2012 BPLA Fall Newsletter
Fall Greetings!
Right now we are experiencing the fall draw-down at the Corps of Engineers. As you take your boats, lifts, and docks out of the water, please be on the lookout for zebra mussels or any other invasive species such as Eurasian Milfoil and immediately report any sightings to the DNR as well as to a Board member. Several lakes in our area have experienced invasive species in the last few years, and we all need to do our part to keep them out of our lake.
We still have bogs on our dam and the dam needs repair to rebuild it back to the proper elevation. As you know, earlier we spent $11,000.00 out of our Subordinate Service District fund to remove the first wave of bogs. We are now awaiting word from FEMA as to whether they will include our dam for emergency funds as requested by Crow Wing County (this would not have been possible if we had not passed the SSD which gave ownership of the dam to the County, making our dam eligible for a FEMA request). The estimate to remove the recurrent bogs and to repair the dam is $9,000.00. Again, don’t forget that we have a lake-wide permit from the DNR to remove bogs (floating ones only!!!) that are less than 6’ by 6’ in size. Once the bogs are pulled up on land, they dry quickly and can be easily disposed of by burning or chopping up for compost. Larger bogs must be returned to the shoreline and staked back into the lake bottom so they can re-root. PLEASE do not push floating bogs out into the lake so that they end up against the dam!! I will automatically request a lake-wide bog removal permit next spring right away just so that we have it just in case it is needed.
Our Subordinate Service District will continue to assess homeowners $100.00 per year which will be held by Crow Wing County for the maintenance of our dam. The Association will continue to look into building a more permanent dam similar to the one inspected by Board members a couple of years ago on Potato Lake in Hubbard County. The probability of doing so with SSD funds alone looks bleak given the money spent this year, but we are also actively looking into grants for this project.
Our new website will have an Events page which will list activities going on in the Crosslake area so that you can make your time up here more enjoyable. Please check it out often and feel free to contact any Board member if you have any questions or concerns!!