Lily Lake Summerhaven Association  Lilly Lake, Wisconsin

Rev. 28-Oct-08

Welcome Message from the President

Hello everyone,
It is amazing. Summer seems to have flown by and fall is quickly approaching! Some sure signs that fall has arrived:  the yellow school bus making its rounds, the squirrels and chipmunks scurrying around cheeks bursting with acorns, and of course the first signs of color change can be seen on the trees. The Summerhaven Association's fall meeting was held at the Wheatland Town Hall on Saturday, September 13th. You can view the meeting highlights elsewhere on this page.

Thank you for visiting the website and remember to check in regularly. It is a great way to find out information from the Association as well as local events.
Sincerely,

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:

• See the agenda for the next Town Board meeting.
• Wheatland was given a grant to study lake weeds per the June 27, 2008 Kenosha News.
  
• If you think you have gypsy moths, see http://gypsymoth.wi.gov/.
  
• To non-US readers of this web site: Every month, the web log shows evidence that people far away have accessed this web site. I'm really curious to know how you found us and why you would visit (our information is of purely local interest). Please email Marilyn if you wish to share any information about why you came to this site. Thank you.
• See Other local events for information on events in our area.
If your church or civic group is having a festival, rummage sale, or other public event, please tell Marilyn so that she can put it on the calendar.

Board Members

President	Jennifer Reed cell: 262-492-1624 home land line: 537-4843 alxsmom521@yahoo.com 33239 76th St
First Vice President	Marilyn Magnuski 537-4750 mjmagnuski@netwurx.net 7723 334th Avenue
Second Vice President	Mike Adam 537-2413 mikelly@wi.rr.com 7126 327th Ave
Secretary	Pat Scannell 537-4408 33260 80th St
Treasurer	Jillian Verstrate (unlisted) 7634 Lily Lake Rd Mailing address: P.O. Box 763 New Munster, WI 53152

Block Captains

If you cannot reach your block captain and you want to discuss something urgent, please call one of the Board members.

Highlights of the September 13, 2008 Meeting

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.

Election of President of the Association (1-year term)
Tom Kaczmarek and Jennifer Reed were nominated. Kaczmarek stressed that the Association has no legal or regulatory authority. It's a social organization that doesn't represent everyone around the lake. It cannot represent Lilly Lake to the Town Board.

Some attendees mentioned that Neighborhood Watch is not social. The Association can represent its members, who join voluntarily. Anyone else can go to the Town Board at any time to voice an opinion.

Reed would like to see the Association do social events and also be a voice raising issues to the Town Board.

After a heated discussion, Kaczmarek withdrew his nomination. Reed was elected as President to fill out Vollmer's unexpired term.

Other Elections
Marilyn Magnuski was re-elected as First VP.
Pat Scannell was re-elected as Secretary.
Since Reed vacated her position as Second VP to take the President's position, Mike Kelly was elected to fill out the remaining year of her term.

Treasurer's Report
Any paid member who wants a copy of the Treasurer's report should contact Jennifer Reed.
Paid membership was 83, but more dues were collected at the meeting.

Gypsy Moths
A survey to look for egg cases will be done after the leaves drop. This appears to be the worst infestation in 20 years. Some residents have lost trees. Call the County if you want to report heavy infestations.

Block Captain Reports
- Some homeowners found spray-painting of their property.
- Some blocks have a higher-than-normal number of empty houses.
- Colleen Geren will resume being Block Captain 2 now that her son's long medical ordeal is over.

Association Events
- Very few people participate in the July 4 decorating contest, perhaps due to all the parade activity. We'll run it one more year. If participation is still spotty, we'll drop it.
- We have a July 4 parade that everyone walks in and no one watches. How about including some farm vehicles? There are several ideas for changing and expanding the parade. More volunteers are needed for various parade jobs. It would really help if some of the younger people would participate.
- The fall decorating contest is scheduled for October 25-26. This contest usually has good participation because it's so close to Halloween.

Fish Kills
Large numbers of fish died a few weeks ago, probably due to columnaris bacteria, which quickly kills pan fish.

Fish were spawning up till 2 weeks ago. There have been quite a few fish kills in the area related to spawning. June rains delayed spawning and destroyed nests.

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) is another killer. We probably won't get it directly from boats that have been in Lake Michigan because those big boats don't operate on Lilly Lake. But it could travel on boats that have been in the Chain of Lakes (exposed to Lake Michigan boats) and then here. NOTE that there are new boating regulations about fish transfers to help prevent the spread of VHS.

Parking
The Town Board needs to enforce parking regulations. On some weekends, cars and trailers are parked very far back on the roads around the beach and ramp.

Web Site
Magnuski will add a statement to the web site clarifying that the Association does not have regulatory powers.

Water Levels
The Town of Wheatland misrepresented the water level when it closed the lake a few years back. High water mark was actually average high water mark. Since Lilly Lake has no inlet or outlet, our situation is different from that of nearby lakes. The lake should never be closed for floating piers or erosion. If you have a non-conforming sea wall, call the DNR to see what you need to do to repair it.

Why are we arguing about this issue? There is science involved. Let the DNR establish the high water mark and put in markers. Then it's straightforward: if water is over the high water mark, the lake is closed. If water is under the high water mark, the lake stays open. No more wrangling over the issue.

The Town Board has not allowed this to happen in the past. Why not? Reed will find out.

While the DNR is here, they'll identify non-compliant sea walls, and then the owners will have to bring them into conformance.

Even if the lake is open, it is hoped that people would respect property and not do anything to cause erosion or other problems for other lakefront owners.

Communication
The Association Board is working on updating email and phone lists. A high priority is improving communication. Residents will be asked if they want their contact information released when someone asks for our membership list.

Geese and E. Coli Levels
The Town ought to test the Nor du Lac beach too. Geese congregate there. There ought to be water tests in at least two places.

You can test your own lakefront for about $15.

Weed Study
The Town-sponsored weed study is in progress. Testers took 236 samples and have started the analysis and report. They are also mounting the weeds for exhibition. The first draft of the report should be available in mid-January.

Meeting Schedule
Members voted to hold the Association spring meeting no earlier than April 30 and the fall meeting no later than two weeks before Labor Day so that more homeowners can attend.

Check Writing
Every check written on Association funds should have two signatures. If we are ever audited, would we pass?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

Copyright © 2008 Lily Lake Summerhaven Association. All rights reserved.
Lilly Lake (Wisconsin)
Web master: Marilyn Magnuski, 262-537-4750, mjmagnuski@netwurx.net