If there is NO PUBLIC ACCESS to this lake, then how can the DNR justify spending the PUBLIC’S MONEY on it? If the lakeshore owners finally have their private little playground, then they can pay for any and all eradication attempts. Not using our tax dollars!
No public access, no public money!
Rootski
PS: Heard from another friend that there is another website where some fisherman complained about the Lack of Inspections or shall I say On-Duty Inspectors at Christmas…
I think the State auditor shall be called to audit the books of the City & Volt in regards to the missing Inspectors time and payments!
Hi Carrol. That was me. I’m glad to see that someone else has actually documented the lack of inspectors with a camera. I wish I would have done the same. I’m not sure what happened this year, because in 2013 the program was very effective and there was always someone there. The guy who normally inspected my boat in 2013 was very knowledgable and helpful, and really seemed like he had been trained well. He was not here this summer, and it seemed like there was a new person working there every time I went this year(the times when there was actually an inspector). I’m wondering if they reduced the pay of the inspectors this year, you mention the temp service volt services was providing the inspectors.
I am very meticulous about making sure my boat is clean and dry, but I know there are people who are not even aware of the rules. And I know that most people are unable to dry their boat the way I do (mine is light enough that I can lift the tongue up high to completely drain all of the water). I have seen huge wakeboard boats launched here, when the inspectors were not present. If those things really have a tank that can hold 4000 pounds of water, they should have been banned from this lake at the beginning of the inspection program. They obviously need to empty that water out before they leave, and I would be very surprised if an AIS inspector has any way of confirming that this tank is indeed dry.
If there is NO PUBLIC ACCESS to this lake, then how can the DNR justify spending the PUBLIC’S MONEY on it? If the lakeshore owners finally have their private little playground, then they can pay for any and all eradication attempts. Not using our tax dollars!
No public access, no public money!
Rootski
Agree!
-J.
A couple of more things on the plan:
it looks like the DNR will use Zequanox. Zequanox has proven to be very effective in killing Zebs and Quaggas. While expensive, it works well. It is actually a dead virus which causes the Zebs feeding tube to rot.
The size of Zebs found are so small that their reproductive abilities are slight. And given that veligers are extremely vulnerable; the survival rate is tiny. Given all the monitoring and early detection maybe a Zequanox treatment will work. I’m thinking they were likely introduced from a clump of weeds that came off a trailer. If this treatment proves successful it would be a giant step forward.
While I truely hope the dnr can solve the problem, I don’t share your optimism. Has there actually been a recorded case of zequinox completely removing zebra mussels from a lake? I’m sure it slows them down, but I’d be very surprised if it could completely eradicate them from a lake based on what I’ve read about their rate of reproduction.
Also, what other side effects can we expect from this product? Iirc, asian lady beetles were introduced to solve a problem, and ended up becoming a problem themselves because they had no natural predators.
I heard that its closed because they are going to treat them to kill them before they get to the whole lake… being “contained” to a small area they think that them will be able to kill them with that new chemical. good luck to them but………. lets hope it works I guess
First to admit, I know a lot less about all this than many… and I can see not wanting an invasive introduced.
BUT, most lakes by me in SE WI have zebra mussels, and the water is cleaner than ever. Lake Winnebago, Lake Geneva, Lake Delavan, the Madison Chain and many, many others. The world has not come to an end. Fishing is great. Boating is great. Water clarity and conditions are great, perhaps better than ever. Birds, animals, fish, all live yet. The sky has not fallen, and tens of thousands of dollars in terrible killing chemicals have not been dumped in the lake to kill anything.
Fear mongers use all sorts of excuses to take away our rights. Good luck fighting back, and you have to do it! Sounds like a group of them trying to end your public access… and once it begins, it will spread like a plague, and that is the real thing to be concerned about.
We need more attitudes like Cycle. Embrace the Zebe!!!
No that was not sarcasm.
water is cleaner than ever. Fishing is great. Boating is great. Water clarity and conditions are great, perhaps better than ever. Birds, animals, fish, all live yet. The sky has not fallen, and tens of thousands of dollars in terrible killing chemicals have not been dumped in the lake to kill anything.
BINGO!
When they started in the Croix it was awful. Boats in the Marinas had to scrape them from blocking the outdrives. Now they hardly seen any. I would be more worried about the rusty crayfish and you don’t hear anything about that.
