November 2005 Newsletter

LAKE SINISSIPPI ASSOCIATION
NOVEMBER 2005
Autumn
Sinissippi Waves
Fish Stocking Joint Venture
With the help of your membership
dollars, LSA has cost shared $3,000
and LSID $2,000 towards a $5,000
fish stocking effort. The stocking
was completed on Nov. 1, 2005
with the following fish:
•
2600 Channel Catfish 8-12”
•
679 Walleye 5-7”
•
780 yellow Perch 7”
•
520 Black Crappie 5-8”
•
350 Black Crappie 2-3 “
These fish provided by Keystone
Hatcheries appeared very healthy
and the sizes stocked were impressive with the hope that stocking
larger fish will provide an improved survival rate. Conventional
wisdom indicates that stocked fish
have a better survival rate when
stocked in the cooler fall waters.
Walleyes can be found in all types
of lakes, including eutrophic or fertile, hard water lakes. Perch are
also tolerant of nutrient rich water
containing suspended solids and a
Richard Fink
wide temperature range. It is
a hardy species
renowned for
its ability to survive low oxygen
levels. Crappies
have been
known to do
well in lakes
with large carp
populations. By Rich Fink helps with
the stocking of perch.
opening up
dense plant
growth, carp create the open water crappies prefer. Channel Catfish are more tolerant of turbid water than many game fish and they
are anything but finicky, feeding
on almost anything that floats by.
Our hope is that a continued
stocking program may help control spawning carp through predation of the eggs and larger carp.
that you practice Catch
and Release until these fish be-
We ask
come more mature.
SHORELINE EVALUATION GRANT UPDATE / NR 328
A draft copy by Hey & Associates of the evaluation of Lake Sinissippi
shorelines has been submitted to the Board of Directors for final review.
You will soon be receiving a packet of information on your shoreline restoration options. A public meeting to answer your questions is being
scheduled and the time and date will be included in your packet.
Inside this issue:
Raffle Winners
2
Dam Information
2
Board Members
3
From the President
4
Composting Ideas
5
Pontoon Classroom
6/7
Bird Houses
8
Membership
In 2005 we had 254
members. This is fantastic
as this number surpassed
previous years. Let’s keep
the ball rolling in 2006.
Talk to your friends and
neighbors and encourage
them to join LSA.
Page 2
Sinissippi Waves
2005 Monthly Raffle Winners
May
July
September
Tom & Kay Saether
$100
Candy Graulich
Jim Vaccaro
Merlin Pieper
$100
$ 50
John Dunne
$ 50
$ 25
Angela Apostoloff
$ 25
Robert Wilkinson
$100
Larry & Pam Seaberg $100
June
August
Karen Hartenstein
$50
Fran Wolf
$ 50
Tom Byrne
$25
Gary Knipper
$ 25
Terry Sorenson
$100
Deb Stewart
$ 50
Alice Schultz
$ 50
Joel Watson
$ 25
Maynard Kauffman
$ 25
October Don Cartledge
$100
Congratulations to our recent winners. Tickets for the 2006 Monthly Raffle will be arriving in your
mailboxes soon. Every month at the LSA Board of Directors meeting, one $100, one $50 and one
$25 winning ticket will be drawn. All tickets are eligible for each drawing. Proceeds from the raffle
support the fish stocking program; installing, removing and maintaining the hazard marking and
channel marking buoys; and other LSA projects. Help support your lake association by purchasing
your monthly raffle tickets.
