1. No category

News
Spring 2015
The Newman Lake Property Owners Association (NLPOA) is a volunteer organization promoting the continued
improvement of water quality, protection of the Watershed, and enhancement of the quality of life at Newman
Lake through education, visionary leadership, and community involvement of current and future generations.
Calendar of Events
April 18
Annual Newman Lake Cleanup Day
8-9 a.m.—Pick up bags and gloves at the
Public Boat Launch on the east side of
the lake.
10:30-12 Free Lunch—at Tri-Community
Grange immediately after the Clean-Up.
9 a.m.-1p.m. Blood Drive mobile
will be at the Tri-Community Grange.
10-3p.m. Drop off your clean green yard
waste for free at the Fire Station on West
Newman Lake road.
Saturday, April 18
NLPOA Annual
Spring Clean Up Day
May 4
June 24
See details in the Events Calendar or
call Wendy at 226-0616 for more information.
Newman Lake Fire Auxiliary meeting
6:30p.m. at Tri Community Grange and
usually every 1st Monday of the month.
Newman Lake Property Owners
Association Summer Meeting.
6:30-8:30 p.m. at Tri-Community Grange
•NLPOA board elections
Mark your calendars and ask your friends,
relatives and neighbors to join us! We promise you
will meet a new lake friend...or 2.
• A talk on the McKenzie Conservation
Area geology presented by Andy
Buddington, Spokane Community
College Earth Science instructor.
We supply beverages hotdogs, and all the trimmings.
If you can, bring a dessert to share!
July 15
Thank You Sunshine Disposal and Recycling
For disposing of all the trash we will pick up.
We appreciate your help.
Newman Lake Flood Control Zone
District Summer Meeting
6:30-8:30 p.m. at Tri-Community Grange
July 20
Newman Lake 25k and 5k Run.
[email protected] for info
July 21
Newman Lake Muskie Fishing
Tournament
[email protected] for info
!!
2013 NLPOA Officers
NLPOA Board Members
President: Craig Aldworth, 747-0100
Vice-President: Kelli Lemley, 990-8797
Secretary: Staci Lehman, 230-2812
Treasurer: Bob Takai, 226-0294
Linda Underwood, 226-0775
Staci Lehman, 230-2812
Karen Stebbins, 869-0344
Lorne Burley, 226-0616
Wendy Burley, 226-0616
Kelli Lemley, 990-8797
Bob Takai, 226-0294
Visit the website for other Newman
Lake Community contacts,
www.NewmanLakeWa.com
Community
News
The NEW Newman Lake Fire Station
The station re-bid will be opened on April 14th at
3:00 pm at fire station #1.
The Ground Breaking Ceremony will be on April 25th
at 11:00 am at the new site. The fire auxiliary will
provide all setup, decorations and food.
If all goes well, we should break ground the first
week of May.
Newman Lake Fire Auxiliary
BLOOD DRIVE
About NLFR: Of the 26 member roster, 24 are
volunteers, and 15 are EMTs. Emergency Medical
Service calls average 60-70% of all calls.
For more information about the bond, visit
http://newmanlakefire.com,
or call the station at 224-1482.
During the Newman Lake Clean-Up Day.
Saturday,
April
2618
Saturday,
April
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Grange
Hall
Grange
Hall
Make appointment with
Make appointment with
Linda
LindaRivers,
Rivers 509-991-7106
991-7106
inbsaves.org
ororinbcsaves.org!
(UseUse
sponsor
code:
NewmanFireAxili)
Sponsor Code:
NewmanLakeFireAuxili
Traffic Safety Town Hall Meeting
The Tri-Community Grange, located just north of
Trent Avenue off Starr Road, recently put out a call
for new members to bolster the decreasing membership, and got a good response. Several new
members have been sworn in over the past few
months. Now lots of good ideas are being discussed and new activities and causes are being
taken up.
(WSDOT) Engineer Harold White, P.E.
• Superintendent of East Valley School District
Thomas Gresch
• East Valley School District Transportation
Supervisor Lorri Smith
The Grange membership is hosting a Newman
Lake Town Hall Meeting at the Grange (25025 E.
