Phosphorus that becomes available to aquatic plants will increase in shallow areas with heavy boating activity. Boat traffic stirs up bottom sediments which, in turn, release nutrients. That also adds to turbidity and is harmful to the aquatic plants that fish rely upon for habitat. Ten Mile's most susceptible areas: Flower Pot, Lundstrom's, Kenfield and lower Long Bays, the Boy River and the small bay behind the island.

Waterfowl can produce significant amounts of phosphorus and other nutrients. Four Canada geese, for example, can generate as much phosphorus as one properly managed septic system. The experts' advice: don't feed waterfowl of any kind.

Other significant nutrient sources for lakes, including Ten Mile, are lawn fertilizers, storm water runoff, faulty septic systems, construction sites and, of course, the overall watershed. Anyone can help reduce nutrient flow to the lake by adopting best management practices: lakescaping, creating shoreline buffer zones, upgrading and managing your waste water treatment system, keeping leaves and lawn debris out of the lake, avoiding beach fires, etc.

As lakes become more acidified, mercury deposits change to a methyllated state that is readily absorbed by fish. Fortunately for us, Ten Mile is a well-buffered lake and, and therefore, not as subject to acidification. Still, we are not home free. Ten Mile's game fish do have mercury in their flesh and should be eaten in moderation - perhaps a meal or two per week for most of us, less often or not at all for pregnant women and small children. Panfish are generally okay.

Loons have a difficult time maintaining their population. A chick every other year for a mating pair is about average. Anything more than that is considered good. The Association's efforts to encourage loon rearing by strategically locating nesting platforms can only help. In the year 2000 there were seven loon chicks on the lake, a good showing.

In any lake management plan, work should be divided into three categories: that which citizens can do, that which professionals must do, and that which can be accomplished together. We're trying to do things that way but it is not always easy to distinguish one from the other. For any management plan to succeed, there must be both cooperation and support from lake residents.