WHAT'S HAPPENING

A chilly Lake Hubert sunset
Photo by Greg Laco

Web Site Updated February 10, 2019
This site is updated almost every week. Check back often to be sure you don't miss anything.

Looking for the Ole and Lena joke link?
It has been moved lower on this page. Please scroll down to it.

The chunk of Lake Hubert ice in this photo was removed from the lake by a spear fisherman in 2009. We estimate it to be at least two feet from top to bottom, maybe more.

Crow Wing County is beginning the process of reconstructing County Road 13 from County Road 137 to Highway 371. There are new surveyor's stakes along CR 13 that have to do with this project. Among other improvements, six foot wide paved shoulders will be added and drainage will be enhanced. We're guessing that you should expect substantial travel disruptions during construction.
CLICK HERE to see the highway department's letter describing this project.

The easiest way to cause a frozen septic line is to have a leaking toilet or faucet. The slow flow of water can easily freeze and clog the line.

If your septic line does freeze, you'll probably have to call a company such as Fyles in Nisswa to come out and steam it open.

Do you know all of the different species of fish in Lake Hubert?
Have you ever heard of the banded killifish or the Johnny darter?

According to the DNR, the following fish are in our lake.
Black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, tullibee (cisco), walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch, bowfin (dogfish), common carp, white sucker, banded killifish, blacknose shiner, bluntnose minnow, common shiner, Johnny darter, spottail shiner

CLICK HERE to see the detailed results of DNR fish counts in our lake (not including the minnows).

We've had our first light snow and now the Thanksgiving turkeys are strutting around Lake Hubert. Winter must be coming.

Free Kindling
Forget crumpled newspaper and high priced "fatwood" kindling. There's excellent free kindling for your fireplace or wood stove. It's lying on the ground beneath White Pine trees and it is one of the best fire starters available anywhere. The cones of the White Pine are often large, up to eight inches long, and are coated with sticky, white, flammable resin.

When dry like the one in the photo above, the cones spread open, making them perfect for fire starting. When wet they close up but open again when they dry out. You can easily collect bushels of the cones after big winds, especially in autumn.

Hint: If your hands get sticky from the resin, rub them with some peanut butter and then wash it off with soap and water. Surprising, but it works great.

If you leave your water on for all or part of the winter, this is a good time to insulate your septic lines so they don't freeze. The drain line between the house and septic tank is the most vulnerable. Check out our Frozen Septic System page to learn about steps you can take. If your septic lines do freeze, you can hire one of the local septic pumping companies such as Fyles to steam the line open for you. Of course prevention is best.

Here's how:
Instead of typing AMAZON.COM into your browser, or clicking on an Amazon Icon you have, type SMILE.AMAZON.COM When you get to the Amazon Smile page, just type Lake Hubert Conservation Association in the box for charity name and follow the directions after the Association name comes up. From then on, whenever you go to Smile.Amazon.Com and make your purchase as usual, the Lake Hubert Conservation Association will receive the 0.5% donation. Note: You musty use the Smile.Amazon.Com address or there will be no donation made.

Dennis Tack -  President
Carol Weber - Secretary
Dave Ostlund - Treasurer
Pat Eldred - Communications
Paul Lund - Water Quality/Fisheries
Liz Martin - Social
MJ Cote - Camp Representative
Janet Webster – At Large
 Mary Geoman – At Large
* Gary Eidson - legal counsel
* Chuck Corchran - website

*non - board position

Thanks to each of them for their hard work on the Lake's behalf.

These carp were spotted in the Hubert/Clark channel on April 21st. They were swimming from Clark toward Hubert but the water was flowing from Hubert to Clark. At least there's finally some liquid water, unlike the solid ice of last week. And on the subject of ice, we learned this week that there are still THIRTY INCHES of ice on Lake Hubert. Care to guess how long all that ice will take to melt?

In the north-central zone, anglers will be able to keep 10 northern pike, but not more than two pike longer than 26 inches; and all from 22 to 26 inches must be released.

This means that you can keep ten northern pike up to 21 inches (assuming you're not keeping any over 26 inches).

When we can keep all these northerns, how can we filet the fish to remove those pesky Y-bones?
CLICK HERE to see a good YouTube video showing exactly how to do it.

Put a plastic cup or tumbler full of water into the freezer and wait for the water to freeze solid. Then put a penny on top of the ice. If you return from a time away and find the penny at the bottom of the container you'll know that the ice has melted and your food thawed too so it's not safe to eat. Simple but effective.

The two worst things to put down your drains are kitchen oil and grease. These common kitchen items are very difficult, or even impossible, for septic systems to break down and thus can cause system failure.

The solution is easy. Keep a container such as a soup can in your refrigerator or freezer and when you have bacon grease or used cooking oil, put it into the container and when it gets full, throw it away in the trash. To prevent odors in your fridge, just enclose the can in a zip-lock bag.

Loon Sound Deprivation
The lake is frozen solid, the snow is blowing and we long for the sounds of loons on warm summer nights.

