Summer Time

It's the middle of July! The garden is doing just great. We have ample and timely rains with approximately 2 inches falling this past week in four different occasions. We now enjoy green beans, new potatoes, green and yellow zucchini, cucumbers as well as the leaf lettuce and green onions. All the rain also means more weeds and bugs. The lawns are lush and green so that means more mowing and trimming.

We made raspberry jam today. Not the wild raspberry, but the pick-your-own variety that are at their prime right now. That jam will go great with toast in the mornings. We are freezing some raspberries to enjoy later. Lots of great fruit to enjoy this time of the year.

Seeing more deer along the road in the mornings with one good reason, "deer flies" are out, and they have a nasty bite. For my morning walks I have been going to buy one of those fish net face masks when I go to town, but I keep forgetting.

Arty Youngren

People enjoyed last week personal profile of Arty Youngren. I always enjoy writing them because I always gain some new insight on Oak Point. Suggest some people or ideas that I should write about. Either email or talk to me this coming Saturday at the Oak Point Picnic.

Two Things to Remember

Remember to go to the Oak Point Picnic and Golf Outing next Saturday, they are always fun. Second, the time to comment about the Leech Lake Draft Management Plan is now. You can comment until the end of July. Go to my July 4th Blog to gain access to the Draft Management Plan so that you can comment.

Thanks

Our thanks to Jim and Karen for their purchase of lot # 3 at Oak Point Estates that closed last week. That makes our 5th lot sold. We have 8 lots left to sell. Stop over and see the progress on the new home being built on lot # 11.

Ardy Youngren

Ardy Youngren is pictured here with her oldest son Larry. They are spending some time up at the family cabin this summer.

Ardy Youngren and her late husband Bill are long time property owners here on Oak Point. They bought their cabin at 10500 Chippewa Beach Road back in 1969. Just prior to buying their cabin they were fishing with another couple at Red Rock Reef just east of Pelican Island and they were catching big Walleyes one after another. So they were sold on Leech Lake. Next they ran into Lon Ivan who took them out to Squaw Point to show them some cabins. They ended up buying the place which was the first one that they saw on a contract for deed which was 41 years ago and went back to Joliet, IL which was their home. Bill owned and operated Ace Root Beer Stand which was a car hop drive in that also sold food. The Youngrens had three children, six grandchildren and now 16 great grand children.

The next time they came back was at Easter Vacation in 1970 and they couldn't find their cabin and had to call Lon Ivan for directions to get there. This was before the present modern road system with the looping road by the Narrows. Pastor Schmidt from the Chippewa Bible Church had a tractor that he used to pull cars through the wet areas by Welch Lake.

Some of their neighbors at the time were the Savolas, Browns, Howlands, Reidel, Ray, Schuppe, Obergs, Darko, Loves and Nobles. Harold Kleen was the area handyman while he ran the Oakdale Resort. The telephone was a party line that ran trough the woods attached to trees to get here. The Youngrens' took their laundry to Walker by boat and would bring groceries and supplies back with them.

Some of their memories included the big storm of 1979 that destroyed their boat and store station. They have a plaque made out of one of the remaining boards from the boat that is attached just outside of their back door. They remember all the great fishing trips primarily after Walleyes. They remember one summer they put a new roof on the cottage and the garage. They remember Albert (aka) Oh-Gee-Che-Dah and his sister Susan Starr who lived entire life out on Oak Point. They remember some of the relatives losing a prop out on the lake. The forest fire in the Little Hardwood area in the 1970's that they called in to the forest service. They remember when son Dan swam to Goose Island and back. Ardy gave me a file titled Squaw Point Road, which contained all the correspondence, petitions and news articles about the efforts to get the modern looping road built in the early 1980's. The total effort took many years to get done with a total cost of less then $1.5 million that was completed in 1984. Contract that to the 2010 road improvement costs of approximately $3.3 million and took quite a bit of time to get done as well. Some of Ardy's best memories are about the family gatherings and the great food they ate.

Ardy said her husband Bill closed up his business in Joliet earlier and earlier every year fall so that they could travel north to their cabin. They use to stay until November when they headed back home. After they sold the business they spent the entire summer up here fishing, riding bicycle and doing what they enjoyed doing.

