Newsletter: Issue 36
Message from the Board
Funding does not represent a problem for the BMLA for 2020 as long as donations equal or exceed those of 2019. To date, donation receipts are on pace with 2019. BMLA will need to rely more on membership, partner, and CMSCWD (Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed District) funds now and beyond, since it appears that future Washington County grant awards will be smaller. Speculation is that Washington County may be planning to use a significant portion of the state funds for city and/or other NGO (non-governmental organization) projects.
Only $44000 was available for distribution by Washington County in 2020. In previous years the annual total has always been about $135000. In 2019, it was about $160000 because one of the grants from 2018 was funded but not completed. The BMLA will receive $5143 in 2020. The total grant funding was split equally among all the accepted applicants, and the BMLA grant is reasonably close to the $6000 requested. The BMLA also received a 2020 grant of $1296 from the DNR.
We ended 2019 with a healthy reserve balance in our treasury which includes the final $9600 grant payment from the Initiative Foundation February, 2020. In addition to those funds, we will collect membership dues, fund raising proceeds, and donations in 2020.
Our 2019 final survey estimated that less than five acres of EWM (Eurasian Water Milfoil) will need treatment by PLM, our licensed applicator, in 2020. Added expenses will be for spot treating, business expenses, and donations. However, BML is a big lake with lots of places that have supported EWM. What if Flowering Rush or some other invasive rears its ugly head? In 2019, PLM treated spots with the new herbicide, ProcellaCor. It worked better that anything used in the past. BUT, THE COST WAS $2450/ACRE. Expenses can rise quickly if a few extra acres of EWM are found.
An item approved by the BMLA Board is increasing our donation to the Washington Conservation District to increase watercraft inspections for the 2020 boating season. We gave $2000 in 2019 and have increased this to $2500 in 2020. There is no question of the benefits of watercraft inspections. Without them, BML would have experienced introduction of zebra mussels in 2019.
The BMLA and various volunteers have worked for years to keep BML beautiful and healthy and in the process have met and formed friendships. We trust 2020 will be another year of successful organization, partnership, and friendship building and continued progress in AIS prevention, eradication, and education breakthroughs.
Trusting everyone is healthy and doing everything possible to make it safely through the current unprecedented crisis.
Membership
As previously reported, the BMLA Board has agreed that the minimum suggested membership dues payments be increased to $50.00. This increase is critical because, as already mentioned, our grant funding from the Initiative Foundation has dried up and Washington County grants have gotten smaller. The hope would be that all members who paid more than the minimum in the past would also increase their donations. Our annual expenses are not expected to significantly diminish any time in the future.
At this time, our BMLA mailing list is made up of a total of about 290 lakeshore property owners, lake users who reside close to the lake, and other interested parties. Of this total, membership dues have been received from 68. This translates into the need to send out over 220 invoices for dues payments. In past years, invoicing has been very effective in our membership drive. Of course, it would be nice if invoices were not necessary. However, we trust that invoicing will help produce membership results for 2020 exceeding past years. Membership in 2019 was 158.
Please send your membership dues donations to the BMLA – 12614 182nd St. N. Marine, MN 55047. We thank everyone who has been a BMLA member in past years and who has already donated for 2020.
Events
BMLA Annual Meeting at the Scandia Community Center Thursday March 19, 2020 at 7 p.m. was cancelled and will be rescheduled. We were going to have a presentation by Mike Isensee, Manager of the CMSCWD. Mike’s presentation was to center on various activities in which the district is involved to improve and protect water quality. You will be notified of the rescheduled date for the Annual Meeting.
Mission Statement
The purpose of the Big Marine Lake Association is to educate, inform, and unite BML lakeshore property owners, those with neighborhood private lake access rights, and other concerned parties in an effort to monitor, identify, control, and (if possible) eradicate problematic aquatic invasive species in the waters of the lake.