John,
Thanks for chiming in on this. It was interesting to read the inspectors were missing or not working on weekends either. I thought for sure they would have had those shifts covered completely.
Thanks again
Carroll
John,
Thanks for chiming in on this. It was interesting to read the inspectors were missing or not working on weekends either. I thought for sure they would have had those shifts covered completely.
Thanks again
Carroll
No problem Carroll…
It really bothers me that this inspection program wasn’t more effective this summer, it almost seems like someone wanted it to fail. Obviously inspectors need to show up, they can’t do their job if they aren’t there… who actually verifies this? The other problem is the sign for the inspection station is facing the wrong way, so people just drive past it and inspect their boat on the ramp. In fact, I have seen some inspectors do their inspections right at the ramp. Why is this a bad idea? Because of the stupid “plug out while trailering” law. Everyone pulls up to the ramp with their plug out. If there is any contaminated water in their boat, it will drain out and could run into the lake. And why isn’t there a hot water decontamination system at the launch?
But the other problem is that lake Minnetonka needs to have better inspections and education to boaters, especially as they leave the lake. Since it seems I won’t be able to fish christmas again this year, I fished minnetonka the last 2 days. The first day, the inspector asked me where my boat had last been launched when I got to the lake. That’s pretty much it. it would seem like a good idea for them to ask where/when I want to launch next, and remind me that the boat should be completely dry for a few days before launching in another lake. The second day, I launched at 8am and came back at noon. No one checked my boat, or asked me when/where I planned to launch next. Really? Almost every glob of weeds I snagged while trolling was CHOCK full of tiny little zebra mussels. Some of them could easily be confused with a grain of sand. How can anyone expect these things to be contained if there’s not someone checking every boat as they leave a lake like this?
Why isnt anyone seeing the obvious? Maybe they are preventing the home owners from taking their infested boats OFF the lake and infesting somewhere else?
OK, not real serious, just hoping to find some sanity in this.
Agreed. If landing is closed then all boats on the lake should be quarantined there at the very least.
Update:
The Zequanox treatment is scheduled for the morning of Monday, Sept. 8. The City of Shorewood is hosting a public informational meeting on the treatment on Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. at the South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Building.
http://www.minnehahacreek.org/press-release/zebra-mussels-discovered-christmas-lake
Also, got word via a person in the know that they will Propose the Access stay closed through Freeze-up!
If you’re at all interested, show up on Wednesday evening, 6pm in Shorewood
H’mmm, How will all of the Lakeshore Residents get their boats off the Lake?
Another Note:
Got this 2nd hand, that this week there was a meeting at the access with City of Chanhassen & Shorewood Officials along with MCWD staff.
One of the Divers for MCWD, all suited up watch right down the boat ramp and out into the water thru the infested area, stirring up the bottom and then Lifted the Protection Curtain they have in place and crawled under to out beyond.
When questioned, they were told, “ALL the Zebra Mussels are right here, they aren’t out there. So, No, they are not getting out beyond the curtain (See Photo of Floating Curtain in Link).”
Supposedly (Via an Email I read on a friends computer from MCWD Staff), the “EXPERTS” estimated there are approx 5,000 Zebra Mussels in this little area.
XMAS-LAKE-Curtain.jpg
BUT, most lakes by me in SE WI have zebra mussels, and the water is cleaner than ever. Lake Winnebago, Lake Geneva, Lake Delavan, the Madison Chain and many, many others. The world has not come to an end. Fishing is great. Boating is great. Water clarity and conditions are great, perhaps better than ever. Birds, animals, fish, all live yet. The sky has not fallen, and tens of thousands of dollars in terrible killing chemicals have not been dumped in the lake to kill anything.
Current Status:
(Updated August 26, 2014) — Researchers will be applying the non-chemical treatment in several enclosures in Robinson’s Bay, beginning the week of September 8th.
Zequanox is a non-chemical treatment used to kill zebra mussels, which the United States Geological Survey (USGS) tested in 2012 in a laboratory environment in northwest Minnesota. It is now ready for testing in open water. The MCWD is providing some local assistance for the project.
The USGS is currently testing the effectiveness of the biopesticide to control zebra mussels. Zequanox is a non-chemical treatment used to kill zebra mussels, and is currently labeled for use in enclosed industrial systems, such as power plants. The manufacturer of the product, Marrone Bio Innovations, is working to receive Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approval to use the product in open water.
