• The Christie Lake Association has banded together to encourage "no wake" for the entire season, or until the water goes down to a safe level for all homeowners, whichever comes first.  While the association is unable to enforce such a restriction, we simply ask you to be a good neighbor and be considerate about how your activities are impacting others.
• A boat's wake is dependent on several factors, including size, weight, and speed, as well as on the distance to shore and underwater topography.  For example, most PWCs are quite fine (even at speed) if you keep to the center of the lake. You should also slow down as you go past the points, and avoid tight circles in the various coves, too.  Speedboats will indeed be less fun at no-wake speeds, but perhaps it's a perfect year to enjoy the "slow life" of the typical pontoon boat owner. Sadly, wake boats or ballast boats are simply too heavy and displace too much water to be used anywhere on the lake, as even go slow and staying in the center of the lake can throw enormous waves onto the compromised shorelines.
• The high water is impacting EVERY lake in the area, and many are also enforcing no-wake rules.  As a private lake (with no public access), we should be able to gently remind our neighbors and visitors without worrying about offending anyone, and we shouldn't need to involve the authorities to resolve our issues.
• Several wells and septic systems are already underwater (and are expected to remain underwater for the season), and several others are getting REAL close to the lake right now.  The risk of contamination from these systems with detergents, coliform bacteria, pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals is real.  Christie Lake Association is expected to pay PLM to perform water quality testing (including e-coli) again this year, and we will post the results when they are available.  However, there is always a risk!  Anyone with open cuts should avoid using the lake until the water recedes. For additional information, check out the EPA web site or the State of Michigan web site.

Christie Lake, Michigan

Near Lawrence, MI

Purple Loosestrife is an invasive plant species that has already been seen on our lake, and it can be especially bad in wetland areas (like a majority of our lake this year).  For a full description of the plant which has good pictures), please click here.  If you see any of this on our lake (or elsewhere), please follow this link to report it to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network as quickly as possible.

Important Update (07/06/2012)

I just wanted to let everyone know that 12,000+ weevils were planted today in two locations. The first spot is in the far southwest cove. The second spot is on the far northeast end. Both areas are identified with large orange floaters. Please do ski, jet ski or pull tubes near these floaters. We want happy and hungry weevils...give them some space!

Enviroscience will return this Thursday to plant an additional 20,000 weevils. You will receive an additional update after Thursday's planting.

Invasive species are plants and animals which are not native to our lake, and which have no natural predators in our environment. Many Michigan lakes have seen an influx of invasive species, from the zebra mussel to plants like the Eurasian watermilfoil, and even diseases which can wipe out entire fish populations. Like viruses, these invasive species can be carried into our lake from boats that have not been properly cleaned, including fragments of the plants on propellers, plants and animals stored in bilge areas, and even the dumping of bait buckets into our lake after fishing in other lakes which have been infested.

The Christie Lake Association leverages the expertise of EnviroScience, Inc. to combat the non-native Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) plant via the use of the milfoil weevil, a tiny animal that feeds on the EWM.

You will need an Adobe PDF Viewer to view these reports.

• 2010 Progress Report from EnviroScience

What can you do to help prevent the spread of invasive species? Here's a few simple tips:

• Don't dump "things" into the lake. Dispose of fish or plants from aquariums or other lakes on land. Also, be sure to avoid the storm drains, which can drain back into the lake.
• Don't bring bait fish from other waters into our lake.
• Drain your boat completely when leaving any lake.
• Clean your boat properly, removing all plant materials and mud (which can hide plants and other species) from the boat as well as the trailer, paddles, bumpers, ropes, etc.
• Use a pressure washer, water over 104 degrees, or a bath of vinegar or salt water for the necessary length of time needed to kill these species.

Here are a few more resources that might be helpful:

• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Web Page on Invasive Species
• Protect Your Waters Web Page
• U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy (PDF)