Lake Onalaska Protection and Rehabilitation District
Onalaska Lake District Meeting Minutes
Lake Onalaska Protection and Rehabilitation District
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
4:00 p.m.
USFWS Visitor Center
N5727 CTH Z Brice Prairie
Onalaska WI 54650
PRESENT: Marc Schultz (Chairman LORPD), Kathryn Lammers, Tim Miller, Vicki Burke, Donna Kateley, Tony Christnovich, Amy Gabay, David Heath, Shawn Giblin, Kendra Niemec, Steve Kujak and Barbara Friell
Item 1: Call to Order - Meeting called to Order at 4:04 p.m. by Marc Schultz.
Item 2: Minutes of June Meeting – Minutes had been emailed to Commissioners for review prior to the meeting. Katherine Lammers made a motion to approve the minutes, Barbara Friell seconded the motion. No discussion. Minutes were unanimously approved.
Item 3: Treasurer’s Reports from May and June – The Treasurer’s Reports for May and June had been attached to the June’s minutes and emailed to Commissioners for review prior to the meeting. Barbara Friell made a motion to approve the two Treasurer’s Reports, Kathryn Lammers seconded the motion. No discussion. Treasurer’s Reports were unanimously approved.
Item 4: Commissioner(s) and Public Concerns – USFWS temporarily removed the telescopes that were located on the Overlook. They will be re-installed once the 360-degree ability has been adjusted to viewing the Lake only.
Item 5: Update on Fred Funk Landing – Bricks are continuing to be sold. $125 for large brick and $85 for smaller brick. Marc mentioned some smaller donations have been received and that the budget We will also plan to sell the bricks at the Annual Meeting on September 1, 2015.
Item 6: Review and approve annual meeting notice including tours and newsletter– Marc has prepared a draft. Our target is $135,000.00. Marc is continuing to work with Colin (design work), Town of Onalaska and companies regarding donations.
Fred Funk Landing
c/o River Bank
4000 Corporate Drive
Holmen WI 54636
One can continue to access information regarding the Fred Funk Landing Plans at the Lake District Website
Item 7: Discuss Lake front tours and promotion – Email has the following attachments: LD Newsletter, Four Lake Friendly Waterfront Tours (lists the dates, time and locations) for the month of August and Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge, La Crosse District ((information provided by the USFWS) to be used at the Overlook site during the tour of the Overlook on August 4th).
Item 8: Proposal for Lake navigation marker buoys – Tony Christnovich– Tony provided the attendees with background information regarding NASA and its purpose. He then provided some history leading to the reasoning/need for buoys in the areas designated on the map he provided at the meeting. Kendra also provided a Harbor and Waterfront Master Plan. Both maps provided a visual regarding the proposed need for Lake navigation marker buoys. Tony will also present during the Annual Meeting to be held on September 1, 2015. Concerns discussed were as follows: (1) Official buoys (7) have been obtained by Schaefer’s Landing and strategically placed in the water to assist boaters as they navigate the area and avoid safety/motor issues. Fritz Funk showed us a map to explain where the buoys had been placed. (2) Discussion regarding “special use permits” regarding public waters and the lack of need for a landowner sponsor, as it is public water.
Item 9: Lake Onalaska Canoe Trail – Amy Gabay Onalaska Tourism – Amy presented and provided information regarding her work with the USFWS. She provided the following two brochures regarding Canoe Trails in Pools 5, 5A, 7 and 8. Amy and Kendra also shared a map of the proposed Canoe Trail (from Lytle’s Landing to Fred Funk Landing). Brochures distributed were: (1) Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge Canoe Trail (Goose Island (Pool 8)) and (2) Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge Canoe Trails Half-moon (pool 5) Verchota (Pool 5A) and Long Lake (Pool 7)). You may access the proposed canoe trail at UMRNWFR – La Crosse District.
Item 10: Agency Reports
Please note: Agency Reports are rich in material and extremely educational therefore to properly capture the material/information being presented by the Agency’s representative(s) during the meeting we have requested the Agency Representative(s) send to the LD Commissioner Secretary () a copy of their report which can then be included with the meeting minutes.
