The following letter from the Lynx Lake Conservation Foundation was mailed last week.
December, 2020
Dear Friends of Lynx and Red Bass Lake,
If you are like most people I know, I suspect you can’t wait for 2020 to come to an end, and are looking forward to a better 2021. Hopefully, the distribution of the covid-19 vaccine will be such that we can safely hold the Property Owners Association and Conservation Foundation annual meeting next year. Cancelling the Property Owners Association annual meeting was doubly painful as John Bates, a noted local naturalist and author, was scheduled to speak. With any luck John will be available to speak at the 2021 meeting.
Although you are receiving this letter via mail, I would like to remind everyone that nearly all communication from the Lynx Lake Property Owners and Conservation Foundation happens solely on our website at lynxlakepi.com. If you haven’t already, we need you to sign up on the website so that you will automatically receive our posts both from the Foundation and Property Owners Association. I promise you that we will not overwhelm you with unnecessary emails.
A highlight for the Lynx Lake Conservation Foundation in 2020 was the awarding of the first scholarship by the Foundation. To qualify for the scholarship you must be a graduating senior from Lakeland Union High School, be a resident of Presque Isle or Boulder Junction, and plan to study a field related to conservation in a two or four year college. The recipient of the $500 scholarship is determined by Lakeland Union High School. Congratulations to Estelle Byrnes for receiving the scholarship in 2020! Estelle grew up in Presque Isle and Her mother, Bonnie, lives on Lynx Lake.
The Adopt-A-Shoreline program on Lynx completed its 6th year in 2020. Volunteers spent 30 hours throughout the summer monitoring the shoreline for invasive species. Normally volunteers spend 40+ hours monitoring for invasive species, but we have been losing volunteers over the years which led to the decrease in monitoring hours. Even with fewer volunteers we were able to cover the entire shoreline once, and I’m happy to note that no invasive species were detected. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please let me know, you can reach me through the website. Each volunteer (or family) is assigned a section of shoreline and asked to monitor it once per month throughout the summer, or at a minimum once In July and August. The monitoring can be done in a boat, kayak, standup paddleboard, or even wading. It takes less than an hour each time and doesn’t require any special plant identification skills. Most volunteers mention they enjoy it and find it relaxing.
We completed the fourth full year of monitoring Lynx’s Lake water. It’s hard to pin down a water quality specialist on how many years it takes to establish a solid baseline for a lake’s water quality. The estimate I’ve gotten is seven years, so I guess we are about halfway there for Lynx. We take water samples for chemical analysis four times per year and Lynx’s water quality continues to remain excellent. If we all follow the tips on the enclosed paper from the recent issue of Lake Tides, published by Extension Lakes, we can maintain Lynx’s and Red Bass’s water quality in the pristine state they are in.
The Lynx Lake Conservation Foundation is on solid financial footing due to the generous donations from its members. Last year we received $6,325 in donations leaving a balance of $30,590. This helps position us to deal with invasive species if the need arises, promote conservation through a scholarship, and fund projects to enhance the Lakes and watershed. Thank you to everyone that has made a donation to the Foundation! If your end of year tax strategy involves making a tax deductible charitable contribution, I urge you to consider the Lynx Lake Conservation Foundation. If so, the enclosed envelope is for your convenience.
Again, if you have not already done so, please subscribe to www.lynxlakepi.com and stay connected to the Lake.
Best wishes for a joyous and safe holiday season.
Fritz Behr
Thanks, Fritz!