Forest Lake Lake Association 2010 Update and 2011 Outlook

Dear Friends of the Lake:

2010 is just about finished.  We want to both update you on the progress made this year by your FLLA and provide you with an initial schedule of events for 2011.

2010  ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Lake Ice Annual Clean Up: 2010 was the fourth year that Association volunteers cleaned up a dumpster load of trash and debris from the ice prior to ice out. They then enjoyed a complimentary barbecue sponsored by Board member Pete Paider of the Forest Laker.

Invasive Species Aquatic Weed  Control  Program:  Control of the invasive species Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) through DNR approved and controlled herbicide treatment  has been a major goal of the Association . By working closely with the City, treated areas have increased as follows:

1. 15 acres in 2008(trial)
2. 100 acres in 2009
3. 155 acres in 2010: Lake 3(63 acres), Lake 2(37 acres) and Lake 1(55 acres)

With this year’s expansion to Lake 1 we now have an active and aggressive treatment program on all three lakes. The 2010 treatment cost was $32,000, funded $25,000 by the city and $7,000 by your Association. 

Weed Harvesting Program:  The city  and  Association worked together to continue selective weed harvesting to accomplish the following goals:

1.To keep lake connecting channels open.
2.To maintain open paths from the various bay entrances to deeper water
3.To clear open paths to deeper water for  Lake 3 public launches

The frequency and success of the program is dependent on the number of volunteers we have , so if you can, please make time to volunteer in 2011.  The Association donated $2000 to the City to help with harvester maintenance costs. Thank you to board members Blake Dalbec and Jeff Gosiak for organizing and leading the harvesting program this year.

Membership Drives:  Association membership increased from 220 last year to 300 this year but fell short of our goal of 400. The following activities were focused on increasing membership;

1. A meeting flier was hand delivered to all nonmembers living on the lake inviting them to attend the Association annual meeting. We signed up 30 new members.
2. Board members recruited and  spoke at at lake condo and homeowner association meetings.
3. “Arts in the Park” summer program. This activity helped increase membership, helped educate the community on the Association and lake issues and raised money by selling lake related items.

Thank you to Board member Gayle Hove for organizing and running  “Arts in the Park” for the third year in a row and thank you to the Association volunteers who worked at the booth over the 14 summer weeks.


Watershed District(WSD): The association continued to work closely with the local Comfort Lake-Forest Lake WSD to improve water quality. In response to our emphasis on starting a program to help prevent invasive species (zebra mussels and milfoil) from entering Forest Lake, The WSD provided funds to the DNR for 100 hours of public launch boat inspections and boater education on Forest Lake this past summer. The WSD continued their matching grant program to homeowners ($3000) and to commercial properties ($15,000) for installing rain gardens/lakeshore restoration projects to keep phosphorus and pollutants out of the lake.

Fundraisers:  

1. The spring Wine Tasting Event was, again, a very successful fund raiser for the Association. Thank you to Board members Chance Norby and Bob Muske for organizing this event, to the other Board members who helped, and to our many association and non association members who supported the event with their donations and attendance.

2. The fall Boat Cleanup was offered as both a convenience and fundraiser. Thank you to Pete Paider for organizing the event and to Abbra Carpet Cleaning for their indispensable support.

Documentation of Lake Value to the Community/City: This past year the Association worked very hard developing a data base that documented the economic and recreational value of the lake to a community base much broader than just lakeshore property owners. For example, did you know that  85% of the people who use the lake do not live on the lake?  This and other lake usage facts was very instrumental in building understanding and alignment with the City Council and other city officials on the lake as an economic and recreational asset and community priority.

Election Candidates’ Positions on Lake Issues:  The Association arranged to have candidates for the office of Mayor or City Council explain their position on selected lake issues.This information was both sent to you and posted on our web site to provide you with information as input to your overall voting decision. Thank you to Board members Blake Roberts and Bjorn Larsen and to Liz Swanson for organizing and implementing this project.

