Chain of Lakes Breeze May 2020

Breeze Chain O’ Lakes

INSIDE MAY 2020 • VOL. 7 NO. 1

• Protecting the waterways • Kayaking for beginners • Stand-up paddling

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CHAIN O’ LAKES BREEZE MAY 2020

Protecting the waterways Agency works to preserve the Fox River and Chain O’ Lakes

By Sandra Landen Machaj CORRESPONDENT

As the Fox River winds its way from the Wisconsin border into Northern Illinois, it meanders through 15 lakes and channels that make up the Chain O’ Lakes.

Because of the length of flow through the Chain, the area attracts more boats than any other inland water area in the United States during the summer months.

“Before the financial crash of 2008, we attracted about 28,000 boats to the area each season,” Fox Waterway Agency Executive Director Joe Keller said. “Since the crash, our numbers have diminished to approximately 22,000. With added financial pressures on Illinois residents, and boats being a luxury item, some residents and visitors have given up their boats as they could no longer afford the cost of the watercraft, insurance, or the fuel required to run them.”

With so much boat travel through the lakes and the Fox River it became apparent that keeping the waterways open and navigable was vital to the area. To do so the Fox Waterway Agency was created by the State of Illinois in 1984.

The agency has a very straight forward purpose, which is “to improve and maintain the Fox River and Chain O’ Lakes public waterway for recreational use, to restore environmental quality, manage flooding, promote tourism, and enhance the quality of life along the waterway for residents and tourists alike.”

With that purpose in mind, it has become the job of the Fox Waterway Agency to keep the body of water healthy not only for today’s residents but for future generations.

One of the primary means of doing so is by dredging and recycling soil that finds its way into the waters of the area.

“The rich farm topsoil from farms in Wisconsin enter the waterway through the Fox River into Grass Lake then pours into

our other lakes. Because this soil is so rich in nutrients, it encourages the growth of plant life and clogs the lakes and river impeding navigation, as it moves throughout the chain if not removed,” Keller said.

For years the material dredged from the lakes and river was collected on barges, taken to the lakeshore where it was then transferred to trucks and driven to an area where it could be unloaded and worked into the existing soil.

“A more environmentally friendly way to remove the dredged material is to own land on the shore where the material can be unloaded directly and skip the step of having to transfer it by truck. Hauling by truck increases costs and releases more chemicals and CO2 into the environment,” Keller said.

“At one time we owned 40 acres of land off the river, near Island Lake, but the land

FROM TOP: The Fox Waterways Agency is at 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road, Fox Lake. Several years ago the agency lost its original building to flooding and was forced to work out of portable buildings. The agency’s new facility is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Joe Keller, executive director of the Fox Waterway Agency displays the map of the watershed plan.

The watershed coalition will be working to provide clean water to not only the waterway but to the homes along the shore. OPPOSISITE: Dredged materials are loaded onto a barge for removal in the Fox Waterway Agency’s mechanical dredging project in Fox Lake Road Park, McHenry.

SANDDRA LANDEN MACHAJ The Breeze

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The pontoon boat is one of the most popular boats seen on the Fox River and the Chain O’ Lakes; it’s a favorite of families for relaxing, easy boating and also for tubing and water skiing.

(Sandra Landen Machaj photo)

was transferred to another agency because the residents of this area objected to having the trucks with dredged materials traveling through the residential area as it was hauled to our acreage.

“Transferring parcels of land between state agencies is a common practice but we would have preferred to keep the land in our agency and sell it to purchase another better located tract,” Keller continued. “With the help of then state Legislators Pam Althoff and Barb Wheeler a bill was introduced to the legislature to return the land to the Waterway. The bill was successfully passed and the land was returned which was then sold to purchase a more suitable site in an industrial area. This year we will continue to make the process more environmentally friendly.”

The agency not only oversees the dredging, but works at a variety of other projects to preserve the waterways.

Preserving the shoreline to prevent erosion is an important program. Attempts are made to restore shoreline land that provides nesting areas for birds and other waterfowl.

Kristine Pearson, executive assistant, field support, and customer relations at the Fox Waterway Agency, has been passionate about the waterways projects especially about shoreline preservation.

“One such program that was really successful was the Grass Island Wetland Restoration Project,” shared Pearson, a 16 year employee of the agency.

Using geo-textile tubes filled with lake bottom sediment to create a perimeter berm, they form an enclosed area where it is possible to add dredged soil, which is then planted with native vegetation and becomes a permanent part of the island and a refuge for birds.

