LLAA's Spring 2011 Newsletter

The LLAA Newsletter for this spring has been published and you will find the link on the "Board Communications" page.  As always it is full of information you will be interested in, including a schedule of upcoming events.

The Ice is Gone

Let summer begin!

Ice Out, 4/28/11 north end by Barb Roberts

The ice may have been gone by midnight last night, but since we don't know precisely what hour it all disappeared we are declaring this morning, April 28, 2011, as our official ice out date for this year.  Thanks to Barb Roberts for this photo from the north end showing the beautiful sight of open water.

Almost...

It happens that the bay where I live is clear of ice, but a drive around the lake late this afternoon showed the other bays all have slushy ice left floating in them; some quite a bit.  I'd be very surprised, however, if there is any left anywhere by morning and so I am confident in saying you can plan to come this weekend and put in your docks.  We can't wait to see our summer friends and neighbors. :)

Is Today the Day?

Ice shrinking, East by LLK

It looks like "ice out" might be today.  From my vantage point the ice is disappearing fast.  We will check out other parts of the lake later in the day.

Ice Shrinking, ESE by LLK

Ice report 4.26.11

Fishing boat at north public access by CCWhite

 There is still ice in the middle of the lake with more cracks and floating pieces at the edges between Wooter's Point and Breezy Point.  At the north access today, as you can see, there were people fishing.  Soon the ice will be gone so a boat can move more than a few feet from shore.

Fisherman at north public access by CCWhite

Ducks and a Beaver?

Common Mergansers by LLK

 The birds are all returning north and as soon as there is even just a little open water the ducks come.  Some will stay, but many, especially the diving ducks will go farther north to Canada in a week or two.  In today's lake ice photos there are a couple pairs of Common Mergansers near Breezy Point and farther south along the west shoreline a large Mallard is swimming not too far from where a beaver (or large muskrat?) is calmly eating vegetation he has dragged up onto the ice.  The best part is the break you can see in the ice that extends the full width of the lake.  These are the cracks we've been waiting to see.  Hopefully there will be more cracks tomorrow; then the ice can't last much longer.

Mallard by LLK

Ice open full width of lake (w. beaver?) by LLK

Beaver or large muskrat eating out on the ice by LLK

Ice Photos, 4/23/11

View - North East.
by LLK

View - South East.
by LLK

It's been a day of off and on rain showers, staying mostly cloudy.  These photos were taken about 3:45 this afternoon when the sun was trying to break through.

1st sign of a break in the ice starting across the lake.
by LLK

Ice Progress: May be soon

Eagles on the Ice by CCwhite

The ice is turning sort of blueish and is melting away from the shore.  Today's picture features two eagles.  I wish I knew what they were "saying".

Thin Ice 4/22/11 by CCWhite

Volunteer Candidates Needed

LLAA Election Committee Seeking Candidates for Board of Directors.
(Second appeal, both posts updated with information on need in Neighborhood 5)

Long Lake Area Association needs Board of Directors volunteer candidates for five Board positions.  They will represent Neighborhoods 2, 4, and 6, one "At Large" position (representing all the Neighborhoods) and one Alternate for Neighborhood 5.  The elections will be held at the Annual Meeting, based on the By-Laws, on Saturday, June 25th.

Please take a moment to reflect on your role with the association.  This is your opportunity to get involved in this very important process for the good of Long Lake, the Association and its members.  Volunteer as a candidate for one of the available positions (and/or encourage another member to do so.)  Contact either Stu Hamilton at stubito@aol.com or Sharon Natzel at sorgwweh@aol.com.

Not sure which Neighborhood you are in?  Click on the "Neighborhoods" page link on the menu bar above.  The Neighborhoods page is also where you will find the Association's membership application form if you are not yet a member and would like to join.

A Gray Day

North end looking south by B.Roberts

Two of today's photos are from the north end of the lake.  If you click to enlarge the second photo and look closely you will see a loon (or two?)

North end looking west (w. loons)
by B.Roberts

The third photo is from much farther south on the west side of the lake looking southeast.  It shows that the ice is quite a bit thinner, but still very much there.

