Published by the Thunder Lake Association. From the President Werner Langenbach

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1 Spring 2013 Thunder Lake News Mission: Encourage appreciation and enjoyment of Thunder Lake while learning to live lightly on our lake and land. Published by the Thunder Lake Association From the President Werner Langenbach This is the 2013 Membership Newsletter. You will find a letter from Kay Johnson, Membership Chair as well as the 2013 TLA Membership Application inside this issue. I encourage you to renew your membership if you are a current member or join if you have not yet joined. All of us who enjoy the lake either year round or on a seasonal basis have some responsibility for preserving the health and beauty of Thunder Lake and this means preserving water, shore land and wet lands. This is where Thunder Lake Association (TLA) comes into focus and the reason TLA exists. The nine Board of Directors and eleven Committee Members need your financial support. We are here to fight for all lake shore property owners in new issues that may occur. To highlight a few of our committee s functions we look at these: Preservation Committee John Bogard, chairs this group. John is the Cass County contact and receives and review all variances and to contact the neighbors that could be affected if the variance is granted. Pending responses received from those affected, John responds to the County with recommendations. (John also volunteers his time as secretary of the Association of Cass County Lakes.) Water Quality Rick Stich, TLA Vice President, continues to maintain responsibility for lake water sampling and sending samples to the testing lab. Later in this newsletter read Rick s report on this topic. Sportsman Club is chaired by Terry Gross, TLA Board Member and supported by a large contingent of volunteer workers. The Sportsman Club is located on forty acres of land that is owned by TLA. On this property is a rifle range and trap shooting ; a pistol range is on the drawing board. Membership in the Club requires TLA membership plus an additional $20 annual fee. There are three areas to focus on: AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species Our effort to date has been to prevent AIS from entering our lake has been boat and trailer inspection at the Public Water Access. The AIS Volunteers (trained by the MN DNR) are stationed there in the early morning on weekends

2 Thunder Lake News From the President (continued) Mark your calendar - August 3, 2013 for the Annual TLA Membership Meeting and Picnic and holidays. The AIS Volunteers pass out literature, check the boat and trailer for vegetation and that the water has been drained out of the boat and live wells. Lake Shore Preservation is the responsibility of the lake shore property owners. We know that leaving about 70% of the lake shore in the natural state benefits fish, birds and wild plants plus a host of little creatures that live in the water and provide food for the first stages of fish development. Those that fertilize a lawn must be aware that the run off ends up in the lake. I salute all folks that have stopped mowing their lawns to the water s edge. Boating and water recreation safety: We are seeing many large boats going very fast on the lake This was evident last summer with the high water due to heavy rains. These boats produce huge waves that can swamp canoes, kayaks and small row boats, plus the waves from these huge boats tear into the shore line and docks. I would ask boaters to be aware of your surroundings and slow down. Have a safe summer on Thunder Lake! 2012 Membership Meeting and Picnic The 2012 TLA Annual Membership meeting was held August 4, 2012, at the Thunder Lake Township hall. Bob Muir, TL summer resident, Vietnam Vet and B-52 pilot, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Names were drawn for door prizes of fishing lures. Committee representatives gave reports on their areas. Thanks to those attending. short downpour had folks running for shelter but the sky cleared again for more partying. Mark your calendar for the 2013 Annual Membership meeting on August 3, The picnic will follow later in the day at Big Springs Resort. A summer mailing will have more details.. Later that afternoon TLA held its annual picnic on the grounds of Johnson Telephone Co. on South Thunder Lake Drive. (Thanks to the Johnsons!) This picnic was a pig roast and pot luck There was a good turnout of folks and plenty to eat (the food was excellent!) A big thank you to Terry and Toni Gross and family for hosting this event plus all the helpers and sponsors. The on and off again rain held off until most had eaten. A

