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At the beginning of October Lake Management Inc. came out to North and South Center Lakes to treat phragmites on our lakes. This interactive map shows the areas they treated. ***Each point is a close approximation of the treated area

The annual spring meeting was canceled due to the restrictions to in-person meetings, and we had hoped we would be able to have the meeting in person this fall. However, we are still under a mandate to limit in-person meetings. Therefore, the board of directors has agreed to try a new format for our fall meeting, allowing us to elect officers and meet the bylaws of our organization. According to the bylaws, we need a quorum of at least ten voting members of which two must be current officers. Please try to attend to make your voice heard! Election of Officers: Our board of directors is a seven-person board, comprised of four elected officials and three appointed board members. The current board members are listed in this mailer with their contact information. Please feel free to reach out to a board member if you have a question or concern about what is happening on our lakes. Would you like to become involved with the lake association? We need your help! Please reach out to a board member to see what you can do to improve our lakes. Want to be considered for an office? Please reach out to Lorene Gray (CLA Secretary) for next steps. Officers up for election: President: Mike Olmschenk has been our president for the past two years and is eligible for re-election. Treasurer: Jason Kromrey has been our treasurer for the past two years and is eligible for re-election.

Lakes Management Inc. will be out treating phragmites on North and South Center this Friday Oct 2nd, 2020.

Help represent and show off North and South Center Lakes this summer by participating in the North American Lake Management Society's Show Your Lakes Appreciation Challenge! From the NALMS website: In the month of July, NALMS invites you to participate in the social media Show Your Lakes Appreciation Challenge! The goal of the challenge is to promote and encourage support for Lakes Appreciation Month. Here’s how you can join in: Take a picture of yourself or someone you know enjoying or working on a lake or reservoir during July. The contest officially runs July 1st-31st. Log onto Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram and upload your picture. Add an informative, funny, or witty caption along with the name of lake. Be sure to type #LakesAppreciation in your post so we can find your entry. Why should you join in? You can win Prizes … winners will be determined via a raffle, picked randomly at the end of Lakes Appreciation Month, and announced via social media on Monday, August 3rd. Our three winners will be contacted to collect their prizes. First Place: A NALMS long sleeve shirt & baseball hat Second Place: A NALMS long sleeve shirt Third Place: A NALMS baseball hat You can get Recognition. With your permission… NALMS may include your photo on our Lakes Appreciation Month webpages or other media. NALMS will consider your photo for the Photo of the Month in NALMS Notes. Because You’re Awesome And you are! Thank you for joining the Challenge and for appreciating your lakes!

Thanks to Anoka Conservation District for creating and sharing this helpful overview of the importance of our maintaining our lake shores. Lots of great information on how to maintain your shoreline and preserve our Center Lakes!

***IMPORTANT UPDATE*** The maintenance of the channel between North Center and North Lindstrom is scheduled to begin tomorrow -Tuesday, June 9th (weather permitting). During this time, the county has asked that all boats, kayaks, etc AVOID entering the channel while the project activities are taking place as to not interfere with the work in process and give the workers room to do their job. We also ask that you avoid Olinda Trail near the channel as this is where the machinery will be offloading the bogs on to the dump trucks and they will also need room to do their job there. We will try to post updates/photos here to keep you updated on the progress and let you know when the project is complete. The project is expected to take several days. Thanks for your help! Center Lakes Association

The latest edition of The Scuttlebutt from the Center Lakes Association is now available! Check it out here.

Below is lake level update from the Chisago County Lake Improvement District. The Chisago Lakes Channel & Weir system is being actively managed according to the guidelines established in the 2016 Channel & Weir – Operations & Maintenance Plan. A copy of the plan can be found at: https://www.chisagocounty.us/DocumentCenter/View/9489/2016-LID-Channel-and-Weir---Operations-and-Maintenance-Plan-updated-June-27th-2017 Since late March, Lake Improvement District staff along with the LID engineer have been conducting weekly inspections of the channel & weir system. Inspection reports from previous years can be found at https://www.chisagocounty.us/321/Channel-Weir-Maintenance-Reports Lake level elevations from previous years can be found at https://www.chisagocounty.us/347/Lake-Levels Here are the highlights of yesterday’s (April 23, 2020) inspection Lofton Weir. According to the Operation and Maintenance plan both the high and low weir control gates are to be open when the water level at North Lindstrom Lake exceeds 899.2. Yesterday, the water level of Chisago/North Lindstrom/South Lindstrom is 899.32.  The high and low weir gates were opened on April 2nd.  The weir is to remain open until Chisago/North Lindstrom/South Lindstrom water levels are lowered to 898.7. North Lindstrom Lake. A water level gauge is located on North Lindstrom Lake. The water level elevation at this gauge yesterday was 899.32 (per 2019 DNR gauge calibration). This elevation is a good representation of the water levels of Chisago/South Lindstrom/North Lindstrom Lakes. The Ordinary High Water level of these lakes is 900.2. The lakes are 0.88 feet below OHW. Paradise Park Weir. This weir is a fixed cable concrete weir that drains Chisago Lake into Wallmark Lake under high water conditions. The weir has a permanent outlet elevation of 899.2. The water level was one inch over the weir. Water is flowing from Chisago Lake over the weir toward Wallmark Lake. Lake Ellen Weir. The weir is to be open during the open water season when Little Green Lake water levels exceed 891.0. The weir was initially opened on March 26th. Water is flowing through the weir into Swamp Lake. Unless downstream issues arise, it is anticipated the weir will remain open until fall.  The water level at the weir yesterday was 891.30. Little Green Lake. The water level gauge for Little Green Lake is currently not available.  The Little Green Lake elevation is similar to Lake Ellen.  Lake Ellen is currently at 891.30. South Center Lake. The water level gauge for South Center Lake is currently not available.  Updates will be provided once the gauge is installed and calibrated.  Water is flowing through the channel between North Center and North Lindstrom Lakes.  The water levels of North/South Center Lakes are similar to the levels of North/South Lindstrom/Chisago Lakes.  North Lindstrom Lake elevation is currently at 899.32.  The Ordinary High Water level of North & South Center Lakes is 900.2. The lakes are 0.88 feet below OHW.

