Douglas Lake eNews 06/09/2020

DLIA 2020 Annual Meeting Cancelled

The traditional DLIA members’ Annual Meeting at the University of Michigan Biological Station that was scheduled for Monday August 24, 2020, has been cancelled. The DLIA Executive Board(EB) met via Zoom last Friday and concluded that as the Biostation facilities are closed to the public this summer and would not be available to the public later in the Fall, and recognizing that some of our members wouldn’t be comfortable in a large group setting even if we found a venue other than the UM Biological Station, then voted to cancel the “in-person” 2020 Annual Meeting.

We plan to post an Annual Report on the DLIA web site including the Treasurer's Report and the FY2021 Budget to cover most of the Annual Meeting information. The election of 2020 is for President, Vice President and Secretary. We are exploring conducting the election via a Ballot on the DLIA web site. For those DLIA members who do not have internet access, a ballot would be mailed hard copy. A Nominating Committee is being formed; as usual, this Committee will present a slate of candidates to the Executive Board for review and approval. More about the election process as it becomes available.

Cancelling the Annual Meeting was a very reluctant decision. This meeting has been a social opportunity for members around the Lake to gather and share family news, concerns & opinions, and guide the direction of the Association. While the EB is meeting via Zoom this summer we miss gathering as a group and look forward to healthier times in 2021 and a return to the traditional Members’ Annual Meeting at Gates Lecture Hall at UMBS.

Douglas Lake’s Aquatic Vegetation Survey 2019 Now Available

The Tip of Mitt Watershed Council has finished its report on the survey it performed in 2019 assessing the aquatic plant species on Douglas Lake. Aquatic plant surveys are a good start to understanding a lake’s plant species, abundance, density, and the presence of invasive species. In simpler terms, the survey provides a benchmark comparison of the general plant community and health of the lake. One previous survey was conducted by the Watershed Council and University of Michigan Biological Station in 2012. The 2019 Survey was funded jointly by the DLIA and the UM Biological Station.

No Eurasian watermilfoil specimens or any other invasive species were encountered during the 2019 survey. This good news reflects the “clean water/clean boats” ethic that prevails among DLIA members, the faculty, staff, researchers and students at UMBS, and in the greater Douglas Lake-user community. The Report presents the comprehensive survey results, including details of all plant species found, and is supported by several maps and visuals that DLIA members may find informative. The Report also identifies a number of recommendations that will guide future and continuing education/prevention efforts to keep Douglas Lake free from aquatic invasive plants.

We are grateful to the Watershed Council staff, interns and all who volunteered to gather samples last summer and to the Watershed Council leadership and staff who provided their expertise in the analysis of samples and the preparation of the written Report.

Click Here for The complete report posted on the DLIA web site

A Message from Knute Nadelhoffer, Director, UMBS

Dear Neighbors,

Greetings from our Biological Station’s campus on Douglas Lake’s South Fishtail Bay. First, I’d like to inform you that after serving 18 wonderful years as “Bug Camp” Director, this position will be filled by a new Director as of September 1 of this year. I will continue on as a Professor in the U-M Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology until my full retirement at the end of December 2020, after which I will assume the title of Emeritus Professor. Among the many pleasures I’ve experienced since arriving in June 2003 are the opportunities to work with and meet you and other residents of communities surrounding Douglas and Burt Lakes. Thank you for your support and partnering with the Biological Station over the years!

As for this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to changes in our programs that will dramatically reduce the number of people living at and working at the Biological Station. Neither students nor course instructors will be in residence on our Douglas Lake campus. Rather, all 215 enrolled students will engage online with their instructors and will conduct their field research from wherever they are living off-campus. This is new “territory” for our resourceful and talented faculty and staff who have developed virtual field courses.

Researchers in residence this summer will be few in number. They and our staff will follow strict health and safety protocols. Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate public visitors at our South Fish Tail Bay campus. Entry, whether by private vehicles, biking, or walking, will not be permitted. Access to our campus and buildings (including offices, rest rooms, the lecture hall, as well as labs) will be limited to pre-registered researchers and staff. Outlying trails on Biological Station properties, however, will be open for use, including the new bike trail extension along the south side of Riggsville Road.

