You love the lake, but maybe you’re not sure what you can do to protect and improve it. A new program will help you as a responsible homeowner or business person step up to your responsibility to future generations. It’s the new “Lake Guardian” program that the Lake Charlevoix Association has launched. Read about it here.
The history of the Guardian program
Information for homeowners
Information for businesses
| Working with a local professional communication consultant, your LCA board has developed a 15-minute LCA Story presentation with appropriate visuals. We will start using it by the middle of May and we're eager to share it at local meetings. (More)
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Good News About The New Shoreline Ambassador Program
The new Shoreline Ambassador program, launched in 2010, has proven to be a major step forward in enhancing two-way communication between folks that own waterfront property or just use the lake for recreational purposes and the LCA leadership. By designating LCA representatives (Shoreline Ambassadors) living within each of 18 linear waterfront sections on the lake and an Ambassador positioned on Round Lake, we have provided a "local" LCA presence that is critical to the ongoing success of the Lake Charlevoix Association. To read more about this program and to learn how to join the Ambassador team, please
Click here .
In an effort to make it as easy for anyone to contact a Shoreline Ambassador, we have added a map of Lake Charlevoix and Round Lake to this website showing the individual shoreline sections; the Ambassador(s) assigned to each section and methods of contacting them. To view this information, please click here.
Lake Charlevoix's towns and cities have rules to minimize harmful runoff into the lake by preserving natural landscape and vegetation. But sometimes, under pressure from riparians who want to make their shores more accessible and useful, the rules don’t accomplish all they are intended to do. (Read more)
Related article: Disturbing our Shore
.This site at the end of Charlevoix
Avenue
in Boyne City shows how
effective the 2010 spraying was.
Photo by Mike Dow.
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Our third year of phragmites treatment was completed Oct. 3, under good weather conditions that make us confident of a high kill rate. Next year we may be asking shoreline owners to take more responsibility for keeping this invasive grass in check. (Read more)
Did you know you need a Corps of Engineers permit for your seasonal dock or mooring? We didn't either. Fortunately, they are easy to get and most are free. Read more.
Reviewing the Watershed Rules
The Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council has just published a very thorough review and analysis of the ordinances of all the cities and towns in Charlevoix County as they relate to protecting against water pollution. This "Gaps Analysis" shows you which towns around Lake Charlevoix have the most protective rules and what they try to accomplish. Click here for a copy of this important report.
We are happy to announce that we now have the permits from both the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. (MDEQ) It is time to begin building reefs and improving the fish habitat in Lake Charlevoix!
Over the next five years we hope to have more than 100 new artificial reefs installed to provide shelter for a growing fish population.
Read more
For background on the plan, please click here
Please click here to view and print a permission form that you can fill out and mail back to us. We need permission before we can improve the fishery.
Fish Survey and Stocking Report 2009
Lake Charlevoix Boat Count 2011
The annual boat census of the Lake Charlevoix Association was conducted on Saturday, Aug. 6, this year. Fourteen members of the LCA members got up early on Saturday morning to cover seven separate areas of the 61-mile-long lakefront as well as marinas and launch ramp areas. The boats counted ranged from 100-foot-long powerboats to kayaks and personal watercraft. The total of 5,458 tallied shows that for now the population of boats has stabilized at least for this year. Read more
A Charlevoix student checks the
pH factor of lake water.
Photo by Jonathan Friendly
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Nearly 400 middle school students from around the lake got an introduction to the science of water quality May 17 and 18 in the annual Experience Lake Charlevoix event on the Beaver Island ferry. For photos and videos of the event, please visit our Facebook page.
For photos from 2010, please look here.
And to see a few of the thank-you notes from students at Concord Academy Boyne, click here.
Our Water Levels Are Headed Back Up!!
As is usual this time of year, our water levels are headed up. This late April photo on Lake Charlevoix shows our level at just about the chart datum line established by the US Army Corps of Engineers as "zero", and several inches above our low this past winter. It is projecting a rise of 6" to 12" by July.
Click here for the Army Corps of Engineers full projection for Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
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