Welcome to spring — Finally!

Hi Lone Lake members and friends,

Steve Frazier, LLPOA President

Spring has finally arrived on Lone Lake and your lake association is gearing up for another great summer. Lake ice melted on May 3. Our latest ice-off date on our records was May 11, 2013. What’s ahead for the summer? The year begins with the road clean up event on Saturday. We start at 9 a.m. at the beach for coffee, divide into teams and have a group photo. The brush has been cut and cleared so cleaning should be much easier. This is a great way to meet other lake neighbors and to help keep the environment around Lone Lake clean and beautiful. Please come and join us this year. 

Have you seen LLPOA’s new website? Go to www.LoneLake.org and be amazed. It is a wealth of information and visual stimulation, plus you can pay your dues and make donations online through PayPal. Thanks to Bev Napurski for all the work that has gone into its design and implementation.

At the final board of directors meeting last fall the board decided to have the county AIS inspectors take over the AIS Inspections for the coming summer months. The members’ survey conducted last year showed that 53 percent of you favored having Aitkin County provide this important boat inspection function. The cost is about $750 per year and provides weekly coverage throughout the spring, summer and fall boating and fishing season. If you would like to contribute funds to support AIS educational and inspection efforts, you can do so online or with your check for this year’s LLPOA membership Importantly, everyone has a role to play to keep the lake pristine. Don’t forget to inspect your boat every time you go in and out of the water. Drain all water from your watercraft (this goes for jet skis, kayaks, paddleboards, too) and dry them. This will help keep invasive species from invading our lake and spreading. Tell your friends and family who come up to visit, too.

Finally, on a sad note, we said goodbye to several of our members who passed away in the past few months. Roy andJane Carlson and Gladys Honnold were all long-timemembers of the lake association and were active in our organization over the years.They will be remembered at our annual meeting on July 21.

Thank you for your support of our lake association and we’ll see you on the lake!
- Steve Frazier

We close the year seeking your thoughts

Hi Lone Lakers,

As 2017 closes, the LLPOA Board of Directors would like to thank you for your membership, support and volunteer involvement.  Thank you to the 17 members who came out to the Road Clean-Up on Sept. 9. Some simply enjoyed coffee and rolls and socializing with neighbors; nine members stayed on to clean the roads and ditches.  Thank heavens the roadways were very clean and the team finished in record time.

Later on that afternoon the LLPOA board met, conducted business, and welcomed new board member Maureen Sanford. I’m delighted to report that we now have a full board of directors.

The Board evaluated 2017 and then turned to planning the 2018 program and calendar.  The meeting was filled with thoughts about how to improve our program.  We tossed out lots of questions and ideas that we felt might meet members’ needs.

We know that what really matters is what you think. So, we created a short survey and would love it if you’d fill it out and give us your thoughts. You will have received a link via email.  Just reply once.  We’ll compile the answers and report back to you in the spring.  Thanks!

It is our goal to keep the Lone Lake Property Owners Association a vital organization that changes with the times and meets the needs of our members.  Thank you again for your membership, support and participation in the LLPOA.

We’ll see you in 2018 for another great year on Lone Lake.

— Steve Frazier, president

County shares results from AIS inspections

Lone Lake was one of fourteen lakes participating in the Aitkin County Aquatic Invasive Species inspection program this year.  The lakes included Big Pine, Big Sandy, Cedar, Clear, Farm Island, Hill, Lone, Long, Minnewawa, Ripple, Round (Haz), Spirit, Sugar and Wilkins. Of all county lakes, Lone Lake was the 9th in the number of the total inspections conducted with no significant issues. In 2018, LLPOA will apply for a county grant to assist us with inspections.  Your responses on our member survey will help us determine if we continue with volunteer inspections or have the county do all inspections at the launch.

Thanks go to all the volunteer inspectors who inspected over Memorial Weekend to help us with the in-kind goal.

Thanks to every watercraft owner who drained, dried and disposed bait correctly.

