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From the Notebook
by Jim Schwartz
IT APPEARS THAT Minnesotans are the "boatingest" people in the country. According to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the number of boats registered in the state in 2001 was 826,173, more per capita than any other state in the Union. Motorboats numbered 579,071, canoes 151,197, personal watercraft 35,914, sailboats 18,173, kayaks 14,458, rowboats 13,694, and a category dubbed "other" (paddleboats, sailboards, inflatable rafts, etc.) 13,666. It's my impression that as boat numbers grow, so also do boat sizes. (And, not so incidentally, so does the horsepower of the engines that power them).
THAT LEADS ME TO revisit the four cycle/two cycle engine issue. Back in 1996 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement with the National Marine Manufacturers Association to cut hydrocarbon emissions 75% by the 2006 model year. The result: a range of new four cycle and fuel injected two cycle engines that already meet that standard and are being sold as 2006 compliant. The standard applies to outboards, jet boats and personal watercraft. The regular carbureted two stroke outboards and similarly fueled jet engines are being phased out altogether. But what about all those older two cycle outboards owned by practically every lake and river boater? Since chances are slim to non existent that they can be retrofitted, voluntary retirement appears to be the only solution. As I've observed before, the problem is that they seem never to wear out and, perhaps more to the point, many of us have developed an abiding affection for these old critters. The good news, though, is that I'm seeing more four cycle outboards on Ten Mile every summer, a trend that I think will continue.
NOW, THE BAD NEWS: Outboard and jet engines are only part of a much bigger problem. Consider all the other two stroke culprits out there: ATV's, snowmobiles, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, lawn edgers, chain saws, motor scooters, motorcycles, mini bikes, snow blowers, ice augers, post hole diggers, brush cutters, weed eaters, even ultra light airplanes, and probably a lot more that I have overlooked. Most of these devices produced prior to the year 2000 are powered by engines that are shockingly inefficient, spewing as much as 25% of their unburned fuel into the environment. Their emissions contain, among other nasties, benzene, toluene and zylene (carcinogens) as well as hydrocarbons of the same order as those found in cigarette smoke. Whether it would be practical to outfit every bit of this kind of equipment with four cycle engines or the newer fuel injected two cycle models is problematic. Some of them, notably lawn mowers and motorcycles, already have been or are being converted. Most, however, have not, though each model year seems some change in the right direction. We can help things along by encouraging manufacturers to concentrate on improving efficiency and reducing emissions while at the same time, however reluctantly, we go about the job of retiring our old tools and toys.
IN THE MEANTIME, here are some precautions recommended by the DNR that anyone can take to minimize environmental contamination from gas powered engines: never overfill gas tanks, measure oil and gas mixtures precisely, close the vents of portable tanks when not in use, check fuel hoses and fittings often for wear and possible leaks, clean up spills immediately. NEVER discard mixed gasoline or oil onto roads or into the environment. Take such substances to a recycling center.
I HAD INTENDED to have a paragraph or two about Minnesota's incredibly mild winter months and other "global warming" tales but the assignment proved too daunting: way too much stuff for this column's limited space. Just let it be said that the "awakening" came in April - cold, and the second snowiest on record for the State of Minnesota.
ANOTHER "RECORD," this one applying to Ten Mile Lake: ice over this past season was January 2, 2002, the latest since we began keeping track of such matters. At first, it appeared the date would be December 20, but open water was sighted after that and not until January 2 did the lake succumb to Ol' Man Winter. Ice out? Well, despite the cold April, the ice was gone about its usual time: the morning of April 24.
LIVING ON A BEAUTIFUL lake or, for that matter almost anywhere in Northern Minnesota, tends to distort one's view of how plentiful our supply of fresh water is. For us there is an abundance of it, but that's not the case in far too many other areas of the planet. An article by William Finnegan in the April 8 issue of The New Yorker magazine warns that the world is running out of fresh water. Some data cited in the article: less than three percent of the world's water is fresh and most of that is unavailable; lakes, rivers, marshes, aquifers and atmospheric vapor constitute less than one percent of the planet's total water; aquifers are being depleted much more rapidly than they can be recharged; by 2025 the demand for fresh water is expected to exceed the supply by 56 percent. There's much more, most of it unsettling in the extreme. Meanwhile, commercial giants, quick to recognize a profit opportunity, are buying up public water utilities around the globe. Not surprisingly, when that occurs rates shoot upward and users have little or nothing to say in the matter. The article is a must read - for public servants and concerned citizens alike. And as water runs short elsewhere, you can expect mounting demands for Minnesota (as well as other water blessed states and regions) to share its abundance.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE, spring is here, birds are returning, trees are donning their summer costumes, one of our two duck nesting boxes is home to a goldeneye, and the wren house we mounted above the mailbox is occupied by a flying squirrel! Yet another lake season has arrived. May this be one of your best!
HIGHWAY 71 REPORT
by Jim Schwartz
CASS COUNTY ENGINEER Dave Enblom reports that, as weather permits, County Highway #71 on the north and west sides of Ten Mile Lake is scheduled for another calcium chloride treatment. The project does not provide for any additional gravel this year. The chemical treatment is intended to stabilize the road bed, keep the dust down and minimize washboarding. Certain township roads bordering the lake may also receive the chemical treatment, but Enblom said he had no information as yet as to which ones will be designated for the application.
