In this issue:

Text Box: Text Box: LTPOA Board President Jack Rote’s Message:
Lake Care Management— History and Approach
Text Box: With the continuation of house construction and home sales around the lake, the board feels it is important to inform the new comers and remind the old timers of the journey our lake has taken. We also want everyone to understand the controlling factors guiding the lake care management activity.

Lake Characteristics: The lake is shallow with a nutrient rich bottomland, which means it is an ideal environment for aquatic plant growth. The key ingredients for plant growth are nutrients and sun light.

Un-invited Guests: 
1. Early in the lake’s existence, a non-native plant, Eurasian Milfoil, appeared in the lake.
2. Around 2000 the next significant uninvited guests, Zebra Mussels, arrived.
3. In 2009 the latest threat, Starry Stonewort, arrived.

Un-invited Guests Impact on the Lake:
1. Eurasian Milfoil is an aggressive plant that will engulf an entire lake and choke out the native plants. By 1989, Eurasian Milfoil had become so thick that the lake was becoming un-navigable. Eurasian Milfoil is very difficult to eradicate but can be controlled with appropriate chemicals.
2. From the first detection of the Zebra Mussels until 2010, the water clarity went from 5 feet to 13 feet. This clarity increase permitted significantly more sunlight to reach the aquatic plants in the lake.
3. In two years, Starry Stonewort was engulfing a significant amount of the near shore bottom land. It can get so thick that it will impede boats from getting through its mounded structure. It can also totally engulf the bottomland where bass and pan fish spawn.

Activities to Understand the Problems and Develop a Lake Care Management Plan:
1. In 1999 the LTPOA Board commissioned a lake study by Progressive AE, a highly respected Michigan Company that specializes in lake care management. The output from that study indicated the lake had a high level of nutrients in the water column. It also concluded that Lake Templene was progressing faster than normal in the aging process. It recommended that Eurasian Milfoil should be controlled with chemicals as harvesting would fragment the plant and cause it to spread.
2. In 2006, Progressive AE was requested to make

  Summer Issue 2011

 Lake Templene News

       Lake Templene Property Owners Association

       www.laketemplene.org

another assessment of the lake. That assessment substantiated the 1999 conclusions. This assessment was review by Michigan State University and acknowledged to be valid.

3. In 2007, The Spicer Group, an engineering company that specializes in water engineering, conducted a bathometric survey of the lake which mapped the bottom contour and sediment build up.

4. After the lake mapping, a team was formed to develop a Lake Preservation Plan. The team was made up of personnel from The Spicer Group, personnel from Wetland and Coastal, a company made up of ex-MDEQ employees (who specialize in lake care management), and LTPOA Board members.

5. A water well study was completed in 2009 which indicated that more aggressive herbicides could be used near shore in almost every area of the lake.

The Lake Preservation Plan:

1. Dredge the areas of the lake with the greatest sediment build up.

2. Dredge the larger shallow areas of the lake with heavy boat traffic.

3. After completing the above dredging, reassess the lake to determine the next areas for dredging. (The tax special assessment petitions are in the hands of the townships.)

4. The benefits from dredging are the removal of plants in the areas that are dredged, deepening of the water, and removal of nutrient rich bottom land.

5. Aquatic plant control with herbicide should use systemic formulas wherever possible.

6. Harvest aquatic plants when appropriate. Example: Wild Celery in July of 2008 and 2009. Wild Celery harvesting is planned again this year.

Continued on page 2…

Lake Care

Management -

History and

Approach

 

 

 

1,2

 

 

 

 

Announcements:

Event Dates

 

 

2

 

 

 

New Addendum

Signing Update

 

 

New Addendum

3

 

 

 

3

 

Committee for

Weed Floaters

 

Yahoo! Group

How to Join

 

4

 

 

4

 

Whooping Cranes or Sandhill Cranes?

5

 

 

 

 

Newsletter Editor:

Dolly Padgurskis

 

Newsletter Staff:

Susan Leist

Sandy Rote

Leslie Van Gelder

 

Starry Stonewort   www.michiganlakeinfo.com