Friday, August 10, 2012

WLR Regular Meeting August 9, 2012

WEYAUWEGA LAKE RESTORATION, INC


WEYAUWEGA Public Library, WEYAUWEGA

http://sites.google.com/site/lakeweyauwega/Home

http://lakeweyauwegaproject.blogspot.com/

www.weyauwegalakehsstudy.wordpress.com



Thursday, August 9, 2012 6:00 PM

Attending: Kent Gerard, Howard Quimby, Ron Wiesman, Bob Van Epps, Jim Tolfa, Don Morgan, Doug Nelsen, Holly Martin, Carl Kohl

1. Call to order (Bob Van Epps (BP)) 6:00 PM

2. Approval of July Minutes Motion Wiesman second Gerard approved (Joy Van Epps sent a complaint about the minutes, Jim Tolfa reported that she would like the time of the meeting start and the time of the adjournment on the minutes. )

3. Financial Report: (Ron Wiesman (BM))

M&I Opening Bal 7-12-2012 686.50

deposit: 6,357.00

expenses: (53.50)

M&I Closing Bal 8-9-2012 6,990.00

First National Bank 29,008.38

Total Cash on Hand 35,998.38

We are $250 short on break even for raffle.

Motion Gerard second Tolfa - Approved

OLD BUSINESS – REPORTS

4. Presidents Project Overview Report: (Bob Van Epps (BM)) Project is going well. Bob Reports a Fox Valley Tech source for lake burn. The details and cost are to be worked out later. Van Epps cautioned this is in the planning stages and open for discussion. Members brought up using the local fire department. Quimby had already approached local fire fighters for their willingness to handle the burn for a training class. Bob will follow up with the Weyauwega Volunteer Fire Chief. The sediment on the lake is baked hard. The plants in the lake will either be burned off or will drown. Van Epps reported NAH has not gotten back on the drawdown extension. All requested documentation has been delivered to NAH.

5. Rules Committee: A committee has been formed to define the rules that will apply to the use of the lake. The committee tentatively consists of: Jim Tolfa(Chair) - Kent Gerard and Ron Wiesman.

6. Fundraising Committee: (Jim Tolfa (BM) – Bob Radtke) Bob Van Epps reporting for Bob Radtke Please get the tickets back to Bob now so he can try to sell them from the bar. Jim Tolfa reported he would like the raffle moved to a date later in the year – after the Horse and Buggy days maybe the first week in October. He gave the reasons of the number of events that offer opportunities to sell tickets in the surrounding communities. This will be given another look next year. Bob Van Epps, tickets are now beginning to sell well. The drawing is this Sunday, August 13th.

7. Education Committee: (Bob Van Epps (BM) Lynn Ponto – Connie Abert) No report

8. Grant Committee: (Holly Martin (BM) – Caroline Zemple(BM)) No report

9. Lake Reclamation Committee: (Holly Martin (BM)Justin Sipiorski – Doug Nelson – Kaycie Stushek) A conference call was held with Martin and Nelson, (Sipiorski, Stushek and Johnson were unable to attend and sent regrets, the have been updated on the results of the call) to nail down a plan for pro-active planting. Troubled areas of the lake were identified and appropriate plantings were determined giving thought to future partial drawdowns and cost to plant. A Shoreline and Emergent planting recommendations were completed for home owners that would stabilize the shore and be esthetically pleasing while surviving the future partial drawdowns. The plan will now go to Ted Johnson and Justin Sipiorski for approval with attention to improving habitat for endangered species and fish populations.

10. City Projects Steering Committee: (Howard Quimby) Reported he had a meeting with Bill Forest on Aug 7th to determine the standing of the the permits needed to complete the rip rap project and the boat launches. The rip rap permit was approved by the DNR on August 3rd and is now in the hands of the City for 300 feet of shoreline along Peterson Park. Both boat ramp permits were approved August6th and are in the mail. Quimby reports and Bill Forest is in touch with the Bass club who are to assist the city with the financial costs of the boat launch repairs. Gerard brought to the attention of the group the need to take pictures before, after and during the repairs for documentation purposes.

11. Other Don Morgan brought his concerns relating to the people down river want to be made whole. What do they mean by that? He cautioned against any efforts other than that of the DNR to address this issue actively.

Don Morgan: Is there any merit in having a picture of the new river channel? He has a pilot that will take the picture for $100. Bob Van Epps already has pictures from the county that are high resolution satellite pictures and the club has aerial pictures given to them that were taken 6 month apart during the drawdown.

