Rice Lake Area Association 2008 Annual Meeting Agenda

Thank you for attending this year's Rice Lake Area Association annual meeting. We hope that this meeting will give you some useful information on how you can help improve the quality of our lake so we may all enjoy it.

AGENDA

·     Call to order   (Chuck)

·     Reports from Officers and Directors

·      Presidents Report   (Chuck)

·      Treasurers Report   (Steve)

·     Election of Officers   (Chuck)

·     4 terms expire (Stromberg, Mitchell, Coumbe, Dechmann)

·     2 decided to resign their officer positions (President - Berger; Treasurer - Cady)

·     Officers effective May 2008

·     President - Eric Lind

·     Treasurer - Rick Stulac

·     Secretary - George Schneider

·        Rice Lake Update (Steve McComas of Blue Water Science)

·         Steve is a well-known consultant who has worked on Rice Lake for years

·         Steve's planned projects on Rice Lake for 2008 include:

·         Aquatic Plant Survey

·         Fish Survey

·         Barley Straw Algae Reduction (tentative)

·         What kind of problems is Rice Lake facing?

·         What can we do to combat those problems?

·         What can we realistically expect for water quality on Rice Lake?

·        Lake Management Plan Highlights   (George)

·        Valid projects can be partially reimbursed by City of Maple Grove if warranted

·        Sediment Nutrient Release Study

·         James Johnson (Freshwater Scientific Services) will measure phosphorous from the lake bottom and help determine how much impact it has on overall lake makeup.

·         Project will cost total of $3,000

·         City will fund up to 50%

·        Monitor Sediment in Storm Water Ponds

·         James Johnson (Freshwater Scientific Services) will help RLAA volunteers organize this effort to measure phosphorous from the storm water ponds which feed into the lake. Is sediment accumulating and reducing filtering effects of the pond?

·         James to serve as consultant to the RLAA volunteers (who will work with City Engineering to actually measure and collect the data)

·         Project will cost total of $1,000

·         City will fund up to 50%

·        "Carp Exclosure"

·        James Johnson (Freshwater Scientific Services) recommended RLAA volunteers plan and set up a couple of test sites where fencing is set up in areas away from recreational areas and carp are removed. See if aquatic plants will recover without interference from the carp.

·        Only cost will be for the materials to install two (2) fenced in areas no larger than 20'x20'.

·        Aquatic Plant Management Surveys

·        Required by DNR to authorize weed treatment (drawdown, herbicide, etc.)

·        City of Maple Grove no longer paying for surveys from Blue Water Science

·        City will fund up to 50%

·        2008 surveys proposal from Steve McComas of Blue Water Science

·        Vote by Directors to accept Steve McComas bid of $3,000 for 2008 surveys

·        Fish Survey proposal from Steve McComas for $5,000 for 2008

·        City will fund up to 50%

·        Will help determine if fish are causing water clarity problems

·        Vote by Directors to accept Steve McComas bid of $5,000 for 2008 fish surveys

·        CLP control - Continues to looks very good so far, although overall plant community low.

·        Algae control - We've had to treat with Copper Sulfate past 2 years

·         What options do we have for proactive control?

·         Treatment is becoming more expensive ($8,200 in 2007) and is only short-lived

·        Lake Quality Commission Report   (George)

·        Summer Picnic scheduled for Saturday, May 31 (Molly)

·                 Check website for details

·     Fishing update   (Wade)

·     Goals for 2008   (George)

·                 Increase membership

·                 Continue Monitoring to determine best methods for improving water quality

·                 Plant community

·                 Fish community

·                 Erosion

·                 Phosphorous monitoring of lake sediment - how much does it contribute?

·                  Collect support for Algae Treatment and Drawdown if necessary

·     Miscellaneous

·     Close

Rice Lake Area Association Board of Directors (as of 5/6/2008)

Title

Name

Term Expiration

President

Chuck Berger

2010

Treasurer

Steve Cady

2010

Secretary

George Schneider

2010

Director

Eric Lind

2010

Director

Molly Kridel

2009

Director

Jim Kridel

2009

Director

Rick Stulac

2009

Director

Joni Stulac

2009

Director

Wade Quale

2010

Director

Nika Rybinski

2010

Director

Jami Stromberg

2008

Director

Mark Mitchell

2008

Director

Matthew Coumbe

2008

Director

Tom Dechmann

2008

Rice Lake Website - http://www.ricelake.homestead.com

Quick Facts

Rice Lake is the 3rd largest lake in Hennepin County (Lake Minnetonka and Medicine Lake larger)

Rice Lake is the largest of Maple Grove's lakes at 330 surface acres

Maximum depth is almost 12 feet

Elm Creek Watershed drains almost 100 square miles into the lake

Rice Lake ordinary high water (OHW) elevation is 891.5 feet above sea level

There are about 80 homes on the lake with shoreline property

There is no public access on Rice Lake (except for walk-ons)

Fish population includes: sunfish, crappies, bullheads, carp, northern pike, largemouth bass, perch

What does a Drawdown do to the lake?

Under ideal conditions (hard winter freeze with little snow cover early), a drawdown can kill out the Curlyleaf Pondweed seeds in the lake sediment, preventing growth the next year.

Can also kill out Eurasian WaterMilfoil.

Allows residents to clear debris from lake bottom and improve the shoreline.

Is an economical way to manage the lake's natural problems

"Flappers" were installed on the Rice Lake side of the culvert under Weaver Lake Road in March 2008

These "flappers" will prevent the occasional high water from Rice Lake flowing into Fish Lake

May also reduce rough fish source entering Fish Lake