— Linda Szymanski

(Click on charts to see larger)

Meet Maureen Sanford

NEW BOARD MEMBER Maureen Sanford

“I have been coming up to Lone Lake with my family since I was 5.  The ‘cabin’ my parents purchased in 1988, was the original Maude Klingelhoffer family farmhouse.  Currently, the cabin is owned by two of my siblings, along with their spouses, and me.  Most of our time at the lake is in the summer but we do come up in the winter when there is snow for winter sports.  When not spending time at the cabin, I reside in the Twin Cities suburb of South St Paul.  I am not yet retired from my position as an elementary reading teacher/specialist.  I am serving on the lake board because someone needed to fill the open spot!  I have been an AIS volunteer for several years and I love the lake!”

Maureen Sanford: “Here’s a picture from this past summer – fishing in Kodiak, Alaska

How clear is Lone Lake? See how water clarity is tracked

Every year, as soon as the ice goes out, Dave Scott, LLPOA board member and Water Quality team leader, begins to measure the clarity of Lone Lake’s water.  He sends those readings to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). His back-up testers have included Jerry Nelson and others. We’ve presented his numbers to you before, but it’s interesting to see the raw data, as he tracks and reports it.

Q: What’s a Secchi Disk?

A: A Secchi disk is an 8-inch (20 cm) disk with alternating black and white quadrants. It is lowered into the water of a lake until it can no longer be seen by the observer. This depth of disappearance, called the Secchi depth, is a measure of the transparency of the water.

Transparency can be affected by the color of the water, algae, and suspended sediments. Transparency decreases as color, suspended sediments, or algal abundance increases. Water is often stained yellow or brown by decaying plant matter. In bogs and some lakes the brown stain can make the water the color of strong tea. Algae are small, green aquatic plants whose abundance is related to the amount of plant nutrients, especially phosphorus and nitrogen. Transparency can therefore be affected by the amount of plant nutrients coming into the lake from sources such as sewage treatment plants, septic tanks, and lawn and agricultural fertilizer. Suspended sediments often come from sources such as resuspension from the lake bottom, construction sites, agricultural fields, and urban storm runoff.

Transparency is an indicator of the impact of human activity on the land surrounding the lake. If transparency is measured through the season and from year to year, trends in transparency may be observed. Transparency can serve as an early warning that activities on the land are having an effect on a lake.  -From www.secchidipin.org/

Interested in learning more?

Learn more about how University of Minnesota scientists are researching solutions to aquatic invasive species problems in our lakes and rivers CLICK HERE

Are you a citizen scientist? You can become part of a network of trained volunteers eager to make a difference around the state. The AIS Detector program, started last year by the University of Minnesota Extension, provides participants with high-quality training, which was developed and reviewed by AIS experts.  Learn more HERE

Does snow in winter mean we’re in for a tough winter?  No? Yes? Read what the DNR says (published October 30, 2017): CLICK HERE

Summer peaks with parades & annual meeting

Hi Lone Lakers, Wasn’t the 4th of July weekend great this year? We hope you had a great time with family and friends in our beautiful weather.

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2017 Dock Winner

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2017 Pontoon Winner

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2017 Speedboat Winner

LLPOA events went off without a hitch. The boat parade on Saturday, July 1st had 10 participants: the Zacharias family (Lot 136) won the speedboat decorating award; the Wagenknecht’s earned the pontoon award; and newcomers, the Feist family (Lot 105), won the dock-decorating contest. Winners will get their engraved LLPOA traveling trophies at the annual meeting. With regards to the contest, the board of directors voted at their July 9 meeting to allow anyone on the lake to compete in the contest -- even board members who have previously been omitted. They also voted to request that the contest winners be the judges for the following year’s competition, because winners cannot win two years in a row. To be a judge, you simply need to boat around the lake and pick the best speedboat, pontoon and dock - about an hour of your time.

2017 Triathlon Participants

Early July 4 we cheered on 11 contestants who participated in the 16th annual Lone Lake Triathlon. Individuals and teams swam 500 yards, biked 10 miles and ran 4 miles. Twenty-five or so people cheered them on with many event spotters present. LLPOA awarded medals to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners of each category. This great event is organized and sponsored by the VanSlooten family.