Dennis Uecker
News From the Dam Operator
What a difference a year makes!! In 2004 we
had more water than we knew what to do with
and in 2005 we were praying for rain. 2005 will
be remembered as a low water level year. We
started out in the spring at normal water levels
but by mid July we got to the point where one
of the tainter gates at the dam needed to be
cracked open because there was little or no water going over the spillway. Our dam operation
rules state that we need to have a minimum of 3
cubic feet per second (c.f.s.) of water passing
through or over the dam at all times. This is to
provide flow to keep oxygen in the water downstream of the dam to prevent fish kills and also
provides some flow for mixing of the effluent
discharged from the wastewater treatment
plants that are downstream of the dam. By
cracking one of the gates about ¼ of an inch we
flow about 9 c.f.s. Some residents blame the de-
clining water levels on
the fact that we have the
gate cracked open. That
may be true but you also
have to remember that
on a body of water the
size of Lake Sinissippi, a
lot of water is also lost to
evaporation.
I haven’t checked with
the marinas to see if prop sales were up this
summer because of the lower water levels. Let’s
hope that 2006 will be a normal year! If you
want to view water level data online, go to
www.hustisford.com and click on the Dam Operations Tab. You can view the current level and
flow data or you can also view the previous
years data.
Over 350
Lake Homes
Lake Sinissippi Association
Board Members for 2005/06
SOLD!
Anthony Island $124,900
Gary Knipper—President
920-349-9907 garyk@xilinx.com
Richard Fink – Vice President
920-349-3991 unreal@nconnect.net
Work 920-349-3500
Joan Pape – Secretary
920-349-3077 jvpape@charter.net
Dennis Uecker – Treasurer
www.DodgeCountyRealEstate.com
920-349-3985 duecker@charter.net
Work 920-349-4511
Terry Burge
920-349-8413 TERRY.A.BURGE@msg.ameritech.com
John Dunne
262-542-6132 jaydee3@people.com
Jim Gronowski
920-349-1318 grono@charter.net
Ruth Johnson
920-349-3055 Ruth.Johnson@dnr.state.wi.u
Mike Kadinger
920-349-3342 Store 920-349-3600
Lori Lange
920-349-3331
Merlin Pieper
920-485-0287 pieper@hartfordjt1.k12.wi.us
Richard Ploeger
920-349-8393 onebearp@nconnect.net
To advertise in the 2006 Newsletters,
please contact a LSA Board Member
FALL
Page 4
From the President’s Pier
Another summer has come to an end, this year brought us low water, warm temperatures, and
many beautiful days here on Lake Sinissippi.
The LSA had a very successful year seeing an increase in our membership numbers, a successful annual meeting, Lakefest, Pontoon Classroom, second year of Fish Stocking, completion of the lakeshore analysis grant, providing the boating safety buoys, and many other activities supporting Lake
Sinissippi.
LSA will be sending out 2006 raffle tickets before the end of the year, this is a great opportunity to
support this annual LSA fund raiser. The Raffle will run for the complete year of 2006. Winners from
the monthly drawings are automatically reentered for the remaining drawings, again this is an opportunity to win money and support the LSA.
LSA and the DNR have contracted the consulting firm of Hey & Associates to analyze all shoreline
prosperities for erosion susceptibility. In order to comply with the new WDNR Administrative Code
NR 238 an engineering study is necessary for property owners to receive a shoreline improvement
permit. Please look for this free engineering document to be mailed this fall to each shoreline property owner.
LSA and LSID plan to do additional fish stocking this fall. The selected fish are Channel Catfish, Walleye, Yellow Perch, and Crappies. The fish stocking is of species that are known to control Carp and
are likely to survive in Lake Sinissippi. An added benefit will be for the fishermen who live and visit
our lake. Delivery of fish will be made to four different sites on the lake, the Catfish will be split between two sites and the game fish will be split between two other sites.
I wish all LSA members and Lake Sinissippi residents a safe and happy fall-winter season here on our
beautiful lake.
Gary Knipper
LSA President
Thanks to all who helped at Lakefest
As we come towards the end of 2005, the LSA
would like to send a sincere thank you to our supporters. Whether you purchased raffle tickets,
weeded the Natural Shoreline, worked at or attended Lakefest 2005, volunteered to help out for
Pontoon Classroom, or participated in the Sense of
Place Story Telling Workshop at the Hustisford Library, we thank you.
