News 2010

2010 ICE IN:

Don Hope and Phoebe Alden, our official Ice-in/Ice-out referees, report Ice-In for 2010 as December 13th.

There is still missing data - please see the chart here.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 2010 Report

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), with other state and local groups and individuals, is working in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) on the Sustaining Lakes in a Changing Environment (SLICE) Sentinel Lakes Program. The focus of this interdisciplinary effort is to improve understanding of how major drivers of change such as development, agriculture, climate change, and invasive species can affect lake habitats and fish populations, and to develop a long-term strategy to collect the necessary information to detect undesirable changes in Minnesota Lakes. To increase our ability to predict the consequences of land cover and climate change on lake habitats, SLICE utilizes intensive lake monitoring strategies on a wide range of representative Minnesota lakes. To understand where lakes are trending, one must understand past changes to climate, land use, water quality, lake habitats, and fish communities. Accordingly, the MPCA and MDNR are publishing lake assessment reports for each sentinel lake to serve as baseline syntheses of watershed and lake conditions and to form the foundation of future explorations. Attached is the lake assessment report for Ten Mile Lake (11-0413) Cass County Minnesota co-authored by Kelly O’Hara (MPCA), Steve Heiskary (MPCA), Ray Valley (MDNR) and Calub Shavlik (MDNR). These reports can also be found on the web at http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/water/water-types-and-programs/surface-water/lakes/lake-water-quality/sentinel-lakes.html. For specific inquiries on Ten Mile Lake contact the lead authors. For general inquiries about the SLICE program, please contact Sentinel Lakes Program Coordinator, Ray Valley (ray.valley @ state.mn.us).

Harlan Fierstine
Area Fisheries Supervisor
07316 State 371 NW
Walker, MN 56484
218/547-1683
harlan.fierstine @ state.mn.us

Click here to see the 2010 report on Ten Mile Lake from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

Sandy Beach Project

Sandy Beach Property (9/18 Announcement)

As all members of the Ten Mile Lake Association were informed in late August, the Board of the TMLA authorized a pledge campaign to determine if there was sufficient interest and financial support to purchase 500 feet of Sandy Beach shoreline and over 70 acres of land behind it. In the three weeks that were allowed for the pledge drive, 80 TMLA members responded with pledges, but the total amount pledged was not sufficient to enable purchase of the land. In its meeting of September 18, the TMLA Board voted to inform the developer that the Association was unable to purchase the land. Subsequently, the earnest money was returned to the TMLA. The TMLA is aware that for various reasons not all members were in favor of purchasing the land, but it is important to note that in situations like this the money for such a purchase would represent a gift to the Association, which the Board would then vote to accept or not accept. The Association’s policy is well spelled out in its gifting brochure, and whether a gift is a single large donation or an aggregate of smaller donations, the same principles would be applied. The Association thanks those who pledged funds in support of the purchase, and because the decision was made not to proceed with the purchase, those who did pledge have no obligation to fulfill their pledges.

Original Letter to Ten Mile Lake Association Members and Friends

Brochure (outside)

Brochure (inside)

At the 2010 Annual Meeting of the Ten Mile Lake Association, the James Schwartz Distinguished Service Award was awarded to the John Alden. Upon accepting the award on behalf of her late husband, Phoebe Alden read "Desiderata", written by John and expressing his deep feelings for Ten Mile Lake.

Desiderata

As we pass through the waters of life, our life is reflected in the waters we inhabit

So be it hoped –

That the meaning of life will be as clear as the waters of Ten Mile

That our life dreams will be as renewing as the waters of Ten Mile

That our richness of life will be as deep as the waters of Ten Mile

That our future accomplishments will be as satisfying as the waters of Ten Mile

That our life’s travails will pass as do the seasons of the waters of Ten Mile

John L. Alden

Arsenic Testing of Well Water

A few individuals on Ten Mile have expressed an interest in having their well water tested for arsenic levels. This is not a usual part of the well water testing that is routinely offered by the TMLA during the summer (July 10 this year). However, Instrumental Research Inc., the company that does our routine lakewater and well water analysis, has indicated its willingness to test water from individual wells for arsenic. This is a special analysis, which would be done on top of the routine analysis for E. coli, and it would cost roughly $40-50 per sample. If you are interested in having such testing done, please contact Bruce Carlson at brcarl@umich.edu or 218-675-5580 no later than July 1. A list of those who desire such analysis will be sent to Instrumental Research, and special collection bottles will be brought to the lake for the July 10 testing day. Please provide Bruce with your name, address and whether you would go to well water collection site on the north or the south side of the lake.

Arsenic is not considered to be a major problem in this area, but some wells that have been tested have rarely shown high levels. Arsenic is one of those minerals that can be high in one site and low in the next lot. Well drillers are required to have water from new wells tested for arsenic, and they do not report any major problems in the Ten Mile area.

RAISING DOUGH BENEFIT FOR JIM GARARD
Hackensack Bakery Owner

TO ASSIST WITH MEDICAL BILLS AND NEEDS

UP NORTH CAFÉ
HWY 371 HACKENSACK

MAY 14TH
5-8 PM

SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS,
COLE SLAW, GARLIC TOAST

(PER PLATE FREE WILL DONATION)

SILENT AUCTION
MANY ITEMS

CAN’T MAKE IT? DONATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED BY
FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF WALKER
P.O. BOX 460
HACKENSACK, MN 56452

FOR MORE INFO CALL MEL AT 675-5038 OR SCOTT AT 675-5300

Resource Protection Districts

In studies conducted over a number of years, the Minnesota DNR has identified several areas on Ten Mile Lake that are considered to be ecologically sensitive shorelines that deserve special protection. The accompanying map shows along the shoreline (in red) the areas considered to be ecologically sensitive. The DNR has recommended that land extending 1/4 mile in all directions from the sensitive shoreline (colored red) be included as Resource Protection Districts. Within these areas new standards for development would apply. These standards are outlined in Cass County Ordinance #2009-05. In order for Resource Protection Districts to be set in place, a long process of approvals must be followed. In the winter of 2010, the Ten Mile Lake Association sent a letter to lot owners within the proposed Resource Protection Districts to get feedback on their wishes regarding the implementation of these districts on Ten Mile.

Click on the image to see the full-sized picture, or download the pdf version (below).

Resource Protection Districts (pdf format)