2026-05.12 PITLC Minutes

Monthly Meeting Presque Isle Town Lakes Committee Aquatic Invasive Species Date: May 12, 2026 Time: 7:04pm Location ZOOM ONLY Next Meeting Date/Time: June 9, 2026 7:00pm Conducted by: Nick Williams Recorded by: Jorja Burke, Secretary ATTENDEE INFORMATION Attended Name Lake Attended via Zoom or CC Behr, Fritz Lynx x Benn, Eric Armour Zoom Boyce, Joan Horsehead x Burke, Jeff Van Vliet Zoom x Burke, Jorja Van Vliet Zoom Cole, Becky Papoose Eaton, Phil Oxbow Eschenbauch, Al Town Board Liaison x Heilman, Bob Annabelle Zoom Higley, Catherine Vilas C. Invas. Spec. Coord. Horswill, Bob Armour Lake x Kemnitz, Joe Crab Zoom x Lewandoski, Paul Rosalind/Papoose Zoom Logan, Richard Vilas Cty Supervisor x Mawicke, Ann Natural Lakes Zoom Meessmann, Jeff Natural Lakes Phillips, Carol Wildcat Phillips, Richard Wildcat x Pire, Tim Presque Isle Zoom x Plouff, Gary Frontier Lakes Preston, Tom Katinka x Ruch, Bob Carlin Zoom x Ruch, Judy Carlin Zoom x Searle, Clark Carlin Zoom x Sisbach, Sarah Presque Isle Zoom x Vogt, Dave Annabelle Zoom x Walters, Lorine Horsehead Zoom Weber, Cathy Logan Annabelle/Town Supv. x Wierzba, Tom Big Zoom x Williams, Nick Crab Zoom MEETING MINUTES Topic/Subject Discussion Items Call to Order By Nick Williams @ 7:04pm Pledge of Allegiance Deferred — Zoom-only meeting. Secretary's Minutes Minutes of April 14, 2026 approved as submitted, with a note that Jorja will follow up with Lori regarding a date error in the posted version. Changes/additions to agenda None Intro of new members/guests Rand Atkinson, Walleye Restoration — attending as an observer to get acquainted with the group. Treasurer's Report/Budget No new income or expenditures. The same report submitted in March and April was resubmitted for the May Finance Committee meeting. DNR preliminary grant checks (~$29,000 for four 2026 lakes) were just received. Nick will be processing the payments and mailing them to the Town Clerk for booking. Checks will appear in June report to the Finance Committee. Attachment 2 – Last Financial Report Correspondence None. 6. Old Business a. Grant Status (Attachment 1) 2024 Grants — Annabelle, Armour, Crab, Horsehead, Little Horsehead, Oxbow: Final edits submitted to DNR; Nick Williams will follow-up with the DNR because we’ve receive no updates for on the reports for the last 2 months. 2025 Grants — Carlin, Little Presque Isle, Lynx, Round, Wildcat: White Water Associates are still working on their analysis and reports; final reporting due fall 2026. 2026 Grants — Big, Papoose, Presque Isle, Van Vliet: DNR preliminary checks (~$29,000) just received. Whitewater field surveys scheduled for July–August. b. Signage — Spiny Water Flea & Slow No-Wake Signs SWF Signs: Ordered and installed by Bob Heilman at multiple kiosks and the transfer station, at a cost of approximately $464. Ann Mawicke noted that lakes without public landings (e.g., Natural Lakes, Katinka, Carlin) currently pay signage costs from their own budgets, and suggested PITLC consider covering such costs from the annual $1,300 AIS budget line for all participating lakes going forward. Ann thanked Bob Heilman for his legwork on the signage effort. Slow No-Wake/High Water Signs: 15 signs printed at Ace Hardware (~$224.61) and posted on May 1. Multiple signs were removed — without authorization — from at least six landings (Van Vliet, Oxbow, Papoose, Crab, Annabelle, Big, Horsehead) on or around May 7. DNR warden Malachi Schmitz confirmed the DNR did not remove them. Nick has filed a theft report with the Town Constable and notified Cathy Logan Weber, who will raise the matter at the next Town Board meeting. Lake representatives were asked to confirm whether their signs are still in place and report to Nick. Consensus was that filing a police report is prudent for documentation purposes. Total