articles from November, 2003 newsletter:
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Outgoing President's Message
Your SCLV board held an election at the October meeting and elected the following officers for the next year: Walt Moe, President; John Zwieg, Vice President; Paula Bloczynski, Secretary; Bob Wilson, Treasurer; Cathy Raps, Membership Records. Walt and John are new officers and the rest were re-elected as they have done a great job. I am sure Walt and John will do the same.
I had a rewarding learning experience as president the last two years, and with the help of the board and many of the membership, I think we accomplished a lot. That said, there are still many ongoing things to be done to meet the goals of the club, and that will not change as new challenges are always coming. One of our main concerns is exotic species, as we hear more about them all the time and they are infesting lakes closer to us. Other goals are trying to maintain or improve water quality, control the number and size of fishing tournaments, and promote boating safety (as the traffic on the lake is getting heavier each year).
Thank you all for your help in the past. I will continue to do all I can to help preserve the "Most Beautiful Lake in the Country" so our children and grandchildren can enjoy what we have taken for granted would always be here.
If you have any suggestions to help us, please let one of your board members know. We need your input.
Thank you, Ray Harris
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MISSION STATEMENT
-- To promote and enhance the outdoor experience of Lake Vermilion for present and future generations by:
a. Maintaining and improving the Lake Vermilion fishery
b. Promoting "Catch and Release"
c. Promoting safe boating practices
d. Establishing and maintaining a "Night Navigational Aid System"
e. Establishing and maintaining shore lunch/picnic sites
f. Monitoring and protecting area wildlife
-- To protect and improve the water quality of Lake Vermilion by:
a. Monitoring water quality in cooperation with interested government agencies
b. Promoting shoreline preservation and re-vegetation
c. Monitoring exotic species and preventing their spread
d. Promoting sound conservation practices in the Lake Vermilion watershed
-- To educate club members and the public regarding issues which impact Lake Vermilion by:
a. Publishing a periodic newsletter and distributing it to club members and the public
b. Maintaining an internet website containing previously published newsletters and other information about the club and Lake Vermilion
c. Publishing news releases and articles pertaining to club activities in other publications
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Lake Vermilion Memories
In 1951 my husband, Evan, daughter Gay, age 11, and son Van, age 5, camped out on the shore of Treasure Island. There I contacted Cile Hein, who had advertised a cabin for sale on Pine Island in the Chicago Tribune, which I had seen at our home in Downers Grove, III. We made arrangements to meet her the next day at Arrowhead Point. There we met her and went over to see the cabin.
It really was a very primitive place. It had two bedrooms on either side of a small kitchen, a large livingdining area with a large fireplace and a screened-in porch. Outside was a storage shed and a biffy. There was a hand pump at the sink, a small gas stove and refrigerator. There also was an icebox on the porch. The interior was finished in knotty pine. There were two crib docks, a 16-foot Larson boat with a 10-hp. motor and 100 ft. of shoreline. I fell in love with it at first sight and that night decided to buy it. We calied Cile and told her we would take it at the price offered, $5,500. She said that as long as we were there we might as well stay at the cabin, so we moved in. It rained all week and we loved being there snug by the fire.
We have been in that cabin now for 52 years. Many things have changed over the years. At first I washed clothes in a hand-operated wooden washing machine on the dock. To bathe we used a folding rubber tub we put on the kitchen floor. We used commodes in the bedrooms at night because nobody wanted to walk the biffy path at night. There were bears out there! Well, there were lots of bears. Everybody had a garbage dump in the woods and the bears made the rounds every night.
As the years went on we added eight feet on the kitchen and eight feet on the porch. First we put in gas lights and a gas floor furnace, doing away with the kerosene stove in the living room. Eventually, with the coming of electricity, we got hot water and finally a bathroom and laundry room. The crib docks gave way to lift docks. The boats got larger and faster. We acquired 300 more feet of shoreline. We added a small bunkhouse for extra sleeping capacity.
