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Lily Lake Summerhaven Association |
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Rev. 30-Jun-09
Welcome Message from the President
It looks as if summer is finally here. Many thanks to all of you for your support. If you ever have anything you'd like us to take up with the Town Board, please don't hesitate to call or email. See you on the lake!Jennifer Reed, President, Lily Lake Summerhaven Association, a voluntary organization of Lilly Lake residents whose purposes include community building, Neighborhood Watch, and communication and presentation of issues affecting the community to the proper authorities.
Note: The Association is most grateful to NCast Corporation for the donation of server space and technical support for this Web site.
Special Announcements:
President
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Jennifer Reed cell: 262-492-1624 home land line: 537-4843 alxsmom521@yahoo.com 33239 76th St |
First Vice
President
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Marilyn Magnuski 537-4750 mjmagnuski@netwurx.net 7723 334th Avenue |
Second Vice
President
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Mike Adam 537-2413 mikelly@wi.rr.com 7126 327th Ave |
Secretary
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Pat Scannell 537-4408 33260 80th St |
Treasurer
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Jillian Verstrate (unlisted) 7634 Lily Lake Rd Mailing address: P.O. Box 763 New Munster, WI 53152 |
| Area | Captain | Address
& Email |
Phone |
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Mike Adam |
7126 327th Ave mikelly@wi.rr.com |
537-2413 |
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Colleen Geren |
33212 76th St |
537-3435 |
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Paul Lyons | 32911 77th St lejon@wi.rr.com |
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Kelly Wilson | 8003 328th Ave Kwilson23@wi.rr.com |
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Bill Scannell | 33260 80th St |
537-4408 |
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Marilyn Magnuski | 7723 334th Ave mjmagnuski@netwurx.net |
537-4750 |
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Nancy Snider |
8134 335th Avenue nn.snider@yahoo.com |
262-492-4129 |
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Aridith Monzel | 33508 80th St ardiescott@netwurx.net |
537-2319 |
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Kathleen Cashman | 7662 Lily Lake Rd. lilylakekathi@tds.net |
537-2561 |
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Jackie O'Connor |
7582 Lilly Lake Rd. roc@tds.net |
537-2171 |
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Colleen Campbell | 33618 76th St. wilakelover@yahoo.com |
537-3396 |
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Vacant |
If you cannot reach your block captain and you want to discuss something urgent, please call one of the Board members.
The following highlights present the main topics and issues covered
during the meeting. The highlights summarize the main ideas and are not
meant to be a complete verbatim transcript of the whole meeting.
Block Captain Reports
Area 1 (327th Ave) will be sprayed for gypsy moths. Residents pay part
of the cost. A grant pays the rest. The moth situation got so bad that
residents contacted the county last fall to become part of the spraying
program. You can contract with an arborist to spray individual lots.
There are lots of gypsy moths along Cty JI. If the county gets enough
calls from residents, they will survey the area for possible spraying.
The spray just knocks down the population to manageable levels. It does
not eliminate the moths.
Area 6 (334th and Lily Lake Rd) experienced a dog attack on a dog being
walked by its owner. The attacking bull mastiff bit the other dog
multiple times, knocked over its owner, and bit the owner's hand a
couple of times. The case goes to court in mid-May.
We need Block Captains for several areas where there are no Captains.
Contact Mike Adam if you're
interested.
Weed Study
The lake weed study is completed. A special meeting to discuss the
result is scheduled for June 13. The Town will send a mailing before
the meeting.
New Regulations
There are new regulations to prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic
Septicemia (VHS), a disease that kills game fish. See http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/fish/vhs/.
It travels from lake to lake on boats. The rules forbid transport of
live fish and bait between lakes. It's in Lake Michigan but not in
inland lakes.
Could we put a 55-gal drum of antiseptic near the boat launch? Not
necessary. VHS is a cold-water virus. Inland lakes get too warm for it.
So as soon as water temperature rises above 65F, the threat will pass
for us.
Eurasian Milfoil
Milfoil is very difficult to get rid of. Even a small fragment on a
boat or trailer can cause an infestation. Signage near the boat launch
should instruct boaters.
Statewide Ban on Phosphorus in
Fertilizers
WI now bans phosphorus in fertilizers. Most lawns do not need the
extra phosphorus. It washes into the lake and encourages algae to grow.
See http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/nrboard/congress/spring_hearings/2007/resolutions/R%20660407.pdf.
