http://www.harrislakewi.com/forms/hla-clothing-form.pdf

Sunny skies and 75 degree temperatures once again provided a great backdrop for our annual HLA Golf Outing and Dinner at Trout Lake Golf Course. The even took place the afternoon of Sunday, September 6. Our 9-hole scramble event was followed by a buffet dinner on the porch of the Trout Lake club house, overlooking the 18th fairway.

We had a total of 29 golfers competing for prizes and bragging rights! All scoring was audited by the firm of Ottusch and White. Event winners included;

Low-Net (33) Chuck and Lou Ann Piotrowski, John and Julie Ford.

Low- Gross (33) Jon Oehrlin and Linda Eckert, John and Kathy Sitkiewitz

Hole 1 Closest Approach – Bill Heins

Hole 2 Longest Putt – Mike Johnson

Hole 3 Closest to Pin – One of the 2 Jon’s….(Oehrlin or Sitkiewitz…??)

Hole 4 Closes Approach – Gaile Misiak

Hole 5 Closest to Pin – Joanne Long

Hole 6 Long Drive Men’s – Mike “Boom-Boom” Ottusch

Hole 7 Long Drive Women’s – Julie Ford

Hole 8 Closest To Pin – No one on the green…pretty sad actually!

Hole 9 Longest Putt – Kath Wilson

Dinner followed the awards ceremony. We had a total of 42 people join us for the buffet dinner. Special thanks to Joanne Long, Lou Ann Piotrowski, and the Kannas’s for desserts!

Also, thanks to those local businesses and individuals that donated prizes including; The Wine Barn, Smokey’s, Pea Patch, The Bear Bar, Harris Lake Association, Trout Lake Golf Course, Bill Heins, and Matt Ottusch.

See you next year!!

The loss of shoreline for us this year was dramatic, especially on the west shore due to high water & wave action this spring.  I have lost shoreline on my lake front right up to the “ice ridge”  by my dock.  One of the things that we can do to stabilize our shoreline is with native wildflowers, grasses & sedges.  This is an effective step to prevent erosion.  I have come across a great Wisconsin company that I personally have used to plant native wildflowers & grasses on my mound system.
Among the many seed mixes & plants that they offer, one is designed for erosion control using native wildflowers & grasses.  These mixes have been specifically designed to provide rapid vegetative cover & long term soil stabilization.  These mixes provide quick cover in combination with deep-rooted perennials to hold the soil for decades to come.    I would recommend that you order their catalog.  The name of the company is Prairie Nursery in Westfield, WI..  You can call them at 1-800-476-9453 or go online www.prairienursery.com to request their catalog.

Volunteer boat inspectors are true conservationists

As aquatic invasive species (AIS) become an increasing threat to water quality, fisheries, recreation and property values across the lake country of Vilas and Oneida counties, we are fortunate that hundreds of true conservationists have stepped forward to protect our lakes.

The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reports that 5,112 hours were logged by volunteer boat inspectors during 2008, accounting for an incredible 44% of the total volunteer effort in Wisconsin.

The volunteers who have been trained in the Clean Boats Clean Waters program are certified to inspect boats, collect data and share vital awareness information with boat owners. In the battle against AIS, they are warriors who’ve chosen to put themselves on the front lines.

Because of their dedication and hard work, we know vital information — like that 16% of boats had plants attached when arriving at the landing and that 25% of the boats had been in another water body in the previous five days.  Those statistics really illustrate the importance of having trained inspectors who can effectively approach people who are recreating, inspect their boats and gain their support.

The program meant the inspection of a record 41,656 boats across the state — and some of those boats and trailers contained Eurasian water milfoil and other invasives that threatened to take up residence in a new water body. A total of 91,706 people were contacted about the Clean Boats Clean Waters message.

All is not well with the program, however, as last year’s effort was only three-quarters of what volunteers did in 2007. Some of that might be due to past effectiveness of the program, as 92% of boats had inspected their equipment for plants prior to their arrival. Some of it is due to a shift in volunteer efforts to lake monitoring for early detection. Some of it is probably due to burnout.

Anglers, boaters and the public in general should be extremely supportive of the volunteer program because it is staffed by common citizens who care about the state’s resources. They are the front line of defense in a fight where prevention is the most effective, least costly alternative.