This is a place to ask questions and share with your Duck Lake neighbors. Please keep the discussion cordial.
Duck Lake
Property Owners Association | Highland, MI
This is a place to ask questions and share with your Duck Lake neighbors. Please keep the discussion cordial.
Duck Lake 
October 11, 2020 at 6:38 pm
A large water float mat floated under my dock. If you lost a blue mat give me a call.
chuck 248-467-4900
September 28, 2020 at 6:17 am
Good morning. There are 2 air leaks near the Axford Acres boat launch. It looks like the buoys marking the air lines were removed, which I’m sure was the reason the lines were struck. Does anyone know why the buoys were removed?
September 28, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Ever Blue was here last week to do one last bio treatment before the winter. As part of their winterizing, they removed the buoys. They have been informed of the cut lines.
September 28, 2020 at 2:02 pm
Hello There,
Thank you for the notification. I will make sure to let Ever Blue know. The buoys were removed as they are taken in and out each year, the same as the channel and sand bar buoys. As we are almost into October, the boating season is quickly winding down. They were just out to spray the last of the enzymes into the lake for the 2020 season. I am sure they removed them at the same time they were out. The nice weather this weekend made for one last beautiful boating weekend, but this is just a case of bad luck/timing. The low water levels did not help out late in the season either for line cuts. Thank you again for letting us know.
Hope everyone had a fantastic boating season this year! See you all out on the ice (hopefully we get some good cold weather)!
September 15, 2020 at 9:47 pm
Hello everyone! Reminder…this Wednesday, September 16, at 7:30 pm we will be meeting at the Axford Acres Beach and Boat Launch,
3281 Ramada Dr, Highland, MI 48356, for our September, meeting. The park has ample parking and ample outdoor space to make social distancing more comfortable. So, BRING A CHAIR and please join us! Looking forward to seeing all of you!
August 18, 2020 at 5:33 pm
Hello everyone! Reminder…this Wednesday, August 19, at 7:30 pm we will be meeting at the Axford Acres Beach and Boat Launch,
3281 Ramada Dr, Highland, MI 48356, for our August, meeting. The park has ample parking and ample outdoor space to make social distancing more comfortable. So, BRING A CHAIR and please join us! Looking forward to seeing all of you!
August 18, 2020 at 7:48 am
There has been a lot of discussion lately regarding the well pump and dropping lake levels. A tidbit of information: our well pump can add about 5 inches of water to the lake per month running full time. That is assuming it is pumping 800 gallons per minute of water from aquifers not connected to the lake, and using a lake area of 250 acres. So had our pump not been running since the end of June, our lake could be 8″ lower than it is now. I would try to estimate the effect of lawn irrigation has on the lake level, but there are way too many assumptions needed: How many pumps, how long do they run each day, how many gallon do they pump per minute, how much of the water is recirculated back into the lake from direct runoff and infiltration. Not going there as frankly we have no control over that aspect of the lake level.
For those not following the related discussion of the Duck Lake Friends Facebook group, last year we had 13.09″ of rain in June, July and August. This year so far we have had only 6.14″ of rain during the same time period based on my rain gauge.
August 18, 2020 at 8:57 am
Thank you
August 18, 2020 at 1:16 pm
Thank You Ole.
August 9, 2020 at 11:21 am
I was tending to the zoo yesterday. I noticed someone took the 3 – D orange/gray “flying bird” that was in the memorial for Denise Garth. This bird was there 2 days before, on Thursday.
Someone stole the bird and the post I attached it to. Wonder if it the same person who took and returned the mermaid earlier this season.
Taking these zoo critters is a selfish and greedy act.
This bird, as well as over half of the zoo creatures were crafted by my late father, Steve Jolokai, 20 – 40 years ago.
i was trusting when I placed my father’s art work in the zoo for all to enjoy.
If another animal disappears, my father’s art work will adorn my yard. Not the zoo. A loss for everyone.
Whoever took the bird, please return it.
Jeff jolokai
ducklakeman@aol.com
248 887 6806
August 9, 2020 at 8:28 pm
Good news! The missing bird is back in it’s roost!
It was found intact, deep in the bushes from where I had placed it.
There appear to be some animal teeth marks on the pole the bird was mounted on.
I know there are beavers back there.
Anyway, my faith in our visitors to the Duck Lake Zoo is restored!
🙂
August 10, 2020 at 8:14 am
Glad to hear the bird is back ! Good to know it wasn’t another attack by the mermaid scoundrel .