By far the best thing I have gotten from our cabin days has been the treasured friends we have made there. We were totally interdependent. We helped each other. There were nine cabins in the bay when we bought there, with 15 children. Many evenings the adults would go to one cabin and the kids to another. We would all go home at 10 o'clock. I am the only one of those adults left alive. But their children are there and their children's children, all very dear to me.
As the years went on seven new cabins were built on the bay. Their occupants easily were integrated in our society of friends. About a dozen years ago we started a group called the Pine Island Sack Packers Society made up of the people in the cabins along our path and a few farther along the cliffs. Eventually, as other folks wanted to belong to the group, they too were added. We have a Path Party once a year where we get together for fun and food.
This year one of my grandsons decided he wanted to be married at the cabin, and so we had a three-day celebration made more fantastic by the fact that the bride had a burst appendix and was operated on Tuesday night. Thursday, with the help of pain killers, she oversaw the wedding rehearsal and attended the rehearsal dinner that night at Fortune Bay Hotel for 65 people, who included those in the wedding party and out-of-town guests. The wedding took place the next day at noon on the lakeshore of the cabin with 125 guests. With the help of pontoon boats the guests were transported to Bay View for a reception from 1 to 4 and thence back to the cabin for further fun. The next day the newlyweds were off to the Bahamas and we continued to celebrate. My whole family was there: two children, seven grandchildren and their spouses came from as far away as Hong Kong, San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and points in between. It was a wonderful way to top off my 52 years at Lake Vermilion.
Versa M. Gollan, age 91
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Spotlight on Northwoods Legends
When our son came to visit a couple of summers ago, I told~him we'd go over to Wolf Bay Lodge on Tuesday night to hear the Wolf Bay Brothers. Mark is the weekend manager at a big Hollywood nightclub, so going to hear a local band wasn't likely to be one of the highlights of his vacation. But he's nice enough to humor the old man, and from previous visits to Wolf Bay Lodge, he at least knew he'd get a great meal. When the band had been playing for a few hours, I suggested that we head for home. "Are you kidding? These guys are great!" So it goes when you introduce people to the Wolf Bay Brothers. This year, when Mark planned his vacation, the first question was when the Wolf Bay Brothers were playing, because he wanted to be sure he saw them at least once.
It stands to reasonif you put together a cement truck driver, a detox counselor, a lawyer, a tobacco salesman and their friends, you'll have the best band around, right? Right! The cement truck driver is Mike Christianson, a lap steel guitar player with a dashing handlebar mustache. The counselor is ace harmonica player Al Abraham and the lawyer/public defender is singer Bill Maxwell. While these may sound like unusual careers for musicians, how many bands back in the '60s and '70s should have had a trained detox counselor and their own lawyer?!?
But I digressthere are more: By day, Greg Burckhardt runs the Cook Building Center, but on Tuesday nights he morphs into Jimmy Buffet... or is it Bob Dylan? Willy Larson, bass guitarist, owns a garage door company, and Mike Randolph, the pedal steel guitarist, is a sales rep. And if you don't believe in reincarnation, you haven't heard Anna Pederson do Patsy Cline. Jimmy Laine teaches school and plays drums and Dan Boyer services computers when he's not playing guitar. Sharon Rowbottom (Dan's wife) plays guitar and does a mean Janis Joplin; her musical past includes a stint opening for Tim McGraw.
Eric Pederson (he's the tobacco salesman, and Anna's husband) was one of the founding fathers of the Wolf Bay Brothers, and serves as leader. When I asked him how they had gotten started, he said it was simple. "A bunch of us own a hunting shack a half mile from Wolf Bay Lodge, so it was a handy place to meet. Greg and CoraLee Mihm (the owners) are really nice people, so when they bought the place, a couple of us came over to play to help them get started." Tuesday nights turned into "Phat Tuesday" jam sessions as old friends who just wanted a place to play began to drop in. Some had played in various bands around northern Minnesota, and Mike Randolph had even played with Mike Smith and The All-Americans, a band that backed up Grand Ole Opry legend George Jones and famous country duo "The Kendalls" in the '70s.
