Page 3 - ALPOA 2020 Newsletter

Annual Meeting
The ALPOA annual meeting is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, July 18, 2020 at 10:00 AM, location to be announced later. When a firm date and location are established, it will be posted on our Facebook pages;
we will also send a postcard mailing.
Want to see your photos in the newsletter?
Please share your Arnold Lake photos. Old and current are great. Please send to Sandie@fipprint.com
WE S
SAVE THE DATE:
July 4th, 7:30 pm 4th of July Annual Boat Parade
Tentatively
July 18th, 10:00 am Annual Meeting
WEED CONTROL TREATMENT DATES
Treatment dates for controlling invasive aquatic plants are not available at this time. The dates
will be posted on Facebook when they are available.
N
OUR AMAZING LOONS
BY CYNDY SOUTHERN
Arnold Lake is a beautiful clear lake that hosts some elegant wildlife.
If you take time to
look around, you
may see swans in
early spring and late fall along with Mergansers. Mallards and geese are abundant spring through fall. Cranes and Blue Herons can be observed along the water’s edge. Our birds
of prey have included hawks, Osprey and the majestic Bald Eagles. A favorite on the lake, however, is the Common Loon.
The loons return each year in the spring. They are monogamous for many years but if one of the pair does not return in the spring, they will quickly pair with another loon. Their average life span is 30 years. They grow to 2 to 3 feet with a weight of 6.5 -16 pounds and a wingspan of 42-51 inches.
There is no distinguishable difference between the male and female other than the male is heavier. Breeding adults have a black head and neck with green, blue or purplish sheen. Once breeding season is done, the adults turn brownish with dark grey-brown heads and the patterned squares on their shoulders become unclear.
INDUSTRIOUS BEAVERS
Loons also are great swimmers. They can stay underwater for
up to five minutes. And exactly what do they eat? Fish. Lots of fish -- up to two pounds a day. They also eat crayfish and dragonflies.
Arnold Lake was lucky enough to have chicks last summer. We had a pair, however only one survived. Our last chicks on the lake had been four years prior. Nesting begins in May with eggs laid in late May to June, but the timing depends on when the lake becomes free of ice. Raccoons account for nearly 80% of all
nest failures. Ravens and crows will also eat unattended eggs.
Loon chicks are entirely dependent on their parents for the first few weeks of life. They start swimming within a few hours of birth and often ride on their parents’ backs. Chicks may be killed by snapping turtles, gulls, eagles and large fish such as pike and largemouth bass.
During winter migration, the loons will leave our lake just before ice formation. Pairs do not remain together during winter. They will fly south or east to the Atlantic. They have the ability to change their diet from freshwater to saltwater by secreting the salt through glands near their eyes. Who knew?
Loons are on the Threatened and Endangered Species list in some states. They are considered threatened in Michigan, which means “a species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.” It is illegal to injure or harass loons. If you observe anyone causing harm or potential harm to the loons, you are encouraged to notify the Sheriff’s Department or the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Photo taken by: C. Southern
Last November there were reports of unusual beaver activity at the Arnold Lake dam located in the southeast portion of the lake. An on-site inspection of the dam revealed beavers were felling trees on the east side of the road on Cranberry Lake and dragging the trees across the road to the Arnold Lake dam. It is believed the beavers were attempting to dam up the Arnold Lake lake level control dam.
Carl Parks, Clare County Drain Commissioner, was contacted and requested to investigate the beaver activity. Numerous small trees had been cut, skid trails were identifiable and drag marks were apparent on the roadway and adjacent road shoulders. The beavers were moving the trees from Cranberry Lake across the road to the Arnold Lake dam.
A professional trapper was employed by Mr. Parks which resulted in seven large beavers being trapped and relocated. The trapper indicated there were numerous beaver lodges in the southwest portion of Cranberry Lake and he was unable to trap all of the resident beavers. He indicated it will be necessary to monitor the beaver activity in the future.
The cost of employing the trapper was paid from the Cranberry Lake special assessment district fund.