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How Does SLPOA Benefit You?  The Spider Lake Property Owners Association was created to benefit both Spider Lake’s ecosystems and anyone interested in preserving, protecting, and improving this gem.  Spider Lake’s water quality and the reduction of invasive species directly impacts its users and property values.  We all love the clear water, our loons, the fishing, plus more, and we all need to work to keep it that way!  Your membership allows this important education and work to continue.  

What is SLPOA working on?    

• SLPOA works to communicate best practices for management of the shoreline, uplands around your lake house, and the nearshore bottomlands to protect our lake ecology and water quality.

• The Water Quality Committee collects lake water samples to monitor our water quality for the Michigan’s Cooperative Lakes Monitoring Program (CLMP).  Tests include:

• water clarity (weekly)

• total phosphorus sampling (Spring and Fall)

• Chlorophyll A (biweekly)

• Water column temperature (biweekly)

• Dissolved oxygen (biweekly)

Results and trends are reviewed at each SLPOA Annual Meeting and in ENEWS.

• The Water Quality Committee actively monitors for invasive plants at the shoreline and in the water, and encourages and assists with the eradication of these plants.

• Purple Loosestrife (PL) is a very prolific invasive plant growing around our shoreline.  The control program includes:

• Distributing purchased beetles and larvae in select areas around the lake.  The beetles exclusively eat PL.

• Manual flower head removal with proper disposal.  One plant can produce over a million seeds!

• Manual removal of reachable plants with proper disposal.

• Consulting and assisting lakeshore owners regarding PL control and removal

• The committee also monitors for other invasive shoreline plants, such as Phragmites (tall perennial grasses that can take over a shoreline), Yellow Flag Iris, and Creeping Jenny, as well as invasive aquatic plants.

• The Water Quality Committee also monitors for invasive critters and encourages and assists with the reduction of these.

• The Water Quality Committee supplies boater information at the boat launch, such as the Spider Lake Map and Rules sheet, which is included in this packet.

• The Water Quality Committee is also exploring boat cleaning options to help prevent the spread of invasive species

• The Water Quality Committee coordinates with volunteers the trash clean-up of Island 3 and nearshore trash removal via boat and paddleboard.

• The SLPOA Board conducts regular Board meetings and coordinates the Annual Community Meeting, which typically includes a financial report, an education presentation, a “State of the Lake Report” (with testing results and trends), President and Committee reports, etc.

• The Board Members and volunteers advocate for Spider Lake lakeshore protection by attending various Township, County, and other relevant meetings.

• Various Board Members attend the annual meeting of Michigan Lakes and Streams Association to obtain updates on scientific and legal best practices for lake and association management.

• The Board and Committee members consult with lakeshore owners as requested for lake and lakeshore issues.

• The FACEBOOK Committee administers and monitors the Spider Lake Facebook group.

• The Communications Committee sends periodic electronic newsletters (ENEWS) and USPS mailings, as well as posts information on Facebook, all providing education and information. They also update the Welcome Packet as needed.

• The Fisheries Committee monitors and confers with the DNR regarding fish species and habitat.  

SLPOA, Committees, and community volunteers also work on Special Projects each year.  Examples for 2024-2025 include:

• Updating the Bylaws, which included adding Mission and Vision statements

• Creating a Spider Lake Webpage for easier access to documents, prior newsletters (ENEWS), and other useful links and information (see “Spiderlake.org”)

• Collecting septic system data

• Communicating with East Bay Charter Township and the GT County Road Commission on road maintenance

• Completing the 1st Welcome Packet, which included creating an updated SLPOA Logo

• We recently applied for and received a grant from the Great Lakes Commission that supports three “Clean-Drain-Dry” boat education blitzes this summer at the boat launch.  The dates are June 28, July 1, and August 16.  These types of educational events are critical to keeping our lake as free of invasives as possible 

What are your dues used for?  Your $35 dues are used for many of the above tasks, such as water quality testing, purchasing beetles for the invasive plants, creating boating safety pamphlets for the public boat launch, insurance, education, printing costs, welcome packets, mailings, etc.