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Monitoring
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Get your
FOGL
Baseball Cap!
Birds
in Green
Lake
Fish
of Green
Lake
Green
Lake
Urban
Walk
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FOGL Volunteers hard at work
First Saturday of the
month work parties resumed Saturday April 7 when sixteen volunteers (including
7 students) removed weeds to restore native vegetation at the southwest
(Blackbird) restoration site on the southwest side of the lake AND found
six easter eggs hiding in the weeds in the process! We'll be working on
the plantings at the pied-billed
grebes nesting site on the southeast corner of the lake near Pitch
& Putt golf course on May 5. Join us any time between 9 and 12 of the
work party date as we get dirty and have fun restoring wildlife habitat
at Green Lake.
You can email us at friendsofGL@gmail.com to sign up, or you can just
stop by if you want. You don't have to sign up ahead. Come dressed
to get dirty and resist thorns, and bring gloves and weeding tools, if
you have them.
Restoring dense vegetation along the shoreline encourages the birds to
again raise their chicks on our urban lake, and provides spring flowers
for nectar-loving hummingbirds and later in the season, berries for foraging
songbirds. Friends of Green Lake is an association of volunteers whose
mission is "to ensure a healthy lake for wildlife and recreation".
FOGL volunteers removed blackberries from the shoreline last Oct. re-planted
with natives in March and April, and weeded and watered in May and July
(see pictures in the slideshow, above.) In November 2011 and April 2012
we weeded restoration sites. FOGL only exists because of volunteers. Like
what we do? Come join in!
FOGL has IRS approved tax-exempt status for environmental, scientific
and educational activities.Photos courtesy of Mickey Schurr and Garet
Munger.
CHARTING WATER CLARITY
IN GREEN LAKE
Green Lake water clarity varies with the amount of suspended sediment
(clays and silts) and/or plankton (microscopic plants and animals also
known as algae) in the water, as seen below. Click the graph to for a
larger version. See Monitoring page for
more details.


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NEWS ITEMS

Photo by Karen Schurr
POTENTIALLY TOXIC ALGAE
SEEN AGAIN
by Gayle Garman, FOGL Pres.
On Thurs. Sept. 29 Green Lake residents Karen and Michael
Schurr observed algae scums on the east side of Green Lake, and shot pictures.
By Friday, the wind had disbursed the algae and nothing could be seen.
Algae blooms happen periodically year-round, and can be dangerous for
pets and small children if found to be toxic, according to the King
County Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNR).

Photo by Karen Schurr
Earlier this year several blue-green algae scums were tested and found
to include Microcystis and Anabaena, both of which can produce toxins.
“This does not seem to indicate an acute health or safety risk at this
time because the levels were below the DNR guidelines,” Sally Abella of
King County DNR said at the time. “However, because the algae were somewhat
dispersed by the time we investigated, it is quite possible that the state
threshold could have been exceeded if a true scum had been sampled."
So it is important to get pictures and samples as soon as possible after
the scums are seen. Abella has put out a call for volunteers to lend a
hand.
"Does anyone walk around the lake frequently? If so, could you carry
a pint-sized jar or container with you (clean glass) to be able to scoop
up a sample if you see a distinct scum? We would need the location as
closely as you can describe it and the date/time of the sample. Of course,
a picture of the site is worth gold! If you do take a sample, refrigerate
it ASAP and email me
[or you can call FOGL at 206-525-1974, ed.] so we can coordinate a toxicity
test with Dept of Ecology and the King County Environmental Lab."
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GL EVENTS & MEETINGS
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Friends of Green Lake
FOGL meets at 7:00 PM on the fourth Tues each month:
The Hearthstone
Board Room, main floor
6720 E. Green Lake Way N
NEXT MEETING APR 24, 2012
Green Lake Community Council
GLCC meets at 7:00 PM in The Hearthstone
Chapel (address above) on the second Wednesday of odd numbered months.
Green Lake Community
Council
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DISCUSSED AT MEETING
MARCH 27, 2012
Introductions -
Gayle Garman, President
Treasurer's Report - Karen Schurr, FOGL Treasurer
Report on Dept of Parks & Recreation re: Kevin Stoops promotion
- Gayle Garman
Continuing monitoring of temperature and clarity with new volunteers
- Richard Fleming, Gayle Garman
Monitoring, sampling, and testing for algae toxin, microcystin -
Gayle Garman
Planning spring "First Saturday" work parties for maintenance
of shoreline habitat restoration sites April 7 and May 5
Educational booths at Cross-Lake Swim and Milk Carton Boat Races
Report on Winter Bird Walks
Suggestions, New Ideas and Initiatives
Other / New Business
Adjourn
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TAKE A WALK ON
THE WILD SIDE OF THE LAKE
Author Joan Burton, whose
latest family hiking book Best
hikes with KIDS is in its sixth printing, has created a
number of urban walks for families. Her Green Lake Urban Walk
takes you around Green Lake with a description of the history, flora,
and fauna along the way. Click
here to print out a two-page brochure guide you can staple
together back to back, fold up, and tuck in your pocket.
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REPORT ALGAE SCUM WHEN YOU SEE IT!
You can report any algae scum to Friends of Green Lake (206-525-1974).
If you can, get a photo and identify the specific location. FOGL
will collect a sample and take it to DNR for ID and testing. Or
you can contact Sally Abella of King County DNR directly at 206-296-8382.
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