Hess Lake Improvement Board
Bart Calvi, Chair
Brooks Township Representative
Dale Twing, Secretary & Treasurer
Newaygo County Drain Commissioner
Ken Delaat
Newaygo County Commissioner
Mark Slocum
Grant Township Representative
Grant Bryan
Lake Resident Representative
Environmental Consultant: Progressive Companies
Next Meeting: May 7, 2024, 9:30 a.m. at the Newaygo County Drain Commissioner's office at 306 S North St, White Cloud, MI 49349
The Hess Lake Improvement Board was established in accordance with Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The Lake Board includes a lakefront property owner, representatives from Brooks and Grant Townships, a Newaygo County Commissioner and the Newaygo County Drain Commissioner. Several board members are lake residents. Since its establishment, the Lake Board has implemented several programs to help improve conditions in Hess Lake. Lake Board funding is derived through special assessment of benefitting properties around the lake. This website includes information about Hess Lake and lake management activities being coordinated under the direction of the Hess Lake Improvement Board.
The Hess Lake Improvement Board is separate and apart from the Hess Lake Improvement Association. The Hess Lake Improvement Board is a governmental entity established by state statute. The Hess Lake Improvement Association is a volunteer, non-profit group that works to promote a spirit of good fellowship and a sense of community among its members. To find out more about the Hess Lake Improvement Association, visit: https://hesslake.com/.
Plans in Motion
Scientists from Carp Solutions LLC were at Hess Lake from October 10 to 13 to continue their evaluation of the carp population in Hess Lake. Over 50 carp were caught by boat electrofishing and otoliths were removed to evaluate age and reproduction patterns. Much like rings on a tree, otoliths can be analyzed to determine fish age and if carp are reproducing in pulses in Hess Lake. This data will shed light on if carp are spawning primarily in the lake proper or in peripheral waterbodies near the lake. An additional 20 carp were collected and surgically implanted with radiotelemetry tags that will allow carp movements to be tracked. Carp Solutions LLC scientists will be returning in late fall and again in the spring to track the carp to see if they are aggregating. If carp are found to be heavily aggregated in large numbers in areas suitable for seining, it may be possible to physically net and remove large numbers of carp from the lake. The data being collected this year and next spring will help guide and inform carp management strategies moving forward.
Aquatic plant surveys will resume in the early summer of 2024 to document invasive plant species like Eurasian milfoil.
Meeting Minutes:
Radiotelemtry tags being surgically implanted in common carp by Carp Solutions LLC.
Photos by Bart Calvi