The Fox Waterway Agency has a variety of other jobs in addition to dredging the water.

“With a small budget of $2.5 million

CHAIN O’ LAKES BREEZE MAY 2020

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ROB BOWMAN, FOX WATERWAY AGENCY The Breeze

there is a lot to be accomplished,” Keller said. “Most of our income comes from boat sticker fees. It is only recently that we were able to make some inroads into receiving some State funding. It is our hope that the State will increase the funding in the future.”

ACCESSING THE WATERWAY

Watercraft access on the Fox River from the Illinois/Wisconsin state line, through the Chain O’ Lakes to the Algonquin Spillway requires the purchase of both a State of Illinois tax sticker, which is issued by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the user fee sticker from the Fox Waterway Agency.

The State of Illinois Department of Natural Resources can be reached at www. dnrillionis.gov for additional information on the state requirements or to register your boat on line.

Cost of the Fox Waterway Agency sticker varies by the size and horsepower of the watercraft. They can be purchased as a one -year sticker or for occasional users, a temporary use sticker valid for 1-10 consecutive days. The yearly sticker is valid for the calendar year from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31.

The stickers for this year are now on sale at the Fox Waterway Agency, 45 S. Pistakee Road, Fox Lake, and at some of the satellite offices located throughout the Chain. Visit www.foxwaterway.com to purchase them online or for information on satellite availability of stickers as some of the satellites do not open until later in the season.

WORKING TOGETHER

A variety of other programs are overseen by the Agency including management of the homeowner buoy program and the waterfowl blind program. Other responsibilities include the waterway restrictions permit program and the waterway cleanup program.

Monitoring and protecting the Fox River and the Chain O’ Lakes is a full-time job

that requires not only the work of the Fox Waterway Agency, but other government agencies.

To insure the health and safety of the waterway for residents along the waterway and for visitors, the Lake and McHenry County Sheriff Departments, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Stratton Lock and Dam Commission which controls the management of the lock and dam located in McHenry, and the Chain O’ Lakes State Park, all work together with the Fox Waterway Agency.

Each of these agencies has specific duties in managing the waterways but all work together to be certain the waterways are safe and clean for all using the waterways.

FLOODING CONCERNS

Controlling the water traffic on the chain and the Fox River means sometimes closing certain areas to navigation and the creation of no wake zones for boaters, something the boaters who are looking to enjoy waterskiing and other activities from their boats find disappointing. But when the water level is too high, it is a needed restriction.

To avoid flooding of the banks of the river and lakes, the Fox Waterway Agency provides information to boaters about the areas of the waterway that are open and any areas of concern to those using the waterway.

A new app that can be added to your smart phone has made notification of pertinent information to users instantaneously as it becomes available.

A challenge for all those involved with water management the past several years has been the excessive rainfall in the area, causing higher lake levels and flooding to the properties in the area.

“Mitigating flooding is now the new norm,” Keller said. “Projections from

the National Weather Service predict that these rapid fluctuations in the weather have increased and are expected to continue.

Unfortunately we don’t have the financial resources to mitigate all these needs.”

One of the projects being worked on to aid in the abatement of flooding was the formation of a commission. It is in the early stages of forming a coalition to bring greater joint efforts and funding to address the needs.

The coalition is pursuing the creation of a Watershed plan through 319 and 6048 grant funding. The goal is to improve water quality not only in the Chain, but in the areas surrounding the waterway. With flooding of the properties along the shore, toxic substances including fuels from vehicles using the area make their way into the water system.

Stable shorelines improve the quality of the waterways with less runoff of contaminants making its way into the water.

This leads to an improvement in the quality of the fish and wildfowl in the area, Keller said.

“We will begin at the northernmost part of the chain at the Wisconsin border and include the heart of the chain and as successful will work its way down through the rest of the chain,” Keller explained.

It is the hope that the weather will cooperate this year and not cause excessive flooding requiring no wake areas or closing of the river and lakes to watercraft and that local residents and visitors will continue to enjoy their days on the water this season and that the thousands of people who enjoy time on the water will fully enjoy the beauty of the lakes and river.

The Fox Waterway Agency is at 45 S. Pistakee Lake Road, Fox Lake. Hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For more information, call 847-587-8540, go to www.foxwaterway.com or visit them on Facebook.

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CHAIN O’ LAKES BREEZE MAY 2020

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Recreational activities entice people to embrace the great outdoors, particularly in summer.

Stand-up paddling is one such activity that has become more popular in recent years. Recent research from the Physical Activity Council, a collective effort on the part of eight leading trade associations in sports, fitness and recreation, found that 3.5 million Americans participate in stand-up paddling.

