May 26, 2014 · 9:28 pm

Help Save Devils Lake

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District (DLWID) Board meeting will be held on Thursday June 12th at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall  (801 SW Hwy 101, Lincoln City). The Devils Lake Water Improvement District is the governing body which oversees Devils Lake in Lincoln City.  The DLWID Board committed in their May meeting to make a precedent setting decision during this meeting that will impact may boaters on Devils Lake for years to come. Your presence does make a difference.  Please come and help save Devils Lake!

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Manager’s current recommendation is to commission a study on the permanent removal of the seasonal dam at the mouth of the D River which was designed to provide safe boating water levels in Devils Lake.  If implemented, this plan will result in a summer lake level that will severely impact boating and recreational activities.   This proposal is part of an intentional effort by the DLWID Manager to accomplish what he has coined, “natural hydrology”.  Two summers ago, he convinced the DLWID board to lower the lake six inches which started a five year clock toward the forfeiture of the Districts right to operate the dam; we have just two and a half years to resolve this issue. In concert with his plan to remove the dam, the DLWID Manager has recently been advocating for his participation in developing restrictions on how you can use property surrounding Devils Lake. Should these plans be implemented the entire shoreline would be put in jeopardy and Devils Lake would be put on course toward becoming a meadow! Continue reading →

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May 7, 2014 · 3:58 pm

DLNA Offers A Path Forward

Path-ForwardAs a community we are very much aware that the public’s interest in the lake and the activities of DLWID are at an all time high.  The District received 1.5 hours of testimony in its last board meeting attended by approximately 140 citizens and participated in a 5 hour workshop with nearly 60 present.

Following these public meetings DLWID board members and members of the DLNA board mutually reached out to each other and participated in series of meetings with the intent to find a path forward.  In those discussions we discovered that the District and the public agree on much more than they disagree.  Generally all parties expressed a common sentiment that the best outcome from recent events would be to harness the enhanced public awareness into a positive outcome that would benefit the lake and the community.

To that end, the Devils Lake Neighborhood Association has outlined a path forward that we feel can accomplish these simple goals.  Our ask is simple; convert six inches of water into the catalyst that builds an engaged community that is supportive of the Districts efforts as described below.  At the conclusion of our discussions last week we felt hopeful that the District would view this as an option that deserved a chance.

Continue reading →

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May 5, 2014 · 7:48 pm

Announcing the DLNA Annual Meeting

Annual-Meeting

The first Annual Meeting of the Devils Lake Neighborhood Association (DLNA) will be held at 10:30AM, on Saturday, May 31, 2014, in the Community Room at the Driftwood Public Library located at 801 U.S. 101 #201, Lincoln City, OR 97367. Come join us and your neighbors for the following purposes:

  1. A brief presentation on the formation of the DLNA.
  2. Open forum to allow neighbors to set the agenda for the DLNA.
  3. Draft a list of goals for the year ahead.
  4. Fix the final boundary of the Neighborhood Association

Please mark your calendar and attend this important meeting. It is a great chance to meet your neighbors and shape the neighborhood’s future. Check our website at dlakeoregon.com for more details.

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May 4, 2014 · 10:13 pm

Attend May DLWID Meeting

Board Meets May 8th, 2014 6:00pm

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Board meeting will be held on Thursday May 8th at 6:00pm. The meeting will be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall. Your presence does make a difference.  Please be there!

The District Manager’s current recommendation is to keep lake level down at 9.0’ and commission a study on the permanent removal of the dam which could result in a summer lake level a foot lower than you’ve ever seen before.  Our conversations with the Board members indicate they still have an open mind on the issue.  We need you to attend and bring five concerned friends or neighbors to help impress upon the DLWID Board that the only choice is to listen to their constituents and raise the lake to 9.53’ this summer. The Devils Lake Neighborhood Association has presented a plan to the DLWID Board which is designed to bring the community back together and accomplish great things for the lake.

I want to thank everybody who came to the April board meeting as well as the lake workshop the following weekend.  For those of you attending the workshop you may have left believing there was a very high likelihood of the board reversing its current policy resulting in a summertime lake level of 9.53 feet.  That conclusion would have been reached based on the presentation of the District’s subject matter expert, Mr. Joe Eilers of Max Depths Aquatics who when asked by a DLWID Board member if a change in 6 inches of lake elevation from 9.0 last summer to the 9.53 impoundment right, would have a measurable impact on erosion, wetlands or algae blooms, answered “no”. Continue reading →

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May 4, 2014 · 10:07 pm

Review 2014-2015 DLWID Budget

Budget Committee Meets May 9th, 2014 10:00am

The Devils Lake Water Improvement District Budget Committee meeting will be held on Friday May 9th at 10:00am. The meeting will be held in the City Hall Council Chambers, which are located on the third floor of City Hall.

The purpose of the meeting is to receive the budget message and to receive comment from the public on the budget. This is a public meeting where deliberation of the Budget Committee will take place. Any person may appear at the meeting and discuss the proposed programs with the Budget Committee.

A copy of the budget document is available online.

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April 24, 2014 · 10:12 pm

Devils Lake Dash

 May 10th and 11th Regatta Park

The year is the 2nd annual Devils Lake Dash.  The Devils Lake Dash is the season-opener for racers in the Pacific Northwest.  The Dash included stand-up and sit-down watercraft racing. There are classes for everyone, from beginners to professionals and from junior to masters, anyone can join the race, it just requires a membership to IJSBA.

During a break in the racing action on both days, there will be demonstrations by Active Water Sports, Jetovator and Flyboard of Bend.  Active Water sports will be demonstrating wave surfing, Jetovator will be demonstrating a watersports accessory that when attached to a personal watercraft uses the water thrust system to take “pilots” high into the air and Flyboard will be flying on jet water powered wake board.   All three will be giving lessons for a fee to any one that wants to learn.

Several of last year’s racers went on to race at nationals in Lake Havasu in Arizona. See the video for highlights of last year’s nationals.

Racing will be starting at 9 am on Saturday and on Sunday. Saturday night there is a meet and greet at the Cultural Center in Lincoln City starting at 6pm, Stop by to meet the racers, vendors and promoters

The racers and promoters would like to thank all the lake residents for the use of your great lake.

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April 16, 2014 · 10:25 pm

Devils Lake Workshop

Saturday April 19, 2014 10:00 OCCC campus

IMG_0152Around 140 interested parties attended the Devils Lake Water Improvement Association meeting last week.  Included in the mix was Mayor Dick Anderson and most of the Lincoln City Council members.  Lake condition and lake level dominated the discussion with nearly 40 testifying during the night.  In the end there were no decisions made by the DLWID board other than to begin the water quality testing for the year as requested by the Devils Lake Neighborhood Association in the March meeting.  David Skirvin called for the District to hold a workshop to discuss the extraordinary conditions that are now occurring on the lake.

Once again we need your help to appear at the upcoming workshop on Devils Lake and Harmful Algal Blooms and an update on the water quality.  Yes we know it’s both Easter weekend as well as the Great City Wide Garage Sale but, we did not pick the day.  Please help us express our concerns and attend the workshop: Saturday April 19, 2014 from 10 am to 12 pm at Oregon Coast Community College, 3788 SE High School Drive, Lincoln City, Oregon.

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