Our next event is the annual meeting/potluck on Saturday, July 22 at 11 a.m. at the Preiner’s storage facility on Oak Avenue, on the north side of the lake. This year Chris Perrine of Mille Lacs Energy Cooperative will talk about the new Fiber Home Internet Project, their Right-of-Way Tree Trimming program and electrical safety. Chris’ presentation and information will virtually affect every lot on Lone Lake one way or another.

Also on Saturday LLPOA will conduct a short business meeting and members will elect LLPOA officers and directors. Up for election are president, treasurer, communications director, and three director positions. So far the incumbents have indicated that they will run again. We have one open director position to fill a vacancy. If you would like to run for an officer or director position, please let me know and I will place your name on the ballot by July 19. Board member duties include attending and actively participating in monthly meetings (approx. 2 hours) on a weekend (typically April - Oct.).

Thanks for your membership and support of the Lone Lake Property Owners Association.
Steve Frazier, LLPOA President

Help is needed to keep trees & shrubs thriving on hillside

Will you volunteer to help keep the tall grasses and weeds down around the fledgling trees and shrubs growing on the hillside near 297th and 296th, just south of the beach, (SE side of Lone Lake)?

Due to the redesign of a road in 2015, the the hillside was “re-arranged” and re-planted with deep-rooted native trees and shrubs to keep run-off out of our pristine lake.

A group will gather Sat., May 27 at 10 am to clear weeds from around plants.  

Please join us!  Other times can be scheduled as per the volunteer's available time.  Questions? Contact Jennifer (jennyanyspot@gmail.com) or Beth-Anne (browe06@gmail.com)   Thanks!

Maple Ridge Produce expands

At the lake you can eat well and buy local, too

It has been a busy year for Erik Heimark and Jay Rigdon at Maple Ridge Produce, 29555 380th Ave. “We didn’t anticipate breaking even our first year on the farm,” said Erik. “But thanks to so many enthusiastic customers, we were able to not only break even and make a little profit.”

Erik and Jay in the almost-finished farm stand

As a result, they decided to expand their garden to just over two acres, build a green house, and a new farm stand at the corner of County Road 81 and Township Road 1028.

In addition to produce, this year the farm stand will include:

• A mini-fridge for farm-fresh eggs
• A refrigerator/freezer for produce, breads, and frozen meats
• Products from other farms such as home-made soap, maple syrup, USDA inspected pork and beef...and even goat!
• A card reader for credit and debit cards (we have to be home to use it though)
• A guest book for suggestions, comments, and questions
• A weekly recipe of the week

Last summer’s bounty of squash, melons and other veggies.

The stand will open Memorial Day weekend. Look for fresh cut rhubarb and asparagus, vegetable and flower starts, hanging flower baskets, jellies, jams, and relishes, homemade soap, farm-fresh meats, and our Maple Ridge breads!  “We look forward to seeing you throughout the growing season!” said Erik.

This year Maple Ridge Produce will also be hosting the Sustainable Farming Association's annual summer picnic. SFA would like to invite the Lone Lake Association members to join them for a potluck picnic extravaganza at Maple Ridge Produce on Saturday,  July 8th from 3-7 pm.

At this picnic you will be able to meet a variety of other local farmers in the area and see what they have to offer.  “It’ll be great to see you all there!”

For more information, contact Erik Heimark, Maple Ridge Produce at mapleridgeproduce@gmail.com or call 218-232-1303

Fun Facts from the lake

Please welcome Beth-Anne Rowe to the LLPOA board of directors!

Independence Day Boat Parade will be on Saturday, July 1 at Noon (NOT on the 4th of July).

Memorial Day Weekend: LLPOA Membership drive begins. Please welcome your door-to-door membership volunteers!

This year’s LLPOA annual meeting and picnic will be on Saturday, July 22 starting at 11 a.m. More details to come.

ICE WENT ON THE LAKE: December 10, 2016

ICE CAME OFF THE LAKE:     April 4, 2017 (see more historical dates here)

LAKE ELEVATION on May 10, 2017 was 1,264.23 ft.  The Ordinary High Water Mark is 1,264.6 ft.

LAKE CLARITY: the Secchi disk reading on May 10, 2017 was 28 feet