Upper Hay Lake Association
P.O. Box 769
Pequot Lakes, Minnesota 56472
Winter Newsletter January 2023 Page 1
Greetings From Your President!
Welcome to 2023! The end of the year 2022 was the first time we welcomed the New Year in Arizona. So I
feel a little remiss on being able to report the happenings on the lake. I am curious if we have a fishing village on the north end of Upper Hay Lake as in past years. We have received reports on the amount of wonderful snow that has fallen in Minnesota. The abundance of snow must be great news for snowmobilers, skiers, and people interested in snowshoeing on the lake.
Mickey Perwien, a former UHLA Board member for several years, passed away on November 28, 2022.
Funeral services were held at United Hebrew Brotherhood Cemetery in Richfield. His family has
asked that donations be directed toward the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org) or the Pequot Lakes American Legion; 4435 Main St., Pequot Lakes, MN 56472. Mickey always had many fishing stories to share or interesting observations on Upper Hay Lake. He will
be missed. Crow Wing County has a valuable resource entitled “Shoreline Property Development Guide”. It will be available at the June meeting. When it comes to shoreline property, different agencies regulate different aspects of use in our county. In general, most land use activities are regulated by these four agencies: Crow Wing County Land Services Department, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Crow Wing Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), and the Minnesota Department of Health. If you have questions regarding which agency to contact regarding regulation and your needs, I would recommend calling the Land Services staff at 218-824-1010. The Brainerd Dispatch had an interesting article written by Chelsey Perkins about aquatic invasive species from the Crow Wing Board meeting on December 27, 2022. WAPOA (Whitefish Area Property Owners Association) paid about two-thirds of its bill for expanded coverage hours, or those provided at the request of lake associations on days and times not included in the county’s annual AIS plan. WAPOA reasoned that the rest of the bill should be covered by the money left over due to unfulfilled inspection hours promised by the county on the Whitefish Chain’s seven public landings. WAPOA also stated that the funds given to Crow Wing County by the state of Minnesota in 2022 should be used in 2022. The Crow Wing County Commissioners voted
3-1 not to accept WAPOA’s letter and to roll over the remaining funds into 2023. Crow Wing County fell short of meeting its own aquatic invasive species goals by about 4,500 staffed hours in 2022. The shortfall can be blamed on the lack of people available or willing to work as inspectors. Discussion was held on raising the wages of the inspectors which would hopefully increase the number of inspectors but
may require reducing the number of coverage hours to compensate for the added cost of each hour.
According to Crow Wing County Land Services Director Gary Griffin, there are more than 100 invasive
species not yet identified in Crow Wing County. Crow Wing County has more than 400 lakes, including all
those without public access or those typically not used recreationally. Of that total, 14% are infested with zebra mussels and 5% are infested with milfoil. As many of you know, there were an abundance of zebra mussels this fall when docks and boats were removed from Upper Hay Lake. Unfortunately, at this time, we do not qualify for inspection hours from Crow Wing County because we have not had enough boat traffic in the past two years. I urge you, or your neighbor, to consider volunteering at the boat landing to continue the inspections that we had in the past. In my opinion, volunteer inspections help raise responsible behaviors when putting in a boat and removing it from the lake. Please mark two dates on your 2023 calendar. We will have our annual meeting on Thursday, June 15th at 5:00 PM. The UHLA Board decided to try an evening meeting and move the date from the May weekend. It seems that many Upper Hay Lake residents are busy working on their properties in the spring or attending graduation parties in May. I have scheduled a speaker from the National Loon Center at 5:00 PM followed by burgers at 6:00 PM on June 15th. The other important date is Thursday August 3, 2023 for a Burger Night. Can’t wait to see you for both dates!
–Claire Steen
#### #### #### #### ####
Page 2
Discover Ice Fishing
Technological improvements have made ice fishing increasingly popular during the past 15 years. Still, ice fishing can be mystifying for those who haven’t ventured out. There are inherent dangers – ice conditions , traveling safely and propane heater carbon monoxide concerns – so it’s best to learn from an experienced ice angler. A smart move is to learn from someone you trust and who knows ice fishing. But if you don’t know an ice angler or simply want some tips, take your first steps by viewing our handy heads-ups , watching our video and following the helpful how-to guides below. Called darkhouse spearing, because the activity takes place in a darkened shelter so you can more easily observe underwater activity, spearing large fish through a big hole in the ice is the closest thing to hunting on hard water that you’ll find. Find out more in our how-to video on spearing .