July 30, 2020 at 7:19 pm
Your sting could be from a mature Zebra mussel. It was not a sting but could have been a cut from their shells. They are very hard and sharp. Zebra mussels cling to almost everything under water. ie. weeds, docks, etc.
July 30, 2020 at 11:15 pm
It felt like electrocuting sting very hard to describe drew blood I think it was catfish cause I was finding a lot with the mucky seeds I was pulling up. But yikes a lot of dangerous critters I didn’t realize lived in my lake.
July 30, 2020 at 11:25 pm
They’re not living in your lake. You are visiting in their lake.
July 29, 2020 at 9:07 pm
Quick question. I was pulling out weeds from the lake by hand and something like stung my finger underwater.when it came out of water was bleeding. Is there any fish or critters that sting you in duck lake???
July 29, 2020 at 9:13 pm
I’m wondering if a crayfish pinched you? I’ve only ever seen one in Duck Lake though.
July 29, 2020 at 9:39 pm
Bullhead or catfish have a stinger on their dorsal fin…..
July 30, 2020 at 8:41 am
Could have been a fishing lure down in the water….I find a lot of those around my area from fisherman that leave things behind
July 30, 2020 at 9:16 am
Thankyou. I did notice some catfish in the mucky weeds I was bringing up they would swirl flop back into water.I didn’t realize they could sting you. Makes sense cause felt like it punctured but the sting was soooo very painful. Thank you.
July 30, 2020 at 11:16 am
Thank you so much for pulling the weeds out of the lake! Every weed that comes out of the lake is less muck that will need to be decomposed later AND less chemicals we will need to put in our lake to treat! Awesome to hear. Sorry about the catfish. I caught quite a few this spring when I was fishing the leaves out of the lake. They like to lay in there and catch their food. Also caught about a dozen crayfish as well.
Thanks again!
July 23, 2020 at 6:57 pm
Dear Anonymous,
I can only presume your post on the website is due to your personal displeasure with the current lake level being too low.
Our lake well pumps as much water as is available from the aquifer, which during hot, dry weather may not be enough to keep up with lake evaporation and demands from homeowner sprinkler systems. Across an average month with average temperatures and rainfall it can usually keep up if not slightly increase the lake level. The pump is turned on and off manually by Oakland County WRC staff. There is no automatic control. When it is on, it runs wide open. It is running now and has been running since June 30 when the lake was just 1/2″ below the legal level. Today the water level is 2-1/4″ below legal level. Not bad considering the extremely hot dry weather we have had during the first three weeks of July. So far we have had 1.95″ of rain this month, less than half the normal July rainfall amount. To be only 2″ below legal is a testament to the well that we have. Maybe when we reach the end of the 5 year SAD for the aeration system we can look at installing another well elsewhere on the lake to supplement the existing well.
The WRC is bound by Part 307 of Act No. 59 of 1995, (Inland Lake Levels) to maintain the dams and wells that were installed under that Act. The DLPOA has requested the ability to adjust boards in the dam and to turn the pump on and off and that request was denied, citing the Inland Lake Level Act.
As I previously stated, we prefer that communications to the WRC regarding the lake level go through just a few of us to avoid conflicting requests. Also as stated you are free to contact them directly.
Please feel free to volunteer as a board member from your district next time elections are due.
July 28, 2020 at 12:59 pm
Thank you very much Ole. You expertise and knowledge is extremely valuable, and very much apricated.
July 23, 2020 at 11:33 am
So our lake pump is used to maintain lake level, not increase lake level? Is there a Float Switch on the lake, like in a toilet, to shut the water off at a certain point?
This is ridiculous . Especially considering the boards were not put in place in a timely fashion to keep the water in that was there a month ago. Just like last year.
We are told to not call the WRC to bitch? What are these idiots, part of a mafia, or a sensitive group who can not handle being held accountable or their feelings will get hurt and they will only make matters worse? This is what I read from Ole Anderson.
Seems this ongoing problem is on multiple levels, with our lake board as well as the WRC.
What I want is more for my tax dollar. What we pay for. Simple
Is our “contract” with the WRC a legally binding contract? Or is the contract full wiggle room and the WRC does what it wants, WHEN it want?
What I don’t want are board members placating incompetency.
The WRC works for us. With our tax dollars. Same as the board.
If this was Pine Lake, in West Bloomfield, l guarantee multiple attorneys would not tolerate this and multiple toes would be held to the fire. Legally.
Expect more.