Participation in the sport is split up almost 50-50 by gender (51 percent female, 49 percent male), indicating that stand-up paddling is equally attractive to both men and women.

In addition to serving as a relaxing way to enjoy the beauty of nature, stand-up paddling gets some of its appeal from its relative ease of participating.

The PAC notes that minimal equipment is needed to engage in stand-up paddling, participants typically spend minimal time and effort preparing for an outing. That

makes stand-up paddling an ideal respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and a perfect way to spend some time outdoors for people whose schedules suddenly clear up.

Would-be paddlers who are curious about the availability of places to paddle should know that more than half of all stand-up paddlers travel less than 10 miles to paddle, proving that just about any body of water provides an opportunity to engage in this activity.

People interested in stand-up paddling but unwilling to make any significant financial commitment before trying it out should know that 42 percent of people who do not own paddleboards rent them from local businesses such as on-site rental providers at boathouses or marinas and independent outdoor specialty stores. That makes stand-up paddling among the more accessible activities for people looking to enjoy the great outdoors this summer and beyond.

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Stand-up paddling has become more popular in recent years. Recent research showed 3.5 million Americans participate in stand-up paddling.

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CHAIN O’ LAKES BREEZE MAY 2020

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novice kayakers

Kayaking is a fun way to spend an afternoon, particularly in summertime. If smiles on the faces of kayakers aren’t enough to convince you just how fun this sport can be, perhaps statistics can convince you how enjoyable it is to paddle away in a kayak.

According to the Physical Activity Council, which each year conducts the largest single-source research study of sports, recreation and leisure activity participation in the United States, recreational kayaking is the most popular paddlesport in the United States, attracting more than 11 million participants each year.

People who have never before been in a kayak may be intrigued by those statistics and tempted to follow the example set by millions of kayakers who take to the water every day when the weather permits.

Safety should be a top priority for all kayakers, and especially for novices.

A kayaking course can be a great way for novices to familiarize themselves with the basics of kayaking, including the best practices in regard to staying safe on the water. Local watersports retailers and recreational organizations that take watersports enthusiasts out on the water may offer safety courses, and these courses can be great resources while also

helping people get their feet wet before paddling away.

When kayaking for the first time, it’s important that novices choose the right type of water for their experience level. Rough, choppy waters can prove challenging to even the most skilled kayakers, and these same waters can be deadly for novices.

The following are some characteristics novice kayakers should look for in a body of water before pushing themselves and their kayakers into the current.

Size

Novices should avoid vast bodies of water, such as oceans, rivers or large lakes, until they gain more experience. Large ponds and small lakes can be great places to gain some experience and familiarize oneself with the nuances of paddling.

Demeanor

Demeanor might not be a trait one normally associates with water, but looking at a body of water in this way can be a great way to determine if it’s the right place for a novice. If a body of water is raging, with choppy waters and rapid waves, then steer clear.

If the water is calm, then it’s likely a safe spot for novices.

Traffic

Novices may be intimidated by crowds, but other kayakers can serve as something of a safety net for novices. Kayaking is a fun group activity, and novice paddlers should never go it alone.

Variety

Novices should steer clear of waters that allow power boats. Such vessels can alter paddling conditions quickly, and that can put novices in potentially precarious positions. Stick to waters that allow only canoes or other boats that won’t affect water conditions.

Access

Until they get more comfortable in their kayaks, novice kayakers should stay close to shorelines so they have quick and simple access to land should they struggle to get acclimated to the water and being in a kayak.

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CHAIN O’ LAKES BREEZE MAY 2020

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Even though outdoor dining can be quite enjoyable, certain factors need to be considered to ensure that each experience is as pleasurable as possible. This means focusing on comfort whenever meals are taken out-of-doors.

Address insects

Insects are equal opportunity invaders.

Once they smell sweet or savory food items, they quickly descend for an easy bite. This means extra steps are necessary to dissuade insects from coming by.

Invest in citronella candles, which can be placed around the patio to repel flying bugs. Clean up crumbs and spills promptly.

Bees and wasps can be lured away with sweet traps placed around the perimeter of the property.

Offer shade

Too much sun can make outdoor meals less enjoyable. A patio umbrella, pergola or canopy can cut down on glare and make the dining area more comfortable.

Check to see that the shade source can be adjusted to guard against the sun as it moves across the sky.

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Create the right ambiance

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Outdoor dining areas can be improved with some easy modifications to existing spaces.

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