What is the Association?
The Turtle Lake Protective and Improvement Association is in existence to promote the well-being of Turtle Lake for the enjoyment of local homeowners and visitors alike. Existing only on the yearly dues of local homeowners and occasional grants from the state or township, the Association, comprised of a handful of dedicated volunteers, continues to do all it can to keep the lake clean and safe.
Various duties include such things as buoy placement and stocking of fish in the lake. In recent years we've led the fight to stop the campground expansion project on the south-west side of the lake that would have greatly increased boat traffic, donated legal funds to help fight the "documinium" project on Lake Geneva that could spread to Turtle, kept the membership apprized of details on the proposed sewer project, started the Neighborhood watch program and made valiant strides to eliminate the dreaded Milfoil weed (more details elsewhere!), which, if left un-checked, could choke the lake making it impassible to boats.
The Association is open to all who use and enjoy the lake, and more volunteers are always needed. Our annual meeting is scheduled to take place Saturday July 15th at the Richmond Township Building (go west on "A" past 87, big building on north side of road), where the board will update the membership on ongoing projects. Read below for more information on the meeting.
Currently the board of directors is comprised of the following people:
Jerry Gorby President
Cheryl Mitacek Vice-President
Linda Kaye-Witt Secretary
Judy Jaeger Treasurer
Pat Carroll Past-President
Directors Carol Gorby Pam Paul
Don Trottier Pat Melady Mary Bass
The nominating committee headed by past-president Pat Carroll is looking for more names to fill the board. A volunteer from the campgrounds would be a terrific addition. Interested parties should contact Pat at (262)728-3718 or pcarroll@idcnet.com
Milfoil Update
Thanks to the efforts of a large group of volunteers headed by Dick
and Elaine Gronert, a big dent was put in the Milfoil problem last August.
Working early one Sunday morning before boats started stirring up the lake
bottom, a fleet of water craft converged on the channel. Armed with rakes,
they began pulling Milfoil from around the docks. Curious campers soon
joined in (special thanks to them!). Working together, bucket after
bucket of the dangerous weed were sent back to shore to be burned.
Success in this battle will be short-lived if ALL lake users don't keep a sharp eye out for the distinctive fan-shaped leaves. When pulled, the leaves mat together making the plant look almost bare. Use care when pulling the weed as it can easily splinter, possibly spreading seeds into the water.
Many other lakes have been almost shutdown because of the non-native Milfoil infestation. The weed grows rapidly in shallow areas and shorelines, choking out the beneficial native plants and eliminating spawning areas for fish.
Remember to always rinse your boat before trailering, and double check for any straggler weeds stuck in wheelwells or under the frame of the trailer. This is doubly important as the Zebra Mussel has been sighted in Lake Geneva, and swimmers there have to wear shoes to avoid painful cuts from the sharp shells.
Sometime before the end of May, the DNR will be spraying a defoliant
on the Milfoil. Paid for by a grant from Richmond Township, this will go
a long way towards eliminating the weed.
It is critical for all boats by the campsites to be removed from their docks, especially in the channel.
As soon as the board knows when the spraying will occur, we will notify the owners of the campgrounds. As much of an inconvenience as this will be, removing all boats from the area will allow for a more complete coverage of the weed killer.
In the past few years, the State of Wisconsin has began regulating
various license required activities such as hunting by requiring a safety
course for all applicants. While in conversation with Deputy Johnson about
the rules of the water, the Deputy strongly implied that this will happen
VERY soon for motorized boating.
In the near future, all drivers of motorized boats will be required to complete a water safety course and carry with them a certificate of completion. The law would be in effect for all drivers born after a certain year (going back perhaps 30 -35 years). In addition, purchasing a new boat will also require a certificate of completion.
There is no expected date when this will go into effect, but in anticipation of this becoming law, many townships and counties have begun offering the course. The Township of Geneva is offering the course on June 23-25, July 14-16 and August 4-6. It is $10 and covers the complete gamut of water and boating safety. You must be 10 years old to take the course. Walworth County will also be providing the course, but as of May 10th, no dates were known.