In spite of their obvious talent, no one takes this too seriously. Last winter the group did a CD of original material that was written on the way to the recording session. When 10 musicians arrived at the studio with material they'd never performed, and a four-hour block of time Greg Burckhardt's sons had given him for Christmas, the studio owner said they'd never get anything done. They ran through each song a few times, then made the finished product. Now the band can honestly bill themselves "as heard in one of Hollywood's hottest nightclubs" because that son of mine keeps the CD in the mix of material that's played before the bands arrive at his club.
The original jam sessions haven't changed, with all sorts of local talent dropping in for a Tuesday evening. Jack Jordan stops in sometimes to play his stump fiddle, an instrument that defies description but sounds great in Jack's hands. John Ely, a regular in "Asleep at the Wheel," has taken over Mike Randolph's pedal steel guitar on occasion. Anyone is welcome to give it a try, and the audience is generous with its applause. In fact, the audience has become almost a part of the show. Regulars like Steve and Pam Towle, Fred and Carolyn Brooks, John and Verdella Musech and their families and guests can be counted on most Tuesdays. The atmosphere is more family reunion than bar band, and the band members seem to have as much fun as the guests.
Eric and Anna Pederson and Eric's brothers Dave and Drew have been playing together for more than 25 years in "Great Northern Express" and "The Flying Pederson Brothers." When Eric met Anna, she started coming along on their gigs, and would sing a few songs with the group. As Eric tells it, people who wanted to book them quit asking if they were available, and started asking if "the girl" would be with them. Anna blushed appropriately at Eric's comments. She went on to relate that her dad had never heard her sing, and when he dropped in on one of the group's gigs, she saw him watching her sing with big tears welling up in his eyes. Mike Randolph joined "Great Northern Express" a little over eight years ago, and the group is cutting a CD this fall.
The Wolf Bay Brothers don't have any definite plans to repeat their fabulous three-city tour of last year (from Buyck to Bear River and back), but they will play Wolf Bay Lodge occasionally during the winter. Wolf Bay Lodge will be open for lunch and dinner Friday through Sunday during the winter, and will add Thursdays if we finally have a good snow year. CoraLee Mihm, the Lodge's owner, says the Wolf Bay Brothers are a great bunch and a lot of fun to work with. Come next June, the Wolf Bay Brothers expect to be back on the shores of Wolf Bay, entertaining their neighbors and visitors lucky enough to find Lake Vermilion's hottest music venue.
Tom Morrow - Club Member, Feature Writer
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Lake Vermilion Dam Update
Over the past few years there have been questions and concerns regarding the dam on Lake Vermilion. In order to see the whole picture, here is an overview of the past, present and future as compiled by Amy Loiselle, Eveleth Area Hydrologist, and Dana Gauthier, Dam Safety Engineer.
History
The dam was originally built by the Howe Lumber Company circa 1892 to accommodate their logging operation. Then the center section was blasted out by locals in 1913 to help alleviate high water on Lake Vermilion. Thereafter, much discussion occurred among locals and St. Louis County about dam repair, culminating in a public hearing in 1953. DNR Fish and Wildlife took control of the "orphan" or abandoned dam at that time and split the repair costs with the county; the repair was completed in 1955. This dam was built with 50percent local funding and is state owned.
The dam, which is a grouted rock weir (i.e., boulders placed on the lakebed with concrete placed over them), is a total of 175-feet long and has a fixed crest, (i.e., the height of the top of the dam is not capable of being adjusted; there are no stop logs). When the dam was nearly completed, they troweled mortar over the whole thing. The low point of the dam is the 30-feet long center portion of the dam, which is at 1356.6-feet above mean sea level (AMSL). The next 25-feet on either side slope up to an elevation of 1357.0-feet AMSL and beyond that the next 47.5-feet on either side are at 1357.0-feet AMSL.
The dam consists of cyclopean concrete constructed using boulders taken from on-site and concrete made in a mixer on-site. No steel reinforcing was utilized in the construction. Since the dam was constructed on rubble there is a constant flow of water beneath the dam. The dam was designed to accommodate this flow and the seepage visible during droughts poses no risk to the dam.
