Our Past President Dave Wynne is the President of the Crystal Lake & Watershed Association, a non-profit whose purpose is to protect and promote the natural qualities of Crystal Lake and its surrounding watershed.
In his PowerPoint presentation Dave took us through an impressive list of ways that his group seeks to protect Crystal Lake for now and for future generations. The Association has an active invasive species programs. Several years ago the group conducted a survey of plant life on the lake. Along with healthy native plants the survey found a nasty invasive--Eurasian Water Milfoil. A plan was adopted to treat the milfoil, but it was put on hold when one resident threatened litigation. Current plans are to address the milfoil next year.
The association also has an active water quality program. Using a device known as a Secchi disk the group periodically checks the clarity of water in the lake. Last year the disk could be seen 40' into the water--the most clarity ever. The committee also works with the Benzie Conservation District in checking the lake for E. coli. Typically this has been a problem at two locations--the Beulah Beach and Bellows Park, but the situation has improved at Bellows with the installation of a water garden.
An annual activity supported by Sunrise Rotary is the walkabout, where Benzie Couny elementary students are brought in to learn about the lake and the environment This year's event was canceled due to the pandemic but no doubt will be repeated in the future. In the meantime the association ran a full-page ad in the Record Patriot to let everyone know what the association is about. Similarly the group produces newsletters and has a comprehensive website.
Other specific areas of interest include stewardship, lake level monitoring, and land use management. A final area of.great interest to Crystal Lake residents is the association's swimmer's itch program. The Crystal Lake group has joined with several other lake associations in a DNR-approved program that involves removing and relocating Common Merganser broods from the lake. As confirmed by several of our members, the program has signifigantly reduced the occurrence of swimmer's itch on Crystal Lake.