MINUTES OF MEETING 9/13/03

TLA president, Cheryl Mitacek opened the meeting. Approval of the minutes from the 6/28/03 meeting was delayed until our November meeting.

1. Lake Watch - Boat Theft: There was a discussion of the recent boat theft that occurred at approximately 10 PM on 8/31. Ray & Jan Sowinski’s fishing boat was partially sunk and their 51/2 HP motor stolen.

2. Richmond Township Information:

There is a special meeting being held by the township on Sept. 18, 2003 to address the following Safety Committee Issues:

New 911 numbered signs may be placed in front of houses. These signs glow in the dark. They will help paramedics etc. find our houses when there is an emergency. You may also be able to place your street name below the number. The board is considering a one-time assessment of $25 per homeowner.
Rescue Squad: The Rescue Squad for the Turtle Lake area comes from Darien. They do not offer a 24 hr. service. Therefore, they need to call in and beep the appropriate people thus causing delays. The contract with Darien ends this December. The township needs to give 3 months notice if they do not plan to renew it. The Safety Committee has been investigating using Delevan paramedics for the Rescue Squad. The advantage would be closer proximity and 24 hour availability. Services provided by Delevan are a little more expensive and would only handle south of county trunk A.
The sheriff’s office now carries defibrillators.

There is a budget hearing in October. Carol Behrens recommends that someone attend this meeting to request money for the following:

6 buoys – Carol will make the request.
Milfoil: All were in agreement that Milfoil continues to be a lake problem. Pat Carroll volunteered to use his global positioning to mark the spots people tell him they have located it. He will give this data to the DNR.

3. Department of Natural Resources Topics:

Jim Jackley, biologist heading the wetlands area development, will be attending the luncheon at McIntyre’s today to give an update on this project.
The DNR is considering doing a controlled burn on the wetlands by turtle creek damn. They may also be putting in several ponds to promote the propagation of frogs, ducks and snakes. They have searched for an endangered rattlesnake in that area. They did not locate any.
Elaine Gronert reported that the DNR tested Turtle Lake for Zebra Mussels and we have none.
Goose Eggs: Concerns regarding geese and how to prevent their increase was discussed. The DNR (Jim Jackley) is in charge of giving permits to put oil on goose eggs, which prevents their propagation. This matter will be discussed with him. Each property owner would need to fill out an application and pay a fee. Snug Harbor is willing to do this for

TLC Meeting Minutes 9/13/03

their island. This location is a known area for nesting. There was a discussion as to

whether the association could apply for a permit for the lake or would be willing to pay

for the permits for designated property owners. The permit fee is thought to be $50.

Fish Study in 2005: The DNR is scheduled to do a fish study on Turtle Lake in 2005. This study identifies the % of various fish, removes carp found in the area they study and helps to determine how to stock the lake.

4. Walworth County Lakes Association:

The treasurer reported that the check for membership in this organization has not been cashed. TLA’s representative, Rob Kaye reported that initial problems forming the group are resolved and the check will be deposited.
Rob reported that there are 15 area lakes that have joined the organization. Their first official meeting will be held on Sat. 10/11/03, AM at Lake Como Club House. There will be a speaker and anyone may attend. If you need more exact directions contact Rob Kaye.

5. Membership:

Judy Jaeger reported that there are approximately 75 families listed as TLA members. This number is not a significant change. A discussion ensued regarding increasing membership. Flyering the area for our Pot Luck dinner did not increase membership. It was suggested that rather than attempting to increase attendance at meetings maybe the goal should be to increase membership. It was proposed that a letter be sent to property owners in the area to encourage them to join TLA. The content could emphasize the importance that the quality of the lake has in relationship to their property values. An increase in membership would give the association more money to use for the lake. Rob stated that he has a real estate listing of people in the area that he could make available for a mailing. Further discussion of this proposal will occur at the November meeting.

6. Lake Ecology:

· Loosestrife: There seems to be less this year then previous years. People are encouraged to pull it out.

· Phosphorous: Dane County has banned the use of any fertilizer containing phosphorous for property owners but not farmers as it damages lakes. The state will be banning it in the near future. There was a question as to whether farms in the area may have a run off that brings phosphorous into Turtle Lake and whether there is a way to test for it. One consideration is to test by drainage pipes. Also, there is the issue of phosphorous found in laundry detergents. For this reason, it is important to be aware of where your run off is for your washing machine.

· Catch & Release: Sports enthusiasts are encouraged to catch and release fish they do not plan to eat rather than take them to be mounted. Now it is possible to take a picture of your fish, release it and have it reproduced for mounting from your picture. There was a suggestion that the Lake Association make up a sign encouraging a “Catch & Release Policy” and post it at the boat launch. The exception to this would be carp, which should not be replaced in the lake.

TLA Meeting Minutes 9/13/03

7. Treasurer’s Report:

· Turtle Lake Association Balance as of 6/28/03 $ 4,331.44

· Interest 5.71

· Raffle 161.00

· Dues 960.00

· Expenses (Stamps) (37.00)

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· Turtle Lake Association Balance as of 9/13/03 $ 5,421.15

8. Future Meetings:

· Sat., November 15, 2003, 10 AM is the next scheduled TLA meeting. It is tentatively

scheduled to meet at Mary Baas’s new home in Elkhorn, Wi.

· Spring 2004 meeting & Buoy placement. A motion was made and passed to change the time from 7 AM to 8 AM.

The president adjourned the meeting.

Minutes Taken by Beth Auer