President’s Message

Members:

As president of the GLPOA I will do my very best to represent the members and their concerns. The GLPOA now has 434 paid memberships out of a possible 712 for a 61% membership rate. This is a great tribute to the residents of Green Lake for the pride that each member takes in doing what is best for the lake and everyone involved. Thanks to each and everyone of you for what you have done in the past and your future contributions.

I would like to say a special thanks to Chuck Burmeister for all of his expert leadership as the GLPOA president for the past two years. He has given unselfishly of his time and talents to do what has been best for the GLPOA. Thanks Chuck.

I hope that everyone enjoyed a very special 4th of July with their family and friends at the lake. This is a great time of the year to share our blessings with each other. The fireworks were outstanding this year with an unbelievable finale. The $1000 contribution of the GLPOA helps to make this day a special one.

In closing I would like to remind you that an organization like the GLPOA is very important in maintaining the interest of the Green Lake residents. Your help and cooperation is appreciated.

Ron Dobbs,
President

Fertilizer will help make your lawn green, but it can also make lakes green in the summer ruining swimming, boating and fishing for many. According to the Minnesota Lakes Association, when fertilizer with phosphorus, a major nutrient for root growth, is applied to lawns with high natural levels of phosphorus, excess phosphorus can run off into storm sewers in a city and is eventually carried into lakes, streams and wetlands, or it can run off the lawn directly into the lake on lakeshore properties.

Homeowners, whether living in Spicer, the rural area or on Green Lake, can take an active part in preventing lake pollution and degradation of water quality by helping to reduce the amount of phosphorus that gets into water from their lawn. If a lawn does not need fertilizer, don’t use it! To find out with a soil test, envelopes and forms for soil testing by the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory can be picked up at any County Extension Office. The cost is $7.00 - a small price to pay for good water within Green Lake - and the testing will also measure the potassium and organic content of the soil, plus the pH.

If the test shows no need for phosphorus, and you still want to fertilize, use a phosphorus free fertilizer. Look for fertilizer with a middle number of 'zero' (xx-0-xx). If not available at local outlets, ask the store to order or check with the local cooperative to see if a special fertilizer formulation is available.

Homeowners may use other actions to keep phosphorus from polluting lakes including keeping fertilizers, leaves and lawn clippings off streets, driveways and other hard or paved surfaces. Please do not rake your leaves into Green Lake this fall!

Remember the motto for Green Lake 'Buy the Bag with the Zero in the Middle!' Jim Gilbert's Journal

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Lightning Bugs

A Beacon in the Night After the sun goes down and it becomes dark, the flashing of lightning bugs or fireflies can be seen if one is in or near their habitat. From May into mid-summer we usually see their tiny lights over meadows and grassy ditches not far from woodlands. The flashing is a recognition signal enabling the sexes to find each other. Each firefly species has a characteristic flashing rhythm, and an expert observer can identify species by the length of the flashes and the interval between flashes.

Lightning bugs are soft-bodied beetles that have segments near the ends of their abdomens that enable them to produce light. The light is unique in that it is cool, and nearly 100 percent of the energy given off appears as light. It is produced by the oxidation of a substance called luciferin that is manufactured in the cells of the light-producing organ. Because they can take in air through tiny openings in their abdomens, the fireflies control their blinking yellow lights by controlling the air supply. When the air is admitted, the luciferin in the presence of an enzyme called luciferinase is almost instantly oxidized, releasing the energy as light. The Green Lake Property Owners have special permission to use Jim Gilbert’s Journal. Jim is a naturalist with WCCO Radio.

 

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Nature Notes

	When I went to Iceland a few weeks ago, I thought it was an exotic, magical place. But upon returning home I’ve been thinking how exotic and magical Green Lake can be too.
I would like to make some comparisons of two places that, though different in every way, can have a feeling of uniqueness and beauty.
Iceland is an island born of fire and ice. The land is unstable, never knowing when a volcano will spew ash and lava or glaciers will melt, changing the flow of rivers and making the soil boggy. Our Green Lake homes stand firmly on rock and soil brought by glaciers during the Ice Age. These rocks don’t ever intend to move.