The USGS received a grant from the state of Minnesota to study the treatment. After testing it in a lab environment in northwestern Minnesota last year, the USGS has received appropriate permission from all state and federal agencies to apply an experimental treatment of Zequanox in Lake Minnetonka.
http://www.minnehahacreek.org/project/usgs-zebra-mussel-zequanox-study
Another Note:
Got this 2nd hand, that this week there was a meeting at the access with City of Chanhassen & Shorewood Officials along with MCWD staff.
One of the Divers for MCWD, all suited up watch right down the boat ramp and out into the water thru the infested area, stirring up the bottom and then Lifted the Protection Curtain they have in place and crawled under to out beyond.
When questioned, they were told, “ALL the Zebra Mussels are right here, they aren’t out there. So, No, they are not getting out beyond the curtain (See Photo of Floating Curtain in Link).”
Supposedly (Via an Email I read on a friends computer from MCWD Staff), the “EXPERTS” estimated there are approx 5,000 Zebra Mussels in this little area.
from http://www.minnehahacreek.org/press-release/zebra-mussels-discovered-christmas-lake
The mussels have only been found in the area immediately around the public launch, and monthly samples have not shown the presence of zebra mussel veligers (zebra mussel larvae). This information suggests the mussels were transported into the lake in one incident at their current age.
Hmmm.. One incident brought 5000 zebra mussels into the lake? Even if you had small ones, 5000 zebra mussels SHOULD be noticeable on your boat!!! Assuming the infestation really is confined to that tiny little area around the dock(I am skeptical of this) I don’t think it was just one boat that did it. I think it was several boats that launched when there was not an inspector present, and most likely a ballast tank of a wakeboard boat is how that many of them got into such a small area.
Also, got word via a person in the know that they will Propose the Access stay closed through Freeze-up!
If you’re at all interested, show up on Wednesday evening, 6pm in ShorewoodH’mmm, How will all of the Lakeshore Residents get their boats off the Lake?
I read somewhere that the lake association was pushing for this, but the DNR said that the access had to be opened once the treatments and ramp repairs were done. The concrete slabs for rebuilding the ramp have been sitting on the lawn there for well over a year, hopefully they don’t drag that project out.
Also, after doing this treatment, why would they want to do this project right after and disturb the water? They are going to be dropping gravel and heavy concrete slabs in the water, isn’t that going to interfere with testing the water to see if the treatment actually worked?
You are correct that they originally said that.
However, from what I read on a friends email, they apparently have changed their minds. Likely due to Lots of Pressure from a few very Wealthy Homeowners on the Lake and along with that probably some nice Campaign contributions.
IMO, the MCWD Staff and the Board must have been smoking some funny smelling weed to believe all the stuff they have been saying and trying to make everyone believe the Zebra Mussels/Veligers are contained with the small area right at the ramp.
I know virtually Every Boat loading onto Bunk Trailers at that Ramp Power Load, thus anything in the water right at the Access should have been blown easily 150 feet plus out into the lake.
Apparently they are convinced the Zebra Mussels introduced into Christmas Lake were 1-2 months old at the time of their introduction, thus the reason there were not found in earlier checking and sampling.
I sure hope a number of fishermen/sportsmen & women attend this meeting on Wednesday evening. If they can shut this access down, thus Privatizing the Lake for 2-3 months here, just think what happens at the next access they find Zebra Mussels located around?
These people/Lakeshore Owners just DO NOT believe in PUBLIC WATERS being OPEN to the PUBLIC!
IMO, Our State’s Open Access to PUBLIC WATERS is at RISK!
Meeting 6pm, Wednesday Sept. 10th
South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Bldg.
24150 Smithtown Road
Shorewood, MN 55331
http://www.minnehahacreek.org/press-release/zebra-mussels-discovered-christmas-lake
Is there any info on what the shore owners received for info/advice?
Small sample size, but I worked on the lake for a few days, with a limited view, and not paying attention all the time, but I put in some pretty late days and I never saw 1 boat out.
Maybe they were finally told to stay off the lake.
Initially only report I saw was two-days after access was closed.