4th of July

The fireworks started early today for the Nitchals household, we had a thunderstorm that came through our neighborhood and left 3 1/4 inches of rain last night and early this morning. A large branch from an Oak tree came crashing down on one of my garages putting 5 holes in the roof. Always something new to deal with. I have the mess cleaned up already and got a temporary patch over the holes. Will have to deal with the insurance company tomorrow or Tuesday morning.

The 4th of July is a busy midsummer holiday at the lakes. All up and down the neighborhood the lake places are filled with family and guests. My brother and sister-in-law were here staying with us, my sister and her husband were at their place along with two daughters and their families. The weather was warm, humid and windy which brought on the thunderstorm this morning. We had highs approaching 90's for three days. Had a chance to speak to a number of neighbors all wanting to talk about the heat.

Flora

With the rains the flora is thick and green here on Oak Point. Pictured here are some flowers call Crown Vetch which is a perennial legume that grows 2 to 3 ft. high and has white or pink flowers atop. They can be used as erosion control or cover crops. We see them growing down at Oak Point Estates. Another wild flower out is the yellow toad flax which are in the ditches and open areas where we find the white daisies. Wild raspberries are starting to ripen already but not enough to pick for some ice cream yet. Hope to pick them before the birds get them all.

Our garden is doing nicely, thank you. Young green beans are about an inch long. Plenty of leaf lettuce for salads. New potatoes and pea pods from my brother garden. With the rains last night, I will not have to run the sprinkler for awhile.

Fauna

Saw plenty of wildlife this week. One morning while walking we saw four adult deer and one fawn. One neighbor saw two bear cross the road. Lots of young ducks, geese and other waterbirds. Fishing reports are not good right now.

Draft Leech Lake Plan

Go to the Minnesota DNR Website at http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ and on the main page they direct you to the draft Leech Lake Management Plan under news. You can try www.mndnr.gov/leechlake . The DNR is inviting public input.

Oak Point Association

We had an excellent program at our annual meeting on Saturday the 26th of June. Our speaker was Doug Schultz, Large Lake Biologist for the Minnesota DNR located here in Walker.

The principal item on his agenda during his presentation was the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species. He wants property owners and boaters to be aware of the problem and then what they can do about it here on Leech Lake. Doug thought that our water quality on Leech is generally better then it was in the 1950's and 1960's when untreated septic water was getting into the lake. We do have some limited invasive species in our lake they are the Eurasian Watermilfoil that is some of the harbors, Purple Loosestrife, Curly-Leaf Pondweed, Rusty Crayfish and Chinese Banded Mystery Snails. The best way to protect our waters is to prevent hitchhikers on our fishing boats and trailers. Remove any visible mud, plants, fish or animals before transporting any equipment, eliminate water from live wells, motors and minnow pails. Never release plants, fish or animals into a body of water unless they came out of that body of water.

Doug also spoke to us about an update to the Leech Lake Walleye Management Plan that will become public on July 1st. He reviewed for us the current regulation of the 18 to 26 inch slot fish, the special limit of 4 fish, the Cormorant control program and the fish stocking program. The new plan will have a survey associated with it which is your chance to voice your input about the slot size and the special limit. I will try and send along a copy of the survey when I get one.

Doug also spoke briefly about the status of the Musky in our lake, which he pointed out was still very good. You have a chance to volunteer in the spring when they tag Muskie's which sound like fun. Doug can be contacted at doug.w.schultz@state.mn.us . Very excellent program.

Summer 2010

It must have rained about everyday this week. We had over an inch of rain on Thursday morning. The grass on the lawns is growing very fast, just finished mowing once again. No need to water the garden. Had two meals of lose leaf lettuce this week. Weeds are growing fast.

With all the rains the lake level is up once again. The wheels on my dock have two or three inches of water on top. This is a good sign going into the summer dryer months.

Mayflies

I think we are finally at the end of the Mayfly season, what that means is that now it's time to clean windows and get ready for the 4th of July. Doug Schultz answered a question at our annual meeting about Mayflies by saying that their presences in Leech Lake is a good sign of the quality of water that we have.

