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New meeting place for City Council Meeting June 6, 2023

 

 
 

We have just been notified that our City Council meeting location of First Calvary Baptist Church will be unavailable for next Tuesday, June 6th.  Unfortunately, a watermain break occurred which flooded the church and will not be accessible by next Tuesday.

 

The June 6th City Council meeting will be held at:

 

West St. Paul City Hall

Council Chambers

1616 Humboldt Avenue

West St. Paul, MN  55118

Preventing Tick-Borne Diseases

Ticks pass on diseases by biting people so checking for ticks after outside activity is a priority. A tick must be attached for at least 24 hours before it can transit Lyme disease, but Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis may be transmitted in less than 24 hours after tick attachment. The blacklegged tick (deer tick), Ixodes scapularis, the vector that transmits these diseases is found in Sunfish Lake and throughout Minnesota. A number of our neighbors and their pets have contracted Lyme disease within the city limits of Sunfish Lake. 

The blacklegged tick adult is tiny, only about 1/10th of an inch long, and the nymph stage is even smaller (about the size of a poppy seed). Ticks typically wait on vegetation near lawn edges, near woodland pathways, or in woodlands to grab onto a potential host as the person walks by.  Risk of tick bites is highest during spring, summer and fall and tick-borne diseases peak during June through August. Ticks can be active anytime during the year when temperatures are above 32 degrees. Mushroom hunters should be especially aware of ticks.

Prevent contact with ticks by walking near the center of trails and avoiding tall grass areas. Wear light colored protective clothing and tuck in your pants into your socks.  Light colored clothing makes it easier to spot ticks.  Use the repellent DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) on skin or clothing. The insecticide permethrin will kill ticks and is also an effective repellent when applied to clothing (only apply permethrin to clothing!)  Permethrin, labeled to apply to clothing, will last through several washings and is available at Home Depot and other local retailers.

Check with your doctor if you have been bitten and remove the tick immediately by grabbing its head with a pointed tweezers and slowly pull it out.  Do not use a hot match head to get the tick to let go its attachment. Save the tick in a Ziploc bag for identification.

Lyme Disease is a bacterial disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi; Anaplasmosis is caused by bacteria that infects white blood cells; and Babesiosis is caused by a protozoan that infects red blood cells. Both Anaplasmosis and Babesiosis are increasing in frequency and are more likely to occur in people with compromised immune systems. For additional information check the Minnesota Lyme Association website at: mnlyme.org or the Minnesota Department of Health.

This was originally published as a Treeways Article in 2017 by City Forester Jim Nayes, but ticks are bad this season, so this is a reminder.

Water Conservation

The City of Sunfish Lake is unique in a lot of ways.  The large lots, rural feel, and lack of public sewer and water in a community surrounded by city’s with more urban settings and infrastructure makes Sunfish Lake a special place.  With every home in the city on an individual well system, it is more important for our city’s citizens than for the other communities around us to protect and conserve our water resources.  At the time of this writing, the region is entering into what are considered “drought” conditions, which puts even more stress on the local water resources and supplies of water in the ground that each of our wells draws from.  It is strongly encouraged that you consider implementing the water conservation practices outlined below:

Take shorter showers, which saves gallons of water.

  • Add more efficient shower heads which can save as much as 13,000 gallons a year for an average household.  Xcel Energy provides low volume shower heads at the Xcel Energy Store website.
  • Toilets are one of the biggest sources of indoor water consumption.  Older toilets use much more water than new toilets.  Make sure you have updated toilets that use less than 1.6 gallons per flush.
  • Consider trading in your top-load washer machine for a high efficiency front loading washer.  You can save up to 36 gallons of water per load.
  • If your faucets are older, you can benefit from installing aerator flow restrictors on faucets.
  • Lawn irrigation use by Americans amounts to about 9 billion gallons of water daily.  In many instances home lawns and landscapes are over-watered. Consider adding soil moisture sensors that prompt the lawn irrigation only when needed.
  • It is best to water deeply and infrequently, and watering should not take place during the heat of the day to prevent needless evaporation.
  • Consider converting areas of sodded lawn to drought resistant lawn and low-maintenance plantings that require much less watering. 

 Implementing the practices outlined above can help to ensure that plentiful fresh groundwater is available for future generations, and will help to protect the special attributes of this unique city.

Lower Mississippi River Water Management Organization Survey

Are you interested in your local water resources? LMRWMO is Seeking Public Input.  See this link:

 Go to the survey

Water Pumping From City Lakes and Wetlands

Many residents may not know that pumping from lakes and wetlands within the City requires a permit.  The SFL City Council first passed an ordinance in 1989 to prohibit pumping from the City’s lakes and wetlands without an approved City Permit.  City Ordinance requires issuance of an Interim Use Permit for pumping of any lake, stream, wetland or natural or man-made pond water.  You can find the specifics of the ordinance in this link: https://www.sunfishlake.org/ordinances/article-xi-protection-of-the-environment/1107-water-use-permit/?template=protostar&print=1&layout=default

 

The process for water use permit review and approval follows that which is required for Conditional Use Permits – which involves public notice, a public hearing at the Planning Commission,  and review and action by the City Council.   Some of the things that are considered in the review of pumping applications are:

 

  • Whether pumping could occur when the lake is low
  • The noise from the pumping machine
  • Whether the pumping apparatus has to be removed from the shoreland when pumping is not occurring   
  • Whether pumping may occur at night
  • How would the pumped water be used and where would it go
  • Whether any erosion control needs to be installed

 

This review process is necessary for the protection of our natural resources.  Please contact City Planner Lori Johnson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to know more about the permitting process, applications and deadlines.

