The 50th Anniversary of the POA is high on the tasks list for the Joint Advisory Committee on Lakes this year, General Manager Tommy Bailey said during his annual visit as the committee met for the first time in 2015. Bailey has asked all the JACs to help.
The Lakes Committee can focus on two events at Lake Avalon. Paddle in Paradise, an event to introduce POA members to kayaking, will continue this year and the next weekend, Fishing in Paradise, will premier. Paddle in Paradise is scheduled for June 6 and the fishing event will be June 13.
Fishing in Paradise will probably include a kids fishing derby put on by the state Game and Fish Department, Lakes Biologist Darrel Bowman said. He's still waiting for final confirmation from the state.
There will also be an adult fishing tournament, food trucks, bands and lots of prizes, he said. The fishing clubs, including the Flytyers, will sponsor casting contests and flytying demonstrations. Bowman is also hoping to arrange a visit from the Game and Fish mobile aquarium and a fish fry.
The committee members have been active volunteers in recent years. They developed and helped to staff a water quality testing program where volunteers use simple tests and report the data to Bowman. They also work with Parks and Lakes Superintendent Vern Olfson to help remove trash from the lakes, including large limbs.
The new chairman of GRIP, Goose Reproduction Intervention Program, was introduced. Mike Lemoine will replace Bob McGrath.
The project has impacted the number of resident Canada Geese in the area successfully and may be scaled back this year. Volunteers will still search out nests and oil eggs, but there won't be a training session or as many volunteers this year, Bowman said.
General News on 01/28/2015