We are blessed with large trees. Icelandic immigrants cleared their forests to build houses and to graze sheep. The only trees now are those planted in residential areas. The native dwarf birch does well because it knows enough not to send out its leaves until danger of frost is past.

Iceland is, of course, surrounded by water, a deep blue green. The uniqueness of swimming in Iceland is that their pools, both natural and man-made, are thermal-heated, allowing Icelanders to swim outside all year round. It was on the beach at Hofsos, a fishing village on a northern fjord 30 miles form the arctic circle, that I felt most at home. The water was clear and cold like Green Lake, and the rocks were smooth and varied like ours. Our little Green Lake beach is a rather magical place hidden by willows, and surrounded by cairns (flat rocks piled like little temples). The Great Blue Heron like to sit there as much as I do.

Iceland has no mammals except the Arctic Fox but they have waterfowl of all kinds. John, the birder in our group, identified 64 birds, most of which were gulls, plovers, ducks, terns and the most exotic was the Atlantic Puffin. The exotic bird I saw recently in our woods was the Scarlet Tanager, which we don’t often see because it migrates through.

Green Lake and Iceland share fishing as a popular activity. Fishing is Iceland’s main industry. We ate river trout, salmon, herring and cod every day. No walleye or northern pike.

I was 'keeper of the flower book' but was not as single-focused as John. My flower list numbered only fifteen. As I studied the European flower book, I noticed many are also common in our area. Two wild flowers on our property that especially caught my eye this year are Tall Meadow Rue and Common Mullein. The Tall Meadow Rue is at least 8 feet tall and is intricate with plumes of flowers and roundish 3-lobed leaflets. The Common Mullein has yellow flowers bursting from a club-like head and has large flannel-textured leaves that flow into the stem. They also grow very tall - 6 feet or more. In Spain it is translated as 'candelabra' and in Switzerland it is called ‘kings candle’. Evening Lychnis is the wild flower that I’ve noticed is prolific along roadsides this summer. It seems to grow in sand and any type of soil.

Speaking of wild flowers, please do not mow where flowers are planted on the North Shore. Be patient. It may be a couple of years before we have the magical beauty of flowers all along our roadway.

Also, please do not let grass clippings fall into the lake where they wash up on our beaches and add more phosphorus to the water.

We tend to take the familiar for granted or consider it ordinary, but I realize we don’t have to go to faraway or exotic places to see something unique and special.

Verna Patrick

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Wildflowers are Coming....

You have heard the rumors and they are now confirmed. Through the efforts of Loren Engelby and Gary Danielson of Kandiyohi County; Rod Hughes and Harris Duininck of Duininck Bros. Construction; Shar Hagen and Verna Patrick of the Informal Wildflower Committee GLPOA, three plus acres of wildflowers have been planted along North Shore Drive. The planting date was July 10, 2000.

Nineteen (19) varieties of short wildflowers (30 lbs) have been mixed with four (4) varieties of short grasses (177lbs) all from Mohn Seed Company, Cottonwood, MN. Approximately 30 acres (131,536-sq. ft.) were selected and approved by you, the property owners. The areas will be designated with a sign, so watch next spring for the beginning of color. Full maturity will be in 2-3 years.

Prominent colors are yellow, purple, dark blue, lavender and white. If you are interested in knowing the flower species and grasses used, contact any board member, send e-mail, send regular mail or call Chuck Burmeister at 320-796-2402.

 

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Sewer, Water and Road Update

The work on the east shore is progressing pretty much on schedule. The south end of the project, from lift station 6 to County Road 10, has sewer and water pipes installed. The north end of the project from County Road 4 to the northerly most east/west road is completed with sewer and water. The lift station 5, south of Indian Beach Resort has been a major problem due to both the water and the soils. Weekly updates will continue to keep you informed as to where the work is going.

The north shore clean up is basically completed. The north shore services bid came in much higher than expected. The project was divided into 12 sections. Only 3 sections have been recommended for letting. The Sewer Board and the engineers are reviewing our options and plan to move ahead as soon as possible.