Inspection By Dana Gauthier. DNR Water Divisions. Engineer. June 18. 2003
Ray Harris, John Zwieg, Vermilion Sportsmen's Club board members, and Gene Jenkins attended. They had noted visible seepage beneath the dam when the lake surface was very low this spring. Using waders, Dana Gauthier inspected the upstream and downstream toes of the dam. He found what appeared to be considerable loss of material on the upstream toe. A possible cause was ice runup crushing the concrete in the toe. This loss could be a concern because it was designed to have ice ride up over the upstream slope instead of pushing directly against the dam. The dam was inspected again this fall by Met Sinn, DNR Engineer for surface waters. He concluded that the missing concrete at the upstream toe could be due to the overlap of the temporary dam toe and the permanent dam toe during construction. In other words, the temporary dam was built too far downstream to allow placement of the upstream toe of the permanent dam. Some historic photographs may support this possibility. The downstream toe had some minor isolated loss.
Lake Level
While leakage through the dam has an effect on the lake level, the amount of water lost off the surface of such a large body of water due to evaporation dwarfs the impact of flows beneath the dam. Since the leakage is visible and the evaporation generally is not, the relating influences of water loss of these two effects is very misleading.
Discussion
The effect of concrete loss on the dam is of concern. Starting in the spring of 2004 the DNR will have surveyors measure the location of the leading edge of the dam and check the location again the following year. In the event ice pushup causes a loss of a section, it can be repaired before there is appreciable loss of lake elevation.
The seepage beneath the dam is simply water flowing through the rubble foundation. The rubble is large enough to easily withstand the erosive forces of the seepage. The leakage or seepage is not considered to threaten the dam or have a significant influence on lake level.
There is some weathering to the dam's crest on the western side. It will be patched, probably within the next few years with asphalt.
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Continuing Thoughts on Fishing Tournaments
While the October weather has for the most part been unusually nice, talk of fishing tournaments has diminished in our local papers, in conversations at the convenience store and even, it seems, among the local fishermen. Yet, we know that come next spring as the tournament fishing calendar is listed in local papers and notice of particularly large tournaments are brought to our attention the subject will once again become prominent.
The Sportsmen's Club has a great deal of interest in this subject and feels that a large majority of its members do also. As has oftentimes been stated there are "pros and cons" associated with fishing tournaments and each one seems to have its own characteristics. In addition to the different fish being caught, primarily bass, walleyes and muskies, the number of boats in the tournament, the noise created by many fast boats and the increased possibility that a large number of boats from other lakes both in and out of state can perhaps unwittingly introduce "Exotic Species" into our lake are all causes for concern. Of course tournament organizers and participants would argue that economic benefits accrue to many of the businesses on and around the lake and that after all the Lake Vermilion waters like any other Minnesota lake are available and accessible to the public and all fishermen with proper licenses. All of this is true.
Nevertheless, the Sportsmen's Club is beginning to think that tournament fishermen, particularly from out of state, need to be better educated on Minnesota Fishing Laws and Boating Regulations before quickly entering and exiting our waters. In researching the subject, we find that while good laws and regulations do exist they don't seem to be available in one place and readily communicated to the participants. We also believe that the sponsors, organizers and host resorts of tournaments have the responsibility of making sure every participant is aware of the rules that govern fishing and boating.
Recently, the club has been invited to submit a draft of fishing tournament rules and guidelines to the steering committee of The Lake Vermilion Plan. We accept this offer and opportunity to clarify our own position on fishing tournaments and will attempt to offer a draft plan to the steering committee well before the end of the year. We will also be discussing our ideas with the Department of Natural Resources of the State of Minnesota (DNR), with some of our local political representatives and we continue to look forward to hearing from you, our members. If you have comments on this subject send them to Sportsmen's Club of Lake Vermilion, 1501 Echo Point, Tower, MN 55790 or WCR4@Yahoo.com on E-Mail.
