Thanksgiving greetings to all of our Carman Bay families! We are now starting our 2010 fundraising campaign for the battle to eliminate milfoil in Carman Bay. If any of you ventured out in your boats this year, we are sure you experienced the TONS of milfoil that has grown in our bay. The milfoil problem is not going to go away by itself; as a matter of fact, as we saw this year, it will continue to get worse!

In 2008, Carman Bay was one of three bays that were part of a 5 year pilot project being carried out by a joint venture between the DNR, LMCD, LMA, and you, the homeowners. There is a long explanation of what went wrong in 2008. If you haven't been filled in on the details please contact one of your Street Captains below for an explanation or go to Carman Bay Treatment 2008 - 2010 Overview. Phelps and Grays Bays had great success and did a second treatment last year and are virtually milfoil free. The method used in those bays has been proven successful and this is the method being proposed for our bay in 2010.

Be assured, things are different than they were in 2008!! We have one last chance to get this right. If we do not raise enough funding to do the treatment this year, we will be out of the pilot project and will receive no further funding from the DNR and LMCD, a significant amount of money. Bottom line, we need to raise $42,000 for our portion, to treat the whole bay. There are 107 lots that line the bay. Our goal is 100% participation in some way. We are asking for a contribution of $400 per lot – that’s with 100% participation. If we get 60% participation this year, we need $650 per lot. In 2008 we had 54% participation with 6 people providing the majority of the funding. The economy has put a crunch on all of us and giving money to causes is very hard right now, but this is definitely a cause worth considering! Even if you aren’t able to meet these numbers, if you are able to give SOMETHING it all helps! Please be generous, this is our last chance. New bays are lining up for the program. A St Albans Bay resident has asked the LMCD for our portion of the 3 bay funding, referring to last year's shortfall as a signal of Carman Bay's lack of commitment. Our shortfall last year is a signal to other bays that we do not take the issue seriously.

There are a number of ways you can contribute outlined on the attached Pledge Form. On that note, also think about a company match. The LMA, which is managing the project, is a non-profit environmentally focused organization. If you need documentation completed for a company match, contact Dick Osgood at dickosgood@usinternet.com.

Below are links to pictures of Carman Bay from this year, Phelps Bay this year and harvesting being done in Carman – HOW SCARY! If you are questioning your contribution at all, look at these pictures! If you need more information or have any questions that are not answered, please do not hesitate to contact one of us via email or phone. Further communication will be coming keeping you updated on our progress with the fundraising campaign for Carman Bay.

Last, we would like to thank you for taking the time to read this letter. If we have your email address on file you will be receiving an email version of this letter. One of us will be contacting you in the near future to discuss the fundraising program.

Comparison photos Carman vs Phelps Bays

Aerial photos of LMCD Harvesting

We are now fortunate enough to have seven Carman Bay residents volunteering to work for this cause. Please contact the Captain in your area for any question that you may have.


Casco Point Street Captains:

• Mary Drazan
  3546 Ivy Pl
  Wayzata, MN 55391
  
• Kevin Kennefick
  3241 Casco Cr
  Wayzata, MN 55391
  
• Terry Lindgren
  3020 Casco Pt Rd
  Wayzata, MN 55391
  
• Mary Tucker
  3466 Ivy Place
  Wayzata, MN 55391

Carman Bay NE Street Captains (from the intersection of Casco Pt Rd & Co Rd 15, East).

• Thomas Lowe
  2395 Carman Rd
  Excelsior MN 55331
  
• Patty Morris
  2697 Kelly Ave
  Excelsior, MN 55331
  
• Bill Keegan
  2707 Walters Port Ln
  Excelsior, MN 55331