signage cost for both sign types: $688.83, to be applied to the AIS/Culture, Recreation & Education budget line. c. Lynx Lake — Eurasian Milfoil Report A community member reported a possible Eurasian milfoil sighting on Lynx Lake. Ann confirmed that the 2025 Whitewater survey did not identify EWM; the only confirmed invasive listed was spiny water flea. The group noted that spurious reports have occurred at other lakes (e.g., Stateline) and were ultimately disproven after study. d. Oxygen Meter Supplies Paul Lewandoski confirmed the dissolved oxygen meter has been calibrated and is ready for spring. He will submit his invoice to the Town Clerk once a tax reimbursement from the vendor is resolved, and will request reimbursement for the item cost only (not tax). 7. New Business a. Subcommittee Updates i. Grants — See Old Business 6a. ii. Signage — See Old Business 6b. iii. Communications / Outreach / Education (Judy R / Jorja B / Dave V / Bob H) Judy Ruch reported. AIS brochures ordered and divided: $35 charged to PITLC, $70 to Carlin Lake. Bob Heilman will distribute Clean Boats/Clean Waters and SWF materials at the Walleye Tournament check-in (Friday, May 15, 9–11 a.m. at the Outpost). PITLC will have a table at: • Town Community Opportunity Fair — May 28 (details to be posted/advertised by Town) • Presque Isle Days — Saturday, June 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up for 2-hour table shifts at Presque Isle Days. Contact Judy Ruch. iv. Invasive Rapid Response (Nick W / Paul L) — No progress; Nick has been occupied with other priorities. Development of reporting procedures is ongoing. b. Library Basement / Storage Inventory Jorja Burke, Bob Heilman, and Judy Ruch inspected the library basement. Items found include PITLC t-shirts and a box of printed literature. Jorja will bring them to the May 28 community fair. Bob will discuss the literature separately. The PITLC display canopy and brochure holders may be stored at the transfer station with Denim & Dessert materials; Bob Heilman offered to check. c. Papoose/Rosalind Lake — New PITLC Representative Paul Lewandoski reported that Becky Cole, president of the Papoose/Rosalind Lake Association, has offered to serve as a second PITLC representative for the lake. Approved by committee. Ann Mawicke will add her to the main member list. d. Lake-Level Gauges — Discovery Center Program Paul Lewandoski and the Discovery Center completed installation of lake-level gauges. Approximately 24 gauges are deployed across lakes in the Presque Isle, Winchester, and Eagle River areas, including Papoose, Rosalind, Presque Isle, Van Vliet, Annabelle, Horsehead, Crab, and Armour. The program is currently at capacity. Data is not yet in DNR's SWIMS database due to site-designation requirements; the Discovery Center is working to resolve this. e. Distribution List Update Ann Mawicke distributed an updated PITLC membership spreadsheet and mailing list. Clark Searle (Carlin Lake) has been added. Members with changes should contact Ann. 8. Next PITLC Regular Mtg June 9, 2026, 7pm via Zoom 9. Adjourn Meeting adjourned by Nick Williams @ approximately 8:00pm. Unapproved minutes WILL BE APPROVED AT THE NEXT MEETING. Attachment 1 Lake Last Grant Award 2024 Grants in Process 2025 Grants in Process 2026 Grants In Process Annabelle 2024 X Anne 2018 Armour 2024 X Averill 2018 Beaver 2017 Big 2026 X Carlin 2025 X Crab, Little Crab, North Crab 2024 X Dunn 2017 Horsehead 2024 X Katinka 2009 Little Horsehead 2024 X Little Presque Isle 2025 X Lone Pine 2009 Lynx 2025 X Mabel 2016 McCullough 2017 Morton 2017 Oxbow 2024 X Papoose 2026 X Presque Isle 2026 X Red Bass 2018 Rice Creek 2015 Round 2025 X Rudolph 2009 South Branch PI River 2017 Stateline 2017 Twin Island 2017 Van Vliet 2026 X Wildcat 2025 X Attachment 2 – Monthly Financial Report