Our Starry Stonewort mitigation journey continues

These first pictures were taken by Jeff Martin on August 13th during the latest chemical treatment application to tackle the starry stonewort that has been found at the south access. PLM Lake and Land Management Corp. used a lake safe chemical for treating the area that starry stonewort was found. The underwater photo was taken by Sharon Natzel.

More details will be in our newsletter coming out later this week. 

Thank you to the Long Lake Area Association Foundation's fund raising efforts. These efforts allowed us to quickly pay for the needed expertise and tools to "fight this battle". 

photo of burlap covering starry stonewort taken by Sharon Natzel

Volunteers Needed: Fall Roadside Clean Up

Ready to help with the annual fall roadside cleanup of County Road 20? 

Join Long Lake Area Association (LLAA) members, friends and families on 

Saturday, Sept.14,2024 at 2:00 p.m.

This seven-mile cleanup comes at an important time of the year. It allows us to collect debris before the fall winds blow it into the lake prior to winter.

Where to Meet 

Gather on the gravel road (130 th street) by the tree farm where Hwy. 87 and Cty.
Road 20 meet (near Hubbard) and receive supplies and instructions.
NOTE: Hwy. 87 road construction continues. Use an alternate route if need be.

How to Sign Up to Help on Sept. 20th

Email volunteer@longlakeliving.org with your name and number of people.

How to Request an Alternate Date 

Email volunteer@longlakeliving.org;  to request a section for you to clean on your preferred date.

Thank you for your continued support in helping to preserve Long Lake!

LLAA Fisheries Committee Update

by Charlie Garr (published in the LLAA Spring Newsletter)

The LLAA Fisheries Committee was formed as a team in 2022 with the purpose of monitoring the overall Long Lake fishery and to build a relationship with the DNR Park Rapids area fisheries. One objective the LLAA team identified early on was to work with the local DNR to increase walleye stocking levels in Long Lake. In the fall of 2023, LLAA was awarded conditional approval to supplement walleye stocking in Long Lake, starting in the fall of 2024. This a big win for those that like to fish for walleye in Long Lake.

Stocking more walleye in Long Lake became one of the objectives for several reasons, a few of which follow.

Long Lake Can Sustain A Higher Level of Walleye Stocking

• The current “one size fits all” DNR fisheries stocking approach of walleye fingerling at 1 pound per littoral acre with no deviation does not optimize the overall walleye fishing on Long Lake. This lake can sustain a higher level of walleye stocking.

• DNR staff indicates that natural reproduction in Long Lake is insignificant; 95% or more of its walleye result from stocking. The LLAA depends on the DNR to stock the lake.

• Long Lake is truly a put and take fishery. Long Lake is a very densely populated lake that receives above average fishing pressure for area lakes. The default 1 pound per littoral acre stocking rate is not enough to keep up with the level of fishing pressure Long Lake experiences.

• Starting in 2016, DNR fisheries stocking levels were reduced in MN. So Long Lake began to again receive less walleye; 485 pounds every other year, down from the 935 pounds that had been stocked from 2006 to 2014. All lakes in the area that were stocked with fingerlings were being stocked at the same rate (one pound per littoral acre.) Only 24% of Long Lake is littoral acres (less than 15 feet deep) so credit for deep water was never granted. For comparison, at one pound per littoral acre, small Blueberry Lake near Menahga received more pounds of walleye stock than did Long Lake.

  Reduction in Fishing Success

• The collective experience of LLAA’s members who fish on Long Lake, day after day, all year long, year after year, is a valuable metric and very important. A widespread group – from casual anglers to retired folks that fish every day to guides that frequent the lake – shared that fishing was better in the years following the higher stocking rates.

• Slower walleye fishing has been noticeable for the last three seasons which roughly correlate with fish from the last higher stocking year of 2014 working their way out of the system. No evidence was observed of walleyes starving to death or baitfish being eliminated when the lake was stocked at the two pounds per littoral acre.

  Efforts With the DNR

  In addition to this reduction in angler fishing success, the LLAA fisheries team also wanted to consider the DNR’s every five-year fisheries survey
  The DNR survey metric from their 2019 survey of Long was 4.73 CPUE (catch per unit effort). This was lower than any other recent survey, a result that means fewer fish were sampled. The CPUE metric can help measure trends in fish populations. The LLAA fisheries team looks forward to the findings of the DNR’s survey of Long Lake this summer.