By now, most of us have seen phragmites mentioned in the Chisago County Press or on the CLA Facebook page. There are several problems with Phragmites that residents of Center Lakes are facing. For many of us, pronouncing the word Phragmites is our first problem! Let us help you out with that one - It's pronounced FRAG-MI-TEZ! Unfortunately, there is a much greater problem, and it's the issue of the invasive species taking over some of the shorelines on North and South Center Lakes, and we need your help in taking our shorelines back. WHAT IS PHRAGMITES? Phragmites is an invasive, or a “non-native,” semi-aquatic perennial grass that came to North America in the 1700s to early 1800s. It is known as “Common Reed.” It is tall (reaching up to 15 feet) and densely growing. It is found in wetlands, river bank areas, on shorelines, and in roadside ditches. WHY IS IT A CONCERN? Phragmites in the Chisago Lakes area grow fast and can take over shoreland and wetland areas, push out native vegetation, reduce habitat quality for wildlife, obstruct lake views and block water access. North and South Center Lakes, and Chisago and South Lindstrom Lakes, are highly infested with Phragmites. A special thanks goes out to the Chisago Lakes Area Community Foundation for their grant award of $1,000 to be used to fight the battle with Phragmites. The funds have already been put to use to help stop the spread of Phragmites. HOW IS IT CURRENTLY CONTROLLED? Local lake associations are working with the MN Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC), the Chisago Lakes Lake Improvement District and Chisago Soil & Water Conservation District to identify and map occurrences of Phragmites and determine long-term ways to treat infestations along shorelines and in wetland and upland areas in the Chisago Lakes area. Center Lakes Association and Chisago-Lindstrom Lakes Association are actively working with lakeshore owners to cut stands of Phragmites on shorelines and treat with an approved herbicide. WHAT IF I HAVE PHRAGMITES ON MY SHORELINE? Please contact CLA, and a representative will visit your lakeshore property, map the location and take a sample to send to MAISRC to confirm if it is native or invasive Phragmites. If found to be invasive, the lake association will contact you on how to best treat the Phragmites. Visit www.maisrc.umn.edu/phragmitesmap to see if your property has been identified as infested THE ACTION PLAN CLA put an action plan together earlier this year. Several work sessions were held, and volunteers sprung into action to help us get these weeds under control. The main focus throughout the winter was to get as much Phragmites cut down as possible. While we were able to address quite a few areas, the heavy snowfalls we experienced in February and March hampered our efforts. Now that we've got many of the areas cut down, the next step is to spray these infected areas this fall to prevent them from coming back. HOW CAN I HELP? Treating Phragmites will cost approximately $500/acre to treat. Due to lack of funding from the state, donations to the AIS fund will be used to help remove these weeds from our lakes. Please consider donating to the AIS fund on our website at https://www.centerlakes.org/weeds. You may also mail in your donation if you prefer.

The annual spring meeting of the Center Lakes Association will be held at Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City on Saturday, June 1 at 9:30 AM in Cork Room 117. Coffee and rolls will be available. All current Center Lakes members and non-members are encouraged to attend! #CenterLakes #SpringMeeting

The latest edition of The Scuttlebutt from the Center Lakes Association is now available! Check it out here. Also, The Spring Meeting is right around the corner. The meeting is Saturday, June 1 at Hazelden at 9:30 AM. #SpringMeeting #CenterLakes

The annual spring meeting of the Center Lakes Association will be held at Hazelden Betty Ford in Center City on Saturday, September 8 at 9:30 AM in Cork Room 117. Coffee and rolls will be available. All current Center Lakes members and non-members are encouraged to attend! Leslie George from Hinckley Area Fisheries will present summary information of the most recent fish surveys of North (2017) and South (2015) Center Lakes as well as stocking plans. Agenda items include setting the membership fee for the 2019 fiscal year. #CenterLakes #SpringMeeting