Healther) on Tuesday, April 21 from 7-8:30 p.m. to
discuss traffic safety and calming strategies for the
Trent Ave. (SR 290) and Starr Road intersection.
• Washington State Patrol representatives
Please join residents and officials for a discussion about traffic concerns and issues at this busy
intersection. A number of local officials, listed below,
have been invited to discuss the topic and possibly
offer solutions.
• Local businesses owners and managers
• Washington State Senator Mike Padden
• Washington State Representative Bob McCaslin
• Spokane County Commissioner Todd Mielke
• Washington State Department of Transportation
• Spokane County Sherriff’s Department representatives
• Spokane Valley Fire Department representatives
Work will be done to repair the surface of Trent this
summer, from Sullivan past Starr Road. If safety
measures are to be implemented, it is a good time
to do them while the WSDOT already has work
underway. For more information contact Tri-Community Grange member Denise Smart at 509-2265334.
Don’t forget
your Boater
Education Card
In 2005, Washington joined 36 other states in requiring
boaters to carry a Boater Education card when operating a boat with 15 horsepower or greater (including
personal watercraft). Although the law does not require
the operator of manually powered boats such as canoes, kayaks, rowboats, drift boats and sail-only boats
to carry a card, one is recommended for all boat operators. Check the Revised Code of Washington (RCW)
79A.60.640 for other exemptions.
Failure to carry the card while
operating a boat is penalized
by an $87 fine.
The Washington law has a phased-in period for compliance. This year the card requirement applies to all
operators 59 years and younger. After 2015 all boaters
born after Jan 1, 1955 are required to have the card.
The law requires all boaters take a Boater Education
course or pass an equivalency exam. Boater Education
courses are listed online at http://www.parks.wa.gov/
boating/boatered/. The online coarse fee is $29.50.
Boaters who have completed a National Association
of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) course
and passed the course exam may operate a motorboat
for up to 60 consecutive days with a dated Certificate
of Course Completion. It is recommended that boaters
immediately apply for their Boater Education Card after
completing a course.
To obtain the card, fill out a Boater Education Card application (downloaded from the same website) and send
it in with a copy of the course completion certificate and
a $10.50 check or money order. Once your application,
check and supporting documents are received, it takes
between four and six weeks to process. Do it now so
that you have your card by this summer!
The Boater Education Card is not like a driver’s license.
It is obtained once and is good for your lifetime. All
states that have mandatory boater education requirements will accept a Washington Boater Education Card.
If you lose your card you can get a replacement card for
$5 from the website.
NewmanLakeWA.com Community Website
The email list:
Visit the website and sign up to receive community
email updates about events and happenings at
Newman Lake.
• Is used to share information on milfoil and the ability
to treat it privately and raise money for milfoil control
in public efforts. This helped raise $8000 and
a matching grant from Washington Dept. of
Ecology in 2014.
In an effort to encourage communication and information sharing among the residents and users of the
Newman Lake community, Tom and Karen Stebbins
have created a community website and database of
email addresses for the people who live or have cabins
or property in the area. We’re asking that you submit
your email address on the website newsletter list to
help complete this directory of residents, property owners and lake users.
The email database helps get the word out quickly,
affordably and efficiently in the event that information
needs to be distributed. For instance, when homes
were being broken into on the peninsula, word was
spread through the email distribution list so recipients
could keep an eye out for suspicious activity. Otherwise, many people would never have known about the
crimes and the need to be vigilant.
• Is used to announce events and activities from all
organizations of Newman Lake that are of general
interest.
• It will not be used to send sales pitches or spam
to your email, flood your inbox with notices or be
shared with anyone asking for email addresses.
• If you haven’t already been receiving periodic email
updates and you would like to, please go to
www.NewmanLakeWA.com and sign up for the
enewsletter located at the top right of the page in
yellow. Its free and easy and puts you in the know
on all things Newman Lake.
email [email protected] if you have
announcements, events or something you’d like
to see sent out to the community.