It should be an interesting meeting
For those who say who cares about the zeebs they clean the lake, weren’t zeebs introduced into Mille Lacs fairly recently? If so, how do we know they aren’t responsible for that lakes walleye decline? If they aren’t in the lake, forgive me my memory is not that great.
That being said, I have a hard time believing this is contained to a high traffic area. And as an arm chair biologist, in have a hard time believing 5,000 establishing themselves in such a short amount of time was accidental. All it will take is a couple larva outside the curtain of doom to keep the lake infested.
Sadly for the publics sake I hope that this is an exercise in futility. I wish you could prevent the spread. But if this fails, or should I say when, hopefully people who control the accesses and money realize that once in a lake, resistance is futile and spraying hand closing access to the public does nothing.
Then now as I think about it, maybe this is the right thing to do. Maybe publicly the DNR is appeasing the LSOs by saying they are trying to save the lake. But maybe the main purpose is to keep trailering boats from picking them up in this area on the way out and spreading them to other lakes. Just because we all know they will eventually infest about every body of water, it doesn’t mean you should expedite that process. We do know the chemicals work in confined areas. Why not at least clean out this access to try and slow the spread to other lakes.
Imagine the response fishermen would have if zeebs actually killed all walleye in a lake. I think guys would be calling for “bombing” entire lakes with chemicals.
Ultimately I think this is the right thing to do now. Not to save Christmas lake, but to save other lakes from being infested sooner rather than later.
From today’s Strib
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/274420131.html
Minnesota lake first in nation to use new product to kill zebra mussels
A small Minnesota lake is on the forefront of the national effort to kill off the zebra mussels that threaten lakes and rivers around the country.
Christmas Lake in Shorewood became the first in the nation Monday to use a new technology that utilizes dead bacterial cells to eradicate the razor-shelled creatures that can damage boat motors, slice swimmers’ feet and threaten fish populations. The outcome could be a defining turning point in what has been a losing battle to control an invasive species that has spread to 29 states.
“This is history,” said Dan Molloy, a New York research scientist who developed the product, called Zequanox, and has advised local leaders. “It’s the first attempt to solve the zebra mussel problem in the world. And it’s got a shot at it.”
Minnesota officials have been intensifying efforts the past few years to slow the spread of numerous aquatic invasive species. These exotic mussels have spread around the state’s lakes by catching rides on boats and other watercraft. So far, efforts have largely focused on education and prevention, increased boat inspections and restrictions.
For the first time, wildlife officials are going on the offensive. The work on Christmas Lake finished Monday, and now researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey will test different applications and concentrations of Zequanox on neighboring Lake Minnetonka. Before now, the product had only been used in small experiments or to reduce zebra mussels in power plant water pipes.
“If it works, it will be a huge success story,” said Keegan Lund, an invasive species specialist with the Department of Natural Resources.
Zebra mussels have become the central focus in the fight to control the spread of aquatic invasive species. Along with being a nuisance to boaters and swimmers, zebra mussels can alter habitat for fish and insects. They can quickly proliferate by the millions once they are transported to a lake. Across Minnesota, zebra mussels have already infected nearly 200 waterways, such as Lake Minnetonka.
With Christmas Lake located so close to the massive lake, the local lake association has taken aggressive and sometimes controversial measures to prevent infestation, such as installing a gate at the only public access to prevent boaters from using it when inspectors aren’t there.
In August, four tiny zebra mussels were discovered near the boat launch, part of an estimated 5,000 juvenile zebra mussels later discovered in the lake as part of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District’s early detection monitoring program.
Test for other lakes
The federal government just approved Zequanox for use in lakes in July. The product is made from dead bacteria that kill zebra mussels when they eat it. For the first major trial, experts needed a lake that wasn’t fully infested.
In Christmas Lake, experts were able to detect the infestation early and prevent it from spreading by sectioning off the bay next to the boat launch and closing the public access to the estimated 800 boaters who use it each year.
“If it had been on the whole lake, we probably would have said, ‘Good luck, you got them,’ ” said Craig Dawson, the aquatic invasive species director for the Watershed District. But “it’s been well worth the effort. The information will be valuable for others.”
More work to come
On Monday, crews boarded a boat and, with gloves and masks, they sprayed the biological pesticide into the lake, turning the water a cloudy white color in the 50-foot by 60-foot area cordoned off from the rest of the lake. Officials from other counties and park districts watched the process.