3 Thunder Lake Volunteer Water Patrol John Bogard Thunder Lake News Primarily as a result of the exceptionally high water early last summer and the problems it caused with docks floating away and boats and jet-skies making wakes that tended to aggrevate shore line erosion, there were a number of Thunder Lake property owners who asked the TLA leadership about the Cass County Sheriff Department s volunteer water patrol program and whether that was something Thunder Lake could/should become involved in. Werner asked if I would look into the program to see if it made sense for TLA to get involved. I contacted the Sheriff s department and was told the details of the program. I also talked with members of the RALALA (Roosevelt Lake area) and Lake Washburn Assn. volunteer water patrols to get their perspective. It was agreed that there should be a special meeting of the TLA and invite deputies from the Sheriff s department to discuss the details of the program and how it might fit Thunder Lake. A special meeting was held on September 22, 2012 at which time two deputies met with those interested in supporting a volunteer water patrol. The deputies reviewed the requirements for volunteers and what the arrangements would be for equipment (a boat and motor and trailer or boat lift). It turns out the County does not have enough equipment available to allocate the necessary equipment to Thunder Lake at this time. Therefore, the discussion of TLA seriously considering joining the County Volunteer program is on hold until such time the proper equipment would become available. Thunder Lake Lakeshore Report Werner Langenbach In June 2010, the Minnesota DNR published an in depth report on the Sensitive Lakeshore of Thunder Lake. I was alerted to this report by Cash Luck who sent me a copy. I was impressed by this report that has 73 pages of information such as detail lake shore sensitivity, aquatic plants, shore plants, birds and much more. The ecological model identified three primary sensitive lake shore areas to be considered for resource protection. Satellite maps of TL are used to mark out where the sensitive areas are located. The report identifies 20 shoreline plants and 11 shoreline trees and shrubs. I know many of you would find this information of interest. The DNR has given permission for us to make copies of this report. Here is how you can get your copy. I can this report to you or if you prefer a paper copy I can have booklets made for the cost of printing (photos and graphs in color) and assembling into a spiral bound booklet. The cost is $20. I can mail a copy to you for an additional $3.00 extra or I will hand deliver it to your Thunder Lake address later this spring. This offer is for paid members of Thunder Lake Association only. me at tla@usfamily.net to get your copy. Did you know there have been 70 bird species identified at Thunder Lake? In this report -- find out if how many you ve seen.

Board of Directors and Officers Thunder Lake News Term Expires Director and President Werner Langenbach 2015 Director and Vice President Rick Stich 2014 Director and Treasurer Donna Andersen 2013

4 Board of Directors and Officers Thunder Lake News Term Expires Director and President Werner Langenbach 2015 Director and Vice President Rick Stich 2014 Director and Treasurer Donna Andersen 2013 Director and Secretary Toni Gross 2015 Director Mark Jansen 2013 Director Larry Skogquist 2013 Director Kay Johnson 2014 Director Terry Gross 2014 Director Jerry Thompson 2015 Three board position terms expire this year. We need volunteer members who are willing to attend two meetings per year, willing to serve on a committee and willing to take on special projects with minimum amount of direction. If you are interested in running for a TLA board position contact Werner at tla@usfamily.net or Jim Johnson at or by at kayjohn3@means.net Thunder Lake Township Notice Thunder Lake Township president, Dick Sawvel, asked us to print the following: Mail box posts are available for those who need/want them for a cost of $29 and the township will install them for free. Interested parties can contact anyone from the township board to place an order or for further information. Richard D. Sawvel Richard R. Olsen Lori Sizenbach Darlene Krussow Tennis Loverink Thirsty raccoon drinking hummingbird nectar Above deer posing for photo (Both snapped on trail camera)

