November BLIA Meeting Details!

The last BLIA meeting for the year is almost here! Join us on November 6th for the following topics:

• Lakescaping: What can we do over the winter to get ready for next year? - Speaker Dale Gustafson will be joining us to share what work we can do now!
• DNR Fisheries - Paul Dediedrich will join us to discuss what's going into our lake, and how we can improve what fish come out!

Thursday, Nov. 6th
7:00-9:00 pm
Sandy and Mike Sutton’s House
1841 Hansack Ave NE

Note: We will not hold a December meeting, and details are being finalized for our January annual meeting/dinner. Stay tuned for more information.

September Meeting Minutes

Here are the meeting minutes from September. Thanks to Louise Kolstad for capturing them and to the Pyle's for hosting!

-------------------------


Beebe Lake Meeting: Thursday, September 4, 2008

Meeting Site: Roger and Marlene Pyle
7611 20th Street, N.E.
St. Michael, MN

I. Call to Order at 7:10 pm by Brian Hall, President

II. Introduction/present: Brian Hall, Kris and Dan Olson, Jan and
Dick Nagel, Marlene and Roger Pyle, Sandra and
Mike Sutton, Elaine Swanson, Eric and Amy Larson, Mary Lou Diederich,
Henry and Carolyn Blonigen, David Aberwald, Greg Brozyna, Louise
Kolstad, Joe Jacobs.

III. August 7, 2008 minutes received paper or on line.

IV. President’s Report

a. Monthly Status
(note: these minutes taken by Amy Larson: they are much more
Complete than notes of Louise. Thank You Amy!)
Joe Jacobs presentation:
Lake Mgmt plan submitted
$5000 rec’d for that project once accepted
50 – 75% cost share for lakeshore restoration
Can se if contact for next mtg by Brian
Lake study start 2010
Fall runoff especially important
1-2 samples each spring/summer/fall.
$ 12 samples
Where to put station sites
Get off impaired list / under 45 ppm
Agriculture 1 part of 3 prongs that contribute to issues
$ 1200 avail Tuesday
V. Treasurer Report
David distributed to each person a Saving/Checking Account Balance
And then a draft of Beebe Lake Improvement Association Bylaws revised
August 2008. Please call if you wish a copy. This will also be put on the
Website.
There as an explaination of 501 C 3 Which probably will need time
for explaining this federal funding system.

Changes on By-laws vote : all present voted yes.
Change on name to: Beebe Lake Improvement Association Bylaw:
All voted Yes.




VI Old Business:
Discussion of wish of speaker for Lakescaping. Brian will seek some of
this will “Joe” to see if he has a contract on this. Louise will share her
list.

VII New Business
Discussions:
Get fish fingerlings this fall.
Grinder pump: leave alone; call Brian if water showing.
Do we want committees and which kind?
Do we want to keep Fund raising?
Meetings this year: YES for October and November; none December.

VIII Adjournment
At 8:30 pm by Brian Hall

Thank you Roger and Marlene!

Odds and Ends

Here are some links you might find helpful:

• Want to know what's going on with County Road 35? Click here.
• Where do you vote in the next election? Click here.

October Meeting Details and other announcements

The next monthly meeting will be held this coming Thursday, October 2nd from 7 to 8:30 at Kris and Brian Hall's house: 1607 Hansack.

Mark your calendars: The November meeting will be held November 6th from 7 to 8:30 at the Sandy and Mike Sutton's house: 1841 Hansack.

There will not be a meeting in December, and we will hold our annual meeting in early January. Check back later for more details.

Minutes from the August Meeting

The meeting notes from the August Beebe Lake Association meeting are completed. You can find them posted here. Thanks to Louise Kolstad for capturing them!

By the way, Louise is using her new @beebelake.com e-mail address to send documents and stay in contact with family and friends. If you want your own Beebe Lake e-mail address, contact Dan Olson via e-mail at dano@beebelake.com or call the hotline!

September Lake Improvement Association Meeting Details

Hello everyone!

The next meeting is Thursday, September 4th from 7-8:30.

Our hosts this month are Marlene and Roger Pyle. Their house address is 7611 20th Street NE.