A special thank you for the following for their
L a k e f e s t
c o n t r i b u t i o n s :
Camera Case & TV (for a terrific TV), Hustisford Bank
(for the rock climbing wall), Lion's Club; Hartford
Sentry, Hartford McDonald's, Hartford Subway, Hartford Culver's, Dodge County Realty, JB Video, Roe-
seler's Flooring, MI-DI Excavating, Mark Rinderle Tire,
Diane's, Schultz Bus Service, R&H Equipment Mayville, Pivot Point, Associated Engineering, Kuehl &
Sons Dairy, Brian Nehls Electric, Hopfinger & Sons,
Hustisford Soccer Club, Sargento Cheese, OK Realty,
Super Wash Car Wash, Miller Brewing, Rock River Bar
Grill and Lanes, Dave's Painting, Ralph Pahl (tractor
pull), Degner Electric, Tri Par, United Cooperative –
Cenex, Coley Builders, East Side Lumber, Curry's Horicon, Cedar Road Meats, Mike's Hardware,. If we
missed anyone on this list, our sincere apologies.
Thanks also to Bartolotta’s for delivering a great fireworks display and to all who contributed money
throughout the year to make it possible.
FALL
Page 5
Fall Brings Composting Opportunities
Fall is an excellent time of year for people to start
composting, or for those who already compost, to
think about improvements. State air quality and fire
control rules restrict the burning of yard waste in
Wisconsin, and burning is completely prohibited in a
growing number of communities because it pollutes
the air, creates a fire hazard and is a nuisance to
neighbors.
While yard waste is prohibited from landfills, and
many communities provide yard waste pickup and
community composting sites, home composting is an
environmentally friendly alternative. Leaves, small
brush, grass clippings, and other organic material
can be easily managed at home through composting, according to Gretchen Wheat, a compost specialist with the Department of Natural Resources Bureau of Waste Management.. “Best of all,” Wheat
notes, “nutrient rich compost will be produced and
available right on site for use in your yard and garden.
Whether someone is just getting started or has been
doing it for years, here are a few pointers Wheat offers for home composting:
•
Add both brown material like leaves and sticks,
and green material like grass clippings and vegetable
cuttings, in alternating layers, starting with brown
material on the bottom. This properly distributes the
nitrogen-rich green materials among the carbon-rich
and more porous brown materials to ensure that
your compost supports the growth of desirable microbes to decompose the waste in an inoffensive
way.
•
During dry weather, material in open piles and
uncovered bins may get very dry. To keep the composting process active during dry weather, water the
compost occasionally.
•
process faster, but faster is not necessarily better. Faster decomposition
requires more air and more attention to keep the compost from being
a nuisance. Even with green material
at only 5 percent of the mixture, layering green and brown material and
some weekly turning becomes more
important.
•
Recycling food waste like vegetable trimmings,
tea bags, coffee grounds and eggshells is best done
in a covered bin, again layering with brown material.
Worms, especially red worms in bins, is another way
to recycle food waste and this efficient method is
also gaining popularity. Compost and worm bins can
be homemade or commercially manufactured. Inquire about compost bins with your local retailers, or
search the Internet for “compost bins” to find instructions for making your own bin and to see a wide variety of manufactured bins.
•
A foul odor indicates the compost pile is not getting enough air. This might be from too much moisture, too much green material in the mixture or materials getting compacted together over time. Turning the compost helps maintain good air circulation
throughout. Alternating layers of brown and green
materials also helps maintain good airflow, since the
brown materials take longer to break down and are
usually larger.
Locate compost piles or bins away from structures
and within reach of a garden hose. This will keep
any unpleasant odors and interested animals and
insects away from your buildings. It is also good fire
safety. While home compost fires are extremely rare,
compost piles do generate heat, and under the right
combination of conditions, the material may smolder
or even catch fire.
Generally, green material makes the composting
LSA Members E-Mail Addresses
We are encouraging all LSA members to send us
their e-mail address. If something comes up during the year that requires members to be advised, it will give us the opportunity to do so at a
moments notice.