NEW BUSINESS

12. Next Meeting September 13th Library

13. Adjourn Meeting : motion Gerard at 6:40 pm



WLR Special Meeting July 23, 2012

Special Meeting Weyauwega Lake Restoration Inc.


July 23, 2012

Weyauwega Library Meeting Room

6:30 pm

Attending: Wiesman, Quimby, Zemple, C. Zemple, Tolfa, Werth, Van Epps, Martin, Morgan

Call to order – Van Epps

Motion to approve the Minutes of the July 12, 2012 Meeting Werth, Second Zemple – Approved

Meeting adjourned Martin



WLR Regular Meeting July 12, 2012

WEYAUWEGA LAKE RESTORATION, INC


WEYAUWEGA Public Library, WEYAUWEGA

http://sites.google.com/site/lakeweyauwega/Home

http://lakeweyauwegaproject.blogspot.com/

www.weyauwegalakehsstudy.wordpress.com

Thursday, July12, 2012 6:00 PM

Attending:

Connie Abert (UW Extension)
Joel Bohringer
Jeremy Classy (NAH)
Bob DeGodt
Mary Fischer
Kent Gerard (WLR Board)
Chris Gunderson
Nick Gunderson
Jay Heckler
Ted Johnson (DNR)
Mary Livens
Angie Landsverk (Press)
Kathy Lodes
Tom Lodes
Holly Martin (WLR Board)
Don Morgan (Mayor)
Doug Nelsen (Nelsen Environmental)
Marv Nollenberg
Tyler Nollenberg
Linda O’Day
Tom O’Day
Kathy Peterson
Jim Prickette
Howard Quimby (WLR Board)
Myron Radtke
Tony Resch
Sylvia Robison
Wilber Robison
Ray Schalkowski
Tom Schnider
Dan Stearns
Kaycie Stushek (Golden Sands RC&D)
Jim Tolfa (WLR Board
T. J. Tooley
M. Kristine Treder
Bob Van Epps (WLR Board)
Joy Van Epps
Rick Waite
Dave Werth (WLR Board)
Ron Wiesman (WLR Board)
Bill Zemple (WLR Board)
Caroline Zemple (WLR Board

1. Call to order

2. Approval of June Minutes: Motion Wiesman second Gerard - Approved.

3. Financial Report: Wiesman

M&I Opening Bal 6-13-2012 8,650.26

deposit: 1,040.00

expenses (9,003.76)

4. M&I Closing Bal 7-12-2012 686.50

First National Bank 29694.88

Motion Werth second Zemple approved

REPORTS

DNR Report: Ted Johnson - Draw down has gone well. The bottom was mostly muck and anaerobic conditions did not allow muck to be digested, this has been improved. Pre drawdown markers for lake bed were taken via GPS. They will be taken again to determine new level of the lake bottom, and success of the project. Plant samples were taken with 3 identified. This is expected to improve when the pond refills. Flowering Rush has two states: Sub-mergent and Emergent. Ted Johnson feels even though it is taking over the lake bed, this is not a big problem and recommends a wait and see position.

Trip downstream(below the dam): River systems below an impoundment are starved for nutrients and have a tendency to broaden and become shallow. The drawdown has corrected this with the new river channel being narrower and deeper with the water moving faster. This has caused major silt deposits along shorelines and the choking off of backwater areas, this is to be expected and is a sign of health. We did not lose any fish due to the drawdown, and the river bed is back to a normal narrower state.
Public comment: We have lots of muck build up that is seen as damage to property.

Question: Is there a benefit to leave it down another winter? All the sediment has gone down but all in all not much benefit. A cold winter will affect Asian milfoil by freezing them out – this is a positive gain.

Golden Sands: Kaycie Stushek: She works on aquatic invasive species. They do surveys of invasive species by identifying and mapping colonies. Technical assistance and training is also provided by Golden Sands. They are also willing to do workshops on: “How to monitor invasive species”, “How to remove invasive species” and “Clean Boats, Clean Water” program. Unfortunately there is no way to remove Zebra Mussels. Zebra Mussels are again under study for impact on the environment.

A slide show of pictures of the drawdown were presented.

NAH: Jeremy Classy: New ownership was announced. NAH has split into two companies, we will still be dealing with the same people as before. The drawdown was planned and orchestrated by a number of agencies including but not limited to: FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) and the DNR. Our Permit is up the 23ed of September, to extend the time the lake is down will need to be approved by the participating agencies and the public..

