FRIENDS OF ARMOUR LAKE
Jun 2020
Dear Armour Lake Residents:
Since we are not having a formal FOAL Meeting this year, I am sending this letter to all residents of Armour – not just FOAL members – to bring you up to date on what is happening on the lake at the current time. As of yesterday, 46 residents have sent in their FOAL dues for the current year. This is about typical for this time of year. We usually end up with 55 FOAL members. On the financial end, we have $3,212 dollars in our checking account and $11,302 in our savings account. Below are some of the subjects I wanted to discuss at our annual FOAL meeting on 3 July 2020, which was cancelled due to the Covid-19.
Safety Tips In the interest of safety, a reminder to swimmers: if you are beyond 200 feet of shore in open water used by boaters (such as boats pulling water skiers, jet skis, fishermen, pontoons, etc.), for your own safety you should be accompanied by a boat of some kind in order to be more visible.
Also, as a safety reminder to kayakers, paddle boarders, & other small craft on the water at dusk or later, you should carry a flashlight or similar device to alert approaching motorized boaters of your presence.
Map: 200’ No Wake Zone There is now a map on our Website (www.friendsofarmourlake.com) which shows a diagram of Armour Lake with the 200’ no wake zone. This is not a FOAL rule but a Township ordinance. Presque Isle Town Ordinance (subchapter 501.01(3), motorboats) says: no motorboat shall be operated faster than slow-no-wake within 200 feet of the mainland shoreline or island(s) on any lake or on any river at any time. Please be considerate of your neighbors and the wildlife on the shore, lake and islands.
Bartsch Peninsula The Bartsch peninsula was purchased last year by Tony and Susan Mucerino who also live on Armour lake. According to Tony they are planning on leaving the property as is for the foreseeable future.
DNR Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Inspection On 2-3 June the DNR conducted an inspection of the shallow waters of Armour Lake and the surrounding area looking for AIS. This inspection is part of a larger inspection of all the lakes that belong to Presque Isle Town and Lakes Committee (PITLC). PITLC was awarded a large grant by the DNR over a year ago and a final report will be written next year covering all the lakes that belong to PITLC. The DNR inspection team will be back to Armour later this year for additional inspection. The grant was worth thousands of dollars, though each lake had to contribute a minimum amount based on lake size. Armour’s assessment is $222.
AIS Yellow Iris One of our Board Members did his own inspection of the shoreline and found yellow irises, which are invasive plants, on two lots. These yellow iris plants will be removed, and Rebecca has put pictures of those yellow Irises on the FOAL Website in case you think you have them on your property.
Beaver Control Last fall beavers continued to be a problem between Crab Lake and the entrance to Armour. Last Fall FOAL hired the Vilas Country Beaver Control Officer Jeff Everson and 6 beavers were taken at a cost of $450. I would like to thank the Krahns who allowed Jeff to trap those beavers at the bridge which was affecting the flow of water to Armour. Crab Lake Association also has a problem with beavers affecting the flow of water between Crab Lake and North Crab. Crab Lake Association came forward and paid for half of our beaver bill. They also removed a very large tree this Spring which was blocking the water flow from the Ink Spot into Armour, near the bridge. Vilas County encourages all lake associations to keep the flow of water open between all the lakes.
Status on Water Bottling Plant Wisconsin Court of Appeals has decided that no water can be pumped from Carlin Lake. The Carlin Club Properties have not applied to bring the Appellate Court decision to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Hopefully this is the end!
Loons Currently there are four loons on the lake. Two of them are a pair and as of this date they are sitting on a nest with two eggs on Bloodgood’s Island. Another important reason to honor the “200’ no wake zone” so as to not disturb the nest!
I would to thank all of the officers of FOAL and those of you who have volunteered during the year to keep FOAL running. We always need more residents to step forward to keep the organization strong.
Tom Reinkober
President FOAL