COON LAKE IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (CLID) REPORT

Early in 2010, the CLID Board contracted with Lake Restoration, Inc. (LRI) to treat the east lake and PLM to treat the west lake. The purpose for dividing the lake into two sections for treatment control has multi-purpose benefits. The CLID board is acting on the behalf of over 450 homes and representing over 725 people and their money. The effort is to be financially prudent, receive experiential information relating to treatment controls for maximum benefit, and may be able to recognize differing treatment styles to be more aware of factors that dictate results. As directed by the DNR, two permits were submitted in January as two applicators were treating the lake and their own permit should represent each firm.

Coon Lake was accepted into a Bay-wide Pilot Project Program as per a Lake Vegetation Management Plan (LVMP) for the control of Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) in the east basin of Coon Lake for a period of five years from 2010-2014. A request for a full grant for treatment reimbursement was submitted on behalf of the CLID prior to January 18, 2010 to treat CLP on a bay-wide basis and was approved for the amount of $15000.

One of our spotter team members had done GPS waypoint shoreline delineation and identified 5 areas to treat for CLP in the east lake. As previously noted by the June 2008 survey, CLP was found in over 60% of sampled stations in the entire lake. When the DNR came to approve the sites requested, they did not do a verification/delineation in the traditional sense on the 5 candidate areas. They used the 100 meter point transect survey which fell within or near some of the areas that were identified but missed key areas identified by our spotter. It seems then using the information obtained from both surveys, the DNR created the treatment polygons in the office rather than in the field. This was disappointing to the CLID Board and many residents as our expectation by the States own Grant Agreement was to arrange for a contractor to treat all of the curly-leaf pondweed in the East Bay of Coon Lake “. And the DNR’s description of the program purpose specifies, “Lake-wide (or bay-wide) treatments are those that attempt to treat all, or almost, all of the target plant in a lake or bay." However, more acreage was added to broaden the large area on the north end of Beach Bay out from the county beach for a total of 67 acres approved for treatment by permit. Our hope is that the DNR use the same method of delineating CLP as we had performed and expected, that being the methodology that they had trained us to use and that they have used for authorizing EWM treatment areas since 2004, that being a true delineation. An additional 11.5-acre area in the West Arm was delineated by the CLIA spotter team and approved by the DNR for treatment with no alteration. The DNR then suggested using one of the permits previously submitted and to reserve the other for EWM treatment rather than to use them for individual applicators. The treatments were done timely and with in the temperature range prescribed by the DNR. 

Subsequently, according to reports from many residents and spotter team members, the results of the treatments for CLP were very successful and the navigation has been greatly improved with expectations of improving water quality reports in the future. 

A request using the remaining permit to treat the east lake for EWM was submitted on May 6^th.  The spotter team delineated 10 candidate areas consisting of 76.3 acres with much of the area within the 150’zone requiring property owner signatures. The west lake had 5 candidate areas consisting of 67.3 acres delineated but limited EWM that required lake resident signatures so the intent was to submit a nuisance grant request separately with a third permit. A call was received by the CLID Chairman to combine the treatments on the one permit and to include the west lake treatment on the same permit when the grant was approved so as to expedite the DNR’s approval by not having to go to the lake twice for authorizing the requested delineated areas. Finally on June 22^nd, and after a period of nearly 7 weeks, the permit was received to treat. The nuisance grant to treat EWM in the west lake was applied for in early June and approved (completely executed) on June 28^th. The grant request was approved in the amount of $7800. The DNR approved seven treatment areas on the east lake and reduced the request to 16.7 acres and three areas of 36.4 acres on an amended permit (they failed to recognize our explanation when submitting the delineation of the Sand Flats as being heavily used) for the west lake.

It was a major disappointment to have the east lake reduced to 7 areas with two of the areas totaling nearly 10 acres. This caused added expense to the district as the acreage was reduced significantly and that more chemical was required for these small spots to ensure adequate contact exposure. To explain this cost overage in more detail, our quote was $192 for 50–99 acres and the district was charged $412 per acre, more than twice the cost expected per acre. It is also disappointing to note that the treatments did not occur until after July 4^th after an extended period of growth and exposure of EWM when the east lake could have been done in May and the west lake by mid June at the latest. 

Reports of the EWM treatments on both the east and west lake appear to be successful, however there are still areas of nuisance EWM that many of the lake residents have commented should have received treatment. It is the intent of the CLID to learn what needs to be resolved to expedite the process and allow the treatments and treatment areas to satisfy the objective within the parameters of the LVMP. To expand on this, Minnesota Waters is organizing an Invasive Plant Forum in response to state-wide concerns regarding the DNR’s lack of a coherent, contemporary policy guiding its invasive aquatic plant control regulatory and management program. This forum is being scheduled for early 2011 so as to contact the newly elected representatives and CLIA will be an active participant with the focus that this forum produces. This may mean that you will be asked to contact or send a letter of concern to your representatives. I hope you will be available to assist us in this manner. Thank you in advance for your support.

For those of you that were not able to attend the CLID Annual Meeting on July 21^st, the votes to approve expenditures of over $5000, to approve the budget for the 2011 plan of work, and to assess all property owners $150 in 2011, were unanimously approved. (See Meeting Minutes). We welcome Lowell Efterfield and Arlan Mercil that were elected to fill the two expiring Directors positions. Previous Directors, Dave Koenig and Ron Croteau are remaining involved as committee members to assist guiding the CLID toward its' mission. They have been essential in the formation, implementation and operations of the CLID from its' inception and have provided much of the leg work for the CLID to be where it is today. We are indebted to their service to Coon Lake and wish to extend a sincere message of thanks to the both of them!

 Please remember to visit www.clidmn.org at any time for reviewing the minutes or just familiarizing yourself with the CLID.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or comments relating to the CLID, feel free to contact us at info@clidmn.org or call Mike Bury @ 612 618 1372