The north shore bike trail seems to be held hostage by the regulatory officials in St. Paul. If we do not receive the approval before August 15, it then is doubtful that the trail will be paved before winter. I believe that our county is doing everything possible to seek expedient approval.

East shore services bids were received on July 11 and the Sewer Board will be meeting on the 19th to address this matter. These bids were much closer to our engineer estimates. Plans call for year around residents being hooked up ahead of seasonal residents so that we can get as many people using the services as soon as possible.

West shore water services are being installed now and they plan to be completed by August 15. People who have been connected to the water are very pleased with the water quality. At this time nearly everyone on the west shore has signed up for water service.

The water tower in Spicer will be put into service this week. The New London tower will be painted next and then the Green Lake tower will be completed. The Green Lake tower will be white and have the name Green Lake facing the lake. The name will be painted in a dark, hunter green.

The County Road 10 and Indian Beach Circle segment of the project will be ready for bids in about 2 weeks.

Two parcels of land owned by the district will be offered for sale by bid. Bids are due on August 1 for these parcels, 160 acres and 40 acres.

Individuals that sign up for water and do not plan to use their wells for other purposes will need to have the wells capped. The county has allocated $10,000 for cost sharing for sealing wells. These funds are available on a first come, first served basis and is limited to 50%, not to exceed $250 per well. Please contact Jeff Bredberg at 320-231-6288.

The Assessment Hearing tentatively scheduled for August may have to be postponed until a later date, next year if we do not get satisfactory pricing for the services along with the other bid for the south shore.

The Sewer Board has hired Ron Hagemeier as superintendent. He has been on the job about a month and is becoming familiar with the district and the new plants. Please read the article giving the background of Ron. We are really pleased to have him here!

July 24th is the target date to make the switch and start sending sewage to the new treatment plant. To begin with, we will only divert the Spicer and west shore sewage and then as soon as everything is working smoothly, New London sewage and new hook-ups will also be sent to the new plant. At that time we will start the process to close down the pond operation.

We are hopeful of having an Open House at both the Water Treatment Plant and the Sewage Treatment Plant. No dates have been set but we will strive to let everyone know.

Ollie Hagen

 

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GLPOA Web Site

The Green Lake Property Owners web site at www.greenlakespicer.com is attracting the membership and community.
When going to the Main Page the News Flash and Guestbook are new items on the menu. By clicking the Updates button you can check on any changes in the site. The new members of the GLPOA Board are listed and committee chairpersons will be assigned. Please check the site periodically for any new information.

The Green Lake Sewer and Water Project can be checked by connecting to the Kandiyohi County Green Lake Construction Project and the latest updates are posted from Duininck Construction. This connection can be made from the Main Page. Many of the residents of Lake Avenue North are getting new sod. By going to the News Flash, instructions are given for taking care of the new sod.

The Guestbook is available to get your opinion and ideas for the web site. A response to your message will be made by someone on the GLPOA Board if you leave an e-mail address. You can also contact the board via the e-mail contact found on each page. Some of you have contacted the board regarding changes in address and concern for issues involving the water quality of Green Lake.

If you have photos or historical information to share, please contact the association mailing address or e-mail address. A scanner is used to scan photos and your copies will be returned. Also submit any calendar items that you want listed.

Hopefully you are giving the web site address to your family and friends. Those interested in Green Lake can keep up on events, weather and issues in any location they may be in. Remember to mark the sites as a favorite and put it on your desktop for easy access!

Bonnie Haug
Web Site Chairperson

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Water Quality 

The Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners approved the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed Phase I Resource Investigation contract application on July 5th. The contract in the amount of $105,500 covers the period from April 2000 through April 2002. The contract is administered on our behalf by the county under the MPCA grant and enables us to proceed with the hiring of a contractor, Blue Water Science from St. Paul, who will supply the services of an aquatic scientist and hydrologist and supporting staff.

A work plan has been prepared and the monitoring of the lakes and streams of the watershed is underway. Water quality monitors have been installed in seven stream locations and additional units may become available as the project progresses. These record the stage of the water and automatically take samples when required. The samples are then analyzed by Eco-Agri Laboratory in Willmar. The objective is to enable us to calculate the amount of water flowing in the stream, determine the amount of phosphorus and other nutrients it may contain, come up with an estimate of stream loading and attempt to determine the source of these nutrients.