  With this and much other analysis in mind, we began working with the DNR to find a way to increase walleye stocking in Long Lake. The DNR stocks walleye in Long Lake in even numbered years so in the fall of 2024 when the DNR stocks the usual 485 pounds of walleye fingerlings, the lake association/ foundation will provide for the stocking of an additional 240 pounds of walleye fingerlings. The plan is that our conditional supplemental walleye stocking will be repeated in the fall of 2026 and the fall of 2028. During the summer of 2029 Long Lake is scheduled again for the DNR’s every fifth-year DNR fish survey, at which point the walleye stocking plan will be reviewed again by the DNR fisheries. Our expectation is that these higher walleye stocking levels will continue in 2030 and beyond.

LLAA Fisheries Committee Cont’d

Costs and Funding

The funding mechanism to pay for the supplemental 240 pounds of walleye fingerlings every other year will be through the Long Lake Area Association Foundation, This Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Donations are tax exempt. Donate here.

Current cost estimates for walleye fingerlings are about $21 per pound with a pound containing roughly 15 to 25 fingerlings, five to seven inches long. Walleye fingerlings cost a little over one dollar each at 20 per pound. The fish will cost about $5,000 plus delivery in fall of 2024. The fisheries team expects some future inflation. Estimated walleye stocking expenses are $5,000 for 2024 and $6,000 for 2026 and 2028 – a total commitment of about $17,000 - $20,000.

The LLAA has also been stocking some perch in the spring and fall, based on DNR concerns about a low food forage base for walleyes in Long Lake. The LLAA has completed stocking perch in spring of 2024 at a cost of about $1,200. Perch stocking will be re-evaluated once the summer of 2024 DNR fish survey data is available. See LLAA Fisheries walleye info summary and guidance by fish species.

Everybody needs to be patient with this process; it will take years to see results. DNR data on walleye growth rates in Long Lake indicate that fingerling walleyes will grow about three or four inches per year. With best case conditions it will be 2027 before some of the fish stocked in 2024 will reach the length of 14 inches, considered the minimum keeper size for walleye. We need to stick with the plan for several years before we see better walleye fishing.

Thank you for your feedback

The Long Lake Area Association (LLAA) sends a special thank you to the more than 200 participants who took our Survey this summer.  The survey link was sent to over 380 Long Lake property owners that had email addresses on file with us.

That is about a 55% return. We appreciate your time to give us the feedback our Board needs to make decisions on your behalf. 

Those that participated in the survey were offered a chance to be part of a drawing to win one of four $25 gift cards.  The following participants were drawn at random on July 23, 2024, from those who responded to the survey. 

• Al and Becky Dohrmann of Neighborhood 1
• Keith Manlove from Neighborhood 2
• Mark and Luanne Hirschel from Neighborhood 3
• Marty and Charlotte Peterson from Neighborhood 6 

The data gathered from the survey is being analyzed and our goal is to have a report to the membership by mid Fall of 2024. 

Tips for Families with Four-Legged Friends

by Pam Petersen 

Many of us do bring our four-legged friends with us to the lake whether for the weekend, the summer or the year. Having them here should be pleasurable both for their owners and for other lake residents and guests. Sometimes, however, that’s not the case.

Although you know your dog’s personality around other people, children, or other animals, the people and animals you may encounter out walking do not know your pet. They may have had previous uncomfortable or even dangerous encounters with animals and are not reassured by your saying, ‘He’s a nice dog.’ There is also the possibility of your pet being ‘spooked’ by a vehicle, animal or even a child, a situation which can make your ‘always well behaved’ pet feel the need to defend itself or you.

And, of course, you might feel threatened by someone else’s dog. There are both legal and common- sense considerations about having a dog leashed or not, whether on its owner’s property or on the common roads. It is important, if you feel that someone is not properly controlling and restraining their dog, your first attempt at remedying the situation is to talk with the owner. A civil expression of your concerns, especially if there are specific incidents that you can relate, will help in coming to an agreement that both parties feel comfortable with. If the situation cannot be resolved in a neighborly manner, then there is a specific order of formal complaint spelled out in the Hubbard County Animal Ordinance. Click here for a link to the Hubbard County Animal Ordinance

Our pets are members of our families and our community. Let’s work together to make their presence at the lake be pleasant, safe and enjoyable for everyone!