5 Thunder Lake News Thunder Lake Water Monitoring and Lab Report Rick Stich, TLA VP For the past several years Rick has collected TL water samples and sent them to RMB labs for anaylsis. Water samples are collected from three areas on the lake; main lake, Thunder Lake Lodge bay and the south end between the island and Big Springs Resort. These lake samples are collected five times during the open water season. TLA appreciates Rick dedication to this task - Werner The long term trend information from RMB labs is only from the main lake monitoring site. To date we do not enough data to present any long term trends for the other two sites, Thunder Lake Lodge Bay and the South End (between the island and Big Springs) which I have been monitoring for a few years. The deluge we experienced this past summer certainly had some major effects. In areas where shoreline vegetation has been removed there was erosion which added to the sediment load. There was a large load of sediment and nutrients added to the lake from simple runoff especially on lots that have no native plant buffer zones. Native plants of all types flowers, grasses, sedges, shrubs and trees all add to the filtering of sediment and nutrients which make their way to the lake after heavy rains and spring runoff. A buffer zone near the shore can do a great job of filtering. The natural ice ridges also do a wonderful job of slowing and filtering the runoff. REMEMBER: DO NOT USE FERTILIZERS WITH PHOSPHORUS ON THUNDER LAKE! No fertilizer means less mowing!! More native plants and flower will start to appear. This will bring more birds, butterflies and other creatures. The next page shows data from the lab showing a parameters from the three testing locations. To view online go to this website and access the Lakes Monitoring Icon, enter Cass County and Thunder Lake. Upcoming Events 2013 *Various dates DNR AIS training various locations ** End of June Gun Safety Training Sportsman s Club August 3, 2013 Membership Meeting Thunder Lake Town Hall August 3, 2013 Picnic Big Springs Resort **Labor Day W/E Boat Safety Training Sportsman s Club * See back cover for locations, dates and times **This training is done by the Cass Cty Sheriff. Contact Terry Gross for further information on the Gun and

6 Boat Safety training Thunder Lake News

7 Thunder Lake News Membership Kay Johnson Greetings! As I write this letter the snow is deep but I know spring is coming because it s time to start thinking about membership in the Thunder Lake Association. (TLA) Thank you to those of you who supported TLA last year through your membership, participation in the annual meeting and picnic, and help on committees and projects. The association gives us the opportunity to meet one another and work together to protect and preserve our common bond...thunder Lake. This year please note the following regarding your TLA Membership: *TLA membership AND a signed Assumption of Risk Agreement and Waiver of Release form are required in order to be a Sportsmen s club member. Names of members with both forms on file will be posted at the range. *The Assumption of Risk Agreement and Waiver of Release forms are available at Thunder Lake Sports for new Sportsmen s club members or members needing to sign the form. If you signed a form last year you do not have to submit one again this year. *There is a fee of $25.00 for FIRST TIME adult Sportsmen s club members. *2013 Sportsmen s club membership cards will be available for pick-up at Thunder Lake Sports. *A voluntary option to donate to TLA s Aquatic Invasive Species inspection project is available on the membership form. I look forward to hearing from you this spring and seeing you at a meeting or event this summer. Please let me know if you have questions or comments regarding membership in the association. Sincerely, Kay Kay Johnson 5766 Crocus Lane NE Remer MN

8 Thunder Lake News Thunder Lake Association st Ave No New Hope MN PHONE: Cell Editor: Jan Langenbach Become an AIS Volunteer TLA members who want to be involved with AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) prevention can receive this training from the DNR. Following the training, the TLA would like you to volunteer a few hours of your time on a weekend or holiday at the public access checking boats and trailers. I will be taking the training on April 20, 2013 in Deerwood. I hope all board and committee members will join me at this training or sign up for another location. Seasonal residents of TL from the metro area or elsewhere within the state can take the training at a location closer to their home. The training about three hours long is provided at no cost but registration is necessary. There are many locations statewide that provides this training. Refer to the following DNR website for locations, dates and times of training. After your training please contact me so TLA can keep track of the trained volunteers. - Werner THUNDER LAKE ASSOCIATION WERNER LANGENBACH st Ave North New Hope MN

Erika Rivers MN DNR Mary Blickenderfer U of MN Extension

Erika Rivers MN DNR Mary Blickenderfer U of MN Extension MACPZA Conference October 8, 2009 Own Manage/ Regulate Educate/ Influence Own Most Minnesota shoreland is in private ownership. Statewide minimums