by Jim Schwartz

AS YOU ALREADY may have learned, this has been my final year as chair or co-chair of the Environment and Ecology Committee. I will remain a committee member and continue with whatever chores I can reasonably manage, such as taking clarity readings from time to time at those designated sites where Toni and I have been measuring transparencies for a couple of decades. While my passion for doing everything possible to preserve this jewel of a lake has not diminished, my capacities for playing a leading role in that laudable endeavor are waning. I leave the post with the firm opinion that, while many problems remain unresolved and more are certain to emerge, the Association and its membership are on the right track, well-positioned for the future.

My reasons:

1. The Association Board is composed of active, talented officers and directors who are committed to the well-being of Ten Mile Lake.
2. The lake's residents have demonstrated again and again that they believe in the investment the Association's governing body has made in projects and programs designed to preserve the resource.
3. Ten Mile Lake was one of the first in the state to begin systematically collecting data on the lake chemistry, clarity, dissolved oxygen, temperature profiles, flora and fauna -- data that are demonstrating Ten Mile is one of the few Minnesota lakes showing water quality improvement in the last ten years.
4. The Board's decision to retain the services of a Watershed Coordinator a few years ago was a bold move that is paying off handsomely and will continue to do so in the future.
5. Ten Mile Lake was among the first in the state to prepare and adopt a long-range management plan (now in its ninth year), a step that was so innovative the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency sought and was granted permission to recommend Ten Mile's plan to other lake associations seeking a blueprint for their situations.

In sum, it has been a privilege, a challenge and an enormously rewarding experience to work with committee and board members dedicated to the stewardship of this tiny corner of our universe. It's a never-ending responsibility and my expectation is that Ten Mile residents will continue to be as supportive of Association efforts as they have been in the past.

FOR THE LAST THREE seasons duckling broods have been uncommonly scarce along our Chariton Beach shore area. This year, for example, Toni and I spotted only one mallard hen and her family of five, one goldeneye with six young, and regular visitations from a Aflotilla@ of red-breasted merganser youngsters. In earlier years, mallard broods were almost a daily occurrence, goldeneye families were not all that rare, but mergansers almost never showed up. I=m told traditional duckling populations also are down along the North Shore. Why certain duckling species appear to be declining is not at all clear to me, although it might have something to do with better nesting choices now that wetlands are brimming with water.

I HAVE NEVER FOUND the oft-cited National Geographic Magazine article that is purported to have singled out Ten Mile Lake as one of the most beautiful blue-water lakes in the world. Many of us believe that's an accurate characterization, of course, but the article in question continues to elude me. I did, however, locate in the March, 1935, issue an article about Minnesota written by Glanville Smith entitled "Minnesota, Mother of Lakes and Rivers." In it, Ten Mile rates a couple of mentions, one a picture showing a "good catch of (northern) pike . . . hooked at Ten Mile Lake, near Hackensack," and the other a reference to what a stranger to Minnesota might carry away with him and treasure: such "flat-footed western" lake names as Cut Foot Sioux, Ten Mile (and) Hungry Jack. Anyone who has a copy of the "other" National Geographic article is invited to bring it to our attention.

TO THOSE OF US FORTUNATE enough to summer in the North Country, the call of the loon is magical, haunting, a mournful cry of the spirits. It is the music of the soul. Did you know there are five distinct loon calls?

1. Tremolo, sounded when the bird is excited or feels threatened, such as when someone or something is too close to the loon, nest or chicks.

2. Wail, used to call other adults or chicks to come closer, or to warn chicks of danger, particularly from predatory eagles.

3. Hoot, a one note call, used mostly in groups to keep track of each other.

4. Yodel, confined to males only, each male having a different version; it is an aggressive call, with the number of yodels a tip-off to how aggressive they are -- the more they yodel the angrier they are.

5. Chorusing, starting with a wail then using all the other calls as well; heard mostly at night.

Mere words, though, can't adequately describe loon calls. You'll have to listen for yourself and delight in the refrains you hear. A recommended resource for your library is Voices of the Loon, a recording by William Barlow.

A TERM OFTEN USED but perhaps somewhat confusing to some is "Ordinary High Water Mark." What, exactly, is it? The DNR defines it as an elevation which marks the boundary of the lake, marsh or stream bed. It is the highest level at which the water has remained long enough to leave its mark upon the landscape. Generally, it is the point where the natural vegetation changes from predominantly aquatic to predominantly terrestrial.

SEVEN MORE MINNESOTA LAKES have been invaded by Eurasian water milfoil in 2002, bringing to 140 the total number of lakes, rivers and wetlands that now harbor this nuisance plant. So prolific is the exotic that even the most aggressive control efforts have failed to eliminate milfoil or even limit its spread in a given lake. The best defense against milfoil remains what it has been since the first infestation was discovered in Minnesota in Lake Minnetonka in 1987: boats and boating rigs whose owners or users keep them free of all plant materials. Your E&E Committee surveys Ten Mile each September, searching for signs of this exotic. So far, none has been spotted, a result that it is to be hoped will continue to be the case.

A HANDFUL OF RHODE ISLAND communities are in the process of banning personal watercraft from their lakes, ponds and rivers. Residents complain of noise, air and water pollution, and weeds churned up by the machines. A sympathetic RI General Assembly has expanded municipalities' regulatory powers over certain waterways, but PWC enthusiasts are gearing up for a spirited battle against any bans. Stay tuned.