June 14:

Speaker & Title of Program:  Sharon Natzel, Hubbard County COLA (Coalition of Lake Associations)

Main points of program: COLA was formed in 1988 and is made up of 29 lake associations with 2100 members.  Its mission is “to protect and enhance the quality of our lakes and rivers, preserve the economic, recreational and natural environmental values of our shore lands and promote the responsible use of our waters and related habitats.”  In Hubbard Co. there are 4 major and 89 minor watersheds; 20% of land is affected by waters.  If you have a driveway, you have “shoreline” as water runs down it to the lakes. COLA coordinates volunteer lake water sampling up to $220/season.  Sharon highlighted Portage Lake and its successful efforts to increase the water quality by managing curly leaf pondweed and septic system upgrades.  Secchi disks are used to monitor the depth of clear water.  She emphasized boat care … Drain, Dry, Decontaminate.  Ways to help keep lakes clear include keeping leaves off, using rain gardens and buffers w/o mowing in yards, seeding with deep rooted grasses, limiting pesticides and having good septic system maintenance.  She closed with “What we each do on land and in our lives can improve or impair our waters.”  The next COLA meeting is June 29, 6 pm, Northwoods Bank.  All interested in preserving our lakes are encouraged to attend; you don’t have to be a member of a lake association.  For more information:  www.hubbardcolamn.org.