First Place – fishing from pontoons and paddle boats

Second Place – rubber duckie and water cannon

Third Place – pirates with water balloons

FOLLOW WISCONSIN BOATING REGULATIONS

Please use good judgment when operating your boat on Gilmore Lake.  We ask that you follow all Wisconsin boating regulations.  https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/boat/

All motorboats within 100 feet of a swimmer, a dock or shore must proceed at slow/no wake speed—the slowest speed you can go and still maintain steerage.  Jet Skis must stay 200 feet from shore if operated faster than “slow, no wake.”   There are two narrows between the upper-middle-lower basins of Gilmore Lake where boats should pass at slow/no wake speed.

Please refer to this pamphlet on Wisconsin’s Boating Regulations for more details.  WI Boating Regs 2020

WAKE BOAT EFFECTS ON SHALLOW LAKES

In addition, certain types of boats, including boats made for Wake Boarding can have a detrimental effect on the lake’s ecosystem when operated in shallow waters (<10 feet) or too close to shorelines.  Gilmore Lake’s average depth is 16 feet and there are certain shallow areas that are not appropriate for operation of a wake boat.  One site in particular is the “sunken island” in the southwest part of the lower basin of the lake which is approximately five feet deep.  The sunken island has been treated continuously for EWM, which spreads easily.  Please avoid Wake Boating in this area, and remind your guests to do the same.

The North American Lake Management Society has published several articles on the effect of Wake Boats on lakes which provide more education on how to minimize impact of boats designed to displace water to maximize wakes.  NALMS – Manage the Wave and Wake Boat Impact

Northwest WI has received over three inches of rain. The lake level is rising; please follow the no-wake restrictions until the water has returned to a normal level.

The boat parade happened at 1 PM today. Thanks to all that participated, now rain rain go away!

This is a reminder about the following important events and dates:

1. WASHBURN COUNTY ZONING MEETING

The Washburn County Planning and Zoning Committee will be meeting next week to discuss the proposed subdivision of the Chauvet property on Gilmore Lake.  The County Zoning Committee meeting will be held Tuesday July 24^th at 3:30pm at the Ed Elliott Building 110 4th Ave. in Shell Lake in the County Board Meeting Room.

The most current proposal is available at this link:  Plat drawing for Chauvet property as of 6-10-18

There will be an opportunity for residents to voice their comments regarding the proposed development.  There are a number of topics that can be raised including safety, density, deforestation, runoff, septic, pollution, environmental impact, and more.  It is most impactful if we have a variety of concerns rather than multiple individuals voicing the same topic. If you are not able to attend and want to voice your comments, please send Fran McCloskey an email and she will have them presented at the meeting by Linda Featherly (our town and County Board representative).

2. LAKE EDUCATION SERIES

The Minong Town Lakes Committee is sponsoring an educational series starting this Saturday, at 9:00am at the Minong Town Hall on Nancy Lake Road.  The brochure is available at this link: Your Land Our Lakes-Brochure

The sessions will be on the next 4 Saturdays in a row (7/21, 7/28, 8/4, and 8/11), with a wildlife and your shoreline topic for this Saturday.  Gary Dunsmoor may have some live critters with him, and all people of all ages like learning about critters.  The following weeks’ topics of zebra mussel prevention, wildfire protection, and wild rice are geared to be of high interest for lakeshore property owners.

The keychain floats will be available for attendees at each session until they are gone.

We hope to see you on Saturday!

The WATER LEVEL this morning was a little over 2 feet above normal.  It should be close to normal by the weekend, assuming no large rainfalls.

LOST & FOUND:   There are a number of people with missing dock sections and other items.  People have also found items and would like you to come retrieve them.  Please check on the Lost & Found Tab.  https://gilmorelakeassociation.com/lost-found/

The Facebook page also has posts of lost and found items.  I am trying to keep up with items posted on Facebook and post them on the website, but I may have missed some.

Please contact Fran McCloskey via email if you need help connecting with someone.

Again, please be careful to avoid floating debris and abide by the NO WAKE recommendation.

Reminder that the Lake Association Annual Meeting and Picnic are this coming Saturday at 10am at the Minong Town Hall on Nancy Lake Road.

As of 9 AM this morning, the lake was approximately five feet above its normal level. It continues to rise. The water is at the top of the culvert tube and the landing is inaccessible. Dock sections and boats are floating around the lake so all boat traffic must be cautious to avoid floating debris. Please remember NO WAKES! We will update the website when new information is available.

If you’re planning to travel to Minong, please check for road closures and conditions, as a number of roads are closed due to flooding.

Dear Lake Neighbors,

I have two updates for you.

First, the recent flooding in the lake is receding and we are within 6” of normal water levels.  This is always an inconvenience, and at times, a major problem.  Fortunately, this episode was manageable.

Second, I want to update you on the subdivision proposal for the Chauvet property across from the landing.  The Secluded Land Company is moving forward with the subdivision and will be presenting the plan to the Town of Minong this Monday (tomorrow) at 7pm at the monthly town meeting. If you are interested and/or concerned about this proposal, I encourage you to attend the meeting to listen to the presentation.  There will be a time during the meeting for public comments. If you are not able to attend the meeting, please send an email to me stating your concerns which I will forward to Linda Featherly, a member of the Town board.  She will share your message with the board.

However, I need to explain that Secluded Land Company’s proposal meets the state shoreline zoning minimum of 100’ lots and the property is properly zoned for residential use.  Thus, there is no legal authority for the Town of Minong or Washburn County to deny the plan. This differentiates the Gilmore situation from the proposal that Secluded Land made in the town of Birchwood a few months ago which was denied by Washburn County zoning. I understand that the Wisconsin Legislature enacted a law in 2015 affecting shoreline zoning and reducing the ability of local and county governments to control development of lake property. According to the statute, if a county/municipality’s ordinance on shoreline development is more restrictive than state law, then state law will prevail.  This means that even if the Town of Minong or Washburn County had a 150’ or 200’ minimum on shoreline lots, that will be overruled by state law, which is 100’.  Although there is no legal way to opposed the proposed development on Gilmore, we can voice our concerns to the Town and to the developer.  It is important to make our concerns known.

I encourage you to attend the meeting or write a message to me expressing your thoughts.  We will have several representatives of the association in attendance. Again, the meeting is at 7pm on Monday June 11 at the MINONG TOWN HALL, W7095 NANCY LAKE RD.

In closing, I hope to see many of you at the Annual Meeting of the association and Picnic Lunch on June 30th at 10am at the Minong Town Hall.

Fran McCloskey

President