Zebra Mussel Prevention Recommendations

Happy Fall!

Well, its not necessarily boating season, but I just received some information through my position on the Shell Lake Protection Committee regarding zebra mussel prevention.  The included link (click the article title above) contains information regarding quarantine times for boats that have been used in infested waters, including an interactive tool that calculates the minimum time a boat should be kept out of the water.

This is good information for anyone that uses a boat on Little Ripley and on other lakes that may have zebra mussels.  I know the boat landing on Little Ripley is not in great condition with the current water levels, but hopefully that will be improving soon and launching a boat on our lake will be easier.

Regards,
Andy

Washburn County Lakes and Rivers Association, Inc.

ANNUAL MEETING  -  August 28, 2010

Hunt Hill Audubon Sanctuary, N2384 Hunt Hill Road, Sarona, WI

715-635-6543

PUBLIC INVITED!

 Members and non-members are welcome.

Agenda

8:00 a.m.        Free Pancake Breakfast

9:00 a.m.        Greetings and Introductions -- Cathie Erickson, WCLRA President

9:10 a.m.        Welcome to Hunt Hill -- Storme Nelson, Hunt Hill Executive Director

    9:20 a.m.    Guest Speaker -- Paul McGinley, a research scientist at the Central Wisconsin Groundwater Center and Assistant Professor of Water Resources in the College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  Paul received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; M.S. from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

                        TOPIC:   Groundwater

Groundwater is an essential resource in Wisconsin. It feeds our lakes, streams and wetlands and helps sustain the many creatures that live there.  It also provides drinking water for 70% of Wisconsin.

                                                                                                            

    10:20 a.m.            Break

    10:30 a.m.            Business Meeting

Welcome to the Little Ripley Lake Association Blog!

This simple site -- blog -- is intended to help keep us connected just a little bit better throughout the year.  We'll use this forum as one of the ways we can communicate with each other.  Everyone should have access to the site -- lrla.blogspot.com -- whether you register or not.  To comment, however, you will need to register so that we can limit the comments only to association members.

If you have any questions about the site or the association, please contact any of the officers.  Our information is listed on this page on the right-hand side.

If you have any topic or content suggestions for a post, please contact me, Andy Oman, and I will be happy to work with you to publish your 'article'.  I can also include some pictures to update the ones on the site from time to time.

I hope you all enjoy the new forum.  I look forward to staying in touch.

Purple Loosestrife Is In Bloom Now

Please be on the lookout for purple loosestrife on your properties.  Purple loosestrife displaces native wetland vegetation and degrades wildlife habitat. As native vegetation is displaced, rare plants are often the first species to disappear. Eventually, purple loosestrife can overrun wetlands thousands of acres in size, and almost entirely eliminate the open water habitat.


Purple loosestrife can be controlled, however.  An easy way to help control its spread is by cutting the plant and burning it or throwing it away.  Even better is to kill the plant (after cutting) by spraying it with an herbicide (like Roundup).  For more information on control methods, please see the DNR website below.


For help identifying purple loostrife, see the photo below or the DNR informational sites.



http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/loosecontrol.htm
http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/loosestrife.htm