Currently, a young driver must be 16 years old to drive a boat without an adult. If a teenager has completed the safety course he or she may pilot a boat at 12 years of age. This will still apply if the law goes into effect.
Buoy day/Spring meeting of the board
May 6th marked the official start of the boating season when around 15 volunteers fired up their engines at seven in the morning and headed out across the lake to drop in the no-wake buoys. Taking advantage of the calm waters early in the day, the rag-tag group of boats picked up their heavy cargo of buoys and anchors from their storage and began dropping them about 100' from shore. Not only do the buoys mark the edge of the no-wake zone, they also warn boaters of shallow areas around the channel and the south side of the lake.
At first glance, it may seem like the volunteers were drinking more than coffee while dropping the buoys, as the markers seem to zig-zag all over the place. Thanks to Dick Gronert, they will soon be in their correct position. In addition, no one took any mis-steps off the sides of any boats this year.
Finishing their dirty job, the boats docked back at the Mitacek's pier to enjoy a donut and settle down for the spring meeting of the Turtle Lake Association board of directors and interested members. First on the agenda was the unfortunate resignation of current president Jerry Gorby. Expressing his regret, he informed the board that his current work schedule precludes fulfilling his duties as he sees fit. The Board wishes to thank Jerry for his time over many years, and looks forward to working with him again soon. Rob Kaye was volunteered for the position of President, and with the voting approval of the membership, will begin his term at the annual meeting.
Following was a Milfoil update from Elaine Gronert (see page 1 for more details). The date of the annual meeting was decided on (also page 1) and reports were made on the disposition of the wetlands on the south side of the lake, along with ideas to increase membership and interest in the lake association. This newsletter is step one. All of this was decided to be included as agenda items for the annual meeting.
Paul & Linda Kaye-Witt just purchased a new engine for their float-boat. No more being stranded in the middle of the lake!
Rob and Donna Kaye would like to welcome their new arrival, Payton Darren. Kaye. He was born on Feb. 23rd, and was officially christened with a few drops of lake water in early April.
Do you have any interesting lake news? Call Association "Secretary for Life" Linda Kaye-Witt at 262-728-5315 or e-mail her at pandafru@elknet.net
Annual Membership Meeting
Saturday July 15th, 6:00pm
Richmond Township Hall
On “A” east of 87
Find out about:
Lake District
Rattlesnakes!
Other important info also...
Dinner is pot luck.. Bring a dish to pass along with silverware for your party. The Association will provide pop and beer as well as the main meat dish.
As a public service to our membership and all who use Turtle Lake, the Association would like to provide the following information.
All motorized water craft (including personal water craft, i.e. jet
skis) must obey the following rules as directed by the Richmond Township
Board and County of Walworth.
| One wearable Personal Floatation Device (PFD) for every passenger | $113.60 |
| Valid Registration onboard | $113.60 |
| No wake speed must be observed within 100' of shore (inside posted marker buoys) | $138.20 |
| All motorized craft (jet skis included) making a wake must stay >100' from all other craft, moving or otherwise (including other jet skis) | $138.20 |
| No wake allowed before 10:00am on any day, after 2:00pm on weekend and holidays and after 6:00pm on other weekdays | $60.00 and/or 60 days in jail |
| Boats at wake speed must travel in a counter-clockwise direction around the lake | $60.00 and/or 60 days in jail |
Once again this year, the Sheriff’s Police will be patrolling the lake at various times. For safety sake, the Association will be requesting the police to vigorously pursue offenders of these rules. The Sheriff has requested that anyone observing these rules being broken call the Walworth County Sheriff at (262) 741-4400, and provide the registration number of the offending water craft.
Special thanks to Deputy Johnson of the Walworth County Sheriff’s Police
for his time and effort with this information.