FALL 2022 NEWSLETTER
- Long Lake Waters Association
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
Long Lake Waters Association
Our mission is to provide collaborative leadership in improving and protecting the water quality of the Long Lake Creek Watershed for the enjoyment of present and future generations
SEVEN LAKES - THREE CITIES - ONE WATERSHED
Welcome to Fall in the Long Lake Creek Watershed!
With shorter days upon us and cooler temperatures on the way, there are many transitions that take place during this season, from changing leaves to migrating birds. This fall’s unusually warm temperatures have provided a wonderful, extended time for enjoying the watershed.
Save the Date:
November 17th is Give to the Max Day
Please take advantage of this fantastic, annual opportunity to share your generosity and to support the work ahead as we maintain the carp project progress, look to future projects with invasive aquatics, and ensure the ongoing health of the Long Lake Creek Watershed.
Thank you for visiting GiveMN.org for safe and secure tax free donations.
Carp Management
We have great news! The carp population in Long Lake is now at a manageable level.
Long Lake Waters Association continued its ongoing partnership with the cities of Long Lake and Medina to remove carp from Long Lake this year. After removing a total of 1,107 adult carp in the summer of 2021, Carp Solutions baited five box nets this summer and had four hauls with excellent results. 1,056 adult carp were removed, with each fish averaging around ten pounds, and it appears these carp did not migrate from connecting lakes.
According to Przemek Bajer of Carp Solutions, this reduction represents "approximately 42% of the entire population of carp inhabiting Long Lake." Carp Solutions estimates about 3,000 carp remain in Long Lake, indicating the population is steady, and currently there is no evidence of juvenile carp in the lake. The recommended management goal for carp populations is 100kg/ha, or 90lbs/acre, which would require approximately 250+ carp to be removed in the next few years. However, at these levels, fewer carp will disturb the lake bottom and therefore have minimal impact on the lake ecosystems.
We are grateful for the support from the cities of Long Lake and Medina, to Dr. Przemek Bajer and Carp Solutions, to the Long Lake residents who provided lake access and to all supporters and donors that contributed to the success of the Long Lake carp project.
If you are interested in contributing to the effort, or learning more about our work, donation opportunities and more information can be found on the LLWA website (https://www.longlakewaters.org/give-to-the-max).
The team from Carp Solutions harvesting the carp in Long Lake Volunteer Angus Muldoon checking bait levels in the net traps in Long Lake Over 2,000 carp were removed from Long Lake Summers '21 and '22 Photo Credit: Sam Muldoon
A Successful Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Inspection Program at Long Lake Beach
Thanks to an AIS Grant from Hennepin County this summer, Waterfront Restoration provided a very successful ambassador program to monitor and provide AIS education at the public access site at Nelson Beach on Long Lake.
Working on both Saturday and Sunday, Waterfront Restoration provided 134 total hours and had 376 interactions with boaters at Long Lake.
Ambassadors were trained to watch and see if the boater performed a self-inspection before they were approached by the ambassador.
Nearly 60% of all boaters participated in a self-inspection without needing a prompt from the ambassador. 36% of the boaters would have forgotten if not for the ambassador’s reminder, but complied after being prompted. Only 4.5% refused a self-inspection. Ambassadors at Long Lake detected a decrease from 20% in 2017 to 14% in AIS violators in 2022. 19.67% of all the interactions had AIS violations which the ambassador was able to decontaminate while using the violation as an opportunity to educate the boater.
The most common contaminant was plants, and the most likely area to find contamination was on the trailer. Ambassadors were able to engage the public with their educational tables and materials. Pin-buttons, stickers, pamphlets, and posters all helped to draw attention to their displays and start conversations and to point out the CD3 Boat Cleaning Station located for boaters at the lake access. For more AIS information visit https://maisrc.umn.edu/
Watershed Assessment and Road Map for Water Quality Improvement
Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) with its partners Medina. Long Lake, Orono and LLWA, is developing a roadmap which will identify project opportunities and provide local partners with actionable projects to address poor water quality in the Long Lake Creek Watershed. Ultimately, this will improve water quality and ecological health across the watershed, creating value and enjoyment for residents. For more information about this project, please visit: https://www.minnehahacreek.org/project/long-lake-creek-subwatershed-assessment or click the MCWD logo at the bottom of the email.
What’s moving: Birds
Migratory season is here, and the Mississippi River Flyway provides about 325 bird species and about 40% of waterfowl one of the most traveled routes for birds on their bi-annual journeys in North America. Our Watershed is home, or part of the migration route, for many of these species.
Eagles have been spotted around the East Long Lake trail, gaining strength for their trip south. They tend to gather in early November, and can best be observed mornings and evenings, diving for fish. While many birds migrate using celestial navigation at night time, eagles are diurnal, meaning they travel during the day. They have keen memories and will use familiar landmarks, such as lakes, to guide them to their usual wintering sites, which they return to year after year.
