DEAD LAKE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA
Cactus Meeting Room, Perham, Minnesota
August 2, 2024
5:00pm
Welcome: Don Janes
Introduction of Board Members
Minutes of 2023 Annual Meeting (pre-sent by email available in this report). Please read the 2023 minutes before the start of meeting.
Treasurer’s Report (pre-sent by email available in this report). Please read before start of meeting.
Overview of activities (see annual report).
New Business
Board Nominations and Vote (only paid members may vote).
Speaker: Ben Johnson, MN DNR
Note: There will be an hour social following the meeting. Buy ticket for chances to win cash or a meat bundle. Join us for the dinner.
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DEAD LAKE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES
Cactus Meeting Room, Perham, MN
August 5, 2023
5:00 pm
President Don Janes called the meeting to order at 5:10 pm. Mr. Janes introduced board members and the committee each are chairing. Mr. Janes thanked outgoing board member, Jim Hatlevig, for his years of service.
Minutes – Motion to approve the annual meeting minutes from August 5, 2022 by Larry Ewer. Second by Stephanie Johnson. Motion carried.
Treasurer’s Report – was reviewed by Treasurer, Craig Lund. Motion to accept the Treasurer’s Report by Jim Hatlevig. Second by Sally Bosch. Motion Carried.
President Don Janes spoke about the association as a group of volunteers and how people have stepped up to face challenges. The Board provides resources to volunteers.
Mr. Janes introduced the survey and explained why it is important to have input from membership.
Mr. Janes called for nominees for the board vacancy. Terry Janes introduced Nicole Binczik, co-owner of Abbywood Resort as the board recommended candidate. Ernie West moved that nominations cease. Second by Larry Ewer. Nicole Binczik was unanimously voted in as board member.
Don Janes introduced Lee Mindemann from Star Lake. Mr. Mindemann spoke about Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS). Mr. Mindemann encouraged DLA members to become trained in monitoring AIS because early detection is critical for success.
Motion to adjourn by Craig Lund. Second by Myrna Newman. Meeting adjourned at 5:48 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Janes, DLA Secretary
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DEAD LAKE ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS
Don Janes: DLA Board President. He is responsible for organizing, convening and facilitating board meetings. He is also a liaison to local agencies and community representatives. Don writes articles for the newsletter and assists other board members and volunteers.
Ward Arntson: DLA Vice President. He is responsible for recruiting board members. Anyone interested in becoming or nominating a board member should contact Ward. Ward is also a liaison between the board and local agencies.
Craig Lund: DLA Treasurer and has served the board since 2013. As treasurer her makes sure that the financial information is accurate. He helps assure the financial security of the Dead Lake Association. Craig also emails the Dead Lake Newsletter to residents and sends out information news-blasts.
Terry Janes: DLA Board’s COLA representative. COLA facilitates the water quality testing and communication between Otter Tail County’s many lake associations and governing agencies. Terry helps plan and implement our annual fund raiser. Terry is the secretary for the Dead Lake Board and her efforts help make sure that the board is on track from one meeting to the next.
Stephanie Johnson: DLA Board’s authorized check signer. She is the lead for the planning and implementation of the fundraiser. This includes making sure there are sufficient supplies and prizes. Stephanie coordinates the silent auction.
Nicole Binczik: DLA Board’s newest member. She is responsible for media. She and her husband own Abbywood Resort. As a resort owner she brings an important perspective to the Board. Nicole is now in charge of our Facebook account and has just begun working to improve the Dead Lake Association website.
Carolyn Reynolds: DLA Board member in charge of shoreline management issues. This summer she is checking in with Dead Lake residents who have done shoreline restoration projects and will be providing photos of these projects. Carolyn also puts out signs around Dead Lake where Lady Slippers are growing.
Donna Arntson: DLA Board member in charge of putting together the newsletter. She helps develop articles and works with the article authors to make sure we have a quality newsletter. There will be three newsletters this year. A copy is mailed to association members and is available online to all Dead Lake residents. Donna also helps with membership. Last fall she took on a lead role in organizing a get together for Dead Lake Resort owners.
Larry Ewer: DLA Board member in charge of safety on Dead Lake. He makes sure that volunteers who put out rock markers have the materials they need to do their job. This past year he has welded and repaired anchors to make sure the connection between the buoys and anchors resist corrosion. Larry also has worked with the DNR and Dead Lake Township to improve public access sites.
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DEAD LAKE ASSOCIATION ANNUAL REPORT
The Dead Lake Association Board has met 7 times since our Annual Meeting and Fundraiser on August 5, 2023. We earned about $1,000 and our association membership was up to 114.