–https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/gofishing/learn-ice-fish.html
#### #### #### #### ####
License Your Shelter Shelter licenses:
● All non – portable ice shelters must be licens ed.
● Wheeled fish houses are considered non – portable and must be licensed.
● An annual shelter license costs $15 for residents and $37 for non – residents, not including issuing fees that may be charged.
● The ice shelter license must be readily visible from the exterior of the shelter.
● A shelter license is valid from March 1 through April 30 of the following year.
● A shelter license is not required on border waters between Minnesota or Wisconsin, Iowa and North and South Dakota.
Portable shelter definition: A shelter that collapses, folds or is disassembled for transportation. Portable shelters only need licenses and identification when left unattended, which is defined as all occupants being more than 200 feet away. Shelter identification requirements:
1. ONE of the following must be readily visible from the exterior of the shelter with characters at least 2 inches high:
○ Owner’s name and address
○ Owner’s drivers license number
○ Owner’s Minnesota DNR identification number.
2. If a shelter is left out overnight, i t must have at least 2 square inches of reflective material on each side. – https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/fishing/shelter.html
#### #### #### ####
Page 3
Shelter Removal Deadlines
Dark houses, fish houses and portables must be off the ice no later than 11:59 p.m. (end of the day) for each of the dates given in the categories below. County sheriffs may prohibit or restrict the use of motorized vehicles if dangerous ice conditions are present. If shelters are not removed, owners will be prosecuted. A conservation officer also may con fiscate, remove or destroy any ice structure and its contents if not removed by the deadline.
Inland waters ● South of line – March 6, 2023 ● North of line – March 20, 2023
Border waters ● Minnesota-Iowa – Feb. 20 ● Minnesota – Wisconsin – March 1 ● Minnesota – North and South Dakota – March 5 ● Minnesota – Canada – March 31 Dates of removal are determined by an east-west line formed by U.S. Hwy. 10, east along Hwy. 34 to Minnesota Hwy. 200, east along Hwy. 200 to U.S. Hwy. 2, and east along Hwy. 2 to the Minnesota- Wisconsin border.
After removal dates, shelters may remain on the ice between midnight and one hour before sunrise only when occupied or attended. Storing or leaving shelters on a public access is prohibited.
#### #### #### ####
PROPOSED 2023 CROW WING COUNTY AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION PLAN
The Crow Wing County Land Services Department is requesting public comment on the proposed 2023 Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Plan. The comment period ends on February 6, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Services Department at landservices@crowwing.us or mailed to: 322 Laurel Street, Suite 15 Brainerd, MN 56401, attention: 2023 AIS Plan . Crow Wing County is also hosting a 2023 AIS Prevention Plan Presentation on January 25th , 2023 at 10:00 a.m. in the Oak room of the Land Services building. The meeting is open to the public to attend in person or virtually via Microsoft TEAMS. If you plan to attend in person, please RSVP to me, Janele Waterman, via email or by phone at 218-824-1142.
Microsoft Teams meeting:
Join on your computer, mobile app or room
device.
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 288 571 528 17
Passcode: aPVTJY
Download Teams | Join on the web
Learn More | Meeting options
Lastly, please find the press release and the proposed AIS prevention plan attached for your
review. For more information, please visit theCounty’s AIS webpage at www.crowwing.us/AIS.
Thank you,
Janele Waterman
Environmental Services Coordinator
www.crowwing.us Land Services, 322 Laurel Street
Suite 15, Brainerd, MN 56401
#### #### #### ####
Treasurer’s Report
The fiscal year for our association runs with the calendar year and on December 31, 2022 our total
asset balance was $45,254.96. We had $3,459.73 in checking, $5,307.07 in savings, and $36,488.16 in
CDs. We had 97 paid members again this year. We received $2,315.00 in dues; $1,525.00 in extra
individual donations, $63.00 in Product Sales, $25.00 in pre-paid dues and $200.00 for Crow Wing
Soil & Water for a Starry Stonewort program. That total is $4,128.00. Everyone will be receiving their 2023 Membership Application with this newsletter. Please fill it out and return it now so it doesn’t get lost in the shuffle. Even if you do not wish to be a member, it is nice to have current information.
–Ken Meyer
#### #### #### ####
