MISSION STATEMENT AND HISTORY
Potato Lake Association was incorporated in 1987 with the following mission statement:
This corporation is formed for the purpose of protecting, preserving and enhancing the aesthetic, environmental and economic values of Hubbard County, and particularly Potato Lake and its immediate environs, to discourage unsound growth, and development which may pollute, impair or destroy air, water and land resources of Potato Lake and its environs, to improve understanding of the environment and dangers to it, and to create and enforce good land use and environmental policies as applied to Potato Lake and its environs.
Leadership for the Association is provided by a nine-member Board of Directors which is elected by the Association members. Three of the directors are elected each year for staggered three-year terms. The Board elects the officers for the Association.
The initial Board of Directors were the following property owners:
Walter M. Ringer, Jr. – President
Melvin Dubinsky – Vice-President
Mary Vry – Secretary
Wilson Persinger
John R. Maenner
Ted Godfrey
Clyde Johnson
In 1988 and 1991, Hubbard County District Court ruled in favor of Potato Lake Association to halt potential lake damaging development activity. Since that time, Potato Lake Association has participated and/or is currently active in the following ongoing activities:
- Secchi Disc monitoring and Carlson Trophic Status Index (TSI) recording;
- Hubbard County Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA);
- Lake level monitoring
- Worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to design the new permanent dam on the Potato River;
- Fishery management input with DNR to improve fishing;
- Advocate for healthy lakeshore development;
- Eurasian Milfoil and other acquatic invasive species programs for education, prevention and response;
- Signage at public launches;
- Loon nesting project;
- Water quality education programs at local schools;
- Water surface use education and materials;
- Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership Program leading to money grants to the Potato Lake Association and a Lake Management Plan for Potato Lake;
- Conduct shoreland survey with the support of the SWCD to inventory the shoreland vegetation, aquatic vegetation distribution and shoreland conditions;
- Restore the ____ programs for responsible shoreline preservation; and
- Distribution to its members of a directory of property owners on Potato Lake.
- In addition to the above, the Potato Lake Association holds a variety of social gatherings; publishes a quarterly newsletter; has regular Board meetings and an annual membership meeting.
Participation as a Potato Lake Association member is encouraged. Engaged, proactive membership to further good practices on and around the lake is helping to maintain the beauty and quality of Potato Lake. Property owners around the lake number approximately 240.
The strengths of the Association are that we have (i) a Board of Directors of nine members, (ii) an active and goal-oriented Board, (iii) an active social program which has helped enhance our membership and participation, (iv) an improved quarterly newsletter that has substantially improved our communications and assisted with expanding our membership base, and (v) regular Board meetings throughout the year and an annual meeting with all members during the summer.
Since the early days of the initial Board of the Potato Lake Association, many property owners around the lake have stepped up to serve on the Board or help with various Association activities with energy and strong leadership. We are grateful for their contributions. Their efforts, replicating past Association efforts to maintain the beauty and quality of Potato Lake, inspire future efforts to do the same.
Potato Lake Association 