2011 Program Plans

A.  EVENT  DATES

2011 Membership Dues:  Electronic invoicing of members for 2011 dues will be in January.

Ice Cleanup:  March 12,19,26 depending on ice condition/weather

FLLA  Annual Meeting:  Wed., March 30^th

Spring Boat Cleanup Fund Raiser:   Saturday, May 21^st

Wine/Beer Tasting Fund Raiser:  Friday, June 3^rd



B.  PROGRAMS

Aquatic Weed Control:  The City and Association will work together to treat 170 acres in 2011. Cost: $35,000. The city will fund $25,000 and the association will fund $10,000.

Weed Harvesting : This program will continue with the city and association working together. The FLLA will contribute $2000 for maintenance of the harvester. We need volunteers to run the harvester..please volunteer if you can.

Membership:   The goal is to increase membership from 300 in 2010 to 400 in 2011 which would represent 35% of  lake residents. To do this we will need volunteers. Please volunteer.

Write a Lake Management Plan:   We need volunteers to work with the Watershed District to help write a 5 year Lake Management Plan so we can qualify for funds to improve water quality and address the issue of summer algae blooms.



C.  NEW  PROGRAMS


Storm Water Run-Off Lake Contamination:  Storm water run-off whether from residential or commercial property is one of the major contributors to declining water quality and algae blooms. We will work with the WSD and the city to develop a plan and schedule to address  identified storm water run-off sites.


Zebra Mussels (Invasive Species):

1. Continue to work with the WSD to fund DNR public launch boat inspections.
2. Test/evaluate to determine to what extent Zebra Mussels could propagate in Forest  Lake.
3. Develop a monitoring and action plan for zebra mussels.

We look for your continued and expanded support both financially and through volunteering in 2011. We are now at a growth stage where we need more volunteers to continue to make meaningful progress on lake issues. Thank you.

FLLA Board of Directors

Candidate positions on Lake Issues

Dear Friends of the Lake,

Below are three questions on lake issues that we asked the Mayoral and council member candidates. The FLLA Board members are not recommending any particular candidates.  However, we felt it was important that our members have an opportunity to understand the candidates’ position on lake issues. We hope this information is helpful to you in determining your overall voting decision.

FLLA Board Members

Lake Questions to Mayoral Candidates

Chris Johnson

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  I agree that the lake is among the most important if not the most important asset of the City.  The Lake sets the City apart from our neighboring communities.  I want to see us enhance that asset and build its reputation as much as possible to correspondingly make Forest Lake more attractive to families and businesses as a destination point and a place to live.  I like the partnership that has formed between the City and the Lake Association, but believe that the City should do more.  I would like to take a strategic approach to improving the water quality and weed control and am open to the idea of bringing in a consultant to advise on the best and most cost-effective means of achieving our goals of weed control and water quality.  Additionally, fishing is obviously an important aspect of the lake’s reputation.  I want to work with the Lake Association to make Forest Lake one of the top fishing lakes in our region.  For the specifics of how we can achieve these goals, I will seek on input from interested parties and experts and will make decisions based on those perspectives.

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  I am relatively new to this issue.  Through the information that you provided, you have made a compelling case that the City is significantly underfunding the lake.  I also understand that the City was spending $67,000.00 on weed harvesting and it sounds like we are now achieving better results spending significantly less.  This shows that spending money smartly is better than simply spending money.  This is why I would like to look into obtaining more expertise to determine the optimal means of improving the lake.  Then, if we can achieve better results, I would vote to increase the City’s current weed control budget.  I want to first make what we believe is the best plan and then I would be willing to fund the plan to the extent possible.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs? 

Answer:  As I understand it, the primary concern is boats being put into the water with the invasive species present.  I believe that the City’s role should primarily be communicating the issue through signs at the access points.  It is important that we do what we can to prevent this problem and am open to other good ideas for the City to play a role on this issue.

Jackie McNamara

Lake Position:

To the Forest Lake Lake Association:

I have always stayed true to my belief that the lakes of Forest Lake are our biggest and best asset.  This community has developed over the years because of the beautiful lakes that we are so very lucky to have and enjoy.

I believe that our city should take an aggressive approach to the beautification and the maintenance of our lakes.  The lakes bring in guests from other areas and that grows our city's businesses.  I believe that the responsibility of maintaining the lakes rests on the appropriate funding from the city budget.  A partnership with the local lakes associations seems to be working well, and I would encourage that relationship to continue.

