October 31st PRB Meeting Notes

Property Owners' Association of Deep Creek Lake

November 5, 2016

Folks,

Following are the notes of the PRB meeting held on October 31st.

Status of Hydrilla in DCL --Julie Bortz, DNR Biologist attached to the Lake Manager's Office at DCL, provided an update on the status of Hydrilla in DCL. In 2016, there were 13 locations that were treated with a herbicide in an attempt to control Hydrilla growth and, if possible, to eradicate the invasive weed. Monitoring during the summer of 2016 found only 3 of those 13 locations to still contain Hydrilla. These locations are Hickory Cove (DC7), off the Blakeslee Common Dock (DC4) near S. Blakeslee Rd, and in Green Glade Club Cove (DC13). You may see a map of these areas here.

Please note that the red circles are only intended to identify the site of the hydrilla, not the size of the infested area. Due to the treatments administered this year, by mid to late July 2016 no Hydrilla was found in any of those areas, suggesting the herbicide was successful at suppressing Hydrilla. The herbicide applicator told DNR personnel that it is one of the more successful treatment programs he has seen and credits the state for acting so quickly i n their response to the initial discovery in September 2013. The Department's submerged aquatic vegetation biologists are working with other Hydrilla experts to evaluate the DCL results over the last 3 years to determine the most efficient and cost-effective treatment strategy moving forward. Due to the fact that the plant can produce tubers (or overwintering buds) that remain viable for several years, the plan is to continue to treat these same 13 locations for Hydrilla next year, but possibly with some slight modifications.

Goose Hunt at DCL and Broadford Lake -There will again this year be a Goose Hunt for permit holders at DCL during the period of 21, 22, and 23 November 2016. There will be three locations on DCL marked with buoys for boats from which hunting will be permitted as done last year. In addition, hunting will be allowed by all permit holders for all water fowl from a blind at Broadford Lake during the same time period.

Cove Map -Please see here for a recently released map of Deep Creek Lake with all coves named. The Lake Management Office is seeking any questions and feedback on this map which can be provided to the Lake Manager, Eric Null, at his email address which is eric.null@maryland.gov or by calling his office at 301.387.4111.

Pre-Legislative Session Meeting -State Senator George Edwards announced that he and State Delegate Wendell Beitzel will hold their meeting in advance of the 2017 Maryland State Legislative Session to hear comments and requests from citizens regarding legislative related matters. The meeting is scheduled for December 6^th at 6:00 PM in the Continuing Education Building at Garrett College.

PRB Meeting Dates for 2017 -Meeting dates of the PRB for 2017 are as follows: January 23^rd, April 24^th, July 24^th, and October 30^th. The meetings are currently planned for the Discovery Center at the State Park and begin at 6:00 PM.

Wake Boat Committee -Based upon discussions at the last two POA Board meetings about some of the unintended consequences created by boats designed to hold ballast tanks and create larger than normal boat wakes, Bob Hoffmann, POA President, recommended the formation of a committee under the purview of the PRB to gather data and develop recommendations concerning the matter. Recommendations supported by data might then be employed with the PRB's concurrence to reduce the negative impacts often caused by the large wakes. These negative impacts can include threats to the safety of smaller watercraft on the lake, shoreline erosion, and damage personal property such as docks and watercraft secured to these docks. Bob recommended that committee members might include the Lake Manager, Marina Operators, Wake Boat Owners, POA representatives, Chamber of Commerce representatives, DNR Boating Services, and possibly Garrett County Government, to name a few.

introduce legislation for an amendment to Maryland State Law (COMAR).

A related discussion of an Agenda item concerned the matter of the placement of additional "Minimum Wake Buoys" on DCL. The Lake Manager explained the location of the current buoys is codified in Maryland State Law (COMAR). For any requested changes to be made for additional buoys, the request would need to be supported by the PRB, then forwarded to the Boat Act Advisory Committee (BAAC) for approval. If approved, the BAAC would then need to

Cheers,

Bob Hoffmann

President