By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

If you recall, not all algae are bad. Green algae usually pose no significant concerns, other than their aesthetic appearance. On the other hand, blue-green algae have the potential to generate toxins that can be harmful. How does one decide if what they see is green algae or blue-green algae? Unfortunately, the only accurate method is to examine the organism under magnification and assess its structure by experts in this type of Read more

By Tim Langer – Lake Management Committee

Landscape fabrics are used to prevent weed growth while still allowing air, oxygen and water to flow to and from the soil. These fabrics are a chemical-free way to prevent weed growth, endearing them to eco-friendly residents and homeowners at Roaming Shores. Landscape fabrics, once laid, are a far less labor-intensive method to prevent weed growth, as they can be effective for several years, during which homeowners can expect to perform little Read more

By Tim Langer – Lake Management Committee

Recently I’ve been thinking of other ways I can beautify my yard while also helping protect our communities greatest resource. My research led me to a rain garden.

What is a Rain Garden you may ask? Well, a rain garden is an attractive, landscaped area planted with perennial native plants, which don’t mind getting “wet feet.” They are beautiful gardens, built in depressions, which are designed to capture and filter storm Read more

  By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

One only needs to travel to parks with natural lakes and no homes or man-made structures and see that the water is clear and pristine. But, once we build a house, or for lake front owners, build a dock, we disturb the natural state of the land. In the 2007 National Lakes Assessment, a study of thousands of lakes across the continental US, lakeshore habitat changes was the number one stressor Read more

  By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

The only way to make informed decisions regarding lake management is to have accurate data. Whether it is the level of nutrients, or toxins, or even a Secchi disk depth measurement, each value requires testing. Testing itself is a multistep process. It involves (1) planning – to decide what to test; (2) sampling; (3) the actual analysis, and finally (4) the interpretation – or what does it all mean. Each step Read more

  by Pam Hoover – Lake Management Committee

An excerpted from ‘Green Up Your Lawn: Not the Lake’, by Betsy Washington, Lake Bancroft Assoc. website. Click here for the full article http://www.lakebarcroft.org/community/environmental-quality/green-your-lawn-not-lake.

Finally! Spring is really just around the corner, and with it comes the annual rite of greening up the American lawn. And with the greening of the lawn, comes the inevitable “peculiar green sheen” around the edges of our lake. This green sheen is NOT the Read more

  By Dick Hurwitz – Lake Management Committee

Alright, so you’re looking out your window at the snow and cold and wondering when spring is going to come again to Roaming Shores. Then—just maybe—you start thinking about all the cleanup chores associated with spring and you think Maybe a little more snow and cold won’t be so bad. You soon remember, though, how good you feel when your house and deck and dock are clean, and how proud you Read more

By David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

This is the second in a series. This is not meant to be a comprehensive overview, but is intended to give the reader some basic information on this important lake management subject.

Algal blooms obviously have an aesthetic concern – they just don’t look nice. But the recent news regarding the Toledo bloom brings up another issue – toxins (aka cyanotoxins). These toxins are not associated with common green algae but with Read more

By David Ernes and Richard D. Gainar, CEBS – Lake Management Committee

If you think elected officials pay little or no attention to your letters and phone calls, think again. A concise, thoughtful letter from their constituents has a significant influence on elected lawmakers. Your vote helps elect them — or not — and that fact alone carries a lot of weight. A staff worker may read and answer your letter because hundreds of letters are sometimes received. But, Read more

by David Ernes – Lake Management Committee

Late last year, in response to the Toledo algal bloom that affected their drinking water, the Ohio House passed legislation known as HB 490. This bill included, among other sections, efforts intended to reduce the nutrients entering the watershed and ultimately Lake Erie by a reducing or eliminating the practice of manure application onto frozen or rain saturated ground. Unfortunately, the bill failed to pass the Senate. The failure was a result Read more