I would like to see the best possible way to finance the maintenance of the lake by working together with the lake associations, the  DNR, and any other opportunities that may be available.  It believe that the cost of the task should be determined and then the funding should be divided accordingly.

I believe that the work that the lake associations have done with the DNR is the most effective approach to being proactive to eleviate any future invasions that may occur.  I would put my trust in the information that could be produced from these two agencies and then act on that information.

Thank you for asking the questions.  I hope that we can work together in the near future.

Jackie McNamara

Forest Lake City Council

• No response was received from Mayoral candidate Kevin Grinnell

Lake Questions to City Council Candidates

 Bruce Anderson

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  The city should play a huge role in making Forest Lake the best, most beautiful lake in the state.  It is the cornerstone of our community.  The lake should be the major draw of bringing business and customers to our city.   How many times have you heard persons talk about how weedy Forest Lake is?  We can't afford that reputation.  We need city officials who can work with the DNR.  We need better control on the lake level.  The city needs to promote the lake association to attract new members.  If elected I will propose a world scale marathon running event, using the lake as the focal point, that could bring millions to the community.

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  Absolutely increase.   But I would not stop at just weed control.  Water level, clarity, fish, lake access issues also need to be addressed.   We need to be fiscally responsible at all times and look for cheaper but effective alternatives in weed control.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  As I stated, the lake is the cornerstone of the community.  The city must do what ever is necessary to protect the lake.  This could include education so boaters know what we are talking about, and inspections and fines of careless boaters not taking precautions.   Everyone will ask about the cost.  What is the cost to the city if the lake is ruined?

Ed Eigner

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  I believe, as stated in their mission statement, the city should be the leader when it comes to maintaining and protecting some of our greatest assets, our lakes. They should not only provide some of the financial support but should work with federal, state and local agencies in order to gain support for our lakes. The city needs to be our voice in dealing with these agencies. 

 

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  If I were elected I would increase the weed control budget to $80,000 for Forest Lake and $20,000 for Clear Lake. Even though this might seem like a large increase it would only represent about 2.3% of the additional revenue the city receives on the added value assessed to Lake Homes. Going forward I would like the budget to be based on the results of the treatment and what other needs the Lakes might have. Future budgets might more accurately tie the amount of dollars to the revenue the Lakes generate for the city. The city should also consider other possible revenue sources such as TIF’s, Lake usage permits, and pull tabs.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  The city needs to take an active role in these issues so they can be proactive rather than reactive. Close alliances with these other cities and Lake Associations must be established. We need to be on the cutting edge in dealing with these issues. Federal, State and local agencies must all be informed about the condition of our lakes. If the city takes an active role we will be ahead of the curve in dealing with these issues.

Michael Freer

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  Forest Lake is the identity of the city.  It is essential that the city invests in its own future by preserving the lake.

 

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  I would increase the weed control budget for both lakes.  This investment will help attract people to our area for relaxation and recreation.  Our business will benefit from this investment through increased sales. The values of houses will increase.  The increased tax base will allow for further investment into our lakes.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  When the weeds are under control, the city investment could go towards stopping the spread of invasive species.  The spread of these invasive species is a result of people being irresponsible.  Cities can help through promoting responsible use of its lakes by its citizens.  Their financial support and the advertising assistance help get the message out to more people and different audiences.

Jeff Klein

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  I believe the city should look at the lake(s) as one big park.  Our lake(s) is what sets us apart from other communites in the area.  I like the fact that there is a public / private partnership currently in place as I believe that is a good model for success.  I would like to see the city increase its role in this partnership both physically and monetarily.

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  I would vote to increase the weed control budget.  Speaking with many people personally during the campaign, it has become obvious to me that a majority of people in the community value the lakes in our area.  It has also been noticed by me and brought to my attention by others that Forest Lake was weedier than usual this year.  Especially around the public boat launches – most notably #2.  A quality lake will help increase property values and drive business into the city.  Not by itself, mind you, but it can play a key role.  So, to abandon the weed control effort would be shortsighted. 

