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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2011
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – May 1, 2011 by Jim DePrey
Hello fellow Berry Lakers! Well, at the risk of jinxing it, I think spring may finally be here. Sure took its sweet time this year. For those of you that have not made it up to the lake since the ice went out I think you will be surprised when you see the lake level. On my beach the shoreline was up about 12 feet from where it left off in the fall. And with all the rain we’ve had its up about another 3 since ice out. In fact many of you will see, as I did, that your dock is already in the water! This year it appears the question to ponder is not “how far out should I put the dock”, but “how close in”!
The boat landing looks a lot more user friendly with the rising lake level, which we all know is a mixed blessing. In years past when the lake was at high levels we also had a lot more transient boaters. Please continue to support Kay’s volunteer schedule for monitoring the landing! For the loon watchers on the lake I saw a pair of them yesterday morning on the lake. Can’t say if they were just visiting or intending to take up residence, but they were there!
Speaking of birds taking up residence I could not help but notice a very large number of geese on the lake yesterday as well. I know they may be migrating but I have to say that cute little family of geese that took up residence a few years back seems to have taken advantage of our hospitality because it’s now a really big family. Some of you are more familiar with this really big family because they’ve taken to using your dock for an outhouse as they have with mine! I read over the winter that a way to deal with them is to string a line 6 inches above the water and they won’t cross it. I got my self some dock posts and ¼ inch line and I’m going to give it a try around the dock on the beach end. Inconvenient I know but not nearly as inconvenient as tiptoeing through the tulips on the dock! I will let you know how it works. I hope you have a great summer! See you on the lake! Jim DePrey
ICE OFF 2011 – April 13th
Ice off came relatively late this year compared to the past few years. Several Berrylakers made guesses as to the date it would break (most guessed dates in early April due to the warm weather early on). Congratulations to BLPOA member Stephanie Cox was the Berrylaker who guessed closest to the date and won a gift certificate to Harley’s Den!
ICE OFF DATES FYI:
EWM MAINTENANCE @ BERRY LAKE
In January, BLPOA members Jim DePrey (President) and Kay Rankel –Gamsky (Sec-Treas) met with reps from our Underhill Town Board to put an EWM treatment grant application together. The grant was submitted to the DNR for the amount of appx. $50,000 to cover the chemical application of the largest stands of EWM here at the lake. Unfortunately, our project did not get funded. The reason stated was that it was because we do not have an Aquatic Plant Management (APM) plan in place.
All of us including Gary Frank (Town Chair) and Tracy Winkler (Town Clerk) were under the assumption that an APM had been done as a requirement of the previous grants for Berry Lake. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The DNR is recommending that in the next round for grant applications (which is in August) that the BLPOA submit a grant for the purpose of hiring a lake management planning company to create an APM for Berry Lake.
Kay has been involved with a county wide effort to control AIS (aquatic invasive species) here, and has attended several meetings so far this year. Representatives from several Oconto County groups attended these meetings including Town Chairs, DNR personnel, Lake Associations, and the Oconto County Economic Development Corp. (OCEDC). All are hoping to work together in the future to apply for state and/or federal grants to control AIS. The OCEDC will be developing a proposal to the Land Conservation office and plan to discuss this joint project at their upcoming May meeting. Hopefully, this is a project that the Land Conservation Dept. will be willing to get involved in. More information should be available at our annual meeting, and the BLPOA board will keep you posted on this.
Kay has also been in contact with an AIS coordinator who has support from the DNR to study the effect of EWM weevils. The DNR funding is limited, but it was hoped that Berry Lake would be considered for a pilot study with the EWM weevils. Only three lakes were chosen, and Berry Lake was not one of them. Studies so far indicate that the weevils are more tolerant and hardy than originally thought, and EWM control with weevils may be a possibility here in the future.
In the meantime, EWM maintenance this spring/summer will need to revolve around the volunteer efforts of all of our residents. The three Berry Lake Socials scheduled this summer will be “Work Socials” for the purpose of cutting/hauling/removing EWM. We will also continue to schedule volunteers to monitor our boat landing during peak times on the weekends. The BLPOA will maintain our Citizen Lake Monitoring Program and will work with our AIS Coordinator Jed Lyness and the DNR for future recommendations.
NORTHERN GRACE YOUTH CAMP CHAPEL SERVICE by Dave Green
The Northern Grace Youth Camp is once again inviting the community to join them for chapel services on Sunday mornings this summer. The services are casual and non-denominational. They include singing and a Bible message.
The services are held from 10:00 to 11:00 am each Sunday from July 3 – August 7.
