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ANNUAL REPORT 2002 A
record number of 110 people gathered at Pokegama Inn Supper Club in
Chetek Sunday, Aug. 4, to attend the annual Chetek Lakes Protection
Association, Inc. meeting. Besides Chetek residents, attendees listed
their homes as being in the neighboring communities of Cameron, New
Auburn, and Rice Lake, or as far away as Sheboygan, Arcadia, Eau Claire,
and even Houston, Tex. President
Jerry Zehner opened the meeting by introducing the officers and
directors. He thanked the area’s town treasurers for inserting the
annual report in the tax report envelopes each year. Those treasurers
include the following: Pat Brewer, Prairie Lake; Jona Hanson, Chetek;
Kathy Hofstede, City of Chetek; Arlene Hoveland, Dovre; and Arlene
Wetzel, Stanley. Treasurer
Don Freeman reviewed the year’s financial statement and membership
total. The current 2002 balance is $28,805.31, up from $25,021.95 at
this time last year. Dues amounted to $3,950, and donations of $4,417
were amassed. There are presently 263 members in the organization, 52 of
which are resorts and businesses. Dale
Hanson, of the Barron County Soil and Water Conservation Department,
informed the audience that the county will apply later this year for
state funding for a watershed project on the Chetek Chain. The maximum
funding available for the project would be $150,000. Hanson said his
department would like to form a partnership with the Chetek Lakes
Protection Association and the City of Chetek to help accomplish some of
the goals of the project if it is approved by the state. The
Chain was originally selected by the state for a watershed program in
July 1996. The project would have stretched over 10 years, and possibly
could have resulted in close to $10 million in funding. according to
Hanson. But a month after the offer, the state repealed their selection.
Over the course of the next year, Wisconsin’s state watershed program
was dismantled and rebuilt to focus on smaller areas instead of large
watersheds. This unfortunately meant less money would be available for
such projects. In
2000, each county was required to lay out a long range plan depicting
its watershed expectations for the upcoming five to ten years. The new
watershed programs are called Targeted Runoff Management Projects.
Hanson commented that his department is very close to finalizing its
long range plans for the Chetek Chain. Hanson
explained that the Chain of Lakes is essentially a large flooded area of
wetland, which is why the lakes are so shallow. He stated that people
shouldn’t expect a dramatic transformation of the lake system if the
watershed project is approved. “It’s
always been a fertile lake,” acknowledged Hanson. referring to its
abundant plant life and green color. “There’s never going to be a
watershed project that can turn the Chetek Chain into anything it’s
not.” However,
one main goal of the project would be to reduce the amount of phosphorus
in the lake, mentioned Hanson. The
conservationist pointed out that the main sources for phosphorus in the
lakes stem from the watershed of Prairie Lake itself, including Rice
Creek on the north end of the lake, and Pokegama and Ten Mile Creeks. Hanson
also detailed the process of internal recycling of phosphorus in Ojaski
Lake. He said the recycling is more prevalent in Ojaski than the entire
chain combined. “The
sediment in the bottom of the lake is just loaded with phosphorus,” he
mention. Each year phosphorus emerges from the sediment and drifts into
the water column, contributing to the algae bloom and weed growth in the
lake. Then the phosphorus is washed downstream into Pokegama Lake. Hanson
touched on the newest federal farm bill passed about two months ago. He said more money and emphasis was placed on conservation than any
other farm bill in history. Hanson and two federal officers located in
his department work diligently with conservation issues. They will soon
institute an effort called the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
to go along with a new Conservation Reserve Program sign-up. According
to Hanson, Barron County is eligible for $600,000 for the CREP. Following
Hanson’s presentation, Mike McGinnis of the Chetek Waste Water
Treatment Plant described how waste water reaches the treatment plant
and how it is shredded and ground to an acceptable state for treatment. He
next explained the function of the classifiers, rotation biological
contractors and the introduction of various chemicals, such as chlorine
and sodium bisulfate, which kills bad bacteria and also improves the
quality of the waste water prior to discharge into the river. McGinnis
noted that the facility must meet daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal and
yearly tests to continue to discharge water into the river. The tests,
biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids question how much
bacteria microorganisms or solids are in the water demanding oxygen to
survive. The plant must be below 30 milligrams per liter and McGinnis
noted that Chetek’s plant has been allowing only 10 milligrams per
liter, well below the limits. The
waste water treatment plant uses physical properties and biological
processes to treat the water. Depending on the time of year, the
treatment process takes between two-and-a-half to four-and-a-half hours,
stated McGinnis. Among
the new plant improvements for 2002 is the comminutor (the machine that
grinds and shreds waste), which will be replaced by a fine screen filter
that will collect unwanted material in the water and auger to a
dumpster. The plant will upgrade to an ultraviolet system that will
replace the use of chlorine gas. The 35-year-old standby generator is
not sufficient to run the plant in the event of a power outage, so it is
scheduled for replacement. For
the 2002 season 96 fish cribs were constructed and placed by the
