The

               O.W.L.

    HOOTER

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY AND FOR THE RESIDENTS OF WOODLAND LAKE

Volume 9           March 1990           Number 3

GENERAL MEETING

POSTPONED

Due to the Brighton Township recall and the lack of board members to vote on when we can obtain the township hall for our general meeting. we have decided to just delay this event until the new people are elected and the workload is straightened out over there. We will reschedule our general meeting at a later date, and will give you plenty of notice to plan accordingly.

One of the topics we will be discussing and voting on will be an increase in our yearly dues from $100 per year to $150 per year. The cost of chemicals have skyrocketed and maintenance on the dam is an ongoing process. Also read the following article about Sonar. We would really like to try this in our lake in 1991, but need the funds before we can commit to it.

WEED CONTROL NEWS

Greater weed growth is expected in Woodland Lake for 1990 as a result of the following factors:

There was no drawdown of the lake level to be effective in reducing weeds. Past drawdowns have exposed the lake bottom in many areas. The freezing of the exposed areas is what kills certain species of aquatic weeds.

There was very little snow on the ice this winter. The lack of snow allows the penetration of sunlight where the aquatic plants can resume growth through photosynthesis.

There has been an increase in the inflow of nutrients into the lake. Poor preventive measures on construction sites have resulted in top soil erosion which in effect has ‘fertilized’ ‘many areas of the lake. This has generated new weed problem areas.

 Last modified: 12/05/03 16:58:16 -0800

The Organization of Woodland Lake (OWL) has the opportunity to utilize a relatively new chemical called Sonar for aquatic weed control. Sonar acts different than other chemicals because it inhibits the plants ability to make food. With the growing process inhibited, the plants slowly deteriorate and die. This slow process dictates that the application of the Sonar must be early in the season.

The slower deteriorization of the plants prevent the oxygen depletion that is normally associated with massive plant kills. With no oxygen depletion, there is no impact on the fish and other aquatic organisms. With the slow deteriorization process, there are no substantial increases in nutrients generated from masses of decaying plants. It is also noted that Algae blooms are substantially reduced in areas that are treated by Sonar. The water chemistry and quality are therefore not affected by Sonar.

With the use of Sonar there are no restrictions against swimming, fishing and irrigation activities. Sonar labels display the word “caution” instead of “danger”, “poison” or ‘warning” like other pesticides and herbicides. Sonar has the lowest toxity rating category indicating it is the safest to use.

To be effective on Woodland Lake, Sonar must be applied early in the season. For 1990, OWL can not commit to this program because financial backing is not available. Please do your part and encourage your neighbors to do the same to allow OWL to perform the weed control measures that have been previously utilized.

Written by Tom Jeruzal

NOTICE

Its time to pay your 1990 dues if you haven’t already We need the funds before we can commit to ANY type of weed treatment this year. We don’t want to see the lake full of weeds so PLEASE mail in your $100 and the form below - TODAY!

Newsletter published by Wanda Barr