Gray Day Lake Ice by LLK

Ice Progress 4.20.11: or Lack of

No change in the ice today..Weather is weird: gray, sunny, 41 degrees at noon, then by 3:30 pm, snow pellets for 7 or 8 minutes!  Then a grader on Chippewa Loop: that might be a surer sign of spring this year. Hopefully the ice is melting even if we can't see it.  

Grader by CCWhite

Snow Pellets by CCWhite

Can someone else take a picture from another part of the lake?  Email it to us.  We need more observers. 

Ice Progress 4.19.11

Not much change in the ice for the middle of the Long Lake, so we ventured out to the north end.  We found this loon floating on the water right near the north boat access. 

Loon, North End by CCWhite

Loon @ North public access by CCWhite

Today's Ice Report

Breezy Point, 4/18/11 by LLK

Lake Ice, 4/18/11 by LLK

 There was very little change in the appearance of the ice on the lake today, but daytime temperatures are above freezing, so hopefully more melting is going on than we think.

Ice Progress 4.17.11

Refrozen by CCWhite

What was open water has refrozen.  Welcome to northern Minnesota weather - but sun is out!

Lake Ice, 4/17/11 by CCWhite

A goodbye to Nancy Stover Tague

Link to:  Nancy Tague's Obituary

Nancy Stover Tague, a long time member of the Long Lake community, passed away on Thursday.  Nancy's family came to Long Lake in the 20's and 30's after Lloyd Stover surveyed the northern section of land for the Pine Haven Development Company of Des Moines, Iowa.  (Today this area is from the Church Camp through Chippewa Loop on the West side of Long Lake)

Today the Lake is White.

April Snow by LLK

When we wake up to fresh snow on April 16th somehow it is not as pretty as it might have seemed in November or December.  Frosted trees and a white lake yield April blues.

In this lake photo, that is not open water in the front; it's thin ice.

Lake Ice, April 16, 2011, by LLK

Ice Progress

Near Breezy Point by CCWhite

Well, today winter has returned.  I took this picture this morning on the west side of Long Lake near Breezy Point.  The edge of the ice was melting, but I don't think it will melt much more today.  It just kept getting colder all day.

Needed - Volunteer Candidates

The LLAA Election Committee is now seeking Board of Director candidates for Neighborhoods 2, 4, and 6, one alternate for Neighborhood 5 and one of the two "At Large" positions which represent all the Neighborhoods.  The elections will be held at the Annual Meeting (based on the By-Laws) on Saturday, June 25th.

Take a moment to reflect on your role with the association.  Volunteer as a candidate for one of the available positions and/or encourage another member to do so.  Please get involved in this very important process for the good of the association and its members; contact either Stu Hamilton at stubito@aol.com or Sharon Natzel at sorgwweh@aol.com.

Not sure which Neighborhood you are in?  Click on the "Neighborhoods" page link on the menu bar above.  The Neighborhoods page is also where you will find the Association's membership application form if you are not yet a member and would like to join.

Information submitted by Sharon Natzel, Secretary, LLAA(HC)

It's Cold Out There

Lake Ice 4/14/11 South End -1 by LLK

There has been little change in the ice today.  If you check the weather widget on the right you will see it is chilly and windy.  Today's photos are from the south end of the lake.

Lake Ice 4/14/11 South Public Access by LLK

When Will the Ice Go Out?

Beaver, 4/13/11 by LLK

Would anyone care to venture a guess on what this year's date for ice out will be?


To help you make your prediction I took a few photos this morning.  As I neared the lake a beaver was swimming by, so I've include the photo.  I wish I would have been closer, but I barely had time to snap this single shot before he/she was out of sight.

Close up of Shoreline, 4/13/11 by LLK

The rest of the photos show that the ice has turned slushy and has separated from the shoreline.  The next phase before "Ice Out" is when a series of cracks open up, zigzagging across the lake.  I'm pretty sure the ice will be out by Easter.   The question is which day?  Make your guesses and we will post photo updates once a day.

(You can view any photo in a larger format by clicking on it.)

Looking North from the West Side, 4/13/11 by LLK

Looking South from the West Side, 4/13/11 by LLK

A Webcam View

Link:  Decorah Eagles
This link is to a webcam where you can watch an eagle on her nest.  There are three eggs and it appears one of the three eggs just hatched this morning.  If anyone knows of other webcams in the Park Rapids area or on Long Lake, please let us know.  We can post a link to them.