By Bob Wilson - Board Member
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Check for zebra mussels this fall
Zebra mussels are spreading to lakes and rivers throughout the Midwest. They attach to hard surfaces in lakes and rivers killing native mussels, limiting recreational activities, clogging water supply pipes, and competing with larval fish for food. "Checking your hard surfaces, such as docks, boat lifts, swimming platforms, boats, motors, anchors and any objects that have been in the lake all summer is a good way to screen for zebra mussels," said Gary Montz, zebra mussel coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. "Check areas that they are especially attracted to like trim tabs, rubber gaskets, grooves along the keel of pontoon boats, and sailboat centerboards. You can also examine rocks along the shoreline in shallow water."
If you suspect zebra mussels in your lake or previously uninfested section of river, preserve a few zebra mussels in rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol and contact the DNR at 651-296-2835 for instructions.
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MIGRATIONS
Many of you snowbirds will be heading south along with our beautiful loons. But wait beautiful? Yes, they are majestic looking during the summer, but come fall, they lose their commanding coloration and turn to a gray-brown or taupe. It was many years beyond my youth when I was told this, and I was shocked! That beautiful bird losing all that plumage? In a later TV nature program, this was confirmed, and much time elapsed before I actually saw a drab-looking loon. They are recognizable by their elegant head, long, sharp bill, and their sleek shape. The immature juveniles remain this color all summer and through the three or four years while they stay at their migration site. Loons have a salt gland under the skin above each eye which allows them to change body physiology from fresh to salt water environment. When their feathers change at maturity, and they see how stunning they are, they think they're beautiful enough to attract a mate and head north to their natal lake to search out their own territory.
All summer long the loon pair are devoted and protective of their young from the egg stage right up to September. But then! They take on a very "unfamily-like" behavior and "ditch the kids," gathering with other carefree adults, and head south. Now coping for themselves, the young ones have a month or so to fatten up and mature enough to make their maiden voyage south, first gathering some "friends" for moral support along the way.
Our loons migrate to the coasts of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. If you snowbirds are in the vicinity, you might just take a close look at what appear to be "ducks," recognizing your fellow migrants who followed you from Lake Vermilion.
Mardy Jackson
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Where our Members live
|
Member Units Home State
|
Members City
(5 minimum)
|
MN -- 772
IL -- 77
IA -- 48
WI -- 25
CA -- 14
IN -- 13
FL -- 12
OH -- 10
TX -- 10
MI -- 8
AZ -- 7
CO -- 6
SD -- 6
GA -- 4
MO -- 4
NC -- 4
OK -- 3
CT -- 2
MT -- 2
NE -- 2
NY -- 2
TN -- 2
VA -- 2
WA -- 2
AK -- 1
AR -- 1
ID -- 1
KS -- 1
MA -- 1
MD -- 1
ND -- 1
NM -- 1
NV -- 1
OR -- 1
RI -- 1
SC -- 1
UT -- 1
BC, Can -- 1
Total -- 1051 Member Units
|
Cook -- 235
Tower -- 162
Virginia -- 80
Duluth -- 34
Minneapolis -- 32
Eveleth -- 17
Hibbing -- 12
Des Moines -- 12
Bloomington -- 12
St. Paul -- 11
White Bear Lake -- 10
Mt. Iron -- 10
Minnetonka -- 9
Buyck -- 9
Angora -- 9
Gilbert -- 7
Edina -- 7
Sioux Falls, SD -- 6
Plymouth -- 6
Ely -- 6
Apple Valley -- 6
Eden Prairie -- 5
Burnsville -- 5
Buhl -- 5
|
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Compilation of our Loon Interests
Last month I received a call from Mike Broschart who is employed by the Department of Natural Resources out of International Falls. He is a Biological Science Technician doing studies in Voyageurs National Park, and has spearheaded a consistent Common Loon Monitoring Program from 1983-2002. As they have kept track of our figures since 1983, he wanted an update on our count;for this year. Included in their survey in Voyageurs National Park are Rainy, Kabetogama, Sand Point, Namakan, and 26 smaller lakes scattered throughout the mainland and Kabetogama Peninsula. At the end of this article is a table of comparison with VNP and Lake Vermilion.
