Flood Precaution and Preventative Measures

This year’s winter is finally drawing to a close.  A thicker than usual snow pack has sparked concern over possible flooding as it warms up through the spring.  The national weather service has forecasted temperatures to be below normal and models indicate a gradual thaw.  This may seem less than ideal because the snow will hang around longer but it’s great news for those worried about flooding.  A slow thaw will give the rivers and streams time to ferry away the water at a lower level preventing flooding.  Although the forecast is for a gradual melt, we could still see flooding.  The worst case scenario would be for several days of heavy rain in April before the ground has fully thawed.  If this happens, flooding of level ground is certain to happen. 

There are steps for homeowners to take in flood prone areas. 

Buy flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Plan if you live in a flood plain.

• Elevate the furnace, water heater, air conditioner and other utilities that are ground level.
• Install "check valves" in sewer traps to prevent flood water back ups.
• Construct interior barriers to stop low level floodwater from entering basements.
• Read Living in the Floodplain: What You Need to Know - Who You Need to Know .  This publication is available from the WDNR.

All homeowners should also consider doing the following regardless of if they have flooded recently or not.

• Seal walls in basements with waterproofing compounds to avoid seepage.
• Remove inventory or important papers and possessions from the basement.
• Back up important computer files and store in a secure off site location.

These simple steps can prevent costly damage to homeowners and make flood recovery easier and faster.

Cleaner Wood Burning

 

Wood Smoke and Asthma: Breathe Easier

 

 

 

Wood Smoke and Asthma: Reduce Smoke

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJXj9j3g7EM

 

Wood Smoke and Asthma: Dry Firewood

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-OfbPjXPUU

 

During the wintertime, residential wood smoke is a main contributor to fine particle pollution and is responsible for poor air quality days in many areas across the United States. Particle pollution in wood smoke can affect everyone, but children, teenagers, older adults, people with lung disease, including asthma and COPD, or people with heart disease are the most vulnerable.

 

Particle pollution exposure can lead to a variety of health effects. For example, numerous studies link particle levels to increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits—and even to early death.  Research indicates that obesity or diabetes may increase risk. New or expectant mothers may also want to take precautions to protect the health of their babies.

 

EPA’s Burn Wise program encourages communities and their citizens to implement safe burning practices by emphasizing the importance of burning the right wood, the right way, in the

right wood-burning appliance.

Take Care of Shorelines on Legend Lake

Channels and Erosion Concerns

 

Erosion of our shorelines is becoming an increasing concern for Legend Lake, especially in the relatively shallow channels.  Each channel was initially created to be around ten feet deep throughout the center of the entire length.  Over several decades, erosion has filled many of these channels so they are only 6-8 feet deep in 2013.  Sandy, unstable shoreline areas with minimal vegetation and boat wakes are leading to excess sedimentation of the navigation channels.

 

Two things need to happen to slow or stop this trend.  One, boaters need to obey slow-no-wake rules.  Too many boaters cruise through too fast, creating wakes of 6-12 inches high.  This may not seem like a lot, but it is causing a lot of undercutting of the banks along these channels.  Two, landowners along these channels need to do their best to vegetate and naturalize all shoreline areas they own that are not part of their access and viewing corridor.  Heavy vegetation along the shoreline and on all sloped areas will hold the sand/soil in place better.  The more dense, non-mowed areas of native vegetation we can promote along these channels, the better we can keep these waterways from filling in with sediments.

 

Any channel that becomes unnavigable due to sedimentation will probably require dredging.  Dredging can cost millions of dollars and permits are not always granted by the State.  Preventing the filling of our channels is the best way to avoid extremely expensive dredging in the future.  Please do your part to help combat the problem.

 

Islands in Legend Lake

 

  There are four islands within the Legend Lake chain.  The large town owned conservancy in Peshtigo Lake is mostly unused.  The two islands in Big Blacksmith Lake are owned by LLPOA and are used by boaters to a small degree.  Horseshoe Island is also a Town owned conservancy in Pyawasit Lake, and I used heavily along the southern “tips of the horseshoe”.

