Okoboji Protective Association

Fall, 2006

President's Message

This has been a busy and productive year for the Okoboji Protective Association. Water quality issues kept pouring in. The OPA was involved in issues concerning West Lake Okoboji, the watershed, not to mention county and state.

At our first board meeting in April 2006, the board voted to help fund the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation purchase of Angler's Bay property to become a public park. The property is located on the east side of Big Spirit Lake and contains the last large stand of bulrushes in the Iowa Great Lakes watershed, and provides an important fish spawning and nursery habitat, as well as nesting habitat for a variety of birds, muskrats and other wildlife. Every board member spoke up as we discussed a motion to fund $25,000 over a three-year period. The motion passed, but not without some dissenting votes. The INHF is well on its way in obtaining the needed funding.

The board also passed a motion to support stronger dock rules by the Department of Natural Resources. Phil Petersen represented the OPA and the Water Safety Council on a committee comprised by the DNR to study the rules. For more information on this topic, see Phil's article in this newsletter.

Paul Johnson, Dickinson County Supervisor, attended an OPA board meeting to suggest the OPA place an ad in the newspaper to inform residents about Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) or hog confinements. This was very well done and paid for by the OPA, the Iowa Network for Local Control and the East Okoboji Lakes Improvement Corporation funded the ad.

The demonstration environmental parking lot is now almost 100% complete at the Historical Arnolds Park Amusement Park. Be sure to stop by and see real live "bioswales" at work, depressions located around the perimeter of the lot designed to store, infiltrate and treat storm water runoff before it discharges into the lake. You can also see permeable pavement, (if it isn't raining when you visit, bring a glass of water to pour on it so you can watch how it infiltrates!), and visit an information kiosk providing education information. The OPA donated $30,000 to this project, and we are proud of the water quality and education benefits it showcases to residents and visitors.

Former OPA president Greg Drees is spearheading an effort to create a county-wide Watershed Enhancement Board (W.E.B.) to provide technical expertise and oversight of water quality friendly development in the county. The board will include representatives from each city, the county, and watershed planning experts. So far, every city and the county have signed on, and only the legal agreement needs to be finalized.

Thanks to Brandon Fitzgibbons who went door to door dropping off membership applications as a community project. Diedre Rosenboom has been appropriated money from the board to do a marketing campaign to raise awareness and gain membership for the OPA. The campaign will start in the spring of 2007. At last count our membership was at 380. That is the highest it has been in six years, thanks to Paula Duncan and Barbara Mendenhall. But we should still have more members. Remember, an OPA membership makes a great holiday gift!

At the last board meeting of the 2006 season Harley Whitfield introduced a motion to send a letter from the OPA to the Iowa Attorney General's office urging them to inflict the maximum penalties allowable on Bridges Bay Resort for their blatant disregard for soil runoff into East Lake Okoboji and air pollution violations. The matter is before the DNR Environmental Protection Commission and no action has yet been taken.

Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Tom Shive for his generous donation of proceeds from the sale of his boat to the OPA. She is a cute little blue and white runabout, with few hours, and is very clean. Mau Marine is selling the boat very reasonably and the proceeds will go to the OPA. Thanks again to Tom and his family for this thoughtful gift.

As in the past and as it is today the OPA will continue to enhance and preserve the waters of West Lake Okoboji.

Thanks for a good year and we will see you in the spring.

Hank Miguel
OPA President