The board gave a brief survey last year asking members about what they like about Dead Lake and what concerns they have.
Although a small number of surveys were returned, the results showed that most respondents like that Dead Lake is an undeveloped rural setting that provides peace and solitude. Concerns or problem areas identified were low water level, Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS), development and weeds and wild rice.
It’s important to focus on the positive characteristics of Dead Lake. After all that is why families have been on the lake for generations and why friends of the lake exist. When water level is low, when the weather is foul and when weeds are abundant our focus is on what needs to be fixed. Yet it is the positives of our lake that pull us through. One resident, for example, had a very significant reason to be unhappy with the low water level. He also said that he’d been on Dead Lake most of his life; that he loves the lake, that he will be on the lake for many more years.
This report describes some of the Dead Lake Association activities throughout the year. It also describes some of the issues we face.
Rocks in Dead Lake can be hazardous and while water level was low throughout 2023 board members received calls about unmarked rocks and missing buoys. This 2024 summer has more precipitation and the water level is up. We have not heard complaints about rocks or buoys. The association continues to help our volunteers to make sure rock markers are in place and to assure safety on the lake. Please let Larry Ewer if you notice a hazard that might need to be marked.
Weeds and wild rice are an ongoing complaint. Some residents and resorts have contracted to harvest or cut weeds just to have adequate access to the lake. The process does require a DNR permit. To many, aquatic plants are a hindrance; to the lake aquatic plants are a vital part of ensuring the integrity of our lake and maintaining water quality. The association did offer to help residents with weed problems find a way to reduce the cost and the amount of cutting access to the lake by having them work together. Although residents had an explicit interest, they shied away from weed harvest because they did not want to deal with the DNR and regulations.
One area where cutting weeds was explored was the channel between the North Bay along Co. Hwy 35 and the rest of Dead Lake. Lowering the weed level in the pass would prevent weed tangled props and help make navigation easier. Some residents support clearing the channel; some others are concerned about the impact it has on the lake. What is your opinion? Please let the board know.
To me it seems that it is sometimes a tug and pull between what we want out of the lake and what is actually healthy for the lake. It is a question of how to enjoy the lake and conserve and protect it at the same time.
Water level was a hot issue last year. This year complaints about water level are few. Because Dead Lake is relatively shallow, water level will always be an issue. Even when the water level is high it affects water quality and the shoreline.
Throughout this past year, we have had a number of conversations with DNR about water level and water over the dam between Indian Bay and Indian Lake. The long and the short of it is that the dam is set at a fixed elevation.
A chronology of changes to the dam show that the dam elevation had been authorized at an elevation of 1326.6 or 1326.27 in1949 and the dam was poured to that elevation in 1961. (1326.6 or 1326.7) Then a 2-inch plank was installed in the 1970s followed by a channel cap to mimic a fish screen. As a result, the elevation at the dam was 4 inches higher than the authorized level. The wood and channel cap was then replaced by a channel iron in 2007 and the elevation level remained 4 inches (or at 1327 ft.) above the 1949 authorized level.
The Dead Lake Directory (2018) discloses some very interesting history about the ditch and the dam. The current dam and ditch, for example, was chosen as an outlet instead of the natural Dead River outlet because of flooding potential. A major take away from the history of dams, flooding and drought is that attempts to alter the lakes water level can bring about some unintentional changes. I encourage anyone interested in the impact the dam has had on Dead Lake to read the History of Dead Lake at the beginning of the Dead Lake Directory.
Volunteers serve on the association board, put out rock markers, monitor water quality, conduct loon surveys and write newsletter articles. This is an absolute strength within the Dead Lake community that should be maintained and enhanced. More volunteers are needed. We have board members who are moving and who are retiring. We will eventually need volunteers to help with rock markers and AIS monitoring. One proposal under current discussion is that of creating a volunteer position to help recruit, train and coordinate Dead Lake volunteers. The association will provide support, as needed, for volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Terry Janes.
AIS is a serious threat and Dead Lake’s zebra mussel population has been climbing. Another AIS infestation could result in even more serious damage. Although there is a noted increase in zebra mussels it is difficult to know how extreme the damage will be. Hopefully the zebra mussel population will level of and decrease. Our best strategy is to monitor the spread, to check for evidence of any other invasive species and prevention. Volunteers are needed as AIS detectors.
The Dead Lake Board will continue to collaborate with other lakes, COLA, MAISRC, MLR, Soil and Water and Otter Tail County to find ways to prevent and manage AIS.