 

Heavy use and users ramming their boats into the shore have destabilized much of the bank in these areas.  Horseshoe Island is eroding away at a rate of several feet per year.  The island is a great gathering place to socialize, but we need to protect it for future users and for the protected cove it provides for wildlife habitat.  Several species of fish and birds breed in this inner area of the island.  Please do not litter on or around the island, and most importantly, please do not ram boats into the shore or tie to trees. Please anchor your boats in the shallow sandy areas near the island and leave the shoreline and natural vegetation to grow and help protect the banks.

 

Natural Shorelines and Vegetated Buffers

 

 I’d like to promote the benefits of natural shorelines with native species of plants such as grasses, sedges, wildflowers, shrubs and trees.  Shoreline buffers like the restoration shown below add habitat for the natural food chain and protect the shoreline from erosion.  Keeping your access point to no more than 30 feet of your frontage, with the rest being natural, will keep your lake cleaner and allow more habitat and food for the fish, birds, frogs, etc.

 

Cost Sharing Available in 2014

 

I will have cost sharing money available again for naturalizing and stabilizing shorelines.  Currently this is first come first served money for eligible projects.  Stabilizing shorelines with rip-rap, bio-logs, native vegetation or other approved methods can be cost shared from 50-70%.  That means that the property owner only pays 30-50% of eligible costs (with a possible upper limit dependent on total cost), plus tax.

 

For information on cost sharing eligibility, call Jeremy Johnson at 715-799-5710. 

Teen Driving: Facts and Statistics

TEEN DRIVING: FACTS AND STATISTICS

FATALITIES

·        Motor vehicle crashes are the No. 1 cause of death among teens in the U.S.

·        The fatality rate for drivers age 16 to 19 is four times that of drivers age 25 to 69 years

·        The crash fatality rate (crash fatalities/100,000 population) is highest for 16- to 17-year-olds within the first six months after getting their license — and remains high through age 24

·        The top three predictors for fatality are non-use of seat belts, teen drivers and roads with speed limits of 45 mph or higher

·        Approximately two-thirds of teen passenger deaths (ages 13 to 19) occur when other teenagers are driving

 

CRASHES

·        In their first year on the road, teens are almost 10 times more likely to be in a crash

·        20 percent of 11th graders report being in a crash as a driver in the past year

·        25 percent of 9th graders report being in a crash as a passenger in their lifetimes

·        Crash risk increases incrementally with each mile per hour over the speed limit

·        Current data on crashes involving 16-year-old drivers shows that having multiple teenage passengers in the vehicle is twice as likely to cause a fatal crash as alcohol-impaired driving

·        Crashes are more common among young drivers than any other age group. In the United States, 1 in 4 crash fatalities involve someone 16 to 24 years old, nearly twice as high as other age groups

 

PARENTAL INFLUENCE

·        66 percent of teens say they care about their parents’ opinion on cell phone use while driving

·        56 percent of teens rely on their parents to learn how to drive

 

DISTRACTION

·        90 percent of teens see passenger behavior that distracts the driver

SPEEDING

·        Nearly half of teens report seeing passengers encouraging drivers to speed at least sometimes

·        Half of teen drivers report driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit at least sometimes

CELL PHONE USE

·        Nine out of 10 teens reported it was common to see teens driving while talking on a cell phone

SEAT BELT USE

·        Teens have the lowest seat belt use rates of any age group, leading to deadly consequences

·        Only 65 percent of teens consistently wear their seat belts as both a driver and passenger

·        Six out of 10 drivers ages 16 to 20 who were killed in crashes were unrestrained

·        Almost two out of three teens killed as occupants of motor vehicles are unrestrained

SUBSTANCE ABUSE

·        Teens are actually less likely than adults to get behind the wheel after drinking, but when they do, their risk of crashing is far greater

·        53 percent of teens saw substance use behind the wheel at least sometimes

 