Wisconsin Conservation Corps. Forty-eight cribs were placed in Lake
Chetek near Northland Resort, while an additional 48 were put in
Pokegama Lake near Meadows Island. The
DNR is responsible for issuing permits for crib placement, therefore we
work very closely with that agency. We submit an application together
with a map of the activity area. The main requirements for crib
placement are that they be located in at least 12 feet of water and be
soundly constructed. The DNR has always been very supportive of our
program. Since
1989 the CLPA has been instrumental in building and placing 589 cribs in
the Chetek Chain of Lakes. Wooden pallets are donated by Excel Energy
and Image Plastics and cement blocks by County Concrete. The
CLPA has now made it possible for truly interested lake supporters to
adopt their own fish crib. Each crib will be numbered and the donor will
receive a certificate of appreciation bearing the donor’s name, along
with the date and location of placement. You may have your own crib for
just $10. Contact Don Freeman at (715) 924-3658 or Jerry Zehner at (715)
924-4493. Our
newest project for 2002 is the replacement of the information boards at
our 16 boat landings. The CLPA purchased a special grade of plywood and
the Wisconsin Conservation Corps again provided the labor. Lamperts
lumber donated $104 worth of raw materials to this project. CLPA
first vice president Gary Fredrickson presented an overview of the lakes
and fisheries on the Chain. He began by relaying some fish growth
statistics, emphasizing the substantial length of time it takes most
fish to reach the legal size limit. Fredrickson
said the Department of Natural Resources completed an in-depth study in
2001 on the status of the Chetek Chain of First,
the lakes should continue to be stocked every other year with walleye
fingerlings. Fredrickson noted that over the past 10 years the CLPA has
stocked 528,000 walleye fingerlings. But less than one percent of those
fish survive, he pointed out, so it takes time, patience and reasonable
fishing practices to maintain a healthy population. Secondly,
current regulations on the lakes should be maintained, the report
suggested. Fredrickson said that the Chetek Chain was one of the first
lakes in the state to enforce a 26-inch limit on northern pike, and that
move is paying dividends. “We’ve
got a trophy northern lake in the making,” he affirmed. Next,
the aeration system in Prairie Lake should be continued to prevent fish
kills and freeze-outs due to a lack of oxygen. Fourth,
the CLPA’s fish crib project should continue, as it supports a healthy
fish habitat and shelter. Lastly,
walleye and northern pike spawning areas need to be protected.
Fredrickson explained that walleye prefer to spawn in rocky areas, such
as the area north of Burnharn’s Island on Prairie Lake. Northern pike
prefer to spawn in shallow, muddy and weedy waters. Over
16 years of administering the Fish-O-Rama contest, 7,000 fish have been
tagged, according to Fredrickson. The contest has proven helpful to the
DNR as well, showing officials fish migration patterns. CLPA
second vice president Bob August and treasurer Don Freeman tagged 485
panfish this year, stated Fredrickson, and 160 of those fish have been
caught during Fish-O-Rama.
Fredrickson thanked everyone who brought in fish to be tagged for the
contest. Also
during Fredrickson’s presentation, he provided tribal spearing
statistics from the current year. The walleye safe harvest for Prairie
Lake was set at 334. The tribal declaration was 257 and to date no fish
had been speared, he commented. Fredrickson
mentioned that lake monitors patrol each of the lakes in the Chain,
providing the DNR data so officials can determine the trophic state
index (TSI) of each body of water. The Chetek lakes are currently
registered in the 50-73 point range, he pointed out, which classifies
the Chain as hypereutrophic. “When
we get up to the point of 73, we’re awfully close to the danger
point,” Fredrickson warned. “After you get over 80, your lake is
almost mud.” This is the reason why it is so important to support any
type of high-priority watershed project that would improve the lake
system, he added. Lakeshore
owners need to understand the importance of keeping water near their
land free of chemicals, said Fredrickson. “You’ve
got to remember, we’ve got 125,000 acres feeding this little 3,000
acre pond of lakes we have,” he cautioned. “Why in the world would
anyone want to fertilize their lawn when the lake water is so
fertile?” Six
permits were acquired from the DNR to use chemicals to treat aquatic
plants in the past year, according to Fredrickson. It is illegal to
treat aquatic life without a permit. Four separate permits were allowed
on Prairie Lake, including Wildwood Bay near the Cartwright boat
landing, Wilkinson’s Slough, and Frankenberg Slough. Permits were also
granted for Pokegama Lake near Morning Sun Resort and Ten Mile Lake near
Ten Mile Creek. Fredrickson
concluded by announcing his resignation as first vice president of the
CLPA to allow him and his wife more time to travel. He said he felt he
couldn’t devote enough time to the organization’s cause if he was
traveling. Chetek
Mayor John Banks explained the efforts of Wisconsin Conservation Corps
to contribute to the quality of the lakes in the community. The Chetek
crew has been instrumental in building fish cribs, posting signage
around the lakes and cleaning up tree limbs and branches near the
bridges around the city. CLPA
director Chris Carlson conducted the election of the president and the
new first vice president at the end of the meeting. The re-election of
Jerry Zehner was approved, and director Greg Jennings was promoted first
vice president. After
the adjournment of the meeting, lunch was served by the Pokegama inn
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