Zebra Mussels
Silver Lake has zebra mussels. They filter the plankton, which
increases water clarity but decreases the food supply for fish. They
usually need hard surfaces to latch onto. Warm water kills them. They
do well in Lake Michigan because it's cold. The DNR has no
recommendation for dealing with them in inland lakes. For
background
information, see
http://www.great-lakes.net/envt/flora-fauna/invasive/zebra.html#overview.
Water Safety Patrol
The Town has approved a water safety patrol for another year. Deputy
Falduto was asked. The Town also approved use of a donated Jet Ski.
Garage Sale
Sue Baldwin cannot run the lakewide garage sale this year. (Thank you,
Sue, for running it so many years.) We need a new chairperson for this
event. The job entails checking dates for conflicts, arranging for ads,
putting up the signs and removing them after the event, and running the
associated bake sale (optional). What about moving the sale to August
to avoid conflicts with graduations?
New Web Page for Home Sales, Resident
Businesses
We will add a page to the web site to list local homes that are for
sale and to give information about businesses that our residents are
running.
Monument Clutter
Lately, the area in front of the monument has become tacky with
advertising. The monument honors fallen soldiers and should be treated
respectfully.
Also, no advertising is to be put on the Summerhaven bulletin board
without permission.
July 4 Parade
The parade is on July 4 this year. There will be no July 4 decorating
contest. Because a lot of places have parades on the 4th, it may be
difficult to get units to join ours. We do have the Wheatland Fire Dept.
Boat Ramp Work
The county put new rock near the boat ramp and leveled the lip, which
heaves every winter. There is concern about the big rocks possibly
being used to damage the fishing pier.
Association Fees and Filings
Is the Association current on fees and paperwork filings with the
State? Public records show we're delinquent, even though we have filed
paperwork every year. Reed will investigate.
Property Assessments
New Town Chairman Bill Glembocki has contacted the assessor. There will
be an open meeting some Saturday to discuss discrepancies in assessment
of different properties.
Jerry Dressler has several petitions in circulation. A group is working
on Town, county, and state officials to review the tax situation.
Weed Spraying
About 30 homeowners signed up for weed spraying.
How do we know they will spray? We pay lots of money, and then
sometimes nothing gets done. The sprayed lake properties are not
flagged.
The Town researched the new company. Also, the weed study group
recommended this company. The previous company (out of Lake Geneva)
changed hands several times over the years. Sometimes we didn't even
know whom we were dealing with. When the spraying is done, the DNR and
Tom Kaczmarek will be out there with them to ensure that the proper
properties are sprayed.
The previous company did not use enough spray and the polymer to make
the spray sink to the bottom. Also, it went out only to 100 ft (new
company will go out 150 ft). The cost is lower too ($93 per 50 ft of
lakefront.) It is recommended not to swim or boat for 24 hours after
the spraying to avoid disturbing the weed killer. The third week in May
is late for spraying.
Nor du Lac has no interest in participating in the weed spraying, but
there are big stretches of private properties that have signed up for
spraying this year.
At the end of the season, there will be an assessment of how well the
weed killer worked. Weeds are really bad where the underground culvert
empties into the lake.
Next Meeting: September 5
The fall meeting is on September 5. At that time, there will be an
election for President and Second VP.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
DAN HIRCHERT (USDA WILDLIFE
SERVICES): GUIDELINES FOR CANADA GOOSE DAMAGE MANAGEMENT IN WISCONSIN
Dan Hirchert from USDA Wildlife Services presented a slide show about
management of goose problems. The USDA gets involved with geese because
they, like deer, can damage crops.
Two populations of geese: migrants
and residents (Giants)
Migrants pass through our area only for short time when they migrate
from Hudson Bay to southern Illinois and back again. They do not breed
here.
Residents (Giants) migrate very little (only when everything here
freezes). They are very productive, averaging 5 eggs per nest. They
live 20 years, are adaptable, don't have many native predators, and
weigh up to 15 lbs.
Damage: crops, airplanes, park areas,
landscapes, water bodies, attacks on people
Resident geese can produce major crop damage, and they threaten safety
near airports. E.g., in 1995, an AWACS plane flew into a flock of
geese; the resulting crash killed all 24 military personnel on board.
In urban areas, they can cause property damage, decimate vegetation,
contaminate water bodies, and increase erosion. They can make such a
mess that people stop using parks. They are also aggressive and will
charge children who are holding food or adults who surprise them while
they are nesting. During their molting period (late June) when they are
unable to fly, they can cause traffic accidents because they walk
everywhere, including in roadways. They may create predator-proof nests
in high places such as roofs. If they succeed in raising a brood
somewhere, they return to the same place, and their young learn to
return to the same place.