Here's the agenda:

1. Update on our lake association improvement plan
2. Treasurer's Report
3. 501c3 status update/new name Beebe Lake Improvement Association
4. Lakescaping-do we still want to have a speaker in October?
5. Committee Review
6. Plan out next three meetings (need volunteers to host!)
7. Old Business
8. New Business
9. Adjourn

If you have questions, call the hotline and leave a message!

Next BLA Meeting: August 7

The next Beebe Lake Association meeting will be held at Carolyn and Henry Blonigen's house, 7:00-8:30 pm on August 7, 2008. Their address is 1867 Hansack Ave NE.

If you have questions, call the hot line and someone from the BLA will return your call with an answer.

FYI: The July 4th boat parade and picnic/potluck was a huge success! We had over 20 boats participate in the parade (a new record!), and almost 80 people attended the picnic/potluck at the Swansons!

Beebe Lake excitment is growing!! We hope to see you at the next meeting!

Milfoil Treatment

Once again, the Beebe Lake Association will be treating the residential areas for Eurasian watermilfoil. Tentatively, the application is scheduled for the week of July 13 (probably Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday). What day it is done depends on the wind and weather conditions.

Please remember that we are restricted to a maximum of 100ft by 100 ft per resident.

WATCH FOR THE ORANGE SIGNS!! All warnings and restrictions will be posted on them. Signs will indicate the areas treated.

If you have questions, call the hot line and leave a message. A member from the Milfoil committee will call you back.

2008 4th of July Boat Parade

This year's boat parade had the highest number of participants ever!

Minutes from June Meeting

The minutes from the June Beebe Lake Association meeting are completed. You can find them posted here.

Thanks to Louise Kolstad for capturing the minutes! She's using her new @beebelake.com e-mail address to send documents. If you want your own Beebe Lake e-mail address, contact Dan Olson via e-mail at dano@beebelake.com or call the hotline!

4th of July Boat Parades and Neighborhood Potluck Picnic

Our regularly scheduled first Thursday of the month association meeting has been moved due to the holiday. Instead, we will hold a boat parade and neighborhood potluck picnic!

PARADE:
When? The 4th of July!
Where? The parade starts at the mouth of the bay at 11am (feel free to decorate your boat in a patriotic theme!) Otherwise, sit on your dock and the boat parade will pass right by you!

PICNIC:
When: Immediately following the parade (approximately 12:30)
Where? Dick and Elaine Swanson's place (end of the cul-de-sac).
What? It's a potluck, so bring something to share. BLA will furnish hot dogs, brats, buns, paper products and utensils.

Eric and Amy Larson will furnish pop, Dick and Elaine will furnish bottled water, coffee and condiments.

Bring a chair, bring your friends and family too! It's a great time to meet, greet and visit with the neighbors!!

Are you having friends and family to your house that day? Bring 'em along! The more the merrier!

Next Meeting: Thursday 6/5/08

Reminder: Beebe Lake Associations meetings are now held monthly!

Mark your calendars now!

Meetings will be held the first Thursday of the month from 7:00-8:30pm at an Association member's home.

The June meeting will be held at

Kris and Dan Olson's house,

1787 Hansack Ave NE.

6/5/08

Call the hotline if you have questions!

May Association Meeting this Thursday!

Hey everyone!

This Thursday (5/1/08) is our next montly Lake Association meeting. Bob and Louise Kolstad are hosting. The meeting runs from 7 to 8:30, and their address is 1731 Hansack Ave.

Call the hotline for more details!

Here's an e-mail that Brian wanted posted!

April 25, 2008
Dear Lakeshore Property Owner:

