(Okoboji)– The East Okoboji Lakes Improvement Corporation holds its annual meeting Saturday, June 7th at Maser Monarch Lodge just west of the Dickinson County Nature Center. Secretary-Treasurer Dr. Steve Richards says coffee and rolls will be served starting at 8:30 that morning with the meeting itself to follow at 9:00 am…
“We are going to have a small program, we’re going to have East Okoboji Dive Club put on their program about what’s under the water and we’re going to have a five minute deal on Mike Hawkins’ paddlefish release that was talked about at last year’s meeting. We’ll then get into our business meeting and we’ll elect new board of trustee members hopefully and then also listen to people’s concerns.”
When it comes to that, Dr. Richards says curly leaf pondweed will likely be at the top of the list. He says the problem has been especially notable this spring…
“We did the same treatments that we’ve always done with the sonar under the ice last winter and we did the aquathol again this spring, but unfortunately the lack of snow cover and there were very poor ice conditions, allowed a lot of sunlight to get down to the bottom of the lake creating perfect growing conditions, and Mother Nature just outdealt us. There’s a whole new guy up there at the DNR now, Andrew Carlson. He actually has a PHD in aquatic vegetation, and we’re going to be dealing again with that issue this year for next year’s treatment plan.”
Dr. Richards encourages anyone who isn’t a member of the East Okoboji Lakes Improvement Corporation to become one. He says you can do that by donating any amount. He says that money goes toward a number of ongoing projects to protect and improve the lakes…
“As we look into new projects in the future there’s a project down in Arnolds Park coming up right now about land that needs to be bought to protect the watershed going into Upper Gar Lake. We need that money. And that’s how we use it. We don’t use it for any other reason but what can we do to make the lake be better.”
You can find more information by visiting the East Okoboji Lakes Improvement Corporation website at eastokobojilakes.org.