Daisies

The wild flower of the week is the common white Daisy which has white petals with a yellow center. They grow in open areas where they can get plenty of sunlight like pastures, ditches, vacant lots, etc. This perennial flower blossoms in June and July and is quite common across most of the midwest states. The Showy Lady Slipper is still blossoming and can be still found.

June Storms

The main topic of neighborhood conversation this past week was the weather. Early in the week we had cool, wet and overcast skies that was the continuation of the previous weeks gloomy weather. On Wednesday we had a nice day with warmer temps. Then on Thursday, when we had all the tornadoes in Minnesota, we had winds and an inch of rain. On Friday afternoon we had very high straight line winds from the west and southwest. We had at least 4 trees down on the Oak Point Road that partially blocked one lane. One big massive Oak tree down in my neighborhood. Many branches and leaves down on the lawns that had to be cleaned up. We had 3 smaller trees down at Oak Point Estates that are already cleaned up.

Showy Lady's Slipper

The Minnesota State Flower made its appearance this past week. It's a wild orchid native to northern North America. It has been protected in Minnesota since 1925. It's illegal to pick or transplant this flower. Many people consider it to be the most beautiful flower in the state. It is a brightly colored flower that has one or two blossoms on a single stem. White petals sit on top of a white pouch streaked with pick. It flowers in early June to mid July, about two weeks later the Yellow Lady Slipper. This orchid prefers more sunlight then its yellow cousin. This plant has a long life span and that some times be up to 100 years. The stem of this plant has a hairy appearance with the "hairs" causing irritation to some people.

We find the flower in the road ditches where it gets more sunlight. The best place that we find them is in the Highway 371 ditch just north of the intersection with the Oak Point Road. This past week we must have seen hundreds of them in this location. If you visit this site please take your pictures, but please leave them alone so that we can enjoy them for years to come. We also find them in various location along Oak Point Road.

Mayflies

Thursday winds and rain riled up the lake water and led to a major hatch of these flies. They were so thick they kept my motion detector light on my garage all night. Let's hope this will be the end of this years hatch.

Goose Island

In doing some research this past week I came across an ancient map by Antoine Nau, who working from Zebulon Pikes Journals, he showed and called Goose Island by name. This map is over two hundred years old. This doesn't answer the question of how Goose Island got its name, but its had the name for a long time.

Fauna

The unofficial report that I heard this week continues to be good for walleye catches, but the high winds have had a negative impact.

Still seeing White Tail Deer along the Oak Point Road in the mornings. Good numbers are younger deer.

The number of Minnesotans that want to hunt bear has increased to approximately 18,500 applying for permits. But the number of permits that the DNR issue is down to 9,500. The DNR estimates that there is 20,000 black bear in our state. About 30 % of the permit drawers end up not getting the license, plus the success rate for those that do get a license is about 30%.

Garden

Enjoyed some fresh green onions which is the first produce from the garden this spring. We should be able to pick some leafy lettuce by the end of the week. Green beans are about two weeks out yet. The growth has been slowed by the cool, overcast skies we have been having. However this week, the first week of summer promises to be more seasonal in temperatures which will help the garden grow.

Ken Carlson, Mail Boat

Ken Carlson's first exposure to the Oak Point area was in 1947 when a young 17 year old Ken was treated to a boat ride on the Mail Boat Excursion Trips. At one of the stops he took a picture of the owners' lodge at the Mounds Point Resort. 42 years later Ken and Sig bought the exact same owners lodge as their first cabin on Leech Lake. Ken has that same picture framed in their home that they built to replace the old owners' lodge that they tore down.

Harold Fisher and his wife Vera ran the mail boat out of Walker. They had one of the most unusual rural star mail runs in Minnesota history. They had 55 customers from cabin owners to resorts. Mail boxes were on your dock. In addition to mail they also delivered some supplies. The trip covered 71 miles and took approximately 3 hours. It ran from May 15th to Sept 30th. The boat also had room for up to 17 riders who wanted to see the lake sights. Ken paid $5.00 for his excursion trip. In addition to the Squaw Point area the boat served Stony Point, Pine Point and out as far as Otter Tail Point. The boat stopped at Otter Tail Resort for passengers to take a break. The boat was a 23 ft. cruiser with a 210 hp engine. It is said that in the 24 years the Fishers ran the mail route they missed only one delivery day due to weather.