Question: are there Minimum and Max flow rates. Answer: Not sure exactly what they are but there are levels that must be adhered to.

City of Weyauwega: Don Morgan. All permits are in to the DNR. Two boat landing repairs and extensions, shoreline riprap.
DISCUSSION ON ISSUE OF DRAWDOWN EXTENSION

a. Should the lake be kept down until May 1st.

Comments by the board – Each board member gave their reasons for supporting or not supporting extending the drawdown until May 1 (The first day the DNR will allow the lake to be brought back up due to the turtles) All board members were in favor of the extension with the exception of Martin.

Ted Johnson. You will always have to manage plants, the drawdown will not eliminate this issue.

Howard Quimby: Can we do a controlled burn this fall to remove the dead weed debris and prevent it from insulating the unwanted seeds improving the winter freeze benefit? Answer Ted Johnson (DNR) This is a good idea, not now but in the fall. He will look into it and let us know how best to proceed.

Public Input:

Mary Livens: The River is so full of sediment Fish are dying and the turtles are gone.

Jay Heckler: Deep muck! It is so deep he almost lost his dog. He brought pictures.

Kathy Lodes : Wanted to be empowered. Has voiced her concerned wants lake back up

Tom O,Day: Not happy with river frontage – Tons of muck. Wants people made whole. Comment by Ted Johnson in response – He will look into what needs to be done to remove the massive amount of muck at this junction of the river. There may be some remediation the DNR can offer.

Joel Bohringer: wants to keep it down for the additional 9 months.

Tom ODay: Can we go back to “peeking” running of the Dam to scour the river bed clean of muck. Jeremy Classy comment: The federal policy is “Run of the River” and that is not likely to change.
Vote taken by Show of hands

Leave it down till May 1st - 23

Leave it down till September - 4
The Lake will remain down until May 1st if the FERC and DNR agree.

5. Next meeting August 9th Library 6:00 PM

6. Adjourn Meeting : C Zemple



WLR Regular Meeting Minutes June 14, 2012

WEYAUWEGA LAKE RESTORATION, INC


WEYAUWEGA Public Library, WEYAUWEGA

http://sites.google.com/site/lakeweyauwega/Home

http://lakeweyauwegaproject.blogspot.com/

www.weyauwegalakehsstudy.wordpress.com
Thursday, June 14, 2012

Attending: Kent Gerard, Dave Werth, Howard Quimby, Ron Wiesman, Bob Van Epps, Jim Tolfa, Bill Zemple, Caroline Zemple, Justin Sipiorski, Mike Kemp, Morgan, Lynn Ponto, Amy DeSantis

1. Call to order Bob V.

2. Approval of May Minutes motion Wiesman, B.Zemple. Approved

3. Financial Report: Wiesman 29 members now. Gerard Zemple Approved

M&I Opening Bal May 10th 6201.23

     deposite: 2550.00

     expenses 100.97

Bal 6-13-2012 8650.26

First National 30,003.32

MotionQuimby Second Werth Approved

4. Fundraising: Big Raffle ticket sold 150. August 12th drawing party. Critical for success of the group.

a. Summerfest July 22: Jim Tolfa,Bob Van Epps will go there Educational Event. Powerpoint.

b. Event with Wega Arts September 14th : Lynn Ponto Justin an Doug.

5. Education Committee

a. Presentation by Justin Sipiorski PHd. Looking to associate with a lake association. Interest in the lower Waupaca river shed. Introduced Specie of interest Pug nose minnow. Favors weedy slow habitat. Only habitat was Lake Weyauwega in 1970. Two other species. River Darter and Western Sand Darter. May be in the lake. Samples need to be taken now while the lake is down and throughout the fill and after. John Lions state ichthyologist might like to come here. Fish ladder to reintroduce sturgeon to the lake and allow them to pass up and down the river system. Would bring diversity back to the lake. Mono culture of plants is a bad idea. Wants to build a group to take a watershed approach to manage the area. Bob Freckman herbologist at Stevens Point.

b. Education Report Lynn Ponto. New class of Environment Ed class. These kids would be tasked with the reporting but she will still have volunteers but this will double or triple her work force.

6. Grant Committeer: No Report

7. Old Business:

8. a. Public Comment: None.

b. City permits – Public Works. Mike K Jim T Schumacher Howard Q.

c. Individual permits till July 12th

9. Next meeting July 12th Library 6:00 PM

10. Adjourn Meeting : Jim