1. Permits from the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources allowing the Wonder Lake Sportsman’s Club to continue their efforts to discourage Double-Crested Cormorants from nesting on Wonder Lake Islands have been renewed. Left unchecked, the “droppings” from nesting / roosting Cormorants can accumulate to the point of killing off underlying vegetation as well as the tree itself.
Third time was a charm! Congratulations to all Ice Fishing Derby Winners! This year’s derby went off without a hitch, once the date was changed to February 16th to accomodate the great weather and thick ice! The lake was a mass of beautiful fishing tents and lots of fishing men and women, all headed for the prize.
Welcome to 2025! We kicked off the new year with our January 8th Board Meeting. We’re going to be very focused this year on organically building the preservation fund to protect our lake. Watch for more to come. Thank you to Dick Hilton who shared our insurance coverage and costs with the board - helping us to better understand the plan we have and the costs associated with our coverage. It was noted that many companies are no longer covering dams across the country, and the cost of insurance has been rising.
1. The Illinois Lake Management Association 40th annual conference will be held March 17–19th, 2025, at the Hilton Northbrook/Chicago. Registration information can be found at: https://www.ilma-lakes.org/conference-registration
1. With the mixed results of ice trying to form on the lake, this is a good time to remind winter lake users about the need to exercise particular care and caution when venturing out on the ice as it begins to thicken. On the following page is some information on General Ice Thickness Guidelines. The MPOA website (wlmpoa.org) also has a video posted on how someone falling through the ice can perform a "self-rescue".
1. The invoice for the USGS Stream Gage on Nippersink Creek at Thompson Road has been received by the MPOA. The $11,140 amount covers the annual fee for the USGS to maintain the stream gage. This gage provides critical information on-line, helping the MPOA make informed lake management decisions on when no-wake or lake closed conditions exist. Thanks to the efforts of County Boad member Louisett Ness, the amount of County Cost-share towards the $11,140 amount has increased this year from $5,000 last year to $7,500 this year.