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SUMMER FUN AT THE 2008 ALLSTATE MILK CARTON DERBY AT GREEN LAKE

Sponsored by Allstate Insurance Company, the July 5 Green Lake Milk Carton Races featured nearly 100 crazy craft boats of all shapes and sizes competing for $10,000 in prizes. On-shore activities included tethered hot-air balloon rides at lower Woodland, a Children's Show at noon, Sea Gals signing autographs, pig petting and a bounce house, with plenty of food lining the shore. See the Seafair web site for more great pictures. Water quality is key to the enjoyment of Green Lake's popular activities, and the water is clean and clear, thanks to the alum treatment. (Pictures by Kristina Stewart, Gayle Garman.)

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SEATTLE PARKS AND RECREATION STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN PUBLIC TESTIMONY RECEIVED AT JUNE 26 MEETING

The Park Board met on Thursday, June 26 in the Park Board Room, 100 Dexter Ave. N (the Parks administration building in Denny Park). The agenda included public testimony on the draft Strategic Action Plan. The finalized version will be online at the Park Board web site.

When community input was requested on the Stategic Action Plan, Friends of Greenlake submitted a letter to new Parks Superintendent Timothy Gallagher asking for a consolidation of responsibility for the diverse aspects of Green Lake management currently scattered among city, county, and state entities. The 2007 Annual Report can be viewed at the Seattle Parks website.

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REPORT TOXIC BLUE-GREEN ALGAE BLOOMS

Feb. 2008 algae bloom
Toxic blue-green algae looks pea-green in this Feb. 2008 Green Lake photo.

The Washington Dept of Ecology has started a program to test blue-green algae blooms for toxicity. Any blooms in Green Lake should be reported so they can be recorded and tested. The bloom usually looks pea-green, and can be scum or filaments or small spheres. As the cells die, they can release pigment that is a striking blue, as seen in the photo below. Digital photos help document the bloom and can determine whether to sample. Contact Gayle Garman/Richard Fleming (206-525-1974), Sally Abella (206-296-8382, or Tricia Shoblom (425-649-7288) to report a bloom.

FOGL T-shirt
Dec. 2007 close-up photo of the toxic blue-green algae in Green Lake!

The 2007 bloom was sampled by the County Dept. of Natural Resources and was predominantly Anabaena flos-aquiae, which can produce a neurotoxin. Shoreline accumulations also were seen Jan. and Feb. 2008. The blue-greens float to the surface, are pushed around the lake by the wind, then accumulate at the shoreline. The toxin may persist in the water a week or more after the bloom. The best way to minimize possible animal poisonings by the blooms is to keep animals away from the affected waters.

 

MEETINGS

Friends of Green Lake meeting
FOGL now meets at 7:00 PM on the fourth Tuesday of the month:
The Hearthstone
Board room, main floor
6720 E. Green Lake Way N
NEXT MEETING IS TUES.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2008
Green Lake Community Council
GLCC meets at 7:00 PM at The Hearthstone (address above) on the second Wednesday of odd numbered months.
Green Lake Community Council

AGENDA FOR MEETING Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Introductions - Gayle Garman, Chair

Water Inputs to Green Lake, Including the Densmore Drainage Basin
- Richard Fleming, FOGL Monitoring Chairman

Planned Improvements to the Densmore Drainage Basin
- Frank E. McDonald, Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

Standing Committee Reports
- Monitoring, Richard Fleming
- Webmaster, Ellen Hewitt
- Treasurer's Report, Mary Lou Knox
- Corresponding Secretary's Report, Marcia Norman

Reports on Recent Activities, Gayle Garman and Officers
- Preparation of 501(c)3 application
- Other Correspondence

Other Reports and Announcements
- Everyone

CLOUDS DID NOT MAR THE FOGL COMMUNITY PICNIC JULY 22
A big THANK-YOU to all our wonderful volunteers at the Cross Lake Swim and the Milk Carton Boat Race, and especially, to our donors!!! We all deserve a reward! So we had some fun in the Park with our friends and neighbors who CAME DOWN TO THE LAKE TO ENJOY THE FRIENDS OF GREEN LAKE POTLUCK PICNIC Tuesday, JULY 22. New and old friends of the lake were there to enjoy themselves and share their views on how to protect this wonderful resource.

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©2008 Friends of Green Lake
PO Box 30544, Seattle, WA 98113

Webmaster - Ellen Hewitt
Updated August 21, 2008

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