GYPSY MOTH CONTROL 2011 UPDATE/EMERALD ASH BORER
Our Underhill Gypsy Moth Control Coordinator (Jim Ash) completed the gypsy moth egg mass count last fall. Jim has been appointed by the Town of Underhill to head this control effort here. And based on that count, the Oconto County Gypsy Moth Coordinator (Bob Skatilzky) said that treatment would not need to take place this spring.
Bob spoke at the April 30th Oconto County Lakes & Waterways Association meeting and said that a naturally occurring soil-borne fungus killed a lot of them last summer and that there won’t be anyone in Oconto County doing preventative sprays this spring. Bob also said that the cool, wet spring this year is likely to reduce their numbers again and that it’s unlikely that their populations will explode and become a problem in 2012. At this time of year while trees are still dormant, Bob recommends that homeowners use dormant oil spray on the webs which will smother the eggs; another option would be to scrape off the egg masses and burn them.
Bob also talked about the Emerald Ash borer and said that luckily none have been reported in Oconto County so far. It is extremely important not to transport wood from other counties to use here, so please don’t haul your firewood up to Berry Lake. Brown County, which has the Emerald Ash borer present, is under quarantine.
NR 115 – OCONTO COUNTY SHORELAND ORDINANCE REVISION
I’m attaching a draft of the proposed Oconto County Shoreland Ordinance Revision that was presented to us at the Oconto County Lakes & Waterways Association meeting by representatives from the Oconto County Zoning Dept. We were the first group that the zoning department made this presentation to, and they plan to hold several public hearings throughout the county this summer to get input.
As Berry Lake is labeled a Class III Lake (which means that it is “mostly developed”), they are not recommending any changes that would affect us here regarding setbacks; the state standards will remain the same as they’ve always been. For us, that means that our shoreland setback will still be 75 feet from the OHWM (ordinary high water mark). Changes are being recommended for Class I (sensitive, mostly undeveloped) and Class II (less sensitive, partially developed) lakes which will mean greater setbacks from the OHWM.
Other language in this proposed ordinance relates to:
The deadline for submission is February 2012 after which time the ordinance will be finalized and submitted to the Oconto County Board of Supervisors for approval.
BERRY LAKE HISTORY - GREEN GABLES @ BERRY LAKE
This information was forwarded to all on our email list earlier this year, but I’m repeating it here for those of you who don’t receive our email notifications. This information was provided by Berrylaker Angela Rikaby...
Back in the 1920's, there was a property on Berry Lake that was called GREEN GABLES. Angela shared the log book with me from her family that was kept at the property...guests were to write their name, the date, and "other particulars" of their stay there. After receiving feedback from other Berrylakers, it is believed that this property now belongs to the Holman’s on the North Shore. Here are the entry suggestions, as stated in the log book on its first page:
"Green Gables" Log is for the pleasure of its guests. Enter any events, slang phrase or Motto or remarks about record catches
(fish or otherwise), parties or special expeditions of any kind that you think will be of interest to yourself or others
should you again be a guest at "Green Gables".
As I’ve been going through the Green Gables log book, I’ve been posting entries (as well as scanning some of the pages) onto our Berry Lake Blog (http://berrylakewi.blogspot.com/) for all to see… so if you’re interested, follow along with me there.
PLACEMENT PROJECT FROM THE OCONTO COUNTY LAKES & WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION (OCLAWA)
OCLAWA is planning to produce placements for Oconto County restaurants this summer that will feature aquatic invasives and the importance of prevention at our area lakes. The BLPOA board has agreed to donate $50.00 to this project, and our name will be included on the placemat as a sponsor. Look for them as you’re out and about this summer.
BERRY LAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS
SPRING NEWSLETTER 2011
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE – May 1, 2011 by Jim DePrey
Hello fellow Berry Lakers! Well, at the risk of jinxing it, I think spring may finally be here. Sure took its sweet time this year. For those of you that have not made it up to the lake since the ice went out I think you will be surprised when you see the lake level. On my beach the shoreline was up about 12 feet from where it left off in the fall. And with all the rain we’ve had its up about another 3 since ice out. In fact many of you will see, as I did, that your dock is already in the water! This year it appears the question to ponder is not “how far out should I put the dock”, but “how close in”!
The boat landing looks a lot more user friendly with the rising lake level, which we all know is a mixed blessing. In years past when the lake was at high levels we also had a lot more transient boaters. Please continue to support Kay’s volunteer schedule for monitoring the landing! For the loon watchers on the lake I saw a pair of them yesterday morning on the lake. Can’t say if they were just visiting or intending to take up residence, but they were there!