But there are still questions. Wildlife officials want to know how will it affect small minnows in the lake and whether it will kill off 100 percent of the zebra mussels. Crews will monitor the lake daily to answer those questions, but won’t know if the effort was successful for two weeks.
Even then, they will be checking back next spring to see if the mussels return.
If they are successful, it is not a guarantee for other lakes like Minnetonka. Experts say it is too difficult and costly to kill off zebra mussels on entire lakes, particularly large ones. On Christmas Lake, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District paid $2,500 on equipment and the DNR spent $6,800 for Zequanox.
If all the zebra mussels aren’t destroyed, the DNR is looking into federal approval for a chemical treatment, which has been used in places like Winnipeg and Virginia.
No matter the result, the lake will offer groundbreaking answers to questions about the technology and how it can help with a growing national problem.
“This is the best chance we have of removing zebra mussels from lakes,” Dawson said. “We know there’s no 100 percent guarantee with the product, but it’s the best we can do.”
Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141
Twitter: @kellystrib
ows_141022757795250.jpg
Meeting 6pm, Wednesday Sept. 10th
South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Bldg.
24150 Smithtown Road
Shorewood, MN 55331
I’ll be there. I hope to see more fishermen/women there too. Even if you don’t fish this lake, I think it’s important to show up for this to protect other lakes from being blockaded like this. I plan to ask them why there weren’t inspectors present so many times this summer.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>carroll58 wrote:</div>
Meeting 6pm, Wednesday Sept. 10th
South Lake Minnetonka Public Safety Bldg.
24150 Smithtown Road
Shorewood, MN 55331I’ll be there. I hope to see more fishermen/women there too. Even if you don’t fish this lake, I think it’s important to show up for this to protect other lakes from being blockaded like this. I plan to ask them why there weren’t inspectors present so many times this summer.
Trouen,
Look me up, should be able to recognize me from my avatar/photo.
I’ll wear the Lakemaster Visor.
Any other Sportsmen attending, do the same, I’d love to talk and meet you.
Pug & Jon,
Yes, I agree with some of the statements, especially keeping them from being spread to other lakes. Would be more believable if it was not Christmas Lake.
My biggest problem is they call this a Rapid Response when it took over 3-weeks to get the “Zequanox/DEAD BACTERIA” spread into the site.
My other problem is the continuous Lies they keep spreading that the lake and all boats are 100% inspected when a few guys have actually stepped forward to say No, the Inspector were not there on this date or that date. A friend of mine has date & time stamped videos on his I-Phone, 23 of them from this summer showing there was No Inspector there when he launched just after 6am or upon his return about half of those times.
Combine all this with the known FACT that Christmas Lake Shore Owners have fought tooth and nail to keep the launch off the lake and made every effort to privatize the lake and keep the public out.
They mostly all have great wealth &/or incomes and lots of cash, considering many pay more in property taxes than many here make in a year.
I personally do not trust them, just too many lies and other coincidences that make this pretty fishy.
Yes, I can see the Scientific Experiment idea, but to believe the Veligers/Zebra Mussels were contained only in that small area has just pushed the limits of my imagination.
One person documented no inspector 23 times?!!!! I thought the 4 times I experienced this was excessive, but 23 is ridiculous.
I mentioned the lack of inspectors to the on-duty inspector last time I was at the lake (about a week before they closed the launch) and he kept denying it, saying there was always someone there. He finally suggested that I must have been fishing on wednesday mornings or some time when no one else was using the launch, and I said no, this was saturday or sunday afternoons. He argued with me for a minute, and finally said it must have something to do with kids going back to college and not being available for their shifts. The odd part is, there was only one inspector this summer I met that was college age(he was there last year, and fishes the lake himself), the rest were all at least 30. So the problem was either a lack of inspectors available to cover the shifts, or someone getting paid for not showing up.
Giving the homeowners and dnr the benefit of the doubt, they got ripped off by paying for inspectors that weren’t actually there. But with the amount of misinformation, as well as the aggressive denial of the missing inspectors makes it seem like this was program was intended to fail to push another agenda. (The same agenda that explains why sometimes the parking spots at the boat launch are full of cars that don’t have a trailer, or why the same guy would start waterskiing by me every time I fished in a certain spot).
That white slurry looks real healthy for the lake.
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