Shoreline on our natural environmental lake is fragile. Wave action, fluctuating water levels and development can alter the shoreline. Shoreline preservation is important to the health of the lake.
Late last summer, Carolyn Reynolds and I participated in an EOTCSW tour of properties that had planted rain gardens and native buffer zones. Carolyn is now taking photos of the 6-7 properties on Dead Lake that have native planting. Native plant gardens are not everyone’s preference. What matters more is finding the best way to preserve shoreline and to provide buffer that protects the lake from runoff.
The Minnesota Lakes and Rivers has published a Shoreland Guide to Lake Stewardship. This booklet covers how a watershed and land management can have a positive impact the lake. It also covers how to avoid polluting the lake, introduces low impact development approaches to water run-off and how buffer zones can be developed to preserve or restore shoreline. There is also material on aquatic plant management and Aquatic invasive species. The Shoreland guide is available to association members. If you would like one, contact Carolyn Reynolds.
Liaison work and advocacy matters. Board members monitor potential development issues around the lake by contacting the Otter Tail County Land and Resource Office and monitoring variance requests. Hopefully this effort will help us stay ahead of development plans and help manage some of the stress that can occur with change. For example, one of our resorts changed ownership this year but there are no known plans for further development to date.
Last fall and this spring there were reports of damage done to public access sites resulting from power loading. Two of Dead Lake’s public access sites are the domain of the Minnesota DNR. The site on the north bay along County Rd. 35 is operated by Dead Lake Township. The Dead Lake Association concern is the safety of residents and lake friends who use these sites. Association board members established and maintained contact with DNR and township officials to make sure the sites were inspected and in operating order.
Another example of connecting with agencies was when there was a fish kill in Dead Lake and other lakes earlier this summer. Lake residents were contacted to share observations of dead fish in the lake and the information was shared with the DNR. The DNR Fisheries determined that fish kill was a natural occurrence resulting from bacteria in the lake and water temperature changes that stress fish during spawning.
Thank you to everybody for having “eyes on the lake.” The Dead Lake Association may not control what public agencies do, but personnel within these agencies rely on the observations we give them. If there are conditions that require attention, contact Larry Ewer. Reports can also be made directly to the DNR.
Speaker: AIS Detector, Lee Mindemann , Star Lake
Media: Our website is Dead-Lake.Org
We are working at keeping the site current and it is a work in progress. It is a great source of information about Dead Lake events, history and experiences. Dead Lake can also be found on Facebook.
Membership: There are many families and residents who have been on this lake for generations. There are also friends and residents who are new to the lake. Many guests and friends return year after year because they enjoy Dead Lake. Some come for recreation, some for the fishing, many come to relax. We have varied interests in the lake and the lake does not determine who belongs and who does not. Hopefully, anyone who has a vested interest in Dead Lake will respect the lake and help conserve it.
Resort owners on Dead Lake are important members. Their livelihood depends on the quality and health of Dead Lake. Resorts are also the avenue through which visitors and friends access the lake. Resort owners are hardworking, busy people. Just like any lake resident who invites guests to the lake, resort owners are ambassadors for Dead Lake.
Last fall, the Dead Lake Association Board sponsored a meet and greet with resort owners at The Dougout in Dent. Six association board members and three families who own and operate resorts attended. It is no surprise to learn that resort owners have a strong interest the water quality and the health of Dead Lake.
Connecting Dead Lake community members matters. Anyone who has an idea of how the lake association can connect members please let Donna or Ward Arntson know.
The Dead Lake Newsletter is now available three times each summer. It is a source of information that keeps members and residents informed and connected. The newsletter is a great way to generate interest in Dead Lake. It is also a work in progress. Board members, residents and lake enthusiasts are invited to contribute. You can volunteer to write or suggest topics of interest. Donna Arntson has done an excellent job at reviving the newsletter. Please let her know about topics or material you would like to get from the newsletter.
The Dead Lake Association Board will be talking about plans for next year throughout the remaining three meetings this season. We expect that some board members will need to be replaced because they are moving or retiring from the board. Volunteers will need to be recruited, trained and ready when needed. Our membership and fundraising does fluctuate and we need to make financial plans for next year. The water quality and safety of Dead Lake is an ongoing concern.
The Dead Lake Association Board will meet three more times this season. Meetings are at 10:00 at the Senior Center in Dent. Meeting dates are August 12, September 9 and October 14. Association members are invited to attend. Please contact Don Janes if you plan to attend or you have something you want placed on the agenda.
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