EPA Regional Administrator Visits the Memoninee Reservation

September 13th was a big day for the Menominee Tribe as the Environmental Protection Agencies Region 5 Administrator Susan Hedman came to Menominee.  The purpose of the visit was to meet with the Tribe and tour the reservation and see some of the projects being funded by Clean Water Act Section 106 funding the Tribe receives.  After a lunch which included the Tribal Chairman Craig Corn welcoming the EPA staff the Environmental Services Dept. led a tour which had stops at Legend Lake, Keshena Falls and Upper Bass Lake.  The EPA enjoyed the tour and the Environmental Services staff had the oppportunity to demonstrate the successes of the work done in preventing pollution as well as relay any upcoming concerns.  The picture below is courtesy of Susan Hedman's Twitter feed. Twitter Link



Be Aware of West Nile Virus

PUBLIC HEALTH WARNING:

BIRD TESTS POSITIVE FOR WEST NILE VIRUS


(Keshena, WI)

- The Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department reports a dead crow found in the Village of Keshena, Menominee County on July 30, 2013 has tested positive for West Nile virus. This is the first bird that has tested positive for West Nile virus in Menominee County since surveillance for the mosquito-transmitted virus began on May 1st. While less than 1% of people infected with West Nile virus will become severely ill, children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems are at increased risk of severe disease from the virus. "Due to the positive bird, residents of Menominee County are urged to be more vigilant in their personal protective measures to prevent mosquito bites," said Becky Hovarter, Health Director, Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department.

The West Nile virus is spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes acquire the virus by feeding on infected birds. Handling of dead birds does not increase risk of contracting the virus due to the primary method of transmission through bites acquired by infected mosquitoes.

Approximately 80% of people infected with the virus do not become sick; the remaining 20% may experience mild symptoms of fever, headache, rash, muscle ache, and fatigue. Less than 1% of people infected with the virus get seriously ill with symptoms that include high fever, muscle weakness, stiff neck, disorientation, mental confusion, tremors, confusion, paralysis, and coma. Older adults (age 50+) and those with compromised immune systems are at greater risk of developing central nervous system illness that can be fatal. Symptoms usually occur within 3-14 days after a West Nile virus infected mosquito bites a human. Individuals are urged to contact their physician if they think they have contracted West Nile virus.

Menominee residents should be aware of West Nile virus and take some simple steps to protect themselves against mosquito bites. The best way to avoid the disease is to reduce exposure to and eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

The Shawano-Menominee Counties Health Department recommends the following for all residents:

 Limit time spent outside at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.

 Apply insect repellant to clothing as well as exposed skin since mosquitoes may bite through clothing.

 Make sure window and door screens are in good repair to prevent mosquito entry.

 Properly dispose of items that hold water, such as tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or discarded tires.

 Clean roof gutters and downspouts for proper drainage.

 Turn over wheelbarrows, wading pools, boats, and canoes when not in use.


Public Health Warning August 7, 2013

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 Change the water in birdbaths and pet dishes at least every three days.

 Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas, and hot tubs; drain water from pool covers.

 Trim tall grass, weeds, and vines since mosquitoes use these areas to rest during hot daylight hours.

 Landscape to prevent water from pooling in low-lying areas.

The Department of Health Services has monitored the spread of West Nile virus since 2001 among wild birds, horses, mosquitoes, and people. During 2002, the state documented its first human infections and 52 cases were reported that year. During 2012, 57 cases of West Nile virus infection were reported among Wisconsin residents, the highest annual number of cases reported since surveillance began in Wisconsin. West Nile virus infections in humans have been reported from June through October; however, most reported becoming ill with West Nile virus in August and September.

The Wisconsin Division of Public Health will continue surveillance for West Nile virus until the end of the mosquito season. To report a sick or dead crow, blue jay, or raven, please call the Dead Bird Reporting Hotline at 1-800-433-1610.

For more general information and prevention steps relating to West Nile virus, please visit
http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/communicable/ArboviralDiseases/WestNileVirus/Index.htm or for other questions, please contact Gary Schuettpelz, R.S., Menominee Tribal Clinic at (715)799-3361 or Shawano-Menominee County Health Department at (715)526-4808. For questions regarding personal illness and symptoms, please contact your physician.

Red Cross First Aid APP

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