Lake Links –
August 2004 Edition
The Newsletter of the Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group,
Inc.
Valparaiso Chain of
Lakes Watershed Group, Inc.
Our
mission is to protect and maintain our lakes and surrounding environs
through education, conservation, pollution monitoring, research, and
invasive species control. We are committed to waste reduction,
recycling and the use of best land-use practices to ensure that our
lakes remain quality habitats for fish, wildlife, and human
recreational use.
Minutes of the August 16, 2004 Meeting
The previous meeting notes were reviewed and accepted as is.
Treasurers Report:
Beginning balance: $2,029.58
Deposits: $3,220.00
Ending balance: $5,199.58
Please note that the deposit number includes grant money that
our organization has agreed to oversee for Friends of Silver Lake as
discussed in previous meeting newsletters.
Members in Attendance: Walt Breitinger, Lou Phillips, Jim
Rowe, Rich Herr,
Peter Wilkin, Eric Biddinger, Dick & Jane Fryer, Kevin Breitzke, Noel Evans, Tom Banaszak, Ed
Seykowski
There is a proposed ordinance being discussed in the Porter County Council dealing with “green space” within newly developed areas. The impact will affect our
city for many future generations. Refer to your local newspaper for
meeting dates.
There has been an extension of the sewer lines along West
Long Lake Road to a few additional homes.
Walt discussed the “gold fish” at
Spectacle Lake story that was addressed in the
newspaper and went through the AP news service across the country. A
future meeting is expected to be held to discuss what to do about
Spectacle Lake. The 3 proposals include using Rotenone to kill off the
fish and restock the lake for a short term answer, dredge the lake and
deepen it, or 3 don’t do anything and allow it to go natural. Water
quality is also an issue and is related to run off and sediment build
up. If you have comments, please share them with the Parks Department.
Last month, the City of LaPorte passed an
ordinance to ban the feeding of geese.
This may be of interest to our group and will be discussed at a
later date. Major problem: who would monitor and enforce the law ?
The goose restricted area at Rogers-Lakewood has been working
and may be increased in the immediate future. The problem is that
fishermen are now walking through the site and damaging some of the
native plants.
Over 3 years ago, Phil Rowe dreamed up an idea for the Chain
of Lakes Group to write a book. This book, entitled
Our Treasured Chain of Lakes,
would include chapters addressing our lakes and has been overseen by
Robin Scribailo. Several knowledgeable people were asked to write the
13 separate chapters and the final edition is close to being published.
It is a hope that Dr. Peter Wilkin, Robin Scribailo and Walt Breitinger
will be able to finalize an edition and have it ready for publication.
Good work guys, that truly is dedication.
Noel Evans and Kevin Breitzke, in conjunction with a group
from Michigan, participated in writing a grant to attract groups to
address water issues and research. The Save the Dunes Council and our
VCW organization are looking forward to working with them. We
commissioned the Lake Michigan Foundation to support this study. The
work is completed and findings are being evaluated. Money will be
forthcoming, Thank you Noel and Kevin !!
The Friends of Silver Lake continues to monitor the Silver
Lake development and to ensure that the land is
developed in an environmentally friendly manner.
A National Issues Forum will be held at the Valparaiso Public
Library on Tuesday October 5, 2004 to address the relationship of
biotechnology to our food supply. This is open to the public. There
will be free issue booklets available before and after the meeting
outlining three different viewpoints. The rapid advances in physics and
chemistry of the twentieth century are being followed by extraordinary
advances in biotechnology. Modifying living tissue to satisfy human
demands and curiosity is and will continue to be a major issue. At the
beginning of the nuclear age it was suggested that technology would
develop to give results that could not be predicted. That is also true
of biotechnology.
This issue has economic, health and political aspects and
should be of interest to all citizens. Issue booklets should be
available at the library.
Next month will be our elections, held on Sept. 20th at 6:30. Nominations are
still open. Hope to see you there.
Future meeting dates (all on 3rd
Monday of month) include:
Nov. 22, Jan. 10, 2005, March 21, and May 16. Remember, all
meetings are held at the Porter County Administrative Building at 6:30
P.M.
Respectfully Submitted:
Mary Lou Phillips, secretary
News regarding County Meeting submitted by
Tom Kruse, President of Ridgewood Creek Homeowners Association -
The meeting of the Porter County Zoning
Board that was held on June 8, 2004 saw a petitioner asking for the
Board to recommend that a parcel of land along the west side of Calumet
Avenue just north of Bullseye Lake be rezoned from R-1 to C-2.
The Home-owners’ association of Ridgewood Creek, a subdivision just
west of the property in question attended the meeting with over 50
residents in attendance to oppose the petitioner. The residents
of Ridgewood Creek passionately stated that they were against this
rezoning because of the drainage issues and the potential flooding of
their properties that will adjoin this rezoned property. Pictures
and testimony from the neighbors showed a piece of land that when
subjected to rainfall causes flooding in their back yards. The
chance of paving a parking lot and making it that much easier for
rainwater to collect off the parking lots will only exacerbate the
situation. The Ridgewood Creek residents cited studies done by
BONAR Associates that states this area of the watershed is currently at
a maximum or possibly over maximum. A letter from BONAR was
introduced to the committee members to review. Adding more
imperviousness, such as a paved parking lot, to a very wet site will
only increase the chances for flooding of our homes.
The vote to disallow the zoning change was continued to the October meeting. The vote of the seven members present was 4 to 3 in favor of disallowing the zoning change. A majority of the members of the 9 person board must be obtained to pass a motion.
George was surprised to discover that a population of Altica litigata had become established on the plants. Last year, George had studied these tiny herbivores, more commonly known as Flea Beetles, as an alternative host to the galerucella beetles. The adults have enlarged hind legs allowing them to jump like fleas, hence the name. Though this native species is harmless to humans, it has been known to eat primrose and other ornamental plants so it has not been popular to introduce these as they might become an agricultural pest. The galerucella are preferred because they only eat purple loosestrife and have never been a threat to ornamental or food plants. The flea beetles may do much less damage to the loosestrife and therefore, may not be as effective as a biological control. George, Walt and Jim plan to further investigate this finding and share information in the future.
The Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group, Inc. is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization so we can welcome your tax-deductible contributions. We also seek volunteers to help with native plantings, build our web site, make our newsletter more professional, and help expand our membership base. Call 462-5821 if you are willing to contribute.
Next
Meeting is this coming Monday, September 20, at 6:30 PM at the Porter
County Administration Building, Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso
This space is reserved for photos of Altica litigata – the Primrose Flea Beetle