Lake Sarah News
(updated July 8, 2009)
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LSIA Summer Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday July 26, 2009. Meeting will begin at 3:00. Officer and Director elections will be held at the July meeting. Positions up for election in July 2009 include Treasurer, and 3 Directors seats. Interested LSIA members are encouraged to contact an LSIA Board member or anyone on the 2009 nominating committee (Ann Slavec, Mike Peterson, & Greg Hani) if you are interested in serving on the LSIA Board.
The 21st Annual LSIA Summer Picnic will be held on Sunday July 26, 2009. Jorgenson Park (Shady Beach Circle). The Picnic begins at 4:00pm. Games and Activities for the kids will take place at 4:30. Potluck dinner will be ready at 5:30 with LSIA providing the main course. Lake neighbors should bring their own beverages, chairs, and a side, dessert, or salad to share. This years Picnic committee chairperson Rick Pratt has announced that the dinner will be a pig roast! Bring your appetites and enjoy this annual opportunity to socialize with your lake neighbors.
The Circus is Coming to Town! Thanks to the sponsorship of the Independence Parks Commission, the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus, America’s Favorite Big Top Circus is coming to Independence on Thursday, July 30 at Pioneer Creek Park with two scheduled performances at 5:00 and 7:30 p.m. C&M Circus has become internationally known for quality family entertainment. On circus day, the performers bring the magic of the circus to life in each 90-minute show. This year’s lineup includes an All-Star group of performers and entertainers. The performers are sure to amaze and delight audience members of all ages. Between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. on the day of the Circus, watch the raising of the Big Top, then stay for the free tour. This presentation offers a unique face-to-face opportunity for families, schools, and interested community members to meet and learn all about the Culpepper & Merriweather Circus family and includes a walking tour of the circus grounds. Learn interesting facts about the performers, the history of the show and the different species of animals in the Circus Family.
SAVE MONEY by purchasing your tickets in advance. Advance tickets are available at Independence City Hall. Prices for advance tickets are $6 for children ages 2 to 12, children under 2 are always free and $8 for adults. On show day tickets will be $7 for children and $11 for adults. For more information, call the City of Independence, 763.479.0527.
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| Pirates on Lake Sarah - Independence Day Boat Parade 2009 |
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12th Annual Independence Day Boat Parade was held as scheduled in spite of a brief shower at the appointed gathering time. The 2009 parade chaired by Kelly Lindberg and Heidi & Brent Foster was a themed "Pirates" parade! Prizes for this years decorating contest will be announced at the LSIA summer picnic to be held on Sunday July 26 at Jorgenson Park. Photos from the parade will be posted here soon, anyone who has good digital photos from the parade is invited to email them to this website or contact Brad spencer so we can add your photos to the website too! Thank you to all those who participated in the parade, all the spectators, and our event chairpersons! Visit the Boat Parade page for more photos and info!
LOST! Pink Lifejacket - Girls pink lifejacket that blew away on the South end of the lake. If you have found one please email Mollie. The lifejacket was reportedly lost sometime around Memorial Day.
FOUND - life vests - a mesh bag containing 4 life vests was recently found floating in the east bay. If you lost these items email Rick to claim them.
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Has lake Sarah gone Looney? It would seem to be so! We still have a pair of the Minnesota State birds living on our lake as has been witnessed by many neighbors. The soulful call of the loons in the late evening is a pure joy, lets hope they stay for years to come! If anyone happens to get a great photo of one or both of our resident loons please email the photo to me and I will post it to the lakesarah.com website. I would also be greatly interested in news or photos of any loon chicks that might be seen! Keep in mind that it is relatively easy to misidentify our resident cormorants as loons as the both are divers, dark in plumage, and have a low profile in the water. To distinguish loons from cormorants look for the loons red eyes, a whitish ring at the base of the neck, and the "checkerboard" or white speckling on the loons back. Cormorants appear all black from afar. Fun facts about Minnesota's Common Loon: - The bones of most birds are hollow and light, but loons have solid bones. - The extra weight helps them dive as deep as 250 feet to search for food. - Loons can stay underwater for up to five minutes. - Because their bodies are heavy relative to their wing size, loons need a 100- to 600-foot "runway" in order to take off from a lake. - Loons can fly more than 75 miles per hour. - The red in the loon's eye helps it to see under water. - Scientists think loons can live for 30 years or more
The most recent water level reading is 979.25 on July 4, 2009 (east bay gauge). The initial water level this year, as surveyed by the MN DNR crew setting the water level gauges, was 979.71on 4/10/09 and can be compared to the final 2008 reading of 978.63 on 11/13/08. Past and present year water level data and charts can be found on the Water level page. Thank you to Fred Lang (east bay) and Cindy Keating (west bay) for again monitoring our lakes' water levels for the MN DNR, LSIA, and this website!
