.
This is truly an example of great government and citizen cooperation toward a common goal. The LMPA will to continue to offer our help and support to get the program implemented.
Steve Gunther
President, Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association
How You Can Help Stop Algae in Lake Minnewashta!
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Imagine Minnesota’s 10.000 lakes full of clean, clear, fresh water for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. Fish are plentiful, birds line the shores, and there is water for recreation, industry and growing food. The Freshwater Society wants to help you make that vision a reality. The idea behind Community Cleanups for Water Quality is deceptively simple and cost-effective: locally-led groups of volunteers, rake, sweep, bag and remove loose dirt and leaves blocking sewer grates on city streets. The material is then composted to prevent pollutants such as phosphorusfrom entering lakes, rivers and streams.
Depending on the mix of materials, for every five bags (100 pounds) of leaves and other organic debris you collect, you prevent up to a pound of phosphorus from entering a local water body. Each pound of phosphorus can cause up to 1,000 pounds of algae. Your group or organization will be able to prevent thousands of pounds of algae growth in the lakes, rivers and streams near your home.
The Freshwater Society has assembled a toolkit to help you implement a Community Clean-Up for Water Quality in your area. For more information on Community Cleanups for Water Quality, or to download the Toolkit, visit our website: |
Zebra Mussel Update – July 14th, 2011
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Local News Wrap – Lake Minnetonka Zebra Mussels
Here’s a news wrap up of local stories that were run recently regarding the fast spread of zebra mussels in Lake Minnetonka and their impact on the lake. Click on each story title to open the story in a new window.
- KSTP 5 – Zebra Mussels Spreading Rapidly in Lake Minnetonka
- WCCO 4 – Zebra Mussels Spread Rapidly in Lake Minnetonka
- KARE 11 – Minnesota lakes at risk for zebra mussels
- KMSP 9 – (Covered briefly on the air but unable to locate the video on their web site.)
- StarTribune – Mussels infest Lake Minnetonka
- Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) – Zebra Mussels Have Spread Throughout Lake Minnetonka Since 2010
MCWD has a program called Save Our Summers that provides information on what lakeshore owners and boaters should do to help prevent the spread of zebra mussels. If you or anyone you know are bringing a boat into Lake Minnewashta be sure to be aware of these steps to help prevent introducing this invasive species into the lake.