The Pickerel Lake Conservancy Board held it’s 2nd annual winter meeting January 26th via teleconference. With an ambitious agenda, the most significant accomplishment was officially dissolving GPLA and launching your new 501(c)(3) nonprofit Pickerel lake Conservancy. To summarize, the general membership voted last August to transition to a nonprofit public charity pending IRS approval. For the past 15 months, a team of Board members has been working to accomplish this goal. January 9th, 2013 we received a letter from the Department of the Treasury stating the Pickerel Lake Conservancy is officially a tax exempt organization. As a public charity, your tax deductible memberships and contributions will advance the Conservancy’s mission “to protect the water quality, natural resources and ecosystems of Pickerel Lake and the surrounding watershed by promoting conservation”. Our nonprofit committee received very generous assistance from Mr. Jim Wiederrich and staff, without which this would still be a dream. The Board is confident your new corporate entity, Pickerel Lake Conservancy, will position us well into the future. Since your Board draws no salary, memberships and contributions work very efficiently toward our mission.
Pickerel Lake Conservancy Bylaws

According to the GPLA Bylaws, we are required to give 10 days notice to our members for the annual meeting on Saturday, August 11th, at 10 am. As you recall, the Board unanimously voted to develop a nonprofit organization at the 2011 Labor Day meeting and formed a nonprofit committee. The committee’s recommendations were unanimously adopted at the Feb 2012 Board meeting authorizing Jim Wiederrich to file State and Federal documents creating the Pickerel Lake Conservancy (PLC). Mr Wiederrich was kind enough to draft resolutions reflecting these Board actions which are to be presented at the annual meeting for approval by our membership. While the Pickerel Lake Conservancy is now a legal entity in South Dakota and has a Federal tax ID number, the Federal review board is running 6 months behind in granting applicants 501(c)(3) status. Therefore, Mr Wiedderich recommends we present the resolutions for a vote at the annual meeting contingent on receiving Federal approval. Our nonprofit committee and GPLA Board have passed the resolutions and will present them for your consideration at the annual meeting. Specifically, we are recommending dissolving the current GPLA and transferring assets to the new nonprofit Pickerel Lake Conservancy. These resolutions are being sent to GPLA members for review. The new PLC Bylaws are available below. The PLC Articles of Incorporation will be present at the meeting and available upon request. Contact your Board representative or info@pickerellakeconservancy.org if you have any questions prior to the meeting. Please note that we remain humbled and indebted to our forward-thinking founders who had the wisdom to develop GPLA and originated the concept of protecting Pickerel Lake. As our organization grows and evolves, we build upon their foresight. Thank you, past Board members. The meeting agenda will also include election of officers, treasurer’s report, fish surveys, water quality report, etc. Refreshments and directory sales will be available. We will also accept dues/donations from new and prior members. Thank you for your support. Your GPLA Board
Pickerel Lake Conservancy Bylaws

Thanks to a combined effort, Ryan Skadsen’s team completed a new foot bridge over the outlet in the West State Park for his Eagle Scout project. The State Park and the Boys Scouts of America approved the project, which was supported by GPLA. Although it serves as an important addition to Pickerels Path, it’s rapidly becoming a peaceful vista for observing the mesmerizing creek over which it traverses. While technical skills and planning were required, it serves as a milestone for bringing all three organizations together in a joint venture. Congratulations Ryan!

After searching high and low, the 2012 ice-out date of March 19 stands as the earliest on record. Our late friend, Willie Kungel kept records starting in 1980. He pasted the torch to Kurt Klausen, who kindly shared the data. Other March meltdown dates include the 24th (2000), 28th (1981) and 31st (1992). State climatologist Dennis Todey offered his thoughts. “There are several contributing factors to the warming this year (and consequently, early ice-out). Our winter was very warm overall. Despite some short cold stretches in early December and some later in the winter we had consistently above average winter temperatures. Thus, I doubt ice was ever too thick. I don’t think I would have felt comfortable being on any ice this year! Then, we had the early onset of spring with very warm temperatures overall. March 2012 was the warmest in SD history. Temperatures were consistently 15 F above average. That is not going to make ice last long. The other interesting aspect and consistent trend is warming lows. Our overnight lows are staying warmer in most seasons. Even if you have some warm days in the early spring you have some cold nights to help refreeze and maintain ice. We were setting all time record high mins in early March. Thus, the ice really had no chance. Why are we warming overall? One very warm march does not tell the story. But the overall warming trend is at least partly related to human activity. Can we blame it all? No. There is natural variation that is still occurring. But we are adding to the overall warming trend and some of the changes that are occurring. I wish we had overall longer term records on ice-in and out.” In closing, Dr. Todey stated “that would be a very cool data set to use for comparison”. Our neighbors to the East logged some interesting records for comparison. White Bear Lake had the earliest ice out since tracking started in 1936. Lake Minnetonka had only one earlier date on record, Mar 11, 1878. Green Lake broke their 115 year old record this year by matching our date, Mar 19. Minnesota climatologist Pete Boulay commented experiencing “earliest ice out since 1878 on most northern Minnesota lakes, for sure since 1910”. The actual ice out can be influenced by any combination of sun, wind and rain. Our climate itself can be affected by many factors including solar flares, earth’s rotation, volcanic eruptions and ocean currents, not to mention the contribution from 7 billion humans. For every generalization, there’s always a twist. For some reason, Rush Lake cleared after Pickerel this year, the reverse of past years.

Why should our ice so quickly fade?
Could we as humans play any role?
As we ponder exactly how it’s made,
an invisible cloud takes it’s toll.
From the artistic fragile flake,
to the massive polar cap,
for the whole planet that shares a stake,
may conservation avoid this fatal trap.
Solutions are within our reach,
while we juggle the math.
From lessons only nature can teach,
She begs we choose the right path.

Your GPLA Board members have been busy preparing for the coming summer. Over the past year, we have seen grassland tilled into production, plans to enhance the regional energy grid and new incentives for wind farms. To minimize the environmental impact within our watershed, sound conservation practices are more important now than ever. In order to meet the challenges of our ever changing world, we have completed filings for nonprofit status. As state and federal funding sources come under pressure to reel in deficits, we remain committed to our water quality monitoring, local conservation partners and promoting education on healthy shoreline practices. Please check our summer calendar and newsletters for special announcements and events. Thank you for your interest and support.