Summer Announcements (Including Annual Meeting Details)

Now that summer is underway, listed here are a few important things taking place on the lake. We hope that you and your families are able to take part in some of these activities and enjoy the summer on the water.

LONG LAKE AREA ASSOCIATION ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual Meeting of the Long Lake Area Association (Hubbard County), Inc., will be on Saturday June 24 at the Hubbard Community Center (12141 County 6). Come visit with our guest speaker and your neighbors at 9:30 am for refreshments, conversation, and registration.

At 10:00 am, the business meeting will begin with a presentation by Wade Massure, the Park Rapids Area Fisheries Supervisor. He’s been with the Park Rapids Fisheries since February, 2022 and was previously the Statewide Stream Fisheries Biologist for the state of Kentucky. His interest in travel and working with different fish species across the US led him to work in Iowa, Utah, Colorado, Washington and Arizona. Check out the new LLAA “Fisheries Management Information” page on our website: https://www.longlakeliving.org/p/fishmanagement-information.html to learn more about DNR fish management plans for Long Lake.

After Wade’s presentation, we will hold the election for neighborhood representatives of the Board of Directors as well as alternates and one at large representative. This year’s neighborhoods are 2, 4 and 6. If you or someone you know is interested in serving on the board, please send us an email at longlakeliving@gmail.com. If you're not sure what the neighborhood boundaries are or are not sure which neighborhood you live in, click on the Neighborhoods tab in the page tabs above to see a map. The Long Lake Association Board meets on Zoom 4 times a year and in-person at the annual meeting. This position typically requires a time commitment of 10 to 12 hours a year.  

The LLAA annual meeting is open to the public. You do not need to be a member to attend. Bring your friends and learn more about Long Lake.

4th of July Flotilla
Start making plans to decorate your boat or pontoon for our Annual 4th of July Flotilla! This year’s flotilla will be held on Tuesday, July 4th, at 4:00 pm, and is a very popular 4th of July event for many of our boaters and spectators on Long Lake!

We will gather at the New Frontier Resort on the West side of the lake at 3:50 pm. Follow the North or South Leaders as they lead off at 4:00 pm. If there is inclement weather (high winds, rain, thunderstorms) at 3:00 pm on that day, the Flotilla will be cancelled. Participants agree to allow boats to be photographed and published on the longlakeliving.org website. Provide your photos to longlakeliving@gmail.com.

LLAA Foundation Fundraising Progress
Our 2022-2023 LLAA Foundation Fundraiser is coming to an end and we are very close to reaching our goal of $25,000. As of May 19 the total raised is $23,483. We are just $1,515 short of our goal! The Foundation fundraiser runs the fiscal year from July 1, 2022 -June 30, 2023.

This year the LLAA Foundation has contributed $25,000 to the 2023 Hubbard County AIS Program. This supplemental funding provides 1,000 additional hours of public access watercraft inspection/education activities at our south and north public accesses.

The Long Lake community has been so generous in helping to support the Foundation and their fundraising goals in the past, please consider making a donation to help us reach our goal before June 30, 2023.

Tips for Preventing Beaver Damage

Our neighborhood beavers can be entertaining, however, they can also cause notable damage to trees, shrubs, and shorelines. Multiple properties on the south end of the lake show signs of beaver damage from the 2022 fall season. The north end has also had beaver damage from time to time over the years.

Beaver damage includes:

• Limited and aggressive bark chewing on tree trunks
• Toppling of small and mid-size trees.
• Removal of shrub branches (e.g. red and yellow dogwoods)
• Burrowing on shorelines

What can you do to prevent beaver damage?

• Step One: Check out the MN DNR’s tips for beaver damage prevention:
  https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/livingwith_wildlife/beaver/index.html
• Step Two: Explore your shoreline and look for damage on trees and shrubs. Also, look for burrowing on the shoreline.
• Step Three: Determine whether you will take a proactive or a “wait and see” approach to beaver damage prevention.

Beavers are relentless in their pursuit of food and building materials for their lodges making it difficult to predict which properties will be impacted by beavers. There are at least three beaver lodges on the lake, so it pays to explore your shoreline from time to time and make use of the MN DNR’s tips as needed.

Join the Fun! When will the Ice go Out on Long Lake this Year?

 

February proved to be a fickle month this year. Temperatures were jumping all over the place with readings from the negative range clear up to 48 degrees.  Right now we need to think positively about Spring.  So what date do you think the ice will be off the lake?  For those of you who are into research, check out our ICE DATA tab on the longlakeliving website.  It might help with your decision.  If Ice Out is later than May 22 or earlier than March 19, that may mean we are seeing some climate change effects.  Is this year more like 2012 or 1996? 

To participate in the fun please send your guess to longlakeliving@gmail.com.  The deadline for your submission is March 15.  Those who select the winning date will be recognized on the website and at the Annual Meeting (Saturday, June 24, 2023).  All participants in the contest will be placed in a drawing and one person will be chosen to receive a prize which will be awarded at the LLAA Annual Meeting on Saturday morning, June 24, 2023.  Good Luck to all!

Thoughts on Your Lake Shore

Hello everyone!

It's only February, and if you are already having botanical thoughts regarding your lake shore here are three things to consider:

 

1) Score YOUR Shore:

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a great program called “Score your Shore.” https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/scoreyourshore/index.html

It provides information on best practices for managing your lot and a method for scoring your property based on those practices, and suggestions on things you could do to improve water quality

2)  Say Hi to a Shoreland Advisor:

Another option would be a visit from one of the Long Lake Shoreland Advisors.  Some of your lake friendly neighbors are available to stop by your property and offer up recommendations on healthy lake practices.  Email hccolamn@gmail.com to invite a visit with a Shoreland Advisor as part of the Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations complimentary program.

3)  Chat with a Master Gardener:

As a University of MN Master Gardener, I am available to opine on lots of lake related topics:  invasive species, native plants, pruning, erosion control, rain gardens, etc.  I can be reached at: manlove.keith@gmail.com

Spring will be here soon.  It's never too early to start planning improvements for your property that will benefit the lake!

Keith
LLAA Board Member from Neighbor 2

Share Your Time & Talent in 2023!

The Long Lake Area Association (Hubbard County) Inc. is reaching out to our varied and multiple talented members in order to get more people involved in our activities. Our goals are to build our lake community through education and action.

As you review the variety of volunteer opportunities attached, please reach out if you have questions or want to help for a day or month or season by emailing longlakeliving@gmail.com.  Choose to participate as a sampler and explore new dimensions and aspects related to our special Long Lake.

Volunteer opportunity descriptions

Photo by Dante Beretta