Speaking of birds taking up residence I could not help but notice a very large number of geese on the lake yesterday as well. I know they may be migrating but I have to say that cute little family of geese that took up residence a few years back seems to have taken advantage of our hospitality because it’s now a really big family. Some of you are more familiar with this really big family because they’ve taken to using your dock for an outhouse as they have with mine! I read over the winter that a way to deal with them is to string a line 6 inches above the water and they won’t cross it. I got my self some dock posts and ¼ inch line and I’m going to give it a try around the dock on the beach end. Inconvenient I know but not nearly as inconvenient as tiptoeing through the tulips on the dock! I will let you know how it works. I hope you have a great summer! See you on the lake! Jim DePrey
ICE OFF 2011 – April 13th
Ice off came relatively late this year compared to the past few years. Several Berrylakers made guesses as to the date it would break (most guessed dates in early April due to the warm weather early on). Congratulations to BLPOA member Stephanie Cox was the Berrylaker who guessed closest to the date and won a gift certificate to Harley’s Den!
ICE OFF DATES FYI:
- 2011 – Apr 13
- 2010 – Mar 26
- 2009 - Apr 5
- 2008 -Apr 16
- 2007 - Mar 26
- 2006 - Apr 1
- 2005 - Apr 7
- 2004 - Apr 5
- 2003 - Apr 2
EWM MAINTENANCE @ BERRY LAKE
In January, BLPOA members Jim DePrey (President) and Kay Rankel –Gamsky (Sec-Treas) met with reps from our Underhill Town Board to put an EWM treatment grant application together. The grant was submitted to the DNR for the amount of appx. $50,000 to cover the chemical application of the largest stands of EWM here at the lake. Unfortunately, our project did not get funded. The reason stated was that it was because we do not have an Aquatic Plant Management (APM) plan in place.
All of us including Gary Frank (Town Chair) and Tracy Winkler (Town Clerk) were under the assumption that an APM had been done as a requirement of the previous grants for Berry Lake. Unfortunately, this was not the case. The DNR is recommending that in the next round for grant applications (which is in August) that the BLPOA submit a grant for the purpose of hiring a lake management planning company to create an APM for Berry Lake.
Kay has been involved with a county wide effort to control AIS (aquatic invasive species) here, and has attended several meetings so far this year. Representatives from several Oconto County groups attended these meetings including Town Chairs, DNR personnel, Lake Associations, and the Oconto County Economic Development Corp. (OCEDC). All are hoping to work together in the future to apply for state and/or federal grants to control AIS. The OCEDC will be developing a proposal to the Land Conservation office and plan to discuss this joint project at their upcoming May meeting. Hopefully, this is a project that the Land Conservation Dept. will be willing to get involved in. More information should be available at our annual meeting, and the BLPOA board will keep you posted on this.
Kay has also been in contact with an AIS coordinator who has support from the DNR to study the effect of EWM weevils. The DNR funding is limited, but it was hoped that Berry Lake would be considered for a pilot study with the EWM weevils. Only three lakes were chosen, and Berry Lake was not one of them. Studies so far indicate that the weevils are more tolerant and hardy than originally thought, and EWM control with weevils may be a possibility here in the future.
In the meantime, EWM maintenance this spring/summer will need to revolve around the volunteer efforts of all of our residents. The three Berry Lake Socials scheduled this summer will be “Work Socials” for the purpose of cutting/hauling/removing EWM. We will also continue to schedule volunteers to monitor our boat landing during peak times on the weekends. The BLPOA will maintain our Citizen Lake Monitoring Program and will work with our AIS Coordinator Jed Lyness and the DNR for future recommendations.
NORTHERN GRACE YOUTH CAMP CHAPEL SERVICE by Dave Green
The Northern Grace Youth Camp is once again inviting the community to join them for chapel services on Sunday mornings this summer. The services are casual and non-denominational. They include singing and a Bible message.
The services are held from 10:00 to 11:00 am each Sunday from July 3 – August 7.
GYPSY MOTH CONTROL 2011 UPDATE/EMERALD ASH BORER
Our Underhill Gypsy Moth Control Coordinator (Jim Ash) completed the gypsy moth egg mass count last fall. Jim has been appointed by the Town of Underhill to head this control effort here. And based on that count, the Oconto County Gypsy Moth Coordinator (Bob Skatilzky) said that treatment would not need to take place this spring.