Vera Fisher who herself ran the boat for 15 years just died on May 5, 2010 at the age of 92 in Walker. Her obituary was in the May 12th Pilot Independent.

Ken was the founder and editor for the Oak Point News since July 1995. He wrote three newsletters a year. The first annual picnic he covered was at the Nicholson on Chippewa Beach Rd. At the first annual meeting that he covered at his own home the membership changed the name of the organization to Oak Point Homeowners Association. Ken and Sig have been married for 57 years. We owe Ken a debt of thanks for his efforts.

Rain, Wind and Mayflies

It has been a cool, rainy week here on Oak Point. According to my rain gauge we got over one inch of rain which is good for the gardens, lawns and wild flowers. We now need some good warm weather to get the garden growing. I found this beautiful group of wild roses in the Oak Point Road ditch this week. It had between 60 and 70 flowers in this one area. We had plenty of Mayflies this past week which in turn attracted sea gulls to the area. Used my leaf blower to blow Mayflies off my sidewalk and driveway.

Pure Maple Syrup

We had a meal of pancakes this week with some Oak Point Pure Maple Syrup thanks to Mike Schrank. It was just fantastic.

June 2010

What a beautiful week, maybe a little on the cool side, but a real nice peaceful week here on Oak Point. Lake activity has quieted down after the Memorial Day weekend. Also the extra people and equipment from the road project are gone. Saw three groupings of deer on the road this week. also an indication that they enjoy the peace and quiet as well and are venturing out further. Been seeing some deer tracks in the new gravel shoulders of the Oak Point Road when I am on my morning walks. Good signs for the fall deer hunters. Saw the Oak Point wild turkey this week for the first time in several weeks. Maybe she was hiding from the road work as well. It's good to know that she is still around.

The month of May was a mixed bag weather wise with early snows and cool rains then warm, even hot weather. We actually ran our home air conditioner two days during May, and that was double what we ran it all last summer. Hope that June will be a more normal month.

Jim Proebstle

The author of the book "In the Absence of Honor" was at the Cass Lake Public Library for a program this past week. He was there for the Minnesota Legacy Program that brings authors to libraries to discuss their books. Well he has a summer home out on Otter Tail Point on Leech Lake just northeast of my home about 4 to 5 miles across the water. By car he is about 40 miles away. It was fun meeting him. His book is loosely based on Cass Lake and the native population and the gaming industry and its social impact.

Flora

Found this beautiful wild rose bush this week along Chippewa Beach Road. This bush is just starting to blossom out. Wild Roses have five pink shaded petals with a yellow centers. The skin of rose hips is editable and is a high source of vitamin C. Our wild Leeks season is coming to a halt, not that you can't harvest them later but the leaves and stems are turning brown and disappearing making the Leeks hard to find. The white bush is an American Cranberry or wild highbush cranberry that is a beautiful showy white bush in the spring followed by a bright red berries in the fall. The fruit is tart and high in vitamin C and can be used for jellies and sauces.

Mayfly Hatch

We had our first Mayfly hatch this week. Mayfly's are an aquatic insects that in their adult stage will last only a few minutes to one day or so. As adults their only duty is to lay eggs on the surface of the water that will be next years supply of Mayfly's. In our area they are associated with all lakes and rivers that flow to or from the Mississippi which includes Leech Lake. We will have sever hatches of these insects during the next two weeks before they are finished. Some of the insects are larger, some smaller, some will have a greener shade, some a yellow shade. Sometimes when the weather and temperature are right their will be millions of them. I have seen them cover the blacktop road after a rain. They are a high protein food source for fish, seagulls and ducks. Wait to clean your windows until this annual event is finished.

Fishing

One of my neighbors reports that he went fishing for a couple of days with some former co-workers who were visiting Leech Lake. They had real good success fishing with night crawlers in deeper waters. Numerous fish had to be returned to the water that were in the protective slot size.