In the beginning…..
In mid-2020, a group of interested neighbors began chatting about the need for and possibilities of resurrecting the lake association in hopes of helping make our lake community the best it can be. After several discussions, the decision was made to proceed with the restarting of the association. A gathering of neighbors was held at the Channel Inn on August 7, 2020 with approximately 50 people in attendance. Discussion focused on identifying the top issues that could be addressed by a formal association. The top 3 were identified as Weed Control, Cormorant Control and Dredging. All were in favor of establishing a lake association board.
Board Update
The CWLA board was formed in late 2020. A huge thank you to the following people who volunteered to be on the board to help steer the direction of our association:
Tony Langerud, Chair
Keith Valentyn, Vice Chair
Mel Canfield, Treasurer
Tim Mathre, Secretary
Brian Schultz, board member
James Scholljegerdes, board member
Jay Voegele, board member
Tim Clark, board member
Pete DeGrood, member
Membership Update
Currently have 117 members in the lake association. Membership is open to ANYONE who has an interest in helping our lake community be the best it can be. 2020 Membership Dues were $50 per household. The board is currently working on establishing what the dues will be for 2021 based on upcoming projects and plans.
Project Update
Cormorant Shoot: The board coordinated this effort by working with land owners, federal officials and membership. A shoot was completed on May 4, 2021. The day ended with reducing the cormorant population by 1000+ birds. The overall cost of this project was approximately $5000. A special thanks to Mel Canfield for coordinating this important project that will need to be on-going moving forward.
Weed Harvest and Control: The second significant project of 2021 was our weed control and harvest project. After a few unexpected bumps, we were able to secure a harvester out of Orr, MN. Lakes Aquatic Weed Removal started harvesting on July 15 and completed the project on July 18. 45 property owners had weeds harvested individually and 8 acres of pathways were cleared as well. The total cost of this project was approximately $30,500. A huge thank you to Tim Mathre for coordinating this comprehensive project as well as a special thank you to Augie Borchert who did a tremendous job handling the transporting duties all weekend and Bill Cook for his assistant on site. This effort will need to be an annual project as well until we can get the weed population a bit more under control.
CWLA Website: A Cannon Wells Lake Association website has been designed and is now live at www.cwlakes.com. This will be our main communication hub for all things CWLA. The site is not a finished project but will continue to be developed and evolve. Thank you to James Scholljegerdes all his work on spearheading this effort. In addition, a great bit shout out to Holly Sobrack, owner of Westbrack Marketing, for her expertise and donation of the website design.
CWLA Summer Fundraiser: A great event to build community as well as generate funds for CWLA was held on Saturday, June 19 at the Channel Inn. It was a great day full of fun, food, fellowship and fundraising. Food and supplies were donated by The Channel Inn, Doc’s Dock and Tony Langerud State Farm. With these donations, 20+ volunteers and a great crowd, CWLA was fortunate to generate over $5800 which was incredibly helpful in funding current projects. A special thank you to Michelle Voegele, Lori Schultz and the rest of the Team of 20+ volunteers. This was a great day and perfect start to what is sure to be an annual event.
CWLA Signage: The board is evaluating options for information signage at the lake access points for both lakes. Stay tuned…. Thank you to Keith Valentyn and his supervisor, Diane, for taking the lead on this one.
Financial Update
Waiting for information from Mel…….
A look ahead….
Expanding our membership base.
Cormorant Shoot 2022.
Weed harvest 2022.
Contractor is scheduled. Date to be determined.
Researching availability of grants and other funding sources to help with this effort.
Evaluating the benefits of hiring a firm to conduct a thorough inspection of our lakes community and developing a lake improvement plan. Blue Water Science is the firm we have connected with on this; this firm was recommended to us by the Circle Lake Association.
This would provide an excellent foundation for long term planning.
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