Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Greetings from LLAA President Monika Wilkins!

Monika Wilkins was elected President of the Long Lake Area Association at the first LLAA board meeting of the fiscal year following the Annual Meeting in June.  Monika lives on the west side of Long Lake, hosts the Long Lake web cam, and is the Owner of Monika’s Quilt & Yarn Shop in Park Rapids.  She is dedicated to keeping Long Lake the beautiful place we all know and love. Following is her letter to us that opens our latest Newsletter.  Links to this newsletter and more can be found by scrolling down our Board Communications page.  To go directly to this newsletter click here →  2016 Fall Newsletter

🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲⛄️🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲

Mother Nature just held her last big party dressed in reds, gold and bronze but now has taken off her colorful attire and is waiting for that white blanket of snow under which she will sleep until spring.

Animal friends are preparing for the long winter as well. Birds are flocking together and getting ready to fly towards the warmth of the south. Many of our friends and neighbors here at the lake are getting ready to leave us for the warmer climes as well.

Let me share with you Snowbirds some of the things you are missing while enjoying balmy temps so far away from our lake.

Imagine, just for a moment, sitting by the fireplace during the dark night watching hungry flames eating away at big chunks of wood. You can listen to the wind howling in the chimney and snowflakes whispering against the window glass. As you awaken the next morning you will witness bright blue sky, sunshine and freshly fallen snow glistening brilliantly as if a giant hand cast millions of diamonds over the landscape.

Now there are very cold temperatures descending from up north and our lake is being covered with a blanket of ice. The lake doesn’t always like it’s icy prison, and it can be heard moaning occasionally. Our lake and our surroundings sleep only to be visited once in a while by our wilderness animal friends as they think of the renewal of spring.

This and every other season make our lake the “Magic Place” we’ve all come to love and appreciate. Living here on the shores of Long Lake also challenges us to protect and care for the water and the shoreline.

Did you know Long Lake is part of a minor watershed? It is also one of the deepest and cleanest lakes in the area, fed only by groundwater. We can all do our part in protecting the water clarity by keeping septic systems up to Code, limiting the use of fertilizers and herbicides and planting vegetation along the lake shore. These practices can help to mitigate potentially harmful chemicals and pollution from reaching the water.

There is also a very real threat of AIS like Zebra Mussel and Starry Stonewort invading our lake which are difficult to control and can have dire consequences. Watercraft inspections and education are of the utmost importance. Our AIS Coordinator for Long Lake is Sharon Natzel. Sharon is a wealth of information and can answer any question you may have. She may direct you to the DNR and to HC COLA (Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations) for more information that can help you to move forward with a proactive role in keeping our lake healthy.

When all of us become involved in keeping our lake as pristine as nature intended, we will always be able to call it a “Magic Place” for generations to come.

Happy Winter! Monika Wilkins

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

November 2016 Email from Arthur Howe

Happy Thanksgiving to all our LLAA members, families, and friends!

As we gather at this time of year we are thankful for our shared memories of Long Lake.  This is a special suggestion of a way in which you and your family can support the critical watercraft inspection program and educational efforts of our Long Lake Area Association Foundation.

If you and your relatives exchange Christmas gifts, what about having people request that their gift be a check to the LLAA Foundation? What could be better than a gift to help keep our lake free from invasive species?

For this Christmas gift, request that the donor mail a check to:

LLAA Foundation
PO Box 808
Park Rapids MN 56470
Include in the check memo “(Your Family) Christmas Gift."  All of (Your Family) Christmas gifts will be combined based on the check memo notations.  The total of (Your Family) Christmas gifts will be recognized on the Foundation's website [LLAA (HC) Foundation] and each contributor will receive a receipt for their tax deductible gift.

Your Christmas gifts will contribute to 2016-2017 LLAA Foundation Fund Drive for watercraft inspections, education, and a rapid response fund.

Thank you for considering this gift that will help keep our lake healthy.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Join the Fun: Guess the Ice In Date for 2016

Good Luck!

To engage the others who also cherish Long Lake here in Hubbard County, Lou and Kay Schultz have started the guessing game again this year as to when we will have "ice-in" this season! 

Using the 29 years of ice-in data on our website,  Lou notes that the mean ice-in date is December 11th based on the online data.

  • Lou's estimate is 12/20/16.
  • Kay's estimate is 12/15/16.
Refer to the ice-in data to help you with your guesstimate:  http://www.longlakeliving.org/p/ice-in-ice-out-data.html

To participate for fun, please send your guess to longlakeliving@gmail.com. All those selecting the winning date will be recognized.  A final drawing from ALL participants names by an unbiased observer will select one participant to receive the $20 gift certificate donated by an anonymous LLAA member.

Good Luck!

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Evidence of Beavers on Long Lake

Dan Rice, a resident of neighborhood 5, took these photos on Breezy Point last weekend.  We haven't seen many beavers around this year, not even out in the White's Tree Farm pond, but it is obvious that at least one beaver is living in the south pond or on the lake.  He or she is hard at work.  So keep watching for wild life in the area, because you never know what you will find. Take pictures.  Send them to longlakeliving@gmail.com.  We would love to post them here and on Facebook this fall.