Manuka Lake Association

April 17, 2009 Announcement: The annual member meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, 2007 at 9:00am. It will be held in the Hayes Township Hall on the corner of Hayes Tower Road & M-32.

March 4, 2009
Minutes from the February 14, 2009 Meeting are now available on the documents page.

August 27, 2008
A new document, Aquatic Plant Management for Michigan Lakes, is available documents page.

May 22, 2008
Minutes from the May 22 Meeting are now available on the documents page.

Aug 28, 2007
Minutes from the most recent Board Meeting, and minutes from the Michigan Lakes and Streams Association Fall 2006 meeting are now available on the documents page.

July 7, 2007
From the July 7,2007 edition of the Herald Times
Otsego County Sheriff's Dept.
Car in lake under Investigation
Deputies responded to a report of a vehicle in Lake Manuka in Hayes Township, Wednesday around 7:30 a.m.
The vehicle, a 1190s model Chevrolet Lumina, was recovered, and deputies reported there were no injuries as a result of the indecent. It is not known if there was anyone inside the vehicle when it went into the water.
Deputies are still investigating the incident and are waiting to interview several subjects before releasing further information.

May 15, 2007
Announcement: The annual member meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 9:00am. It will be held in the United Way Building located at 116 East 5th, Gaylord, MI 49735 (Map).
If you have not yet returned your straw vote, please do so ASAP. The results will be discussed at the meeting.

May 27, 2007
Minutes from the most recent Board Meetings, as well as from the Annual meeting are now available on the documents page.

May 15, 2007
Announcement: The annual member meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 26, 2007 at 9:00am. It will be held in the United Way Building located at 116 East 5th, Gaylord, MI 49735 (Map).
If you have not yet returned your straw vote, please do so ASAP. The results will be discussed at the meeting.

Apr 15, 2007

Greetings and Happy Spring to all of our association members! As you recall, last year the engineering firm Progressive AE was hired to perform a study on the condition of our lake, and to recommend alternative management methods for preservation and improvement. Recommendations in the report are intended to address the agreed upon issues of 1) Water Level 2) Muck Control 3) Navigation and 4) Weed Control

Now that we have professional and data driven recommendations to help manage the long term condition of Lake Manuka, the Board of Directors would like to solicit from the membership general feedback on whether any of the initiatives suggested in the report should be pursued.

Soon, you will receive an opinion survey in the form of a "Straw Vote" from the Lake Manuka Association Board of Directors asking your opinion on these important issues. Included in the straw vote will be information on remediation alternatives, rough cost estimates, and options for financing the improvements. We'd like to ask that you take time in the coming weeks to review the report (as posted on this website or in the hard copy form which was mailed last year), and participate by completing the survey.

Please note that no action, either positive or negative, will be taken as a result of the Straw Vote. This is merely an initial survey intended to gauge the interest of the membership in the alternatives presented. Information we receive from the survey will be released and reviewed with the membership prior to any formal vote or process that would lead to the undertaking of any particular initiative.

Thanks in advance for your participation the the Straw Vote. The issues and remediation alternatives are important to the quality of our lake, but only in so much as the membership stays involved in our direction. We appreciate your ongoing attention and support.
Sincerely,

The Lake Manuka Board of Directors

Feb 6, 2007
Announcement: Lake Manuka Association Board of Directors Meeting to be held Saturday, February 10 at the Sugar Bowl starting at 7:30 AM. The agenda is available on the documents page.

Jan 21, 2007
On behalf of those who contributed to Lake Manuka Management Study performed by Progressive AE, the Board of Directors of the Lake Manuka Association is proud to make generally available the Lake Manuka Management Report. Many thanks to all those involved in reaching this important milestone. You will want to have a version of Adobe Acrobat or another document reader to view this document. A free version of the free Adobe Reader software is available at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html or simply go to www.adobe.com and look for instructions to download the Free Reader 8. For those who contributed financially to this report, the Board of Directors recently mailed to your home address a hard bound version of this report by US Mail. If it has not arrived as of yet, it should be delivered to you within the next two weeks. The online version is available on the documents page.