We write with good news! On Tuesday, April 22, Minnesotans for Healthy Lakes scored a big victory on behalf of lakeshore property owners when the Environment and Natural Resources Committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives held a hearing on our legislation (HF 4157).
MHL was granted nearly two hours of testimony and discussion time by the committee chair, Representative Kent Eken, which is almost unheard of for a legislative hearing. Typically, legislative hearings last 15-30 minutes per bill. The length of the hearing is an indication of the concern legislators have with the Department of Natural Resources management of the Aquatic Plant Management (APM) program; the DNR has regularly opposed lakeshore property owners' fight against invasive aquatic weeds. Since the House Environment committee did not hear our bill last year, this was the first time that many legislators had heard from MHL – as well from the DNR – in a committee hearing on our bill. This was an essential step in passing our bill.
Also, many thanks to Board Co-Chair Bill Goins (Schmidt Lake) and to MHL members Roger Williams (Lake Johanna), John Enstrom (Veterans Lake), Bill Pool (Whitefish chain of lakes), for their wonderful testimony. They did a great job challenging the DNR's claims and answering legislators' questions, which you can listen to by clicking on this audio link: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/audio/archivescomm.asp?comm=9000&ls_year=85.
How You Can Help in the Fight for Lakeshore Property Owners
Here are some things you can do today in the fight for the rights of lakeshore property owners.

As we move into the spring permitting season, please forward any negative interactions or unreasonable delays that occur between you or your lake association and the DNR to info@mnhealthylakes.org.

Please take some time to contribute to MHL today so we can continue to communicate with lakeshore property owners, lake associations, and resorts during the spring and summer. We need to grow our membership so we can have a bigger impact on state government and we need your financial help to get the word out to lakeshore property owners. If you can, help us with a contribution today by clicking here.

We also remind you of the proposed new APM rules that will be posted to the State Register at any time. Once posted, lakeshore property owners will have only 30 days to inform the Administrative Law Judge of their concerns and request public hearings on the new rules. Read these rules and their justification, called a Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR), now. We will be asking members to write the judge asking for a hearing as soon as the rules are posted.
Thank you for your support of Minnesotans for Healthy Lakes as we continue to fight for the rights of lakeshore property owners!
We encourage you to forward this important message to friends and neighbors who also own lakeshore property, as well as the president or chair of your lake association.

Sincerely yours,

William Iacoe, Co-Chair William Goins, Co-Chair
www.mnhealthylakes.org
P.S. Your contribution today helps us print brochures and mailings to lakeshore property owners who are LARGELY UNAWARE that the DNR is planning to drastically and permanently reduce their ability to treat aquatic weeds like curlyleaf pondweed and Eurasian milfoil in the lakes they live on. Help us get the word out by contributing now.

MHL Legislative Action Alert

MHL Legislative Action Alert

April 2008Dear Lakeshore Property Owner:

We wish to bring your immediate attention to a provision in the House Supplemental Budget bill (House File 1812) that could substantially increase the fees that you pay for aquatic plant management (APM) permits. Currently, Minnesota law caps APM permit fees at $35 for an individual and $750 for a lake association. If enacted as written, this bill will remove these reasonable and fair limits on APM fees and leave the language open-ended. The bill language, Article 7, Section 26 of HF 1812, is reproduced for your reference here:

Sec. 26. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 103G.615, subdivision 2, is amended to
read:
Subd. 2. Fees. (a) The commissioner shall establish a fee schedule for
permits to control or harvest aquatic plants other than wild rice. The fees must
be set by rule, and section 16A.1283 does not apply. The fees may not exceed
$750 per permit shall be based upon the cost of receiving, processing,
analyzing, and issuing the permit, and additional costs incurred after the
application to inspect and monitor the activities authorized by the permit, and
enforce aquatic plant management rules and permit requirements.(b) The A fee for
a permit for the control of rooted aquatic vegetation is $35 for each contiguous
parcel of shoreline owned by an owner may be charged. This fee may not be
charged for permits issued in connection with purple loosestrife control or
lakewide Eurasian water milfoil control programs.

We urge you to immediately contact the legislators listed below (they are the conference committee members ironing out differences between the House and Senate supplemental budget bills) and inform them that this huge potential fee increase is unfair to lakeshore property owners and lake associations and will result in fewer citizens participating in the APM program. Fewer lakeshore property owners participating in the program will - and has in the past – result in "self-treating" for aquatic weeds, which will harm the health of our lakes.