Bob spoke at the April 30th Oconto County Lakes & Waterways Association meeting and said that a naturally occurring soil-borne fungus killed a lot of them last summer and that there won’t be anyone in Oconto County doing preventative sprays this spring. Bob also said that the cool, wet spring this year is likely to reduce their numbers again and that it’s unlikely that their populations will explode and become a problem in 2012. At this time of year while trees are still dormant, Bob recommends that homeowners use dormant oil spray on the webs which will smother the eggs; another option would be to scrape off the egg masses and burn them.
Bob also talked about the Emerald Ash borer and said that luckily none have been reported in Oconto County so far. It is extremely important not to transport wood from other counties to use here, so please don’t haul your firewood up to Berry Lake. Brown County, which has the Emerald Ash borer present, is under quarantine.
NR 115 – OCONTO COUNTY SHORELAND ORDINANCE REVISION
I’m attaching a draft of the proposed Oconto County Shoreland Ordinance Revision that was presented to us at the Oconto County Lakes & Waterways Association meeting by representatives from the Oconto County Zoning Dept. We were the first group that the zoning department made this presentation to, and they plan to hold several public hearings throughout the county this summer to get input.
As Berry Lake is labeled a Class III Lake (which means that it is “mostly developed”), they are not recommending any changes that would affect us here regarding setbacks; the state standards will remain the same as they’ve always been. For us, that means that our shoreland setback will still be 75 feet from the OHWM (ordinary high water mark). Changes are being recommended for Class I (sensitive, mostly undeveloped) and Class II (less sensitive, partially developed) lakes which will mean greater setbacks from the OHWM.
Other language in this proposed ordinance relates to:
- Waterfront access easements
- Buffer zones (a 35’ vegetative buffer is required and permits will be necessary for all land-use activities within the buffer zone)… they also passed out information on Rain Gardens which provide a natural solution to “runoff pollution”, and they included plant recommendations. The WDNR has a lot of information on creating Rain Gardens…visit their website at http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/runoff/rg/ to find out more.
- Impervious surfaces (15% impervious surface will be allowed on the portion of a lot that is within 300 feet of the OHWM or mitigation measures must be submitted along with the permit).
The deadline for submission is February 2012 after which time the ordinance will be finalized and submitted to the Oconto County Board of Supervisors for approval.
BERRY LAKE HISTORY - GREEN GABLES @ BERRY LAKE
This information was forwarded to all on our email list earlier this year, but I’m repeating it here for those of you who don’t receive our email notifications. This information was provided by Berrylaker Angela Rikaby...
Back in the 1920's, there was a property on Berry Lake that was called GREEN GABLES. Angela shared the log book with me from her family that was kept at the property...guests were to write their name, the date, and "other particulars" of their stay there. After receiving feedback from other Berrylakers, it is believed that this property now belongs to the Holman’s on the North Shore. Here are the entry suggestions, as stated in the log book on its first page:
"Green Gables" Log is for the pleasure of its guests. Enter any events, slang phrase or Motto or remarks about record catches
(fish or otherwise), parties or special expeditions of any kind that you think will be of interest to yourself or others
should you again be a guest at "Green Gables".
As I’ve been going through the Green Gables log book, I’ve been posting entries (as well as scanning some of the pages) onto our Berry Lake Blog (http://berrylakewi.blogspot.com/) for all to see… so if you’re interested, follow along with me there.
PLACEMENT PROJECT FROM THE OCONTO COUNTY LAKES & WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION (OCLAWA)
OCLAWA is planning to produce placements for Oconto County restaurants this summer that will feature aquatic invasives and the importance of prevention at our area lakes. The BLPOA board has agreed to donate $50.00 to this project, and our name will be included on the placemat as a sponsor. Look for them as you’re out and about this summer.
BERRY LAKE ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Please forward any news that you would like to be included in this portion of our newsletter for this fall.
- Remember that you are able to order custom Berry Lake merchandise embroidered with our logo all year long through Hillcrest Custom Embroidery (N5539 Hillcrest Drive, Shawano) which is located midway between Cecil & Shawano on Hwy 22.
- Not receiving our email notifications throughout the year? If you would like to be included, please send a note to our email address berrylakewi@gmail.com and I’ll add you to our email list (all emails are sent out Bcc to reserve your privacy).
- The annual dues for the Berry Lake Property Owners are still just $25.00/year. Dues are used to cover our operating costs including insurance, membership to the Oconto County Lakes Association, office supplies such as envelopes/stamps, copies, setup/delivery charges for Berry Lake merchandise, fish stocking, and social events including our annual corn boil. PLEASE MAIL YOUR BLPOA DUES to the address on this letterhead prior to May 21, 2010payable to the BLPOA. Prepaying prior to our annual meeting saves time on the meeting day, and would be much appreciated. Send in your dues today! Thanks.
