Rice Lake Area Association, Inc.

2005 Annual Meeting Minutes

(Public Version)

April 28, 2005

Meeting was held in the private meeting room at Old Country Buffet in Maple Grove. Called to order by President Chuck Berger at 7:10 p.m. after an informal buffet dinner starting at 6:30 p.m.

Board Members present: Chuck Berger, Steve Cady, George Schneider, Jim Malone, Wade Quale, Rich Von Lehe, Nika Rybinski, Eric Lind.

34 RLAA households were represented (including Board Members) at the meeting in general attendance.

Introductions

Introductions were done by both Board Members and all those in attendance, due to the good turnout and many new faces in the audience.

Presidents Report

Chuck Berger gave a report on activities during the past year, including Curlyleaf Pondweed, Aerator update and Rough Fish.

Curlyleaf Pondweed (CLP): We are hoping the drawdown will have successful results this year. The early winter freeze with little snow cover gave us ideal conditions for the best results to kill off the CLP seeds to prevent growth in areas under 6' in normal water depth. Deeper areas (up to 7.5', since CLP normally doesn't grow to the surface in depths beyond 7.5') that may show growth this year will need to be addressed with other methods of control (cutting or spraying).

Aerator Update: Several problems were experienced this past winter with the winter aeration unit. It was put in place in October, but not started until late December waiting for the ice to form. On January 17, the fuses shorted out in the unit and it stopped running. By the time it was started up (January 24), the ice had frozen out the motor shaft, requiring maintenance to replace the impeller shaft and motor for a total of almost $1,000. It was reinstalled on February 12th and ran without problems from that time until it was shut down on March 10th.  At that time, the unit couldn't be removed from the lake due to unsafe ice conditions.  By April 2nd, the unit had been flipped over by the rising water level after the drawdown. It was retrieved by boat and the motor was damaged due to be submerged for an extended time. Plans are to rebuild 1 or 2 complete motors from the existing 3 used motors we have on hand. Passersby on the interstate still were calling the Highway Patrol to report the aerator appeared to be a person floundering in the water. 3 red warning flags were affixed to the aerator to indicate this was not a person, although muskrats had a habit of biting through both the wood supports and the power cable.

Rough Fish: Carp and bullhead continue to be in overabundance in our lake. Dr. Peter Sorenson from University of Minnesota is working with local lake associations and the state to fund various studies to get rid of this nuisance. Netting carp have not yet proven to be successful, since the female can produce over 1 million eggs.  Some ideas for removing carp include:

·         "Daughterless" cross breeding (only males are reproduced)

·         Electro-shocking (shock all fish in lake by temporarily stunning them, and remove the problem fish)

·         Work with Australians to see what works for them (they plan on visiting Minnesota in summer 2005)

Future Drawdowns: The City Council needs to give final approval for any drawdowns on the lake. In 2004, the Council voted unanimously for approval, partially based on the strong support evidenced by residents who live along the lake approving a drawdown overwhelmingly (98%). The process will require an Aquatic Plant Management Plan demonstrating the evidence of both native and non-native species to the DNR for future drawdowns. The APMP is one of the projects the new Lake Management Consultant, Jim Storland, has been hired to provide.

Treasurers Report

Steve Cady discussed the 2004 Income and Balance statements to all those in attendance. There continues to be a surplus in the association's account for the past several years, although less then 1/3 of all members pay dues. The dues rate has not been raised for several years. The current rate is $60 (lakeshore) and $40 (lake view). Steve emphasized that we should get out and make sure our neighbors are contributing to help support the lake.

Treasurer's Report (Steve Cady, Treasurer)

Income Statement

1-1-04 thru 12-31-04

INCOME

RLAII income

bank interest

$ 28.46

dues

$3,900.00

TOTAL INCOME

$3,928.46

EXPENSES

RLAII expense:

Aerator depreciation

688.00

Drawdown

4,803.10

Management plan

975.00

Miscellaneous

799.05

Postmaster

148.00

Printing

129.16

TOTAL RLAII expense

TOTAL EXPENSES

7,542.31

TOTAL INCOME LESS EXPENSES

-3,613.83

Lake Quality Commission (LQC) Update

LQC commissioner George Schneider, who is the Rice Lake representative, gave a brief summary of activities during the past 12 months.

