We are extremely sad to announce the death of Jim Weiss, our NLLA board president. Jim died unexpectedly on February 16th from a medical condition.

Jim was a friend to all who knew him. He worked tirelessly on behalf of our lake association and for the long term health of North Long Lake. Jim enjoyed the lake as well; you probably saw him out with his wife Jan in one of the few sailboats on the lake. Or on his pontoon with his entire family.

He and Jan moved to North Long Lake after retiring from Hormel in 2017. Jim was elected to the NLLA board in 2020 and elected president in 2021. As NLLA board president, Jim was an effective and respected leader; taking on the role as board president soon after joining the board. Beyond his willingness to take responsibility as leader of our association, Jim was enthusiastic about taking part in all of our projects.

Jim will be greatly missed as a colleague and a friend.

2025 Annual Meeting and Picnic

The 2025 annual meeting will held on Saturday, June 7^th at Legionville.

2024-2025 Board Elections

The NLLA Board of Directors, consistent with our association by-laws, has conducted a special election and elected the following officers:
President - Chuck Knopik
Vice President - Harris Goldstein
Treasurer - Patrick Schiller-Michels
Secretary - Martha Weaver-West

We have an open board position. If you are interested in serving on the board, please send a note the north.long.lake.news@gmail.com.

Eurasian Milfoil in Merrifield Bay

The association has regularly treated a 3 acre area in the northeast section of Merrifield Bay for Curly Leaf Pondweed annually. This year, the invasive species Eurasian Milfoil was found in the same area.

A 100 square foot area was found north of the boat access in about 8 to 10 feet of water. Eurasian Milfoil grows very fast, crowding out native vegetation and can form a dense mat that negatively impacts boating and fishing. It primarily establishes through vegetative fragmentation—a fragment can break off, settle in the sediment, grow roots, and establish a new plant. It is easy to confuse Eurasian Milfoil with Northern Milfoil - a native plant that does not grow as explosively and does not present the same issues.

In response, we surveyed Merrifield Bay to identify any other areas of Eurasian Milfoil that may be present. Luckily, none were found. However, we expect to survey again in the spring, in conjunction with our annual survey for Curly Leaf Pondweed. We applied for a permit from the DNR to treat affected areas. This permit delineates the treatment area and authorizes the treatment plan. The permit was speedily granted and we contracted with PLM (who we use for our Curly Leaf control) for the treatment. PLM treated the the area in mid-September with a herbicide that targets the Eurasian Milfoil

We expect to continue treating this area to control the spread.

Loon Nests

How did your loons do this spring? If you have a loon nest (natural or artificial) on your lakeshore, please contact Harris Goldstein at harris.goldstein@northlong.org. We'd like to know how successful the hatch was this year and whether the nest is one owned by the association.

North Long Lake Association