Mike brought out some interesting points in his report that I would like to share with you.
1. The presence and reproductive success of common loons can be a measure of the quality of aquatic habitat of the northern lake country as it is a top predator of the aquatic food chain, and as such is an excellent indicator of water quality and heavy metal pollution.
2. The breeding range of the common loon is the northern portion of North America extending from Alaska across Canada, including Iceland, Greenland and Baffin Island, and south into the northern lake states and the Northeastern United States. The wintering range in North America is primarily along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, the Gulf of Mexico, and on the Great Lakes when they stay ice-free.
3. The loons establish territories in their breeding range that are reused year after year. All activities during the breeding season occur in their territory such as nesting, chick-rearing and feeding. They feed primarily on fish, yellow perch, minnows and aquatic insects, but will also forage on crayfish.
4. Favorite nest sites are islands (our 365 islands probably account for our high population), but they will also use mainland locations on backwater bays and coves (which we also have in abundance on Lake Vermilion) that afford shelter from wind and wave action. Because of their lack of balance, the nests are close to the water's edge - the higher the better.
5. The number of loons in Minnesota has been currently estimated at around 12,000.
6. The largest cause of nest failure is water level fluctuations, most frequently in the month of June. The horizontal and vertical distance from the water to the nest were two of the best discriminating variables between successful and unsuccessful nests; vertical being the most important.
7. Data from the Minnesota Project Loon Watch indicates no difference in loon productivity between lakes with extensive recreational activity and lakes with little activity.
8. Some of the major predators on loon eggs and chicks are crows, ravens, gulls and raccoons. Other suspected predators are northern pike, snapping turtles, bald eagles and mink. Through experimental testing, it was determined that 80 percent of loon nest losses resulted from raccoon predation. These major predators follow human settlement and have been increasing in numbers due to the availability of human refuse.
9. Both males and females share incubation duties and under natural conditions nest attentiveness has been documented as 99.1 percent. But repeated flushings from their nests by human disturbance may alert avian predators to the nests' locations and increase the chance of animal predation on unattended nests.
10. Mike states that of particular interest was the productivity at the highly developed and unregulated Lake Vermilion, which was considerably greater than the Voyageurs Natural Park (0.71 vs 0.42 hatched young/territorial pair). The low production of hatched young in 2002 in both Lake Vermilion and VNP may have been due to record rainfall and flooding in mid June of that year.
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MEMBERSHIP VOTES TO APPROVE AMENDED BYLAWS
As announced at the Annual Meeting in August, mail-in ballots were counted at the October board of directors meeting. The result was that the proposed amended bylaws were unanimously approved by the membership. the results were certified by the board, thus adopting the amended bylaws.
The bylaws of the Sportsmen's Club of Lake Vermilion, the framework within which the Club exists and operates, was last amended in 1993. It is an understatement to say that during that 10- year period many things have changed. your board of directors has found it increasingly difficult to deal with new issues and challenges facing the Club and the lake while remaining true to those bylaws. The board, therefore, decided in 2001 to form a committee to study the current bylaws and propose changes which would allow the Club to continue being an effective force for the protection and improvement of Lake Vermilion well into the 21st century. The amended bylaws were presented to the board and approved in April of this year. They were then published in the July issue of The Vermilion Sportsman along with a mail-in ballot and have also been posted on the Club's website.
The most obvious result of the new bylaws is a change in the dues structure beginning January 1, 2004. The changes are as follows:
Single membership - $10 up from $7
Couple membership - $15 up from $10
Family membership - $20 up from $15
Business / organization - $50
Dale Lundblad - Board Member
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Protect Septics From Freezing Again
The winter of 2002/2003 was a very hard year for onsite septic systems due to the lack of snow cover combined with cold temperatures. In some counties, up to 30 percent of the septic systems were frozen. Even in a normal Minnesota winter, freezing can occasionally be a prablem. Identifying and correcting a potential freezing problem is far easier than dealing with a frozen system.