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  Education and communication are probably the most productive thing the city can do.   The DNR does a good job getting the word out statewide but we need an extra effort locally to protect our lakes.   Once milfoil and, even worse, zebra mussels enter a lake it is extremely difficult to control and nearly impossible to eradicate.   At that point,  a tremendous amount of money and resources would be needed constantly just to maintain.  I liken education and communication to the old adage of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Michael Kuehn

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  The city should work side by side with the two lake committees to research and administer positive and effective measures to control weeds.

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  Increase. The budget was cut and is now time to resume lake (weed) control-but only in a positive or permanent way.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  The city should support the results of the two lake committees and help protect our valuable asset.

Christopher Soderlind

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  Like our business district which also needs much support and expanding both of these can and should be utilized as a resource to build our community. I believe we should take advantage of those things explained in this FLLA report. In my view I saw in the cities 2010 comprehensive budget report, a money pit that brings in little to the city, has little activity from the city and costs the city much I would consider de-funding this other department and spreading these funds towards the lake and other more useful areas. I truly see the lake as a huge resource, and would support as such.

 

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:

• Not only would look into what it would take to increase this budget, I would look for ways to add to this budget with other revenue resources.
• Why? First I believe they are beautiful lakes and can be a city revenue resource, attracting people from outside the city.  * the reason I added this information is White Bear Lake has both a private and public pavilions, why not look into how we could do the same. If this city wants to move forward we will need to take advantage of all our possible resources.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  If elected I would be open to any means in protecting our resources

Susan Young

Question 1:  Forest Lake is an important natural resource that attracts many people from outside the area into Forest Lake for recreation which brings in money for local businesses and visitors to the Lake Street area.  What role do you believe the city should play in maintaining and protecting this natural resource?

Answer:  The City has a legally limited number of roles to play in protecting Forest Lake and the other waters in the City.  Zoning control and stormwater management activities including requirement of construction BMP’s and education are the primary mechanisms that we can use to protect water quality; lake maintenance activities include weed control and inlet/outlet maintenance.  Through zoning rules we can control lakeshore setbacks and density along the lakes and in the watersheds.  Our State Stormwater Permit requires the City to have ordinances that control the contamination of water through non-point source controls.  These BMP’s (Best Management Practices) require measures such as construction runoff control (to keep mud and dirt out of the waters), require the City to keep detergents, oil and other pollutants from parking lots and businesses from running into waters and monitor stormwater ponds and infiltration beds to insure that releases from these do not exceed “natural” rates.  Our Stormwater Permit also requires the City to conduct an education program for citizens to learn how to minimize their effect on waters by plantings, lawn and landscape management and car washing, for example.  Forest Lake can enact ordinances to protect water quality.  Forest Lake was one of the first cities in the metro area to prohibit phosphate fertilizers from being used in the City limits, and ordinances that have been enacted to support the Stormwater Permit include requirements of certain BMP’s, anti-littering ordinance (on streets and on the lake ice during winter) and runoff rate controls.

Lake maintenance activities include weed cutting, and herbicide applications.  The City can also maintain the inlet and outlet structures of our waterbodies so that they meet the state-set water levels.

Question 2:  If elected to city council would you vote to reduce, maintain, or increase the City's current lake weed control budget of $25,000 for Forest Lake and $5,000 for Clear lake and why?

Answer:  I have voted to maintain the City’s current lake week control budget.  Assuming that the City’s budget constraints remain relatively similar or improved to what they are today, I can commit to maintaining that level, with an inflationary increase in future years.

Question 3:  What role do you believe the city should take in protecting the lake from invasive species such as milfoil and zebra muscles, which have invaded lakes in the area such as Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake and Lake Milacs?

Answer:  Legally the City has little role to play in invasive species management.  We can include invasive species management education in our Stormwater permit education activities.  We can encourage volunteers to educate boaters at boat ramps in the City, as we have encouraged volunteers to plant native species that improve runoff quality in several areas around the lake.  I am willing to investigate our jurisdiction to enact an ordinance that would duplicate State laws requiring draining of live wells and cleaning of boats when boats are taken from the lakes.

• No response was received from City Council candidate Bo Bogotty

Dear Friends of the Lake,

The Forest Lake wrestling team is trying to raise money to support their sport  by taking out docks and lifts. We are sending this information to our membership as a public service to the School and also because our members may be interested in the service they offer. Please review the information below and contact the wrestling team if you are interested.