Abatement: scare away and reduce
populations, educate the public
You can manage goose concentrations with various techniques: propane
cannons, pyrotechnics, flagging, fencing, and increased hunting. Most
of these techniques are not usable in urban areas.
Hunting laws allow high bag limits (usually 5/day) before the migrants
arrive. Hunting has helped manage the exploding resident goose
population. Sixty to seventy years ago, it was thought that resident
geese were extinct. In 1970, the DNR estimated there were 1600 resident
geese in the state. Now there are probably 155,000. The breeding
population is increasing.
Education is important. People should not feed the geese. Local
ordinances can help enforce that idea. If you notice birds starting to
congregate, try to disperse them because they act as decoys and attract
more birds.
Non-lethal abatement methods include scare devices (like blow-up
figures that inflate on a timer), trained dogs, pyrotechnics,
repellents, and habitat alteration. If you discourage them in one
place, they will go to another nearby area.
They like a smooth transition from water to grass. So anything you can
do to break up that transition, like putting a band of rocks along the
shoreline, can help discourage them. Fences (plain and electric),
string grids, and big plants next to the shore are other methods. For
small ponds, stringing fishing line at 20-ft intervals interferes with
their ability to land in the water.
Because they are so adaptable, you may have to change your disruption
techniques from time to time.
Predators: skunks, raccoons, foxes,
coyotes
Skunks, raccoons, foxes, and coyotes normally don't take on an adult
goose, but they disrupt nests and will kill juvenile birds for food.
One area that had resident foxes stopped having any trouble with geese
because the foxes took out all the young birds.
Protected by treaty
Geese are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. You need a
federal permit to take eggs or birds.
Population management: reduce
breeding, increase mortality
It is our local decision what we'd like to do about the geese. Then we
apply for the permit.
Spraying 100% corn oil on the eggs suffocates the baby geese. However,
you need a permit to do this, and you need to check for new eggs that
the adults might produce. By adding dye to the spray and rechecking the
nest, you can see any new unsprayed eggs. If you break the eggs during
the adults' fertile period, they'll just produce replacement eggs. They
sit on the nests for 28 days. They're fertile for roughly 25 days of
that time.
Addling (shaking) the eggs is another option, but you have to shake for
a long time, and you need a permit.
Nests are hard to find. Geese love islands (for their protection) and
floating bogs. They can nest under bushes and trees. And you may be
attacked as you approach the nest.
2-year process to remove geese: test
for contaminants, then take birds away
Removing geese takes 2 years. The first year, the USDA collects 7 birds
and tests them for PCBs, mercury, lead, and pesticides. The 25
contaminant tests take a long time. The collection takes place near the
end of June when the geese are molting and can't fly.
If the birds test clean (so far, only one community has tested high for
PCBs), the following year the USDA harvests the agreed-upon number of
birds. It is wise to leave a few birds for goose lovers to enjoy so
that the community does not become divided between goose lovers and
goose haters.
The birds are handled, caged, and euthanized humanely. They are sent to
a licensed poultry processor, who turns the meat into gooseburger for
food pantries. Smaller birds are donated to animal sanctuaries for
food. So far, 1600 geese have been pantried or given to Native
Americans for food, and 1800 geese have been used for animal feed.
Effectiveness: manage the big adults
to allow other options to work
If you reduce the number of big adults, other less drastic options may
suffice to manage the geese in subsequent years. One community hasn't
contacted the USDA in 5 years after their first removal. When you have
a smaller population of geese, you attract fewer migrants because there
are fewer decoys.
Summary of actions
1. Reduce food and habitat.
2. Time your actions: act when the geese are nesting and flightless.
That's a roughly 3-week period in June.
3. Solicit neighborhood involvement.
4. Work with law enforcement.
5. Reduce geese to tolerable levels, but don't eliminate all geese.
6. Be proactive. Don't wait until the situation is out of control. If
you have a few geese now, you'll have more later.
Costs: $2000 and $2000
Dan has found a lower-cost lab. So tests for contaminants now run $2000
instead of $4000. Next year, it will cost roughly $2000 to remove some
birds. There is some grant money that may help defray the cost.
Disturb the nests right now
The geese are already nesting and probably sitting on eggs. This is the
time to disturb the nests.
Dan Hirchert can be reached at 1-800-433-0663. He will collect the 7
geese to test for contaminants and apply for a grant. He'll also let
Ron Vollmer know when he comes so that Ardie can take pictures for the
web site.
