Long & Crooked Lakes Association Membership Meeting Minutes
September 18, 2016, 1:00 pm
1. The meeting was called to order by Ken Bachofer at 1:06 pm.
2. Introductions were made as follows.
a. Officers
i. President (currently Ken Bachofer until 2017)
ii. Vice-president (currently Judie Manea-Baker until 2016).
iii. Secretary/Treasurer (currently Dan Torgersen until 2017)
b. Directors
i. Environmental Director (Bob Payne) – appointed position
ii. Lake Management Plan Director (Dave Weeres) – appointed position
iii. At-large Director (Dick Nohner) – appointed position
iv. Immediate Past President (Greg Koenigs)
c. Web Master (Doug Kantor) – appointed position
d. The 35 attendees introduced themselves
3. Secretary’s Report – Dan Torgersen
a. The website is the official location of all meeting minutes and treasurer’s reports as well as other noteworthy items such as the Lake Management Plan and Bylaws.
b. The Secretary’s Report of July 12, 2015 was accepted.
4. Treasurer’s Report (see attached) – Dan Torgersen
a. Income from July 12, 2015 to September 18, 2106 was $380.00, all of which were dues.
b. Expenses for the same time period were $646.78.
c. Current checking balance is $4,427.66.
d. The Treasurer’s Report was accepted.
e. Concern was expressed that the number of participants at the Annual Meeting and the number of households paying dues has significantly decreased since 2009.
5. Environmental Reports
a. Water Level – Bill Patton
i. As noted in the Agenda, the No Wake Advisory was adopted at 2015 Annual Meeting (No wake sign posted when lake level is 10” above ordinary high water level and taken down when lake level is 6” below ordinary high water level ).
ii. Also as noted in the Agenda, no advisory was posted in 2015 or YTD in 2016.
iii. Bill has taken 41 readings this year. The information is published on the DNR website under the Lake Finder tab.
iv. Typical yearly variation in lake level is 7 – 8”.
b. Water Clarity – Ken Bachofer
i. Ken reported that he takes water clarity readings at 2 locations on Long Lake and 2 locations on Crooked Lake. In June, water clarity was 13-18 feet. In July clarity was 14 feet. In September, clarity was 8.5-10.5 feet.
ii. This is a typical pattern of clarity.
c. Muskrat & Beaver (including trapping) – Ken Bachofer
i. Justin Westrup (a resident and member of LCLA) is the trapper that was hired by the Board to trap muskrats and beaver.
ii. Justin has trapped 6 beaver and 14 muskrats. The outlet from Long Lake has been clear of beaver dams since July.
iii. Justin employs trapping methods which make it extremely unlikely that otters would be trapped.
d. Loon Watch – Ken Bachofer
i. There were two loon chicks on each lake
ii. On Long Lake, one adult was killed the week-end of July 4. The chicks died shortly thereafter.
iii. On Crooked Lake, neither chick survived more than 1 week after hatch.
6. Board of Director’s Update – Ken Bachofer
a. Aquatic Invasive Species (milfoil, zebra mussels) – Bob Payne
i. Long and Crooked Lakes Rapid Response Plan
1. A Rapid Response Plan, patterned after the Stearns County Plan, was developed by Bob. It details the actions that would be taken if AIS was discovered in the lakes. It was incorporated into the Lake Management Plan.
2. The plan was approved by the Board.
ii. The DNR has training available for AIS Inspection at lake access points.
1. Level 1: Trained by DNR for 6-8 hours. Trained to inspect boats and can deny launch to boaters. Must be attached to government association to get this training.
2. Volunteer: 3 hours of training. Education only. No authority to deny launch, just a volunteer to converse with boaters.
3. In order to get the training, 20 people need to enroll. Bob will see if LCLA has sufficient number of people, or if other lake associations would like to participate to get the requisite number of people.
iii. If you suspect that your boat, lift or dock has AIS, call Bob or Ken.
iv. New residents should be given an information sheet on AIS. These info sheets are available from Stearns County. Bob will get a supply of them from the county.
b. Lake Management Plan (LMP) revision of 2016 – Dave Weeres (on website)
i. Dave drafted extensive revisions to the 2010 document. It incorporated the Rapid Response Plan crafted by Bob Payne.
ii. It is a great historical document showing the evolution of Long and Crooked Lakes.
c. Bass Slot limit, Fish Census and Fish Stocking – Dave Weeres
i. The 10-year Slot Limit was enacted in 2006.
ii. The Bass Survey conducted by the DNR showed the average bass increased in size 1.9” between 2006 and 2015. This was exactly the reason the slot limit was instituted.
iii. LCLA (Dave and Bob Payne) attended a meeting called by the DNR advocating that the slot limit be extended in perpetuity. There was no opposition.
iv. The DNR conducted a fish study this past summer. The results will be available this fall or winter at which time it will be incorporated into the LMP.
d. Lake Access signage
i. New signage was necessary since some of the parking stall posts had been destroyed.
ii. Additionally, 4 of the “No Parking Between Signs” had been stolen
iii. These have all been replaced.
iv. The question was asked about what to do if there are more vehicles that the 3 spots allowed or there are vehicles parked in the no-parking spot signs. Answer is “Call the Sherriff”.
v. A question was also asked about increasing the number of parking stalls to more than 3. Anne Ackerman responded that there can be no parking extending into the road access. Consequently, there will be no increase in the number of parking slots.
e. Long and Crooked Lakes Association Bylaws Revision vote(on website)
i. The revision of the Association Bylaws was passed unanimously.