Got Mosquitos? Tell the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District! The MMCD promotes health and well being by protecting the public from disease and annoyance caused by mosquitoes, black flies and ticks, in an environmentally safe manner. The District covers the Twin Cities, Minnesota metro area which includes Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Washington Counties. Click here for more about the District’s history and mission. The MMCD website contains info on all thing mosquito and offers fact sheets on related topics. You can also ask questions, request assistance, or report suspected issues (such as dead birds that might indicate West Nile virus). Recent fact sheets from MMCD: Info about the Japanese Rock Pool Mosquito, and How to Keep Mosquitos Out of Rain Barrels. West Nile virus monitoring has begun, if you see a dead bird (especially crows) please report it to the MMCD via this webpage.
Secchi disc (water clarity) readings declining to less than 4 feet in the east bay as reported by Mike Peterson who records these readings for the MPCA Citizen Lake Monitoring program. Mike reports that this is a fairly typical reading for this time of year. The clarity drops quickly as water temps warm, the curly leaf pondweed dies, and algae levels increase with the start of typically warmer summer days.
Lake Sarah DRAFT Phosphorus TMDL Study Report Delayed (update 6/25/09). Previously, the Lake Sarah Stakeholders Committee (LSSC), had been informed that the Draft document was not yet completed but was expected soon. Recent (6/19/09) communication from Randy Lehr of the Three Rivers Park District indicates a problem with their modeling software and does not give any estimated date for delivery of the Draft document. Barb Peichel, TMDL Project Manager for the MPCA reports the issue with the modeling software is a much larger issue than just the lake Sarah project and that TRPD is working with the software developers to resolve the problem. Assuming near term completion of the TMDL study and a typical approval process, interested persons should be able to review the document and make comment followed by a public meeting to discuss the results and recommendations. The TMDL would then be delivered to the appropriate State and Federal agencies for approval followed by development of the implementation plan.
Watch out for AIS hitchhikers! With the onset of the 2009 boating and fishing season, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is asking boaters and anglers to keep up their good work in minimizing the spread of aquatic invasive species. By taking a few simple steps when leaving a lake or river, boaters and anglers can do their part to help stop the spread in Minnesota waters of several aquatic hitchhikers, such as Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels. The key steps are to clean, drain, and dry boats and equipment:
- Clean all aquatic plants, zebra mussels, and other aquatic animals from boats and trailers before leaving the water access.
- Drain water from bilges, live wells, and bait containers before leaving the water access.
- Dry boats and equipment for five days, or spray with high pressure and hot water before transporting to another lake or river. click here to view entire news release
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Mouth of Lake Sarah Newsletters now archived on the web! Thanks to Cheryl Wise we now have most of the newsletters from 2000 - 2008 available in .pdf format on the newly created LSIA Newsletter page located in the Lake Sarah Association directory on this website. We will be adding newsletters dated 1999 and prior edited by Sue Mizell soon. Thanks Cheryl!
Interesting website of the month - lakecharlotte.net. Thanks to the hard work of former lake Sarah neighbor Sherry Englund, lake Charlotte (near Rockford) now has its own internet resource for news, events, and association information. Nice Job Sherry!
Calling all history buffs! I am looking for historical information regarding the 2nd incarnation of the Maple Plain School - #61 specifically details about it’s reconstruction as a two story structure following the fire that destroyed the pioneer school in 1894, it’s sale by auction in 1924, and it’s demolition in 1927. It is possible that the bell from the Shady Beach Resort was originally purchased for this schoolhouse and records discussing the school’s bell purchase, generous donation, or sale at auction may help us document the bell’s origin. Any history buffs that have ideas or information are invited to email Brad.
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Many of the questions emailed to this site regard illegal or inconsiderate snowmobile, atv, boat or pwc operation or fishing/hunting violation questions. To report illegal vehicular activity you should contact Hennepin County Sheriff Water Patrol (612)596-9880, or West Hennepin Public Safety (763)479-0500, The Water Patrol will not issue a citation for offenses they do not witness. They may issue a citation if the witness agrees sign the complaint (much like a citizens arrest). If you plan on filing charges against an individual you should make note of the date, time, vehicle description and license number, identity or good description of the operator. A side note; If the offender wishes to appear in court you may be required to appear as witness / accuser. To report hunting or fishing violations call DNR area Conservation Officer Todd Kanieski at (763) 576-8876, DNR Enforcement (651)296-6157, or orTIP (turn in poachers) toll free hotline 800-652-9093. Click the blue text for a copy of the 2009 Minnesota Snowmobile Regs , Personal Watercraft Regs , 2009 MN Boating Guide , 2008-09 ATV/OHV Regs, or the 2009 MN Fishing Regs, in Adobe Acrobat Reader format (.pdf).
Lake Sarah (MN DNR #27-0191) is located in sections 1 and 2, township 118, range 24; and in sections 34 and 35, township 119, range 24, Hennepin County, Minnesota. GPS 45°4'19"N 93°41'24"W surrounded by the Minnesota cities of Independence, Greenfield, Loretto, Medina, and Rockford. Click here to view a Google hybrid map of lake Sarah. Suggestions for content and services to be provided by this site are always welcome! E-mail this website with your feedback, suggestions, comments or ideas.
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