Some of the common causes of septic system freezeups can be: lack of snow cover, compacted snow, compacted soils, lack of plant cover, irregular use of the system, leaking plumbing fixtures, pipes not draining properly, cold air entering the system, and a waterlogged system.
What Do I Do if the System Freezes?
If your septic system freezes, the first step is call an onsite professional. If you have a pump and hear water constantly running in a pump tank (a sign that the system may be frozen), disconnect your pump and call an onsite professional. Many pumpers and installers have steamers and high-pressure jesters to try to unfreeze system piping. Unless the cause of freezing is corrected, the piping will refreeze. Other methods used to help fix a freezing problem include adding heat tape and tank heaters. If the treatment area is full of ice, or there is evidence of leaking, there is no need to thaw the lines leading to the treatment area as it cannot accept liquid until the area is thawed in the spring.
If it is not feasible to correct the problem, the only other option is to use the septic tank as a holding tank until the system thaws naturally. In this case, reduce water use and in the spring find the cause of the freezing problem so it can be addressed to prevent future freeze-ups.
There are many misconceptions about how to dec with a frozen septic system:
Do not add antifreeze, salt or a septic system additive into the system.
Do not pump sewage onto the ground surface.
Do not start a fire over the system to attempt to thaw it out.
Do not run water continually to try to unfreeze the system.
What Can You Do to Prevent Freezing?
There are several steps you can take to prevent septic systems from freezing. It is not necessary to do all of these, pick and choose what is best for your situation.
1) Place a layer of mulch (8-12 inches) over the pipes, tank, and drainfield area to provide extra insulation.
2) Let the grass in your lawn get a little longer in the late summer/fall over the tank and drainfield to provide extra insulation.
3) Use water, the warmer the better! Usually water conservation is the best practice, but if freezing is a concern, spread out water use, possibly doing a warm/hot load per day, using your dishwater and maybe even taking a hot bath. Do not leave water running all the time because it will overload the system.
4) If you know you are going to be gone for an extended . period of time, plan accordingly to have someone use sufficient quantities of water in your home or pump out your tank before leaving.
5) Fix leaking plumbing fixtures or appliances in your home.
6) Keep all types of vehicles and high traffic people activities off of the septic systemit's a good rule l follow year round.
7) Make sure all risers, inspection pipes and manholes have covers on them.
8) Keep an eye on your system. If any seeping or ponding occurs, contact an onsite professional to determine the cause and remedy.
For more information, see: http://septic.coafes.umn.edu/homeowners/index.html or call 800-322-8642.
Article excerpted from "Freezing Problems with Onsite Sewage Treatment Systems" by Sara Christopherson and Ken Olson, University of Minnesota Extension Service.
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Do muskies really eat ducklings, squirrels and walleyes?
Rocking The Boat
by Joe Fellegy
By all accounts, muskies do indeed eat a variety of fish, fowl, and even game, including all of the above. Just how much muskies deserve their title of "water wolves" and a longstanding reputation for eating other fish into oblivion is a frequent point of contention.
I'll bet Ted Capra ruffled some feathers or knocked a few scales loose on the more thinskinned muskie promoters and defenders. Capra, well-known as a tournament bass chaser, outdoor retailer, and Minnesota Fishing Hall of Fame inductee, told Pioneer Press readers several weeks ago that stocked muskies may be impacting Lake Minnetonka bass fishing.
Capra observed that his Minnetonka haunts kick out fewer 4-pound bass these days and was quoted as saying, "They've stocked so many muskies in Lake Minnetonka that it's not unusual to bring a 3- or 3-1/ 2-pounder up to the boat and have a muskie take it right at the boat. I don't know if it is a good or a bad thing. There is no doubt they are a dominant species; they'll eat anything that swims."
