We finally got our answer.

Check out the front page of tonights Rochester Post Bulletin newspaper. The Haverhill Township board voted to continue keeping the Silver Creek Reservoir closed.
I have mixed emotions on this. I can understand and appreciate the surrounding land owners concerns, however, it was tax payers dollars that built this reservoir. Now only a select few, property owners can benefit and enjoy it.
Would be interested in knowing how many of those property owners take advantage of that fishing resource.

To me this is very disappointing!
The money spent to enforce the no-trespassing law would probably pay for a new parking area and several trash cans.
The property owners are not allowed to access the water from land, just like everyone else. The ordinance states that it is off limits to everyone. Of course, this does not apply if you can access the water from the roadway to the creek (which is how the ice fisherman legally got to the ice.)
I did not attend the meeting, but talked to many dozens of people about this issue. No one was in favor of keeping the exisiting rules. Makes me think that the three township board members are protecting their little kingdom.
I hope common sense can be had with this at some point in the near future. You can be sure that people will continue to try to get access to this body of water, that the property owners will continue to be unhappy, and that money will continue to be wasted enforcing a bad decision.

Good Fishing,
Mike

Well being from Iowa I have never heard of this place but it makes me mad . I the tax payers paid to build the lake then all should be able to access it and enjoy it.

Doesn’t make sense if you ask me. If tax dollars bought and built it then there is no way that the land bought is ”ALL” filled in with water. There has to be land surrounding the water that is owned by the tax payers who bought the land and built the lake. ”OR” am I misunderstanding something here? If it is correct that we can’t access the lake then I please ask everyone to abide by the law and vote as to do otherwise just gives fisherman a bad name and hurts any chance of it ever being opened up in future years.
Thanks, Bill

I have lots of questions. The PB article suggests that they never foresaw this to be a recreational area, only a flood control project. Well guess what, it turns out to be a recreational opportunity for fisherpersons. My next question, how did those fish get introduced to this new enviroment? Mike/HOF’s understanding is that those land owners are also exempt from fishing these waters? So we have a gem in the rough and no one is permitted to enjoy. Excuse me here, but it is like the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing? Bureaucrats working at their best and confusing the rest of us. Got to love/hate it.

Well how would you like to read a 600 page document that is of the same mentality. Which is proposed by our higher ups in Washington to regulate the whole Upper Mississippi River National widlife and fish Refuge.
I’m still reading abunch of this and it is crap no way will they be able to enforce these issuses, policies what ever you want to call them. Just so a few whom live many miles away think that they have spent $216 million tax dollars wisely.
Get to your meeting and have your voice heard or it will be to late.
here is the link to the Executive Summary.
http://www.fws.gov/midwest/planning/uppermiss/

Concerning Gregs sharing [Thanks Greg]:
The people who ruined the backwaters, wildlife and habitat are the people we elect into government [Federal Government] as they built the dams. Yet they want us to continue to pay, not only in tax dollars but now also in giving up most of our rights to fishing and hunting, in the backwaters now too. If this passes, next we will see PETA winning at taking away the rest of our rights as alot of the power/voice/steam will have been already taken out of fishermen. First the big river then next the lakes. Think about it. Speak up now or sit back and hand over your fishing license someday. Explain that one to your kids and grandkids. Not a pretty picture.

Greg, is there an e-mail address somewhere we can e-mail our being against to on this?

Thanks, Bill

Bill they list ways to contact them with imput on the webpage that was posted.