The 14th Annual Regional Lakes Conference
Submitted by Wendy and Lorne Burley
The 14th Annual Regional Lakes Conference was held on February 7, 2015 at Spokane Community College. Approximately 100 people were in attendance, representing most of the area
lakes, State and local agencies, lake consultants, water treatment and control companies, and
some others that came for the yummy food! This conference is always a useful informative tool
for anyone interested in lakes and the environment.
Lake Pend Oreille TMDL – 5 year review
Kristin Larson and Robert Steed,
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ),
presenters
The information and results are for lake monitoring
studies conducted at Lake Pend Oreille, located in
north Idaho.
DEQ has been conducting TMDL (Total Maximum Daily
Load) studies at Lake Pend Orielle in order to accumulate base data on existing water conditions. The studies
have been interrupted over the past decade depending
on availability of funding sources. This data is critical for
determining future steps to improve lake water quality
Lake Pend Orielle is a large lake with a maximum depth
of approximately 1100 feet in the south portion. The
north portion is considerably shallower than the south
portion and is of great interest from a data monitoring
standpoint. The watershed basin feeding into the lake
is almost 800,000 acres with major contributions from
the Clark Fork River. The TMDL studies took a unique
approach and assumed that most nutrient contributions are from near shoreline sources, and not from river
sources. An overall target of 9 mg/liter and an action
threshold target of 12 mg/liter of total phosphorus were
set for the TMDL.
A total of 6 monitoring sites were set up for data recording. The sites were spread out in the south, mid
transition and north portions. Data points were taken for
temperature, total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, and
water clarity. The overall water clarity has declined in all
portions of the lake, but there are distinct differences in
the water quality monitoring results between the shallower north portions and the deeper south portions.
The total phosphorus levels are higher in the shallower
north portions, and generally the TMDL targets have
not been met. The total phosphorus levels are lower
in the deeper south portions, and generally the TMDL
targets have been met. With these monitoring results,
future study efforts will be focused on the shallower
north portions of the lake, depending on available funding. Avista Utilities has been a major source of fund-
ing for the TMDL studies and DEQ is hopeful that this
source continues, along with funds from the State of
Idaho and the EPA
A Lake Pend Orielle TMDL Implementation Committee has been formed and meets monthly in Sandpoint,
Idaho each month to discuss future ideas on reducing
phosphorus input loads.
What Landowners can do for Aquatic Scientists:
the Lake Fernan Experience
Trea LaCroix and Frank Wilhelm,
University of Idaho, presenters
Fernan Lake is a small, shallow inlet lake that has a
stream outlet to Lake Coeur d’ Alene. Due to low outlet
flows in the summer season and the shallow average
depth (26 feet), Fernan Lake experiences frequent and
undesirable blue-green algae blooms.
Approximately 60% of bottom sediments and 75% of
the total phosphorus are retained due to the lake configuration and outlet condition, thus contributing to the
poor water quality.
The U of I scientists are currently undertaking a water
quality study and collecting data in order to help formulate future recommendations. Trea and Frank both
emphasized the need for high quality data for sound
decision making as well as gathering as much data as
possible. They also pointed out that good access to the
lake and streams is vital and that local property owners
are a critical part of the data gathering process.
Getting local residents and property owners involved in
this process is always the best thing if possible since
they can contribute a great deal of information with
daily observations of environmental conditions. If communications are a 2-way process between the scientists and the residents, it is usually a win-win result for
both sides.
The results of this water quality study will be published
in the future after data collection efforts are complete.
Soil Tests for Clean Water: Extension Lab vs. DIY
Test Kits
Jim Ekins, University of Idaho Extension, presenter
Jim discussed his recent study to determine the accuracy of soil test results between the U of I Extension Lab as compared to those from off-the-shelf,
do-it-yourself (DIY) soil test kits. Three DIY kits were
purchased to test total phosphorus, pH, nitrates, and
potassium levels. The DIY kits gave fairly consistent
results, but the pH readings were generally higher that
the Lab test results, the nitrate and potassium readings
were generally lower that the Lab test results. Jim said
that some of the differences may be due to the type of
light that the DIY kits were exposed to since the readings are compared to color card samples.