Nov 25, 2006
The Board of Directors met over the Thanksgiving Holiday (minutes to be posted soon). The Board is still waiting for the final written draft of the Progressive AE Lake Engineering Study that was presented at the Labor Day Open Forum. We are hoping to have this information very soon. For all who contributed financially to the study, the Lake Manuka Association is planning to provide a printed and bound copy of the report. We will also be making an electronic version of the report available for all interested parties that can be downloaded from this website. In addition, the board will compile the list of potential lake preservation improvements recommended by the study. This list will be shared with the membership in the form of a survey to evaluate the Lake Manuka Association member interest in pursuing any of the preservation initiatives that were identified by Progressive AE. Per the board's charter, incrementally funded improvements cannot be undertaken without the required approval of the association membership.

Nov 25, 2006
We'd also like to make everyone aware that our Public Access boat ramp was refurbished over the fall (see photo section). For anyone who has ever struggled to remove their Manuka Yacht in the fall season, you'll be happy to know that we have four feet of clear water and a submerged concrete boat ramp. What a difference! Last, there is a new sign on-site at the ramp reminding all boaters to please check their crafts for aquatic hitchhikers ( a.k.a. zebra-mussels and other unwanted plant and animal visitors). This initiative is the result of board participation in the Michigan Clean Boats, Clean Water Volunteer Education Initiative. Thanks to Larry Patritto the Lake Manuka Association Preservation Committee for their efforts in protecting our lake.

Aug 11, 2006

The results of the our year long study of the lake are near complete, and the Board of Directors is pleased to announce a final presentation will be made Saturday September 2, 2006. For full details please see a copy of the postcard which was mailed recently and is available on the documents page as well.

Aug 11, 2006
The minutes from the July 14, 2006 Board of Directors meeting are now available on the documents page.

Aug 11, 2006
We are enjoying nice improvement in the lake water level this year, and with it, boating traffic is up. We have had several requests for a copy of the boating rules. We now have a copy of the rules on the downloads page.

May 27, 2006
Summer got off to a great start with a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! The Annual meeting went very well, and the minutes are available on the documents page. Thanks to all involved in making this happen, and to those that were able to attend!

Sept. 15, 2005
As of September 13, we have received 81 contributions to the Lake Study for a total of $19,850 pledged and $18,005 paid. Ten members agreed to pay on the extended plan. We are at 124% of our minimum goal of $16,000. 72% of the members have contributed and 5% of the non-members have contributed.

Sept 15, 2005
Check out the Sept 2 Open Forum Recap with Tony Groves from Progressive AE for a great synopsis and photos. There was a lot of enthusiasm generated for the Lake Study. We got the Study funded!!

Sept. 15, 2005
The Lake Manuka Association Board of Directors recognizes those who contributed to the Lake Study as Stewards of Lake Manuka.

Aug 16, 2005
Karen Gurchiek has provided a nice collection of aerial photographs of the lake. Please visit this new section! She and Janet Ferguson has started a new section with some of their Seasons of Lake Manuka photos. Please visit the new section. Submit your photos to BOD, Communication Chair, Janet Ferguson.

Aug 15, 2005
We have added lots of useful information in the Lake Study section, please visit that section for more information and updates on the progress of the funding drive.

Aug 12, 2005
Tony Groves from Progressive AE, has accepted the Board of Directors invitation to attend our Open Forum on Sept. 2 at 7 pm at the Hayes Twp. Hall, at Hayes Tower Rd and M-32. The firm, located in Grand Rapids, has submitted a proposal to study the Lake. He will give comments and answer questions. Plan to join the Board and hear what you $250 contribution will do.

Aug 12, 2005
We received another Association membership for three lots, bringing membership in the Lake Manuka Association to 112 paid members.

Aug 2005
Welcome to the new website for our lake association! Please visit often for updated and new information.