It seems where muskies are native, there are fewer hassles about their predator roles and effects on a fish population. While an occasional local may scorn muskie protection, it's a fact that Minnesota waters long famed for muskieslike
Lake of the Woods, Leech Lake, Cass, and Winnibigoshishhave also ranked among the state's walleye capitals. If muskies eat all the walleyes, as some claim, they've had ample time to clean house on waters like these. But the housecleaning hasn't much happened.
This muskie diet thing is most controversial where muskies are an "introduced" species. If anglers perceive change, like an extended period of poor walleye fishing, they look for causes. Rightly or wrongly, "those darn muskies" become culprits.
Muskie introductions by state natural resources departments have been rolling along for several decades. Missouri's Pomme de Terre Lake has received muskies since 1966. Muskies aren't South Dakota natives, but that state's Department of Game, Fish and Parks has stocked Amsden Dam Lake since 1975, and later in the lower Missouri River, at Lake Sharpe, and at Orman Dam Lake. In Ohio, where Ohio Game & Fish magazine recently declared that muskie fishing has "come of age" with 50-inchers "routine," a state muskie program involves nine lakes. Other states stock muskies, too.
In muskie literature, I found references to muskies eating a diverse diet, depending on geography. Menu items include gizzard shad, perch, shiners, squirrels, suckers, muskrats, eels,-eelpout, snakes, crayfish, bluegill, bullheads, ducklings, bass, amphibians, mice, and other critters.
Then there are the conflicting claims about muskie dining fare, especially walleyes. Field & Stream's fishing editor, Ken Schultz, says in his "fish of the week" column at Field & Stream's website that the muskie diet is "varied, with a preference for larger rather than smaller fish. Perch, suckers, golden shiners, and walleyes are among the top foods.77
While this nationally renowned outdoor editor rates walleyes as a top muskie food, Duane Williams, large lake specialist for Lake Vermilion, said otherwise in a Minnesota DNR Fisheries report circulated by North Metro Muskies Inc. Williams observed that "walleye have not been known to be a major forage species for muskie, even in lakes with abundant walleye populations. Although muskie will certainly eat walleyes occasionally, the numbers eaten are minor compared to other natural mortality and angler harvest."
Williams also referred to the 1991-94 study of muskie feeding habits on 34 Wisconsin lakes, where examination of the stomachs of 1,092 muskie (from 9 to 46 inches) contained only five walleyes. In this study, muskie stomachs were flushed out with water (a kind of forced puking), stomach contents examined, and the fish released alive. Perch and suckers were found to be the key foods, with sunfish, crappie, and various minnows eaten more frequently than walleyes.
Tullibee, a coldwater species related to whitefish, were unimportant in the Wisconsin study. But it's believed that where tullibees are abundant they're an important muskie food.
Muskie stocking programs at Minnesota's Vermilion and Mille Lacs were premised on large numbers of calorie- and protein-rich tullibees. On this front, events at Mille Lacs have taken an interesting turn. Tullibee numbers there have apparently plummeted. Fisheries managers have imposed a 10-fish angling limit on this former nolimit fish and axed the traditional (and not very significant) fall net fishery for licensed Minnesota residents. More interestingly, DNR has shelved its every-four-years Mille Lacs muskie stocking scheduled for this fall. The reason: at least some official worry about forage, especially tullibee.
You can imagine what questions and speculations flow locally. If tullibees and medium-sized perch are down, what's next in line for sliding down muskie gullets? If X thousand adult muskies each consume just a couple pounds of this or that a week, that amounts to hundreds of thousands or millions of pounds a year....
I know one former resorter who lectured his guests on what to do with a muskie. ~SIit its throat and toss it overboard!" A fairly prominent launch captain advises (tongue in cheek, I think), "Big or small, kill 'em all!"
This fisherman lacks a strong or well-honed attitude about muskies. Maybe I'm a little like Ted Capra, whose Pioneer Press quote balances personal concerns with allowing muskies and fisheries managers a little wiggle room. With Minnesota muskie introductions relatively new at places iike Mille Lacs, Miltona, Minnetonka, and Vermilion, maybe the jury is still outif there really is a case or a trial.
Reprinted from the August 22, 2003, issue of Outdoor News
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