2002-03-06 P & R Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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and Centerville. To keep a course setup overnight, a permit from the sheriff is required. In a meeting January 23, 2002, th~ DNR, Anoka Parks and others expressed concern for the rookery and did not want slalom water- ski activity n~ to the ro?k7lY' Howev~, ~e sheri:ff atten~ that meeting said there is no =tion againstJt, . so ae.weuldtsSUe ll-peml1t if asked. Agam. if the rookery lSto be protected; local formal re on is reql.l.ire([ In addition, the normal users of Peltier Lake need protection. The main part of Peltier Lake is about 2,000 feet _ by 4,000-feet. A slalom water~ski course has the effect of privately reserving for one boat, an area roughly 2,300 feet by 400 feet. In my opinion, Peltier Lake is so small, and so heavily used by fisherman and other boaters, that reserving practically. ~ of the fishing area of the entire lake for one boat should not be allowed - not even for even. 15 minutes. An exception, given a public hearing with adequate public feedback might permit the setup of such a course for a special, one time, event, but giving one person exclusive private use of2,300 feet by 400 feet of public lake any time they want is ridiculous. All indications are that an entire species, the unique and uncommon Black -crowned Night Heron, has completely vanished since 1998, which exactly coincides with the start of slalom water~ski activity next to the rookery. To me, this is not a coincidence. After foraging at night, Black-crowned Night Herons come back to roost during the daytime (not nighttime like many other birds) and are extremely vulnerable to daytime disturbance which is what would happen with a slalom water-ski course next to the rookety. An entire species being wiped out from the rookery is very disturbing to me. Summary - A Solution I recommend protection with local tegulatio~ some~g like as tollows (:3ee. a1s~ the map in the appendix): 1. At the island and no:rth, establish a no wake zone. (This 'preventsfast boats from disturbing the rookery and preserves the sensitive environment) Authority: City ofLino Lakes and Centerville. 2. The activity of skiing in slalom water-ski courses is not allowed anywhere on Peltier Lake. (This protects all users of the lake.) Authority: City of Lino Lakes and Centerville. 3. Permits for slalom water-ski courses should not be issued. (With #2, this is not needed. However, without #2, this would go along way toward opening the lake for other users as the floats, lines, and anchors might occasionally be removed so someone else could use the area. Realize, the course could still be setup every day all year still reserving the area. That is why #2 is needed.) Authority: Sheriff. 4. At least one public hearing should be required to grant exemptions to any of the ordinance. (This is the best way to inform the community and obtain feedback from all the users of the resource to coordinate a one-time event, for example.) Authority: City ofLino Lakes and Centerville. 5. The island should be posted as a bird sanctuary with no trespassing. Signs should be added at the boat launch, and buoys, markers, and other signs should be located by the island. Authority: A.i1oka County Parks. I . I hope the various governments pull together and support an action that will help restore and protect the Heron rookery, restore equal access for everyone to the Peltier Lake resource, and preserve and protect the environment from damage. Details - Mv Baekeround I've lived on Peltier Lake since 1979. In 1989, I started the Peltier Lake Association. Here are some of the accomplishments: · Worked lake level issues when St Paul Water pumped Centerville and Peltier Lake down 6 teet in 1988. · Participated on the Rice Creek Watershed District (RCWD) Citizen Advisory Committee tor 3 years and leamed much about watersheds. · Began a roughly 4 year CurlyleaiPondweed harvesting effort for Peltier Lake in 1989. · lV!otivated RCWD to implement a $90,000 Cleanwater Partnership water quality study tor the Centerville and Peltier Lake watershed in 1990. · Worked dam level issues as landowners upstream wanted the dam removed and/or lake levels dropped over winter. · Monitor Peltier Lake water quality for the Metropolitan Council - started in 1989. , Launched an effort to manually dig out recently discovered Eurasian Watermi1foil in Peltier Lake in the fall of 2000. .. In 2001, found $5,000 in RCWD grant money to help harvest and attempt to control the exotic Curlyleaf Pondweed in Peltier Lake south of the island.