In addition to using our outlying trails this summer, we invite you to explore scientific topics on-line with our UMBS annual Summer Lecture Series. Our virtual lecture series is free and open to the public. The 2020 line up includes fearless evolutionary biologist Dr. Patricia Brennan, pediatrician/activist (and Bug Camp alumna!) Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, and botany legend Dr. Anton Reznicek. These virtual presentations will use the same Zoom link and will be available for viewing afterward on the UMBS YouTube channel. You can test this by viewing Professor Richard Rood’s May 14 presentation, Framing Approaches to Climate Change Problem Solving.

I will be in residence at our Douglas Lake campus in July through mid-August. I hope to see you outdoors on the lake, on our trails, or elsewhere “up north” this season. Until then I wish you

All the best,
Knute Nadelhoffer
Director, UM Biological Station

Keep Your Distance: Nesting Loons and Chicks

Douglas Lake is “our” special place. No, not the human friends and neighbors who are here year-round or for a few weeks of the year. Loons!! Multiple loon couples make Douglas Lake their summer homes. Three nesting couples have been minding their eggs on nesting platforms. Two chicks hatched recently in Maple Bay and two very new chicks have arrived in Marl Bay. You can follow the loon couples in a ‘family way’ via cameras at Loons Nests
Nesting loons and loon parents with new chicks need privacy and quiet to thrive. Please keep your distance from the platforms. New loon parents leave the nest with their new chicks shortly after the chicks are born. Do not approach loon adults and their chicks. This means motorized watercraft, kayaks, canoes, sailboats, jet skis. Douglas Lake gives the loons their homes. They give us so much pleasure with their eerie calls and conversations. Watch, from a safe distance, as loon families paddle around the Lake. Please give them space.
[Thanks to Holly Gedert for the great tryptich of the Maple Bay loons on their snowy nest in early May.]

Mobile Boat Wash Station Visiting Douglas Lake

Aquatic invasives are adversely impacting Michigan’s lakes, streams, and wetlands, and efforts to identify them and prevent their spread are more important now than ever. That’s why the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council (WC) partnered with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Forest Service, local lake associations ( including DLIA), and other nonprofits to kick off a new mobile boat washing station to service local lakes across our region. Every week-end from mid-June through Labor Day, the WC is educating boaters and washing boats at pubic boat ramps at inland lakes throughout its Northern Michigan service area. Volunteers from DLIA are working with WC to help spread the word and broaden the awareness of “clean boats/clean water.”

This new wash station uses high-pressure, heated water to effectively clean most invasive species from trailers and boats. While boaters using the boat ramp won’t be required to wash their trailers and boats, we hope the availability and convenience of the boat wash station will encourage them to take advantage of this service. If you’re interested in volunteering at the boat wash event at DL Boat Ramp, please email president@douglaslake.org

The 2020 Dates for the Mobile Boat Wash Station at the Douglas Lake Boat Ramp are:
June 20 10:00 am-2:00pm
June 27 10:00am-2:00pm
September 5 10:00am-2:00pm

Reminder from the Membership Administrator

DLIA’s Membership Administrator, Gwen Kuehn, sometimes finds it necessary to communicate with members by email to clarify dues payments, addresses – both land and email, phone, etc. Please add membership@douglaslake.org to your contacts list so that those emails are delivered to your Inbox rather than spam or junk mail folders. The subject line will always include Douglas Lake Improvement Association or DLIA.

Douglas Lake Buoy Data

The Great Lakes observation system, “Great Lakes Buoys” is a valuable compilation of data collected daily, including wind speed, wind direction, water temperature at various depths, air temperature, pH, dew point, and much more, including the National Weather Service Forecast for the specific buoy area. Some years ago the UM Biological Station sited a reporting Great Lake Buoy offshore near the Biostation to collect important data about Douglas Lake. Check it out!

Click Here for the Douglas Lake Buoy UMBIO data.

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