Agency staff in attendees were as follows:
Tim Miller(USFS) – Tim provided us with a U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service News Release addressing the final guidelines for managing Commercial Waterfowl Hunting Guide Services on the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Application period is open until July 17, 2015. Kendra provided notes regarding the new OverLook during the August 10th Tour – noted in Item 7 above. Document is included as an attachment to this email.
Shawn Giblin (DNR) -
Shawn recommended providing the “10 simple steps” brochure shared during our last LD meeting as the primary handout as he felt it provided relatively simple measures to take that would make a difference in terms of improving water quality.
The Water’s Edge brochure Marc provided would make a good second handout for those who are interested as well.
A date was not set for the next Lake District meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:04 p.m. The motion to adjourn was made by Barbara Friell and seconded by Kathryn Lammers.
Lake District Website:
Attachment: LAKE DISTRICT MEETING NOTES (from November 18, 2014)
LAKE DISTRICT ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INITIATIVES
Undertake and complete shore protection on vulnerable shorelines
Seek out financial assistance to households that cannot afford to undertake shore protection
More inspection and education about septic systems
Investigate the provision of public water supplies to eliminate private wells
Well survey to identify problem wells
Educate home buyers on the unique benefits and responsibilities of owning residential property on Lake Onalaska and the national Wildlife Refuge
Possible use of peer educators
Continue to pursue policies and programs at all levels to manage sediment coming into the Lake particularly sand (bed load) from the Black River
Strengthen communications with the Friends of the Black River
Longer term goal is to help establish a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nutrients in the Black River
Promote lake friendly practices with homeowners
Work with the Town of Onalaska Storm-water Utility to do education on storm water impacts to Lake Onalaska
Send a delegation to the Annual Lake District Convention in Steven Point next Spring (April 23 – 25).
LAKE DISTRICT ACCESS INITIATIVES
Improve Channel Marking (especially the route through Gibbs to the River)
Identified three improved Navigation Channel Focus areas:
- North Shore Brice Prairie, a channel roughly parallel to shore, rehabilitating old Black River log channel
- Red Pines spit and channel behind island
- Nelson Park Landing – shoaling across entrance to Bay
All three problems would likely best be solved by some dredging, perhaps combined in some cases with island protection/channelization
All three projects provide opportunities for fisheries habitat enhancement, including increased depth for overwintering habitat, increased flow for summer BOD protection and other water quality, and increasing “edge” habitat diversity by creating channels through macrophyte monotypes
Kendra (FWS) noted that if we develop an Access Plan, we should divide it into short=term and long-term components, and be sure to look at connectivity, using the Environmental Pool Plan as a guide. Planned island rehabilitation at the Fred Funk Landing (and perhaps other sites) could provide a site for dredged materials.
To do list:
Stoddard Boat Channel – who marks it and who issues permitting
Randy Ulrich (COE) will find out about the Prairie du Chien sediment trap or sand disposal to answer Terry’s question.
Pursue developing a “sediment budget” with COE to determine inflows and outflows. May include TMDLs. TMDLs are set above Lake Pepin, but not below. COE may have resources to accomplish this, and Shawn (DNR) also volunteered to assist.
John Nash will follow up with Al Dunn from Waterworks to determine the status of his weed cutting machine. A weedcutter used exclusively at one site minimizes invasive species issues. Greg Martin will confirm if the vendor used by the Sailing Club is no longer handling the weedcutting.
COE may have funds to help with the project planning at 65/35.
Additional discussion:
COE – removes one million cubic yards per year at the Chippewa/Reads Landing sediment trap (cleaned out about every three years) and elsewhere below Pepin and they have a hard time getting rid of sand. John Nash – some local sand and gravel operations were seeking san and thought they could use one million cubic yards in three years.
Steve Marking – Original Blackdeer Slough/Brice Prairie Dredging project from the 1967 stopped at the steel barrier at the end of Lake Park Drive as landowners to the east did not want to contribute to the dredging project. Suggested – with the assistance of Leif Marking and others document the history of the Blackdeer Slough/Brice Prairie Dredging Project
Steve Kujak – advocated to consider abandoning parts of the Lake for boat access and concentrate on areas that could be improved for access. This would align well with minimizing wildlife disturbance in some areas.
COE and DNR cautioned about the expense of dredging, especially with regard to continuing projects like sediment traps