June 2004 – Submitted Rice Lake funding request for Rough Fish removal in the amount of $1,500 (this was later withdrawn when the contractor did not offer his services any longer)

August 2004 – Unanimous support from LQC for Rice Lake Drawdown

November 2004 – Had NEMO (Non-point source pollution Education for Municipal Officials) presentation given to LQC and City Staff by Jay Michaels

December 2004 – Asked Public Works department to remove tree stumps in the creek that provided hazards to navigation

January 2005 – Participated in City Joint Board and Commissions meeting

February 2005 – Approved language in City Ordinance to treat Water Trampolines similar to dock guidelines

February 2005 – Put on Buffer Strip seminar for Maple Grove residents

February 2005 – LQC page on City of Maple Grove website started

April 2005 – Contacted various experts to present at All Lakes LQC Meeting

Wendy Crowell (DNR – Curlyleaf Pondweed)

Chip Wellings (DNR – Eurasian WaterMilfoil)

Gregg Thompson (Metro SWCD – Shoreline Erosion)

Dr. Peter Sorenson (U of Minn – Carp Control)

Steve McComas (Maple Grove Lakes update)

Jenny Schaust (Hennepin Wetlands)

Dave Ramler (FLARA – Lakes Funding opportunities)

Rice Lake Website

The Rice Lake Website (http://ricelake.homestead.com/) continues to be a tool everyone can use to keep up with current activities on the lake and in the area. Here are some of the things you can find on the site:

Keeping up to date with local activities and useful links

Feel free to e-mail webmaster ([email-masked]) with suggestions

An inquiry was made from the audience on how to report problems with mosquitoes and getting them sprayed. This information about the Mosquito Control can found on their website at: http://www.mmcd.org/ There is also a email notification system for when areas will be sprayed.

RLAA Lake Management Plan

Steve Cady introduced Jim Storland of Environmental Lake Management Consultants, Inc. who was hired in the winter of 2004 to provide RLAA with specific projects to improve the water quality of Rice Lake. (The previous 5-year plan, instituted by city consultant, Steve McComas, expired in 2003.) Jim worked for the DNR Fisheries department for 16 years before becoming the Water Resources Engineer for the City of Eagan. Jim also is the consultant to nearby Fish Lake.

Jim outlined Phosphorous Reduction as the key problem in Rice Lake. With a large watershed of over 100 square miles and Elm Creek bringing in nutrients, phosphorous is a big part of the problem. Curlyleaf Pondweed is a benefactor of the high levels of phosphorous and thrives in this environment (shallow water and warm temperatures). A watershed analysis using the PondNet model is a good method for helping cut down areas that introduce phosphorous. This project is costly and would require external funding (Elm Creek Watershed? City of Maple Grove?) to make it work.

Phosphorous reduction may be helped with the 0 Phosphorous law passed for the entire state effective January 1, 2005. This means only those who get exemptions from the University of Minnesota Soil Testing extension must not use any phosphorous on their lawns. Jim provided some brochures from Dakota County that demonstrate earth-friendly lawn care practices.

Wade Quale reminded everyone that the new state law means we must patrol ourselves as well as our neighbors, since there is no particular agency that enforces the ban. Keep an eye on your retailers and patronize those who follow the guidelines and offer mostly phosphorous-free products for our lawns.

Jim reminded us that carp also thrive on high nutrient levels and contribute to the poor water quality in our lake. Carp can be netted out and given away to local Hmong communities in St. Paul, who process them for food. Fish Lake recently did a seine netting where they got over 350 lbs of carp this spring.

DNR fish surveys haven't been conducted on Rice Lake since 1994, and the DNR will not do any in the future since Rice Lake is not a Public Access lake (a condition for many projects the DNR now takes into consideration). Jim Storland will be doing spawning bed checks at various intervals on Rice Lake to determine what species thrive and where they hang out. This will help provide the DNR with more valuable information that may allow them to help us with different projects in the future.

Election of Directors

No terms expired this year; 4 residents volunteered to be serve as Directors on the Board for 3-year terms effective 2005-2008:

·         Mark Mitchell

·         Tom Dechmann

·         Matt Coumbe

·         Jami Stromberg

Current Board of Directors includes:

Chuck Berger (President)

Steve Cady (Treasurer)

George Schneider (Secretary)

Bob Cremers

Jim Malone

Roger Olson

Wade Quale

Romney Katti

Nika Rybinski

Eric Lind

Rich von Lehe

Mark Mitchell (new)

Matt Coumbe (new)

Tom Dechmann (new)

Jami Stromberg (new)

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Several folks partook in discussions with members of the Board and with Lake Management Consultant, Jim Storland.