FLLA Board of Directors

Forest Lake Wrestling Dock Project

Need help taking your dock out of the lake for winter storage?
Do you like to give back to the community?

The Forest Lake High School Wrestling Team would like to partner up with you.  The wrestlers have been taking docks out of Forest Lake for the last several years for only a few residents .  We are now offering our services to the public to help raise funds for the wrestling program.  All dollars go directly to the wrestling program!

Dock Project Info:

Date:  Saturday, October 9th - All day - One day only!!!

Cost:  Negotiable, however a donation of $100 is suggested.  We do request a larger donation for docks over 100', boat lifts and docks that are labor intensive or difficult to remove.  Again, donations are negotiable. We want to be flexible.

Sign-up:  First come, first served!  Depending on demand, we may limit the amount of docks to be removed.  Please be sure to call or e-mail ASAP.

Contact:  Billy Pierce, FL Head Wrestling Coach, e-mail: wpierce@forestlake.k12.mn.us or call: 651-491-9995

Appointment Times:  By the end of next week, you will be contacted and given a 3 hour time slot for your dock removal appointment (e.g. 9:00am-12:00pm).

Tools:  We will bring tools.  However, you will need to provide any special tools that are required for your dock removal.

Misc. Info.:  The Forest Lake Wrestling team will break up into 4 teams of 8-12 wrestlers, coaches and parents covering Clear Lake, Forest Lake and Martin Lake.  The teams will start at House A and go to the next closest house down the shoreline.  Time slots will be based on the house we start at and the difficulty of the dock removal.  Please keep in mind that this is our first year of offering this service. 

If you have any questions, please contact Billy Pierce at 651-491-9995 orwpierce@forestlake.k12.mn.us.

Thank you for your time and consideration!

Billy Pierce
Forest Lake Area High school
Special Education Teacher
Head Wrestling Coach
(o)651-982-8422 ext. #2
(c)651-491-9995

FLLA September Update

Dear Friends of the Lake,

This has not been a good summer for the lake when you consider weeds floating to shore, water clarity and algae blooms. We have done some checking and want to share with you what we have discovered. The information will be presented in three segments:

1. Curly Leaf Pondweed  which is an invasive species and can be a problem in late June/early July.
               
2. Late July/August weeds floating to shore.

3. Algae blooms and poor water clarity.


Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP)

In Forest Lake Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) is the most common weed . It is also an invasive species. This means if left uncontrolled it will spread and dominate other native weed species of which there are 23 in Forest Lake.

CLP grows extremely fast to form a dense mat like structure at the surface which blocks light and chokes out other native aquatic weed species. The dense weed structure also interferes with recreational use of that area by swimmers, water skiers , tubing, personal watercraft and even sail boating. In late June/early July CLP dies and floats to shore clogging shorelines. As it decays, it releases phosphorus which with warm water temperatures  stimulates algae blooms and reduces water clarity.

A top priority for the FLLA is to control and reduce CLP in Forest Lake. Working with the city, the DNR and the Watershed District, 155 acres of CLP weed beds were treated in early May before aggressive growth started. 63 acres were treated on Lake 3, 37 acres on Lake 2, and 55 acres on Lake 1. The weed beds treated were “dominant CLP” which means they were 75% plus CLP. Thus, tons of CLP were eliminated from dying in late June/early July and floating to shore.  Other CLP beds remain and these beds probably produced  dying, floating  weeds that could be a nuisance depending upon where you live on the lake and the wind direction. These remaining beds will be treated as we gain control of the initial beds treated( 1-3 years). So over time we will be able to control CLP.

The floating weeds we all experienced in late July, August and into September were not Curly Leaf Pondweed. The late summer floating weeds will be discussed next.

Late July/ August /September Floating Weeds

In order to better understand the late season floating weeds issue, we contacted Lake Management Inc.  Lake Management has been treating weeds on Forest Lake for many years and is very familiar with the lake. They indicated that Coontail and Canada Waterweed (Elodea) are two common  weeds on Forest Lake that have no or very weak root structures and will break away and float with  boat traffic or heavy  winds. This past summer we have had a large number of severe storms and a lot of days with heavy and constant winds. Lake Management feels that  these storms and winds  caused the high incidence of floating weeds.

