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NEWS
President's Message
By Ed Jacobsen
Tom Harris has finished his three year and very successful run as president of our association. He might have stayed on but he wanted to move to Colorado. When Tom announced to us that he was trying to sell his house, we hacked into his email and deleted every hint of an offer for that house so he would stay on as president. No luck, one sneaky offer got through and sell it did. Now I am president.
It is an honor to serve as president of such a well organized and focused association. It is also a daunting task to try to fill Tom Harris’ shoes as president, so I won’t even try, I will muddle along in my own way.
Tom led this organization for three years and served on the board of directors prior to that. During his time, we evolved into one of the most respected lake groups in the state. We are one of the few lake groups which was pro-active in combating AIS. Under Tom’s leadership, a volunteer core group was organized to watch for, and deter, the introduction of invasives. This group has educated the visitors to our area that we are serious about our beautiful chain and keeping it as it was intended to be, free of invasive species. While Tom was president, over 5,200 hours were donated by volunteers, and that is quite an accomplishment. While we will miss Tom’s leadership, we will continue to benefit from the structure of lake management that he began. Thank you Tom Harris.
Over the years the Three Lakes Waterfront Association has set and accomplished goals that seemed too lofty to succeed, but succeed they have. We have been vigilant in our volunteer driven fight against Eurasian Water Milfoil and other aquatic invasive species in our precious chain of lakes.
We have begun an extensive lake management plan that will eventually identify the water quality as well as every living plant in each of our 21 lakes and thoroughfares. We have completed almost half of the chain so far in some phase of the plan. Armed with that knowledge, we will be even more prepared to fight whatever invasive wishes to take up residence in Three Lakes.
A comprehensive lake survey has been mailed to all waterfront property owners, and your answers to our survey questions will also help us direct our future efforts in lake manage-ment. We have spent countless hours with more to come in compiling this survey and tabulating the results. We will soon have data from over 620 returned surveys and those results will be sent to all of our members.
In our fight to keep these invasives at bay, we did experience a rather disturbing event which happened at the Big Lake landing. The association has installed kiosks at the main landings, and, at certain of those landings, we have also installed data collection boxes for the data sheets to be deposited by our volunteer inspectors. That data collection box was burned, and the fire also damaged our kiosk on two separate occasions. It was an arson crime as we could see the path of an accelerant leading from the parking lot to the target of the area. We are at a loss in determining a motive for this action, but I would ask that anyone with knowledge about these two incidents please contact me.
The board of directors of this association consists of 15 very dedicated and talented volunteers who spend countless hours each year trying to protect our largest and most beloved asset, the chain of lakes. We cannot do that without help from our general membership. There is a sea of great talent with various skills that could help us do an even better job in the years to come. If you feel that you could help us in any way for any amount of time, please contact me or any board member. You do not have to serve as a board member but just add your talents in any way you feel you might help. We always need more members so please ask your neighbors to join the Three Lakes Waterfront Association and help us continue the work we started 47 years ago.
Eurasion Water Milfoil in Virgin Lake
By Bob Agen
On August 6, 2010 Eurasian Water Milfoil (EWM) was found on the southwest side of the island by the staff of Onterra, LLC. This professional limnology group has been hired by the Three Lakes Waterfront Association to complete in-depth studies of the Three Lakes Chain, in an effort to determine the health of the lakes and prepare Lake Management Plans for the Chain. On August 9, 2010 several TLWA board members along with Virgin Lake’s Adopt-A-Shoreline volunteers set out to observe the EWM. Even with GPS coordinates provided by Onterra, our group was unable to locate the EWM bed. Then, on August 17, 2010 Ed Martens, Roger Blocks, Bob Borek and Bob Agen were able to pinpoint the EWM, and buoys were placed to mark it off. Onterra informed the TLWA they would send a team to pull the Milfoil by hand in 2011.
On July 8, 2011 a three-man dive team from Onterra hand pulled the Eurasian Milfoil. However, on July 14, 2011 Bob Borek and Bob Agen found a few remaining plants, and Onterra was informed. In August, while replacing a buoy moved by the wind, Bob Borek discovered more plants. Onterra returned in mid-September and again removed the plants from the southwest side of the island. The battle to control EWM is a difficult one, requiring great persistence. Total eradication is nearly impossible – the realistic goal is to contain it.
This winter is a wait-and-see time. The area will continue to be marked with buoys and will be monitored by the Adopt-A-Shoreline volunteers and Onterra professionals. We will stay on top of this problem and need everyone’s help; please stay clear of the marked off area. If you think you find EWM in another area of the lake, contact either Bob Borek at 715 546 3457 or Bob Agen at 715 546 3893. We will continue to inform Virgin Lake property owners on the status of our Eurasian Milfoil problem.
TLWA Newsletters
To view a recent issue of Making Waves, Three Lakes Waterfront Newsletter, click on the issue name below.
Making Waves, Spring 2012 (PDF Document)
Making Waves, Spring 2011 (PDF Document)
Making Waves, Winter 2010 (PDF Document)
Making Waves, Spring 2010 (PDF Document)
Making Waves, Fall 2009 (PDF Document)
Making Waves, Spring 2009 (PDF Document)
Making Waves, Winter 2008 (PDF Document)
Oneida County AIS Newsletter
Three Lakes Waterfront Association ~ PO Box 145 ~ Three Lakes, Wisconsin 54562
Email: Three Lakes Waterfront Association
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