Sen. Don Betzold: sen.don.betzold@senate.mn
Rep. Tom Rukavina: rep.tom.rukavina@house.mn
Sen. Richard Cohen: www.senate.mn/senatorcohenmail
Rep. Lynn Carlson: rep.lyndon.carlson@house.mn
Sen. David Tomassoni: sen.david.tomassoni@senate.mn
Rep. Mary Murphy: rep.mary.murphy@house.mn
Sen. Linda Higgins: sen.linda.higgins@senate.mn
Rep. Dennis Ozment: rep.dennis.ozment@house.mn
Sen. Dennis Fredrickson: sen.dennis.fredrickson@senate.mn

Additionally, we want to make you aware of the proposed new APM rules that will be posted to the State Register very soon by the DNR. These are the proposed rules that we have been so concerned about for the last several years. Once posted, lakeshore property owners will have only 30 days to inform the Administrative Law Judge of their concerns and request public hearings on the rules. Read these rules and their justification, called a Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR), now. We will inform you as soon as the new proposed rules are posted in the State Register. You may even want to draft your brief comment letter to the Administrative Law Judge now, so it is ready to go when you get the notice from MHL, asking the judge to hold public hearings and stating your concerns with the DNR's proposed rules. As you probably know, Minnesotans for Healthy Lakes has opposed much of what the DNR is proposing in these new rules to the aquatic plant management program. You can also help us get our message out to the tens of thousands of Minnesotans lakeshore property owners who are unaware of these proposed increases in permitting fees and proposed rule changes by contributing to MHL today: www.mnhealthylakes.org.

We encourage you to forward this important message to friends and neighbors who also own lakeshore property, as well as the president or chair of your lake association. Sincerely yours,
William Iacoe, Co-Chair
William Goins, Co-Chair
www.mnhealthylakes.org

What's coming with our new website?

Original HLRP Presentation

Here is the original presentation that was developed during the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Program training. This presentation was also used during two BLA meetings and serves as a warm-up to the Visioning session on April 12, 2008.

HLRP: What is it?

What is the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Program?

(Lifted right from the website: http://www.ifound.org/environmental_faq.php).

A small group of Beebe Lake Association members have started training with The Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Program (HLRP). The HLRP builds the capacity of citizen leaders to develop and implement lake or river management plans. Over two sessions, participating lake and river advocacy groups will be trained to develop a locally shared vision and plan, set measurable goals and report on their progress and outcomes, all of which are conditions of entering the program. The program is designed to:

• Improve leadership skills of key lake/river association members. Provide a forum for shoreline property owners to plan for the future of their watershed.
• Provide opportunities for shoreline property owners to network, work cooperatively and learn from each other and create a voice for healthy waters in central Minnesota
• Establish visions, missions, goals, and management plans for their watershed, using a template developed by the HLRP program and modeled after the State Interagency Lakes Coordinating Committee guide.
• Establish indicators to measure the success of each association’s efforts.
• Provide training, technical assistance and support to associations as they go through the process of planning and project implementation.

What is "citizen-based" planning?

Historically, most communities have relied on government to address environmental problems such as factory discharges, siting of solid or hazardous waste disposal facilities, or treatment of concentrated wastewater. To a large degree this approach was successful; large pipes discharging industrial waste or sewage are virtually unknown today. Increasingly the remaining problems are best addressed on the local level through education and zoning choices. Even in situations where regulatory solutions are necessary, they tend to be most successful when identified, developed and supported by the affected community.

The program emphasizes four principals of citizen- (or asset-) based planning and community development:
Inside Out -- community change is best made by concerned citizens who can gain a sense of ownership and empowerment;
Relationships -- communities are built on relationships; professional systems should not be substituted for local resident or organization involvement.
Assets -- Focus on the gifts and capacities of local individuals, associations, institutions, and other built or natural resources.
Participatory Democracy -- Voting in not enough; democracy is built upon citizen volunteers and civic participation.


Does the program work?

Perhaps the best measure of success is when the technical assistance initially requested from the Initiative Foundation is no longer needed; as the various citizen groups mature they each develop an expertise in the issues that are most pressing in their community. Because of the relationships established in the common training that each group receives they are able to contact one another, and share practical experiences on sources of assistance or funding, situations or "solutions" to avoid, and sources of further guidance at regulatory agencies or academic institutions. Another measure of the success of the program is the amount of financial or technical assistance the groups have successfully leveraged from regulatory agencies. While the HLRP program cannot take exclusive credit for these new collaborations or sources of support, most regulatory agencies will readily admit that working with a well-organized, knowledgeable citizen group is far more likely to lead to successful implementation than in a community with divided or polarized goals and objectives. Likewise, many "graduates" have used their prioritized actions to successfully pursue grants or other support from local, regional, and even national nonprofit funders.


