04/07/2004 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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• To: The City of Lino Lakes A Community Treasure, Peltier Lake, DESPARATELY Needs Your Help Summary Government has demonstrated its effectiveness! It has stopped the destruction and abuse of an environmentally sensitive area in Peltier Lake by establishing a no -wake zone protection ordinance. Water quality has improved and wildlife is less threatened. However, this protection could be terminated because the City of Lino Lakes has a sunset clause that terminates their ordinance in 2004. The City of Centerville has the same ordinance but it is permanent. If the ordinance is not made permanent in Lino Lakes, Peltier Lake will almost surely face renewed damage and environmental abuse from a couple people waiting to resume damaging activity. PLEASE MAKE THE NO -WAKE ZONE ORDINANCE PERMANENT. Before 1998, there used to be more than 2,000 great blue herons, many black - crowned night herons and other birds on a large island in Peltier Lake. The area around and north of the island was thick with beneficial native mostly coontail aquatic plants. People respected the north area of the lake because it was shallow (only 3 or 4 feet deep), filled with aquatic plants, and home to thousands of birds. People used the south half of the lake for fishing and boating where it is deeper and mostly does not have aquatic plants. Very few people ventured north of the island, but those that did, did so slowly. The northern area of Peltier Lake is essentially wilderness. ,. Griot :pl or ?r, qi rFhdtou e. •ig 1. Ripped Out Native Beneficial Vegetation from Slalom Water -ski Course. Note CCW Turn around at Right. In 1998, a person set up a slalom water -ski course right next to the heron rookery and in the middle of the native coontail vegetation. This is the first time anyone had gone in this isolated area in a big way. Because there was great concern for the environment and the heron numbers seemed down, the Peltier Lake Association gathered experts and officials from Anoka County Parks, the Minnesota DNR, the city of Lino Lakes, the city of Centerville, and the sheriff. A large number of lake association people attended including the ski course owner. In a two hour meeting, experts explained the area was ecologically rare and sensitive. An agreement was reached and documented by Anoka Parks to stop water skiing by the island and north to protect the aquatic plants, herons and the environment. The ski course owner insisted the agreement be "informal." 1