Okoboji Protective Association

Fall, 2005

President's Message

Dear Members,

I would first like to take this opportunity to let the membership know that it is an honor to be the president of the Okoboji Protective Association. In the past, the OPA has contributed greatly to protect and enhance the water quality of not only West Lake Okoboji, but also the entire Iowa Great Lakes Watershed. It appears to me that the OPA faces some very serious challenges in the beginning of its second 100 years. The most serious of which will be the unprecedented rate of development occurring in Dickinson County and effects this development will have on our landscape, watershed, and West Lake Okoboji.

It is not in my interest nor do I believe in the interest of the OPA to impede development, but it is in my interest and the interest of the OPA to educate as many people as possible to the importance of planned and intelligent growth.

The following are a few examples how the OPA, thanks to your membership, helped promote recent lake friendly growth. Members of the OPA were instrumental in forming the first Water Quality Commission in Iowa. $200,000 a year is allocated to fund water quality projects in Dickinson County. The OPA gave $30,000 and OPA members helped in planning Low Impace Development (LID) in the Arnolds Park Amusement parking lot. Hopefully, the project will be finished by late spring and will be a showcase for LID practices. For more information about LID, please write to me at Box 662, Okoboji, IA 51355 or go to the OPA website at www.okobojiprotectiveassociation.html/stewardship.html. The Interlakes Protective Association, along with many OPA members, was instrumental in Bridges Bay Resort (resort and water park on East Okoboji Lake) and the county placing a covenant with the property in which LID practices will be used in developing the project. Tory Christensen was given $1,000 for a bank restoration project at Triboji Beach. OPA members were major players in the City of Okoboji's new planning and zoning ordinances using LID for development and retrofitting. The new ordinances have as of this writing not been adopted, but all indications are that they will be soon. There is a tineline in the ordinance for the adoption of the LID practices, which gives engineers, developers, and all of us for that matter, the time needed to become educated about LID. When adopted, rumblings have it that other local municipalities are very interested in pursuing LID practices in their own communities.

Much has been done, but with development coming to Dickinson County at record speed, much more needs to be done. The past presidents and board members have gotten the ball rolling. Now we have to keep the momentum going forward.

There are three goals for us in the upcoming year:

1. Increase membership! With the approaching holiday season, an OPA membership is the perfect gift for family, friends, and neighbors. Use the membership form in the newsletter, or on the website.
2. Education and participation - We need to educate ourselves and others. I welcome all of you to our board meetings the last Saturday of each month at 8:00 AM, Waitt Lab, Iowa Lakeside Lab.
3. Increase funding for water quality projects - An increase in membership and any additional monies will help the OPA to support water quality projects.

Please remember that what happens to the land affects the lakes.

Hank Miguel
OPA President