How can shoreline organizations apply for training and funding?

The training sessions are offered to eight lake or river groups from the same watershed, county or region. Usually the host (and grant administrator) is a County's Environmental Services Department or Water Plan Administrator, a nonprofit such as a Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA), or a watershed district. The Initiative Foundation encourages inquiries from individual associations, but will likely refer interest back to these local coordination vehicles. Participating river groups or lake associations are eligible to earn three grants during the initial training; $800 when five or more (of the same) people attend both training sessions and subsequently host a facilitated community visioning/planning session; $800 when a draft Lake Management Plan is submitted to the foundation for review, and $800 when implementation of one of the goals identified in the plan is begun. A limited number of grants (above and beyond the $2,400 earned in the training, plan development and initial implementation) of up to $5,000 are available to groups whose goals address "causes, not symptoms" or otherwise pursue actions that should result in lasting protection or improvement of local conditions.

Visioning Session

We would like to request your participation in a very important Beebe Lake Association event.

As you may know, Beebe Lake was recently declared an “Impaired Lake” by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. This means that Beebe Lake does not meet water quality standards and designated uses because of pollutant(s), pollution, or unknown causes of impairment.

Last spring, a handful of BLA members and eight other Wright County Lake association groups attended the Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Training (sponsored by the Wright County Soil and Water District, and funded by The Initiative Foundation) last March. The purpose of the training was to equip citizen leaders develop and implement effective lake management plans. Upon successful completion of a lake management plan as well as the completion of the highest priority action items, each participating Lake Association will be eligible to receive grants from organizations to help support ongoing lake management efforts.

A key element to any successful lake management plan is broad community involvement. As lake residents, neighbors, and users of Beebe Lake, we share a similar vested interest in ensuring that this body of water remains a healthy natural resource and community asset for years to come.

Therefore, the BLA cordially invites you to attend the Beebe Lake Strategic Visioning Session on April 12, 2008, from 9-12 p.m. at Hanover Hall. A catered lunch will be served from 12-1 p.m., along with an opportunity for the session attendees to enjoy some unstructured socializing.

Thank you for your attention to these matters. We look forward to seeing you on April 12th!

Beebe Lake has been declared an Impared Lake

As if Eurasian Water Milfoil and Curly-leaf Pondweed were not enough for us to deal with, we now have a new concern regarding the quality of Beebe Lake:

Beebe Lake has been declared by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as an “Impaired Lake”

What does this mean? It means that Beebe Lake does not meet water quality standards and designated uses because of pollutant(s), pollution, or unknown causes of impairment!

The federal Clean Water Act (CWA) requires states to adopt water-quality standards to protect waters from pollution. These standards define how much of a pollutant can be in the water and still allow it to meet designated uses, such as drinking water, fishing and swimming.

The standards are set on a wide range of pollutants, including bacteria, nutrients, turbidity and mercury. A water body is “impaired” if it fails to meet one or more water quality standards.

To identify and restore impaired waters, Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act requires states to:

1. Assess all waters of the state to determine if they meet water-quality standards
2. List waters that do not meet standards (also known as the 303d List) and update every even-numbered year
3. Conduct TMDL studies in order to set pollutant reduction goals needed to restore waters.
4. Federal and state regulations and programs also require implementation of restoration measures to meet TMDLs.

MPCA responsibilities include performing assessment activities, listing impaired waters, and conducting TMDLs in Minnesota. The agency also coordinates closely with other state and local agencies on restoration activities.

The Clean Water Legacy Act, passed in June 2006, allocates first-year funding to accelerate water monitoring, TMDL development and restoration activities throughout the state. The Clean Water Council was established by the Legacy Act to provide recommendations on the administration and implementation of the Act.

If the Beebe Lake Association completes a Lake Management Plan it could apply for county, state and federal funds to help manage and improve water quality.

For more information, attend The Beebe Lake Strategic Visioning Session on April 12th, or visit: http://www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl/index.html