The best use of the DIY soil test kit for a lakeside property owner is to periodically monitor the levels of shoreline nutrients such as from lawn fertilizers and septic
tank drainfields to decide if any issues exist that need to
be corrected.
Updated Methods of Bathymetric Monitoring
Tom McNabb from Clean Lakes, Inc., presenter
Tom explained that hydro-acoustic equipment can
now be utilized for more accurate calculations of lake
volumes, to measure bottom density, to detect vegetation for treatment programs, and to do fish surveys. For
most lake measuring programs, a GIS grid is first established for mapping and creating a contour (bathymetric)
map of the lake. Once the contour map is created, the
water volume and bottom sediment volume can be
calculated for use in water quality data analysis. This is
the process that WSU will be undertaking for Newman
Lake.
Detection of lake vegetation, especially eurasian milfoil, is one of the most important results of bathymetric
monitoring. This was recently done at Lake Coeur d’
Alene. With this equipment, the percentage of coverage
and bio-volume can be determined both before and
after control treatments. With this information, the effectiveness of milfoil control treatments can be analyzed
and adjustments made as required.
A New Approach
to Milfoil Management
on Liberty Lake
Jeremy Jenkins,
Liberty Lake Sewer and Water District, presenter
Jeremy described the successful management efforts over the past 18 years to control eurasion milfoil
at Liberty Lake. They have utilized a combination of
chemicals and hand harvesting with divers since 1995
with good results. Since 2013, only about 15 acres
have been required to be chemically treated, with diver
harvesting limited to only 1 to 2 acres. Most of the
infested areas are near the shoreline around dock areas
and boats. These areas have been difficult to treat effectively in the past with typical application methods, so
the District is trying out a new and creative system.
The new system consists of a vortex blower spreader
similar to a leaf blower which can control both the
quantity and spread of the chemical spray. In actual use
last year, Jeremy said that the distribution was controlled easily around the dock areas. One of the benefits
realized with this system was that a reduced application
rate was possible with good results. The downside is
that the application time is greater than with standard
application methods, so only smaller treatment areas
should be considered with this method.
Aquatic Vegetation Control — there is a Permit
Mike Hepp, WA Department of Ecology,
and Aaron Brown,
WA Department of Agriculture, presenter
Mike emphasized that property owners be sure they
acquire a permit before applying any chemicals on any
water weeds in front of their shorelines and in the lake.
All chemicals that are effective on milfoil and other unwanted weeds require that they be applied by licensed
applicators. Landowners on other lakes have attempted
to this on their own and have been fined after being
reported by their neighbors or other property owners on
the lake. The fines can be quite substantial.
The Regional Lakes Conference is sponsored by
a number of local lakes, businesses, and State
agencies. It is invaluable for sharing information among
these same homeowners, businesses and agencies.
The conference is free and you will be notified by e-mail
of next year’s conference if you are on the conference
attendance list.
What did we learn at this informative
conference? The most important thing that we all
learned is that most of our lakes have similar types of
problems to contend with and that ongoing efforts will
always be necessary to maintain good water quality.
The second most important thing is that it was a fun
conference with a lot of great lake people to talk to
— and the food was pretty tasty. You can’t beat that
combination!
Finally, special thanks must go to Jeremy Jenkins
of the Liberty Lake Water and Sewer District for
organizing this wonderful forum for the lakes in
our region.
Moose calf statistics: At the time of capture 21 cows
had calves; two of these cows had twins. 79% of the
cows were pregnant. During summer 2014, staff documented calves produced by 16 of the 25 adult cows
that survived winter 2013-14, two of which had twins.
Survival of calves through summer 2014 was high: 17
of 18 were estimated to have survived through August
2014. As of early January 2015, evidence suggested
the loss of a total of 6 calves (5 north, 1 south) from the
total 18 monitored.
Collared moose about to return to her calf.
Moose data was provided by local WDFW moose
biologist Jared Oyster.
Northeast
Washington
Moose Study
Update.
