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Incredibly, in 2001, the slalom water -ski course was again in use, but it was rigged to submerge when not in
<br />use, to keep it hidden from view. The course was also used in 2000 but it is so isolated and wild back there that
<br />wobody noticed. When confronted in 2001, they said there was no agreement and they could do anything they
<br />anted. They flatly refused to stop using the course. The meeting with experts in 1999 and the agreement
<br />obviously didn't mean a thing and their insistence on an informal agreement seemed to be a trick. The March
<br />2002 issue of the The Hugonian newspaper reported the attitude of the ski course owner, "For Lindner, moving
<br />the slalom course isn't an option." It is absolutely clear that informal agreements are totally useless.
<br />Beneficial native coontail aquatic plants in the course roughly 2,000 feet by 200 feet (400,000 square feet !!)
<br />were destroyed (Fig 1). In addition, the bottom is a very fine silty mud only 3 or 4 feet deep and the powerful
<br />high speed ski boat used in the slalom water -ski course kicked up sediment suspending huge amounts of
<br />nutrients in the water. Huge lake wide pea soup algae blooms were terrible. Coontail, normally never seen in the
<br />south part of the lake was all over the lake in large mats. The Metropolitan Council assessment of the water
<br />quality was "The lake's 2001 water quality was its worst recorded to date."
<br />Every single black - crowned night heron left. The entire species was wiped out from the island. Great blue heron
<br />nesting failed for the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. There were reports of activity in 2000. In 2001, the course
<br />was used heavily all summer. In 2002, there were reports of a high speed boat near the heron rookery on April
<br />15, at ice out, a particularly sensitive time for the herons.
<br />With great effort, a no -wake zone was established on June 11, 2002, too late for the 2002 season. In 2003, with
<br />the no -wake zone in force the whole 2003 season, water quality returned. Normally, the lake has multiple algae
<br />blooms throughout the summer, but in 2003, with the no -wake zone in effect, there was only one algae bloom,
<br />which is very good for Peltier Lake. In addition, several hundred great blue herons returned, successfully nested
<br />4fgd produced young. This was the first successful nesting in 3 years. Experts thought 3 years of failure in a row
<br />ry grave, but the no -wake zone may have done the trick. It is possible that there are other factors affecting the
<br />herons, but it is clear that high speed boats near the island disturbs the birds. I was with a DNR expert once and
<br />we witnessed that. It is also crystal clear that before 1998, black - crowned night herons were all over and nested
<br />on the island. The year after the slalom water -ski course was established, every single black - crowned night
<br />heron vanished. The black - crowned night herons are particularly sensitive to disturbance because they forage at
<br />night and roost in the daytime. Daytime disturbance such as use of a slalom water -ski course looks like it made
<br />them leave for good. The timing and cause and effect on the black - crowned night herons total disappearance is
<br />very difficult to explain any other way than human disturbance. There have been no sightings of black - crowned
<br />night herons since the slalom water -ski activity began.
<br />Even if there were no birds on the island, the plants and sediments in that sensitive part of the lake must be
<br />protected with a no -wake zone. The water quality of the lake is the most important aspect. There are people who
<br />just don't care and there could be others who do not understand. For everybody's benefit, the sensitive
<br />environment needs protection.
<br />The following groups and individuals have written letters stating the need for permanent formal protection:
<br />Minnesota DNR, Anoka County Parks, Rice Creek Watershed District, former Anoka County Commissioner
<br />Margarat Langfeld, current Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah, Minnesota Ornithologist's Union,
<br />Director of Bell Museum of Natural History, St Paul Audubon Society, the City of Centerville, and the
<br />Minnesota Lakes Association. The Minnesota Lakes Association is the only statewide 50103 non - profit
<br />organization working to protect and improve the quality of Minnesota's lakes. In early 2003, with many still
<br />uninformed, the Peltier Lake Association polled its 40 members and found 27 for the no -wake zone 6 against it,
<br />•nd the rest did not return the survey card. The support FOR the no -wake zone is overwhelming.
<br />PLEASE MAKE THE NO -WAKE ZONE PERMANENT.
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