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March 25, 2010 Meeting Minutes
WINCHESTER TOWN LAKES COMMITTEE
MINUTES
March 25, 2010
Present: Jan Scalpone, Helen and John Rossmiller, Tom Misiak, Jo Osfar, Rolf Ethun,
Cheryl Bowen
Guests: Al Broom, Ted Ritter
Call to Order 9:03AM
Introductions: Al Drum (Citizen Monitoring of Lake Levels)
Agenda approved...Motion made by Scalpone, seconded by J. Rothmiller...passed
Minutes approved...Motion made by J. Rossmiller, seconded By Scalpone...passed
Financial Report:
Rolf passed out a copy of the most recent town budget
$1000 in the budget designed for WTLC Commission each year. Use by end of year or
give up.
AIS reserve $7,300
WTLC reserve donations of $700 will be designated separately on the financial report.
Ruth has record of all donations.
Cheryl will send Ruth minutes.
Town Liaison Report: Joe Osfar
Minutes and Agenda are now on the website.
Boat landing signs.....Utilize the $1000 in our budget.
Joe has a new sign making kit and will start to make the wooden boat launch signs this
spring.
Check your kiosks and make sure the signs are in good shape and legible. Let Joe
know if repairs are needed.
Town Lakes Committee will help provide input to Smart Growth plan to add AIS.
Ken Shilbilski, president of Birch Lake Association is recruiting a representative for their
lake to serve on WTLC.
Lake monitoring: Nat Booth from USGS. has been monitoring for a year on Birch.
Curly leaf pond weed on Harris...No current info.
Tom commented amount that was found was under the threshold level. It is believed it is
an old stand and may not be spreading. Testing after ice-out will give more information.
Have Bronson Haase come to one of our meetings.
Need someone from Harris Lake to be on WTLC
Suggested Kath or Chuz Wilson. Here May through Oct.
! !
Vilas Co Invasive Species Coordinator Ted Ritter
Smart Prevention e-mails:
Concept is one is able to look a lake and by certain characteristics determine of what
invasive species it would be susceptible
Jake Vanderzan has an interactive map on his website.
State is updating signage for AIS on boat landings possibly June or July.
New signage will be reverse signage to catch attention of boaters as they are coming
out of the lake.
Ted does not know size or look of sign.
A limited amount of signs will be available. Current signs will be removed and replaced.
Coordinating with counties with AIS coordinators. Only are printing 1000 signs this year.
Over 170 public boat landings in Vilas Co.
Joe will ask Mark to bring his sign design to the April meeting. Check on WTLC printing
signs using the $700. WTLC could have them printed this spring and when the state
has theirs ready we can replace.
Zebra Mussels:
Listings of lakes that are suitable to support zebra mussels.
Determined by calcium content modeling
None in Winchester as of now
Borderline lakes are Birch, Harris, Rainbow, Papoose, N and S. Turtle, Tamarack
Modeling does not indicate what levels of calcium are.... low, med or high.
Workshop on Smart Prevention training for AIS coordinators at the WI Lakes
Conference.
Scalpone....Study on Lake Winnebago by Lawrence University results indicated they did
not know what was going to happen.
J. Rossmiller stated it is very common with invasive species to have high populations
followed by a crash, then stabilization.
Smart Growth Plan
Tom attended an Instructive meeting with Rick Stadelman, Executive Director of Town
Lakes Association with 35 representatives from Vilas County towns.
Pertinent to the committee. Winchester comprehensive plan requires a review and
update every 2 years. Also, a law was introduced in 1999 requiring a comprehensive
review every 10 years. Plan needs to be updated in 2011.
Town board is going encourage Winchester Planning Committee to be in charge of the
review. Their primary objective is to prepare the comprehensive plan for presentation to
the town board in 2011.
Participation is needed from the community.
Need to determine what should be included and excluded from the current plan.
Planning Commission will be spending next 10 months to updating the plan.
! !
Nothing in the Winchester plan about AIS
Water quality and maintaining quality of our environment is presently the basis of the
plan.
Outline and developing a work plan will be taking place in the next few months.
Roger Miller, Chair of Planning Commission would like a liaison from our committee.
Scalpone was involved in writing of original plan and agreed to be our plan liaison.
Scalpone commented that by 2010 any action by a city, town, or county must be
consistent with itʼs comprehensive plan.
AIS Story Hour
Judy Ruch talked to Cela at the Winchester Library and scheduled a kids AIS story hour
this summer.
Date TBA
Lake Welcome Packets:
Bowen did bring, J. Rossmiller passed his lake packet for all to view.
Osfar has our lake materials from Judy. Cheryl will ask Kellett to head up the project.
Scalpone and H. Rossmiller have volunteered to help.
Bowen will store materials until Kellett returns home from Arizona.
Citizens Lake Level monitoring: Al Drum
Carl Watras at Trout Lake DNR station in conjunction with the Discovery Center are
running the program. Al Drum will be determining base line and doing surveying on the
lakes.
Seasonal lake level measurements
Citizen volunteer would monitor every 2 weeks on a calm day.
Metric system measuring stake is placed in the water.
Al will come out and locate stake for homeowner. A benchmark will be chosen to
accurately determine that in subsequent years the correct readings are obtained and
documented.
Length of monitoring is ice-out to threats of ice-in.
Every year measuring stick needs to be removed and replaced the following year.
Water readings will be documented every 2 weeks by the volunteer.
Signup sheet was passed around.
Al will arrange a training meeting at the Discovery Center to introduce us to lake
monitoring.
AIS Coordinator
Based at the Discovery Center. MW and Lac du F. ??? will be sharing a coordinator.
Rolf suggests a partnering with the other towns in the future.
Crayfish Boil (Saturday August 21)
! !
Each lake association will have a representative to be involved in planning.
Shoreline Restoration Workshop
Carolyn Scholl, presenter. (Has not yet been contacted) Johnʼs property and Discovery
Center would be included for viewing.
End of July would be the best time. Also could view Rossmillerʼs perennial gardens.
Al Drum talked about Vilas Co Lakes Associationʼs Blue Heron Award. Recommend
properties that are being managed to achieve a near pristine shoreline. Awards are
presented each year. Rossmillers should be nominated for 2010.
Recipents of the awards get a plaque and a stone paperweight featuring an artists
drawing.
Musky Classic
Winchester is host this year. Phil Williams is the chair this year.
Volunteers will be at the landings to check for AIS.
Meeting adjourned: 10:55AM...Motion by J. Rossmiller, seconded by Scalpone
Next meeting April 22, 2010....9AM...Winchester Town Hall
Archive:
January 26, 2012 Meeting Agenda
January 26, 2012 Monthly Meeting Minutes
September 22, 2011 Monthly Minutes
September 22, 2011 Monthly Agenda
August 26, 2011 WTL Committee Members
August 25, 2011 Monthly Agenda
August 25, 2011 Monthly Minutes
July 28, 2011 Lake Users Guide
July 28, 2011 Monthly Agenda
July 28, 2011 Monthly Meeting Minutes