The fall migration finds birds at a slower pace than spring, many stopping for extended periods to feed on high quality nutrients. It’s critical they have natural habitats, free of invasive species, in which to shelter and feed.
Butterflies
The monarch, adopted as the Minnesota state butterfly in 2000, is one of the few butterfly species that migrates like birds. Each summer, about four generations are born in Minnesota, living about four weeks and the last generation living about six months. It’s this fourth generation that migrates to Mexico.
Known as the “milkweed butterfly,” monarch caterpillars feed solely on milkweed which provides all the nourishment necessary for its metamorphosis into an adult. Unfortunately, due to the use of chemical weed killer and the loss of habitat with land development, there are fewer milkweed plants to sustain the monarch population, rendering it now an endangered species.
There are a wide variety of milkweed species that thrive in both humid and dry conditions and, as a perennial, will come back in spite of harsh winter weather. Protecting and planting milkweed, as well as annuals such as sedum, zinnias, phlox and coneflowers, will help the monarch feed from its caterpillar stage through to adulthood.
Photo Credit: Cassy Ordway
Water
Our weather has been breaking records, from historic highs in temperatures and lows in water levels, this fall has been unseasonable indeed.
The water levels are strikingly low in Long Lake and surrounding areas in the watershed. Weather forecasts report Minnesota is now ten inches below average rainfall for this time of year and the DNR monitors stream flow conditions with updates on Mondays.
Low rainfall levels, coupled with warm weather, have led to some blue-green algal blooms in parts of Long Lake. These blooms occur in sunny, calm and shallow, nutrient-rich water with temperatures higher than 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
These blue-green algal blooms cover small portions of lake water, rising to the surface near the shoreline where it can be a few inches thick. It is comprised of tiny organisms that are difficult to collect and can quickly bloom within a few days.
If you see a bloom that looks like spilled paint or pea soup, avoid making contact, taking care to keep pets away from the water. Most blue-green algal blooms are not toxic, yet require testing to confirm.
What's Growing:
Photo Credit: Bonnie Semmling, iNaturalist
Fall Mushrooms:
Two mushrooms that appear this time of year, along with Halloween ghosts and goblins, are Dead Man’s Fingers and Velvet Foot. Upon closer look, you’re sure to get a fright!
Dead Man's Fingers
Xylaria polymorpha fungi are commonly known as Dead Man’s Fingers. They grow at the base of rotting or dead trees, breaking down debris and helping to regenerate a healthy forest.
Usually found between June and October, they initially have a ghostly, whitish appearance and turn dark and spooky just in time for Halloween!
Velvet Foot
Velvet Foot or Enokitake or Flammulina velutipes, is widespread as a late season, cold-weather mushroom.
It grows in clumps and can be found on stumps and logs, as well as on both living and dead wood, Elm and dead Willow trees in particular. Reddish, to yellowish-brown in color, it fades with age and has white or light-yellow gills.
Velvet Foot is similar in appearance, and growing in close proximity, to the poisonous Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) mushroom, which should not be eaten.
To see some of these fall mushrooms, visit the trails in Wood-Rill and Wolsfeld Scientific Natural Areas, both within the Long Lake Creek watershed.
With Gratitude
During this season of change and many transitions in nature, we’d like to thank and honor the reliable contributions of our LLWA members, who steadfastly support our mission to protect and enhance water quality within the Long Lake Watershed.
Former LLWA board member Anne Marie Ruff Grewal relocated back to Los Angeles at the end of this summer.
She made significant contributions to Long Lake Waters Association with her forays into the woods and watershed, emerging with curiosities, discoveries and insights. We appreciate her “wonderstanding;” sharing what’s moving and what’s growing in the watershed with enthusiasm, humor and generosity.
For more information on the state of our watershed, please click the logo below, or visit: https://www.minnehahacreek.org/project/long-lake-creek-subwatershed-assessment
Long Lake Creek Subwatershed Assessment
Five lakes in the Long Lake Creek Subwatershed are listed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as being impaired for water quality due to excess nutrients: Holy Name, School, Wolsfeld, Long, and Tanager.
How to help:
Personal Steps:
We can help reduce phosphorus in our lakes by cleaning up grass clippings and pet waste, and controlling erosion on our property. These simple steps can have a big impact, by helping reduce algae blooms and promoting the biodiversity of aquatic and terrestrial native plants.
Volunteer!
Long Lake Waters Association is looking for watershed residents to volunteer for special projects and to be lake liaisons, especially on School, Holy Name, Dickey, Wolsfeld, Long Lake and Tanager.
What do you see?
Please let us know what you are seeing in the watershed, either conditions or problems you are concerned about, or positive feedback and community actions. You can reach out by email to longlakewaters@gmail.com, or share on our Facebook or Instagram feeds.
Help us grow!
Spread the word about LLWA, check out our website at https://www.longlakewaters.org/ follow us on Instagram or Facebook, share this newsletter with friends and neighbors.
Long Lake Waters Association
PO Box 195, Long Lake, MN 55356
A Minnesota 501(c)(3)
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