Each lake in the watershed is sampled every other week in profile and chemical samples are taken to determine its trophic status. These data are supplemented by Secchi disk reading by lake resident volunteers. Our purpose is to come up with measures that will ultimately improve water quality throughout the watershed. The lakes are among our most treasured assets. We must do whatever is necessary to preserve them for our children and our children’s children. Frequent rain events have caused lake levels to rise. With these increases, lake residents, especially those who come to the lake infrequently, should be aware that their docks and boatlifts may be at risk and may need to be readjusted. High lake levels coupled with high winds have caused damages that in years past have been estimated in the millions. Thomas Bonde New Sewer and Water District Superintendent

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"Water is Life"

My name is Ron Hagemeier. I am the new Green Lake Sanitary Sewer and Water District superintendent. You now are saying to yourself, who, what? Yes, that’s right. I am the new guy on the job whom very few of you have met. Well, I would like to introduce myself. I was born, raised and still currently live near Richmond, MN. My wife, Deb and I have two children, Peter age 21 who is an electrician and Katie who will be a senior in high school this year. Why did I pursue the position of district superintendent? For the simple reasons that this is a beautiful area of the state with some of the friendliest people that can be found, and it also afforded me the opportunity to manage and operate state of the art treatment facilities.

So with a gentle nudge from my wife Deb, I left my position of 21 years with the city of St. Cloud in the Public Utilities Department to become the new district superintendent. I am busy as can be with all the construction going on, but also gratified each night I go home knowing I made the right decision by coming to Green Lake. So thanks for all the waves when I drive by, even though you were not sure who I was.

My office number is 320-354-5584. Please feel free to call me regarding any of your water or wastewater issues or concerns.

Ron Hagemeier

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2000 Directory Corrections

14011 John and Shirley Nilsen
14055 Larry and Pauline Duininck
11415 NSD Mike and Andrea Bacharach
151 LAS #203B Bob and Connie Dickerson
11601 IBR Roger and Betty Rodengen
10163 NSD Remove Kirk Prokosch and add Thomas Monson
13496 IBR Bob and Joan Bender
11264 IBR Bernard and Joan Frank
11024 IBC Gerold A. Brouwer

 

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2000 Boat Parade Entries

Patriotic Midtbo Kubesh/Buchtel LeRoy Stamer Charles Carlson

Creative Dave Loftness David Witzke Chuck Burmeister

Antique Steve Linder

Judges:
Betty Biesecker, Janet Johnson and Sylvia Thompson

 

2000 Boat Parade Winners

PATRIOTIC 1st Place Kubesh/Buchtel 2nd Place Charles Carlson 3rd Place LeRoy Stamer

CREATIVE 1st Place Dave Loftness 2nd Place David Witzke

ANTIQUE 1st Place Steve Linder

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Jim Gilbert’s Journal
Deer Flies

Horse flies and deer flies belong to the same insect family and can be included in a list of summer’s most bothersome insects. They are now living up to this description. The females are blood-sucking insects. Their mouthparts are developed for cutting the skin and sucking the blood that oozes from the wound, while the males feed chiefly on pollen and nectar and are often found on flowers.

The larvae of most species are aquatic. Eggs are laid in masses on leaves and other objects that overhang the water in swamps or sluggish streams. After the maggots hatch, they drop into the water and stay in the bottom mud or sand where they feed on snails and other aquatic organisms.

Humans, together with horses, cattle, hogs, deer and other wild and domesticated animals, are attacked by horse and deer flies that sometimes carry diseases. These insects are strong fliers, easily keeping up with a running horse.

We usually encounter deer flies near marshes and streams where they buzz around our heads and get into our hair. Protection of arms, legs, and any exposed skin is necessary for outdoor enjoyment when they are present.

The Green Lake Property Owners have special permission to use Jim Gilbert’s Journal.  Jim is a naturalist with WCCO Radio.

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Archived Newsletters:

• April 2000
• November 1999