Burntside Lake Association

Mary Erickson, one of our Lake Sentries from the college, sent along these great pics of Invasive Mystery Snails she found in Burntside this summer.  They are not new to the lake, but it is interesting to see where they are being found. 

The BWCAW has been temporarily closed due to area wildfires. Visit the link below for more details on the closure.

The North St. Louis County Soil and Water Conservation District recently put together a water quality report for Burntside Lake. Please click the link below to view the PDF.

Good News:  The buoys were placed on Burntside Lake on Wednesday, May 13, 2020.  Be safe and enjoy the lake.

Superior National Forest managers plan to conduct some prescribed fires in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) on the LaCroix, Kawishiwi and Gunflint Ranger Districts. Depending on the fuels and weather conditions, the prescribed fire units will be burned starting as early as September 3, 2019 and before the end of October, 2019.

Hi Folks,

Good News:  The buoys were placed on Burntside Lake on Monday, May 13, 2019.  Be safe and enjoy the lake.

Burntside Lake Association President, Ward Nelson, announces November 
29, 2018 as this year's official "Ice On" date as proclaimed by Jay Mackie.

Heads up, our buoy contractor started to remove the buoys on Tuesday of this week and they should all be out by today. Just be careful while on the lake. Have a great winter season, see you in the spring.

Hi everyone, we just posted our 2018 Newsletter. You can view it at the link below.

The Burntside Lake Association’s Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) focus this summer is to train and develop more volunteer “Sentries” to monitor AIS across our lake.  By each of us keeping our eyes on the condition of our little corners of the lake, we can have a big impact on the prevention of AIS.  If you see something unusual in the lake, we have a process for confirming your findings and reporting it to the DNR for immediate action.  The faster we identify an infestation, the quicker we can respond to keep it localized or to eliminate it. By becoming a volunteer Aquatic Invasive Species Sentry, participants will learn:

AS OF MAY 29, 2018 BUOYS ON BURNTSIDE LAKE ARE NOT IN PLACE. 
The following message was received by Ward Nelson on May 29, 2018 from David W. Phillips, Undersheriff, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office: 

“Hi Ward-
Per our conversation, I have instructed Timbuktu to place buoys commencing tomorrow and this should be completed prior to this coming Saturday.  A delay in the rollout of the 2017 Federal Boating equipment grant as administered by the MN DNR led to the delay getting buoys from our supplier.  We had hoped to place new equipment at the outset.  Once these new buoys arrive, Timbuktu has been instructed to change out the older /temporary buoys.
 Please feel free to give me a call with any questions or concerns.
Thanks
 David W. Phillips – Undersheriff ”

St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office
100 N. 5^th Ave W. Room 103
Duluth, MN  55802
218-726-2339

The buoy placement delay was not the fault of Timbuktu who has the buoy placement and removal contract.    Buoys get damaged and normally 20% of them are scheduled to be replaced with new ones.  Unfortunately, this year the funding for the new ones was delayed.  A decision was made to not put some of the buoys out for fear that boaters would have a false sense of security, thinking all buoys were in place.

The Burntside Lake Association has been working with all concerned to resolve this dangerous safety issue.  As of May 29, 2018 we have been assured by the Sheriff’s Office that the contractor will place all buoys (even damaged ones) before this coming weekend.  Funding has been secured to replace the damaged buoys when the new ones arrive, hopefully in June.  Two accidents have been reported involving boats hitting rocks under the surface that would have been marked by a buoy.  Fortunately, no injuries were incurred but damage was done to both boats. 

Burntside Lake Association President,  Ward Nelson, announces May 10. 2018 as this year's official "Ice Out" date as proclaimed by Jay Mackie.  Jay Mackie is the esteemed Burntside Lake authority who proclaims "Ice On" and "Ice Out" dates.  The condition of the lake is monitored by Jay (and his friends) and he officially proclaims the official date.  While others may argue, his judgment is considered final.  Jay was one of the Founders of The Burntside Property Owners' Association founded in 1976 which was renamed The Burntside Lake Association in 2014.

Concern over the potential logging of a tract of state forest near the North Arm of Burntside Lake was expressed at the August 6, 2017 Annual Meeting of the Burntside Lake Association. At that meeting, President Ward Nelson committed to continue to keep members informed about developments on this issue. The following public announcement from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources was made on January 20, 2018 and is the latest update:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 23, 2018
CONTACT: Barbara Hayden
Planning & Economic Development Director
218-725-5008

County Board gives preliminary approval to seven projects to combat Aquatic Invasive Species

St. Louis County Commissioners have given initial approval to the distribution of $727,750 of state funds for projects that will prevent the introduction or limit the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) in lakes and rivers in St. Louis County. Seven projects were selected following review by the County's Planning and Community Development Department based on what best fits with the County's AIS plan.

Some of the projects are new. Others are a continuation of work done in previous years. Final approval is expected to come at the County Board meeting on February 6, but during today's Committee of the Whole meeting, commissioners unanimously approved funding  the following:

Burntside Lake Association President,  Ward Nelson, announces December 9, 2017 as this year's official "Ice On" date as proclaimed by Jay Mackie.  Jay Mackie is the esteemed Burntside Lake authority who proclaims "Ice On" and "Ice Out" dates.  The condition of the lake is monitored by Jay (and his friends) and he officially proclaims the official date.  While others may argue, his judgment is considered final.  Jay was one of the Founders of The Burntside Property Owners' Association founded in 1976 which was renamed The Burntside Lake Association in 2014.

LAKE VERMILION and BURNTSIDE LAKE — Aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention teams in Itasca, Cass and St Louis Counties are joining forces to pilot innovative ideas to help resort, lodge, campground and marina owners protect their lakes. This two-year project will focus on increasing boat inspections and early-detection activities and on supporting stewardship at these lake businesses.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2017
CONTACT: Jeff Lovgren, AIS Program Leader
Vermilion Lake Association
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  218-753-2413

The link below is to an article entitled "In Northern Minnesota, Two Economies Square Off:  Mining vs Wilderness" by Reid Forgrave.  It was published on October 12, 2017 in The New York Times Magazine.  It speaks for itself and has caused considerable discussion nationwide and in the greater Ely Community. 

At the August 6, 2017 Burntside Lake Association Annual Meeting there was considerable discussion concerning a proposed Timber Harvest on the North Arm of Burntside Lake where there are hiking and cross country ski trails on land owned by the State of Minnesota.  The proposed plan is under the control of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  A public meeting was held at Camp DuNord on July 22, 2017 and the public comment period ended August 1, 2017.  Burntside Lake Association President, Ward Nelson, and Board Member, Scott Olson, met with Dana Frame, the Tower Area Forest Supervisor on September 8, 2017 to discuss the situation and register concern expressed at our Annual Meeting. On September 27, 2017 the Department of Natural Resources published a "Summary of Public Comments" received and announced their decision involving the proposed timber Harvest.  The attached public announcements speak for themselves.