Virtual Special Meeting of the Members of the Emerald-Sylvan Lake Corporation

February 27, 2025, 7:00 pm EST

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Meeting Notice (the “Notice”): Pursuant to Article II, Section 3 of the Emerald-Sylvan Lake Corporation’s (the “Corporation” or “Association”) By-laws, notice of a virtual Special Meeting and its purpose was given to voting members (as defined in Article I, Section 2 of the Corporation’s By-laws) at least 7 days prior to February 27, 2025, through the following means: 

• January 30, 2025, email sent and posted on the Association’s Facebook page and Website.

• Emails sent on February 21, 2025, to those members with a current address on file with the Corporation and who have consented to electronic transmission. 

• Hard copy notices were sent via USPS on January 30, 2025, enclosed with the annual dues notice to those for whom the Corporation does not have a current email on file.

Pursuant to the Notice, the members of the Corporation met virtually via Microsoft Teams.

 

Call to Order: Pursuant to Article II, Section 5 of the By-laws, Tim Piccard, President, called the meeting to order and acted as Chair of the meeting. Dan Patrick, Secretary, served as Secretary of the Meeting with assistance from Carol Ward.  

Quorum: The Secretary counted approximately 28 members (including Board members) present. Pursuant to Article II, Section 4 of the By-laws, there being at least 12 members eligible to vote present, a quorum as defined by Article II, Section 4 of the By-laws was present. 

​Board Members Present: 

Beth Kiekintveld 

Sandy Morse

Laura Pacifici

Dan Patrick

Tim Piccard 

Kevin Self

Carol Ward

Jeff Parks

Board Members Unable to Attend: Jay Graham

Pledge of Allegiance: Tim Piccard led the members in the Pledge of Allegiance. 

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Business of the Meeting: Tim Piccard reiterated the meeting’s purpose as stated in the Notice. The Corporation’s Board called the meeting for the purpose of:

1) Updating members regarding the common carp infestation in Emerald and Sylvan Lakes and 

2) Seeking member approval for the expenditure of up to $13,000 to retain Carp Solutions LLC (“Carp Solutions”) to assess and mitigate the carp infestation during the summer of 2025. 

 

Tim Piccard requested that Laura Pacifici, a Board Member, summarize the results of research conducted and presented to the Board (leading to the Board’s calling of this Special Meeting) regarding the common carp population in Emerald and Sylvan Lakes and resulting damage to the lakes’ health and water quality. 

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Laura Pacifici reminded members of the information shared in the Notice:

• Carp are not native to Emerald and Sylvan Lakes. 

• Carp are active feeders, disturbing algae-inducing sediments and uprooting plants as they forage. They consume massive amounts of aquatic vegetation, putting them in direct competition with native fish, waterfowl, and invertebrate species. Carp only digest half of the food they eat and expel the rest which greatly contributes to nutrient load and algae blooms. This leaves a trail of environmental destruction in their wake.  

• Carp grow quickly and consume native aquatic vegetation and plankton. Their feeding patterns choke out the native fish (Bluegill, Perch, Northern Pike, Crappie, and Largemouth Bass) and destroy our lakes’ fragile ecosystems.

• Residents, especially resident carp bowhunters, are seeing more young and old carp in our lakes. 

• Young carp mean more carp in the future because: 

  • Carp live up to 50 years.

  • A single carp can lay 300,000 to 1,000,000 eggs during its lifetime with 78% to 90% hatching per year -- dramatically increasing carp populations if uncontrolled. 

• Native fish, especially bluegill, are one of the best defenses against carp. They consume eggs and larvae of carp, so we should not overfish the native fish in our lakes. 

 

Various reliable sources have reported the severity of the carp problem and its consequences for nearby lakes, such as Hess and Brooks. Those lakes are dealing with a large number of carp, which has greatly diminished lake water quality. Last summer, Hess Lake tested positive for a harmful algae bloom (HAB) caused by an unhealthy lake ecosystem. HAB can cause illness in humans and possible death in animals, so residents were unable to enjoy water activities such as swimming.

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Laura Pacifici also reported that she and other Board members conducted research to confirm that carp are a threat to the health of Emerald and Sylvan Lake using these tools:

• Educational videos 

• Aquatic educational classes

• Reading scientific articles about carp behavior and controlling carp infestations

• In-depth conversations with a DNR Fish Biologist 

• Onsite visits with the Hess Lake Team to learn about their experiences with carp infestation.

 

She reported that based on recommendations from the DNR and the Hess Lake Carp Team, Laura Pacifici spoke with Carp Solutions which specializes in developing and applying innovative, science-based tools and strategies for common carp management. Those discussions led to Carp Solutions proposing a two-step project plan for the summer of 2025 – which is the subject of the proposal before the members: 

1. Electrofishing* Survey to determine the magnitude of the carp problem

• Conduct a carp population survey around the perimeters of both lakes. 