Algae Blooms and Low Water Clarity

This past summer we have had a lot of algae blooms. It varied by lake but Lake 1 was probably the worst. As a result water clarity was very low. Algae blooms require warm water and a source of phosphorus. The source of phosphorus from dying Curly Leaf Pondweed was significantly reduced because of the 155 acre treatment program. It was the opinion of the Watershed District that the heavy rains, especially following two drought years, probably washed a significant amount of nutrients into the lake. The nutrients when combined with the above average water temperatures probably instigated the severe algae blooms we experienced. In addition the WSD indicated that high winds like we experienced can stir up phosphorus from the lake bottom of shallow lakes similar to Lake 1. If you recall, the previous two summers were very dry with few heavy storms and very little run off into the lake. Last year (2009 summer) was one of the best years for water clarity without  mid to late season  floating weed issues.

This coming year we plan to consult and work with the Watershed District to better understand our algae and water clarity issues to see what options are available to reduce algae blooms and improve water clarity. Bald Eagle lake in White Bear had an algae and water clarity issue  which they addressed with the WSD’s help and reportedly have made progress in reducing phosphorus inflow .


This is all the information we have at this time. We hope that this Newsletter begins to shed some light on what happened this summer to our lake.


The FLLA Board Members
Steve Schmaltz, President

3rd Annual Boat Clean-up

Reminder:

3rd Annual Boat Clean-up is this Saturday!

Forest Lake Lake Association (FLLA) announces its 3rd Annual Fall Boat Clean-up date of Saturday, September 25, 2010 (October 2nd rain date) from 11:00am-4:00pm, at the First Lake boat landing in Forest Lake.  This fundraising event, benefiting the continued efforts of the FLLA is being offered by ABBRA carpet cleaning "your restoration experts" and will cost $35 to boat owners, a portion of which will be donated to FLLA.

While you wait please join the FLLA and boat owners at The Forest Laker Lakeside Seafood restaurant (formally the “Office") who will be donating the proceeds from their weekly "South of the border Saturday" promotion featuring their Famous Giant Taco, Cuervo Gold Margaritas and more! 

For more info please contact FLLA Board Member Pete Paidar at 651-338-4647 or via email at: radiapinc@yahoo.com
Hope to see you Saturday!!!

Annual Labor Day Boat Tie-up!!

3rd Annual Boat Clean-up date has been set!

Forest Lake Lake Association (FLLA) announces its 3rd Annual Fall Boat Clean-up date of Saturday, September 25, 2010 (October 2nd rain date) from 11:00am-4:00pm, at the First Lake boat landing in Forest Lake.  This fundraising event, benefiting the continued efforts of the FLLA is being offered by ABBRA carpet cleaning "your restoration experts" and will cost $35 to boat owners, a portion of which will be donated to FLLA.

While you wait please join the FLLA and boat owners at The Forest Laker Lakeside Seafood restaurant (formally the “Office") who will be donating the proceeds from their weekly "South of the border Saturday" promotion featuring their Famous Giant Taco, Cuervo Gold Margaritas and more! For more info please contact FLLA Board Member Pete Paidar at 651-338-4647 or via email at: radiapinc@yahoo.com

Don't forget to join us for our Annual Labor Day Boat Tie-up!!

When:  THIS Saturday September 4th at 2:00 pm  (rain date Sunday Sept 5th)

Location:   Northeast side of 3rd lake (Shadyland Point)  If the wind is too strong there, the alternate location with be on the south side of 3rd lake.   (Look for the a large balloon for exact location)

Join for your fellow Lake Association members for a fun social gathering!  This will be a great opportunity to visit with other lake property owners, discuss lake issues, purchase Lake Association flags and other lake related items.

Please invite your friends and neighbors that are not yet Lake Association members.  Questions, please contact FLLA Board Member Blake Roberts at: 651-755-6400 or via email at:  broberts@forestlakefloral.com

Hope to see you there!
Forest Lake - Lake Association
www.ourforestlake.com