A line for your e-mail address will
be added to the 2006 LSA membership renewal application. We will
not share your e-mail address.
FALL
Page 6
FALL
Page 7
Carla Knopp
Pontoon Classroom Floats Again
On Sept 21, 2005, all of the 5th graders in Hustisford
stepped beyond their schools’ walls and onto 4 waiting
pontoon boats and a tepee. For the first time Bethany
joined with John Hustis students for the Autumn LSA
Pontoon Classroom. 33 children were divided into small
groups of 5 or 6 for a fun filled learning experience.
This program was designed to give the students a
glimpse into the history and conditions affecting Lake
Sinissippi. LSA members volunteered as teachers and
boat drivers.
To enrich their experience of this area, an authentic tepee
and an array of native plants and artifacts were displayed.
George Kaemmerer told how these items were used by
the Native Americans. These people were grateful to the Earth for sustaining their life and were
careful steward of their land.
The pontoon boats were divided into 4 different areas of study. Bill Germer and Richard Fink
manned a boat on which the students learned about the history of the lake area and about its islands. Some were lucky enough to get a look at a flock of Pelicans visiting Lake Sinissippi.
Greg Farnham, on Merle Handel’s boat, focused on identifying the physical characteristics of the lake
bottom and of mapping its depth by using a global positioning system.
Looking closely at the water, Terry Burge and Lori Lange discussed water clarity and showed the students how to measure clarity using a sechi disk. Joan Pape drove her boat out so that water samples could be collected and studied under a microscope..
Tom Schmidt skippered the 4th boat on which Ruth Johnson and Carla Knopp used a ground water
model to teach ways pollutants can enter the aquifer and measures everyone must take to protect
out water supply from being contaminated.
This ground water model was purchased through the Sense of Place grant and is now owned by the
Hustisford School District. The grant is designed to promote activities that focus on our area’s past
and present and ways we can positively affect our future.
Lakefest 2005 Memories
It’s the end of October and the memories of
adults, kids and families having a good time at
Lakefest are still vivid. Fest goers enjoyed a day
of various activities and games. Numerous door
prizes were given away through out the day
and evening. Delicious food and ice cold beverages were served.
A spectacular fireworks show lit up the night sky
Linda Kaemmerer
followed by the raffle drawing for a 32”
flatscreen color TV and cash prizes.
The crowd was entertained by the popular
band, The Barbeez, from 8:00 to midnight.
Many thanks to our sponsors, those who volunteered their time and energy to help and to everyone who supported Lakefest by attending our
event.
We’re on the web
www.lakesinissippi.org
Karen Fink
Not Just For the Birds
For those LSA members, living on the west side
of the lake, the sight of brightly colored gourd
bird houses hanging in the trees along the road
is a familiar sight. Have you ever wondered how
they appear in the spring and disappear in the
fall? Terry and Shardell Sorenson of Sinissippi
Point Road, grow the gourds and dry them over
the winter, until you can hear the seeds rattle
inside. It is then that Terry drills the holes for the
openings and cleans out all of the seeds and innards, which he says is the hardest part. He
hangs about 35 houses and each one is beautifully painted with a different design. Terry uses
only earth friendly paints and sealer on these
little gems.
After he puts them up in the spring, the birds
move in, with about 95% of the houses soon occupied by house wrens and tree swallows. He
has noticed over the years the different way
these two birds set up housekeeping. It seems
that the wrens like to
fill the gourd with little
twigs and sticks for
their nest. The swallows use grasses and
feathers and for some
unknown reason, he’s
always amazed to find
at least one of the
feathers is always
white.
When the bird residents have fledged their last (sometimes the 3rd)
clutch, Terry takes all of the houses down for
winter storage. He checks them all and re-paints
or touches up those in need, re-seals them all
and waits for spring. Thanks Terry and Shardell,
your efforts are appreciated by more than just
the birds.