• Collect and dispose of as many carp as they collect.

• Sample approximately 30 carp collected in order to “age” them. Based on the results of that sampling, advise how aggressive we need to be in fighting the infestation.  

• Conduct electrofishing from July to October. The process takes about three days. We will inform you of the timeline and whether this impacts lake usage. 

• Use no volunteers -- due to liability and safety concerns.

• Obtain all necessary permits.  

 * Electrofishing is a fishing technique that uses direct electricity flowing between a submerged cathode and anode. This affects the movements of nearby fish so that they swim toward the anode, where they can be stunned and netted. This results in no permanent harm to native fish or turtles, as they return to their natural mobility state in as little as 2 minutes after being stunned. 

2. Shoreline Baited Box Nets

• Conduct additional tests of shoreline baiting to determine if electric baited box netting will help our lakes.

• If electric baited box netting is determined to be beneficial: 

  • Bait used is a select attractant that only attracts carp. 

  • Carp are trained to feed within a specific area of electric netting.  

  • Once carp are trained to aggregate at the bait, resident volunteers remove them using remote electric box nets. 

  • 100% removal of carp by netting is done with no harm to native fish or turtles.

  • Volunteer lake residents take an active role in baiting the sites daily and monitoring/reporting results. 

Carp Solutions conducted an early review of Emerald and Sylvan Lakes as well as adjacent lakes. They suspect that carp from Kimball Lake, Pickerel Lake, and Penoyer Creek may be exacerbating the infestation in Emerald and Sylvan Lakes. Therefore, after concluding the Electrofishing Survey and Shoreline Baited Box Nets, Carp Solutions will suggest additional steps the Corporation might take to prevent carp migration from other waters.  

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The estimated cost for Carp Solutions to complete electrofishing and shoreline baiting (Steps 1 and 2 Above): $13,000  

 

Discussion ensued regarding the proposal before the meeting. Members of the Board responded to questions from members. Among the topics addressed were (with text below in italics capturing information provided to amplify responses to the question at the meeting or gathered and added after the meeting for informational purposes):

• Whether the census would be focused only on carp or also count other types of fish? Laura Pacifici agreed to clarify that point with Carp Solutions.  No – Carp Solutions will note the other species observed but not gather quantitative information through this process. 

• Has the Board reached out to the Pickeral-Kimball Lakes Association? Laura reported that carp are not a reported problem by residents of those lakes, with weeds being the primary area of concern. Beth reported that those lakes are currently devoting most of their financial resources to phosphorus mitigation. 

• Will Carp Solutions identify where the carp are inclined to cluster? Yes, and Laura indicated that she would be surveying residents to supplement Carp Solutions’ findings. Perhaps residents can report carp sightings through posts on the ESLA website or Facebook. 

• How to educate residents regarding the benefits of forestalling bluegill fishing during carp spawning (May to June)? Could signs be placed alerting people entering the lakes (especially from the channel) respectfully requesting the catch and release of bluegills during carp spawning season?  Carol will work with Laura to draft some educational materials to share with residents and explore signage options. 

• Are the methods recommended by Carp Solutions successful? Additional information about Carp Solutions and its work is available at https://www.carpsolutionsmn.com/.

• Will the Electrofishing Survey and Shoreline Baited Box Nets processes be needed annually? Carp Solutions' work will inform the need for future mitigation actions, but based on what they know now, the Carp Solutions team does not anticipate that annual electrofishing and carp mitigation will be needed. 

• Do wake boats contribute to the carp infestation? Early studies suggest yes. They show a connection between wake boats disturbing the thermocline and sediments of the lakes and the presence/increase in carp. More information will be shared as new studies provide additional data and insights.   

• What other mitigation measures should be considered: carp bow fishing tournaments, planting more native vegetation, stocking native fish, persuading EGLE to reduce the number of large pike that can be taken.

 

Tim Piccard noted that if the Board delayed putting this proposal to a vote at the Annual General Meeting, the Corporation, and residents would miss the opportunity to move forward with Carp Solutions this summer.  

Vote:  Tim Picard called the question – requesting member approval for the expenditure of up to $13,000 in current funds from the General Account to retain steps to retain Carp Solutions LLC to assess and mitigate the carp infestation in Emerald and Sylvan Lakes during the summer of 2025. Beth Kiekintveld moved the proposal, and Carol Ward seconded. 

All present voted in favor of the proposal, and none voted against it. The motion passed.

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Contributions Request: Laura Pacifici invited members to make contributions to the cost of the carp mitigation initiative – to supplement funds already in the General Account. Sandy Morse, Treasurer, reported that, to date, $2,650 in donations had been received for this initiative. If anyone plans to donate to the carp project when they pay their dues, members should be sure to note that when they pay their dues (a comment can also be added via Zelle). Checks can be mailed to PO Box 166, Newaygo, 49337.

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Upon motion by Kevin Self, the meeting adjourned at 7:43 pm.