During December 2014 the Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife continued their study of cow moose
health and reproduction; the first round was in December 2013. A north study area was in the region of
the 49 Degree North ski area and a south study area
was in our Newman Lake watershed and Mt Spokane;
these two areas are separated by Highway 2. Using a
helicopter to locate and darting for sedation, over the
two sessions 51 cows were radio collared (26 north
and 25 south). The age of 36 cows was determined
by an extracted tooth and ranged from yearling to 10
years with an average of 5.3 years. There have been 5
deaths of collared moose. One was legally harvested by
a licensed hunter in Oct 2014, three died from unspecified natural causes from March to Oct 2014, and one
died of undetermined cause in Dec 2014.
Accumulated locations (black dots) of 51 adult female
moose collared since December 2013. For every deployed collar, GPS locations are taken every 23 hours.
Accumulated locations (red dots) of 51
adult female moose collared since December 2013. For every deployed collar, GPS
locations are taken every 23 hours.
2015 Milfoil Control Schedule
Adopt-A-Shoreline Program
May—Spokane County staff will conduct a shoreline
survey to document milfoil infestations. If you suspect
milfoil off your beach contact Karen Kruger at (509)
477-7262 or by email at [email protected]
and County staff will come by to make a positive identification. This is important since native aquatic plants
discourage the spread of milfoil infestations and should
only be removed under a Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife permit.
In 2012/2013 the Newman Lake Community raised
$11,000 for milfoil control. Spokane County staff was
able to leverage this as “local match” to obtain state
milfoil control removal grants that have funded treatments for the last three years.
June—Spokane County will coordinate an aquatic
herbicide treatment of 25 acres at various points
around the lake. The public boat lauch will be closed
the day of the application. Check with Karen Kruger
(see contact info above) to confirm herbicide application dates. Small infestations may be removed with
alternattive strategies such as diver suction weeding
or with mats laid on the lake bottom.
The Adopt-A-Shoreline program provides lakeshore
owners a means to participate in controlling the Eurasian milfoil off their dock or beach, either by contributing to the herbicide treatment or by selecting and
installing alternative measures.
The Adopt-A-Shoreline program will be discussed
at the Newman Lake Flood Control District annual
summer meeting on Wednesday, July 15th at the
Tri-Community Grange. For more information contact Karen Kruger at (509) 477-7262 or by email at
[email protected].
September—Milfoil infestations found during the
summer will be treated with District funds and/or
Adopt-A-Shoreline funds after Labor day.
Embers by the Lake
Open Wednesday through Sunday
4:00 PM to 10:00 PM
208-262-8219
Last summer an artisan pizza restaurant, Embers by the
Lake, opened at the old “Chef in the Forest” location on
Hauser Lake. On a recent Saturday evening the place
was hopping.
The local crowd was chowing down on the 13 varieties
of wood fired pizza. If you can’t decide, you can build
your own. We settled on two, half and half pizzas allowing us to sample four different toppings. Chris Hammons, who runs the place with his wife, Jane, personally slid our pizzas into the brick oven. We grabbed a seat
at the bar and chewed on two Irish Death microbrews.
The pizzas arrived shortly, piping hot, gooey with a
crisp, thin crust. We recommend bringing your appetite and a few friends. However, due to the deserved
popularity, it would be wise to call in reservations on the
weekend. - Craig Aldworth
Please help support the Newman Lake Property Owners Association
Please pay your $10 annual dues in order to support NLPOA activities such as the Annual Clean-Up Day,
water quality testing, milfoil surveys, this newsletter and more!
Mail your dues and this form to:
NLPOA
P.O. Box 83
Newman Lake, WA 99025-0083
Name:
Mailing Address:
Email Address
Your e-mail will be used to cost effectively deliver future editions of this newsletter and other
notices or announcements pertaining to activities at Newman Lake. Your email address will not be
sold or used to send spam.
Phone:
✘ MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE TWO DATES!
• The annual NLPOA Clean-Up Day—Saturday, April 18, 2015
• The annual NLPOA Summer Meeting—Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Bring your annual dues to either event or drop off a check with
Kelli Lemley at the Sweet Tooth Bakery on Trent Avenue.
NLPOA
P.O. Box 83
Newman Lake, WA 99025-0083