7. Guest Speaker - Greg Berg, Lakeshed Specialist, Stearns County Soil and Water
a. Greg spoke about actions to minimize lake shore erosion which included:
i. Going slow near the shore and channel and using higher speed only in the middle of the lakes.
ii. Consider establishing a buffer area on the lake shore. There were several brochures handed out (copies attached).
b. Greg also spoke about the rapid growth of in-lake vegetation noting that one of the benefits is that it decreases shoreland erosion.
c. In regard to the rapid growth of wild rice, Greg suggested that contact be made with DNR Plant Management. Greg will provide the contact information to Ken or Dave.
8. Plum Creek Watershed Report – Jerry Finch
a. Jerry gave an update on the Plum Creek Watershed. Plum Creek was declared impaired in 2009 by the MPCA meaning that E-Coli was present at too high a concentration.
b. Jerry noted that testing of Long and Crooked Lakes and Warner Lake showed acceptable levels so the lakes are safe to use.
c. The Plum Creek Neighborhood Network (PCNN) was formed to address the problem.
d. In May a $50,000 grant from the US EPA for researching solutions was awarded to a College of St. Benedict student, Sarah McLarnan.
e. If anyone is interested in becoming a member of the PCNN, they should contact Jerry.
9. Township update –Anne Ackerman
a. Anne has purchased a Cross-Country trail groomer that had been used at Warner Lake and would like to set track on the lakes. Justin Westrup volunteered to use his snowmobile to pull the groomer and do that.
b. A question was asked as to whether the township can close the lake access. Anne replied that the township does not have the authority to close the access since it is a joint project with the DNR.
c. In regard to opening up the 2nd culvert as an outlet from Long Lake, the township has no position.
d. Anne suggested the LCLA put out flyers to residents on Long and Crooked regarding speed limits, noting that there are many small children on Eaglewood Road, boat traffic should move counter-clockwise, decreasing speed in the channel, etc.
10. Officer Elections – up for election is the Vice-President, (currently Judie Manea-Baker)
a. Judie was re-elected for another 2-year term.
11. Gift Certificate and Door Prize Drawing – Judie Manea-Baker
a. Judie secured a number of door-prizes. Many thanks to Judie for her efforts
i. Nelson's. $15.00 gift card
ii. Taco gringo $5.00 gift card
iii. Dairy Queen $35.00 in free kid cone tokens
iv. Rigs to Rods 4 caps, 2 free oil changes, free tire rotation and balance, front end inspection.
v. Clearwater auto 1 free oil change
vi. Parts City 6 frisbee
vii. Z Marine. Nice tow rope and 7 cans Seafoam products.
viii. Clearwater Rental small women's tote bag
ix. Flint stones $25.00 gift card
x. Holiday Station store. 2 $10.00 gas cards
xi. Burger King 3 meal cards.
b. In addition, LCLA purchased a $50.00 gift card from Coborn’s.
c. Over the course of the meeting, drawings were held for the door prizes and gift card.
d. The Board will send each donor a thank-you card for their support of LCLA.
12. New Business
a. A suggestion was made to enable dues payments to be made on-line. The Board will talk to Doug Kantor (Webmaster) to see if this is possible.
13. The meeting was adjourned at 3:55 pm.
Submitted by:
Dan Torgersen
Secretary/Treasurer
2016 Long and Crooked Lakes Annual Meeting Treasurer’s Report
September 18, 2016
Opening Balance, 7/12/2015 $4,694.44
Income
7/14/15 $280.00 Dues
7/15/15 $20.00 Dues
7/28/15 $20.00 Dues
8/17/15 $20.00 Dues
8/28/15 $20.00 Dues
9/1/15 $20.00 Dues
Total $380.00
2016 -- 23 households
2015 -- 19 households
2014 -- 30 households
2013 -- 23 households
2012 -- 25 households
2011 -- 31 households
2010 -- 30 households
2009 -- 49 households
Expenditures
7/8/15 $85.25 2015 Website and Domain name fee
7/8/15 $26.81 Annual Meeting expense
7/11/15 $11.26 Annual Meeting expense
1/5/16 $190.00 Fee for trapping 3 beaver & 14 muskrat
3/11/16 $50.00 USPO Box Rental
4/27/16 $80.00 Fee for trapping 2 beaver
5/25/16 $67.11 2016 Website and Domain name fee
6/22/16 $40.00 Fee for trapping 1 beaver
9/6/16 $46.35 Lake Access signage
9/7/16 $50.00 Coborn Gift Certificate for Annual Meeting
Total $646.78
Closing Balance, 9/18/2016 $4,427.66
Daniel Torgersen
Secretary/Treasurer