Treeways

  • explore subfolder image 2023 Treeways
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways 2023 - 5 Open Woodland Restoration
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways 2023 - 4 No Goats No Glory
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways 2023 - 2 Woodland Evolution
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways 2023 - 3 Oh Deer
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways 2023 - 1-EAB 2023 Update
  • explore subfolder image 2022
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2022_-_5-Filling_Open_Spaces
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2022_-_4_LifeOfTrees
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2022_-_3_BuckthornForever
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2022_-_2_VistaPruning
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2022_-_1-EmeraldAshBorerUpdate
  • explore subfolder image 2021
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-9_Emerald_Ash_Borer_Status
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-8-Thanks_Neighbors_Recycling
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-3_Our_Learning_Curve_Controlling_Buckthorn
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-1_Smart_Tree_Removal
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-2_Our_Experience_Fighting_Oak_Wilt
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-7_Burning_Permits
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-4_Pets_and_Other_Animals
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-5_Chronic_Wasting_Disease
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2021-6_Wildfire_Firewise
  • explore subfolder image 2020
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2020_4-Managing_your_estate_landscape
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2020_3-Managing_invasive_species
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2020_2-Making_lemonade_when_you_lose_your_ash
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2020_1-Living_well_in_Sunfish_Lake
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2020__5_Friends_of_Musser_Park
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Deer_Population_Update_2020_8
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Landscaping__Bee_the_Change_2020_-_7
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Trees_and_Woody_Plants_for_Particular_Purposes_2020_-_6
    • An Adobe Acrobat file Treeways_2020_8
  • explore subfolder image 2019
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2019 04 EAB and You
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2019 03 Living the Life
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2019 02 Street Trees Near Charlton Road
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2019 01 Sunfish Lake Tree Inventory
  • explore subfolder image 2018
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 7 When a Tree Dies
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 6 Choosing Trees
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 5 Restoring Wildflowers
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 4 Invasive Species Reality Check
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 3 EAB and Wildfires
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 2 Trees in Winter
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2018 1 Living Well in SFL
  • explore subfolder image 2017
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2017 4 BeeKindMN.org
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2017 3 Tick Borne Diseases
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2017 1 Bluebird Trail
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2017 2 Mosquito Borne Disease
  • explore subfolder image 2016
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2016 05 Burning Leaves
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2016 04 Deer Management
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2016 03 The End of Nature
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2016 02 A Walk in the Park
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2016 01 Big Piles of Brush
  • explore subfolder image 2015
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 07 Mosquito-Borne Diseases
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 8 Wildflower Planting Demo
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 06 Lyme Disease
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 05 Maximum Woodland Tree Diversity
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 04 Minnesota Noxious Weeds
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 03 Native Wildflower Plantings
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 02 Being Friendly with Native Bees
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2015 01 Raising Bees and Chickens
  • explore subfolder image 2014
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 09 Grapevines Gone Wild
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 08 Sunfish Lake Algae
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 10 Oriental Bittersweet
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 06 Pesticides
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 07 Bee Pastures
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 04 Wild Land Care
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 03 Woodland Management
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 05 Bees
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 02 Burning Permits
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2014 01 Fire Number Signs
  • explore subfolder image 2013
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 09 Trouble With trees - Neighbors
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 06 Maintaining Your Woodland Estate
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 08 Trouble With Your Tree - Ask the City Forester
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 07 Is Your Tree a Hazard Tree
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 05 The Long View - Woodlands Forever
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 04 How do I Plant a Tree ..
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 03 Learn Not to Burn -- Live FireWise
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 02 How Do I Know if I Have EAB
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2013 01 EAB on Our Doorstep and Reforestation
  • explore subfolder image 2012
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 7 EAB -- The Genie is Out of the Bottle
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 6 Transplanting New Trees
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 8 Woodland Wildfires -- FireWise
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 4 Controlling Invasive Species
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 3 Garlic Mustard Control
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 5 Recommended Woody Plants
    • An Adobe Acrobat file 2012 2 EAB on Our Doorstep

  1. Sunfish Lake Quarterly

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We are a small community proud of our heritage and committed to the preservation of our pristine, rural character. We cherish our privacy, yet know we are part of a thriving Dakota County and the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area. With these partnerships in mind, we strive to preserve that unique spirit which is Sunfish Lake, Minnesota.

© 2023 City of Sunfish Lake, Minnesota
Sunday, June 04, 2023