We've found a website with loon sounds and the meaning of each sound. You can get your longings satisfied a bit at an excellent loon website  www.loon.org/voice-loon.php

Lake Hubert is blessed with an abundance of resident loons in the summer, probably due to our very clear lake water and the abundance of fish. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources loon page has some interesting loon facts. For example, did you know that loons can dive to a depth of 250 feet and that their bones, unlike other birds, are solid, not hollow? www.dnr.state.mn.us/birds/commonloon.html

With wind chill temperatures between 25 below zero and 50 below zero, it's a great time to bundle up and step outside for just a few minutes. Our two favorite activities are fun for kids and adults alike.
Go out into an area where there is light from a spotlight, deck light or car headlights.

1.  You can use kid's "Bubble Stuff" that make bubbles shatter like glass. CLICK HERE to learn how.

2.  Take an insulated coffee cup full of boiling water out side and throw the water into the air. It will instantly turn into a cloud and not a drop will hit the ground. CLICK HERE to see photos of Lake Hubert resident Scott Hough demonstrating this in 2010

Please remember that donations to the Lake Hubert Conservation Association are always warmly welcomed and appreciated . Such contributions are fully tax deductible as the LHCA is a “501c3”  tax exempt organization. Please examine other parts of the web site to see all of the good things your organization does on your behalf. The LHCA thanks you for your continuing support.

Send your tax deductible donations to:
LHCA
P.O. Box 1352
Lake Hubert, MN 56459

It's been a
BIG Transition Week at Lake Hubert
We had gorgeous fall leaves that are all gone now, and a great sunset and then snow, all in three days.
We have three photos that tell the story. Click Here to see them.

5442 City Hall St., Nisswa
HOURS: 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.

You don't need to interact with anyone in the building. Just walk in and deposit your prescription drugs in the steel security box just a few steps inside the main door. It's easy and quick and your action could save someone from a major problem.

Thank you.

A few years ago several Lake Hubert residents learned this lesson the hard way. During the night, their boats were stolen from their lifts and docks, driven out to the middle of the lake and completely trashed. Where no keys were left, the boats were not taken.

CLICK HERE TO READ THIS IMPORTANT ARTICLE

In addition to the precautions listed in the article, make sure that any 110 Volt electrical line on or near your dock is protected by a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter). If there is leakage of the electricity into the water, the GFCI will shut off the power. Any licensed electrician can tell you if your electrical line is protected by a GFCI and can install a GFCI for you if not.

The lake water level is quite high this spring and the ice has caused some substantial shoreline damage. The photo below shows the damage on a shoreline on the Northeast side of the lake. Did you move your docks and lifts far enough from the water's edge?

This kind of damage is caused not by wind moving the ice but by "ice jacking". Ice jacking occurs when the ice on a lake cracks and the crack is then filled with liquid water from below. When this water freezes and expands, it forces the ice sheet to move just a bit. When this cracking and filling occurs many times, which often happens, the ice sheet can be moved many feet and it moves with amazing force.

It should be noted that last winter, 2015-2016, the coldest recorded temperature on the North side of Lake Hubert was 23 below zero making the warmest winter in memory.

No, it wasn't on Lake Hubert but it could have been. This happened near Longville according to a Brainerd Dispatch article.
 CO detectors/alarms are inexpensive, easy to plug in or operate by battery and could save your life. They're available everywhere including Carlson Hardware in Nisswa, Target, Fleet Farm, Wal Mart, Home Depot, Menards and online at many places including Amazon.com.

Don't wait! Get a Carbon Monoxide Detector/Alarm and install it TODAY.

And while you're at it, install some smoke detectors if you don't already have them.
The lives you save could be your kids or grandkids.

There were high winds from the Southwest when the lake froze this year, making the Northern shoreline freeze solid from the spray. It's interesting to see but not fun to watch the ice form unless you're inside a toasty house.

Speaking of a warm house, make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector plugged in at your house. It could save your life! (See the article above)

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This bad news broke this week after the very invasive alien species was found on the East side of Lake Hubert. This invasive mussel originally came from Southern Russia and has now spread widely thoughout the world, causing serious problems. PLEASE check your water items such as docks, lifts, platforms for Zebra Mussels when you take the items out of the lake. It can be difficult to spot the tiny invaders but if you do, contact the DNR immediately to report your findings. The DNR main phone number in Brainerd is 218-203-4300, then press option 6.

For more information Click Here to go to the Minnesota DNR Zebra Mussel page

Here are a few photos of past ice movement.

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The answer is regular household white vinegar and a few drops of liquid dish soap. All household vinegar contains a 5% solution of acetic acid and it is this non-toxic (except to plants) acid that kills plants. It does this by causing the plant to lose its water, thus drying it out. This happens very quickly, especially if it's a sunny day so you can expect the plant to wilt within hours.

One word of caution: Vinegar will kill any plant it touches so be very careful.

The vinegar should be used straight out of the bottle, not diluted with water. Pour the vinegar into a sprayer such as a small household sprayer or a small garden pump sprayer. Add a few drops of liquid dish soap and shake to mix. The drops of dish soap cause the vinegar to spread on waxy leaves, such as poison ivy, rather than beading and running off. If the weather is calm, spray the plants you want to kill. The plant will soon wither and any spray that gets into the water will not cause problems with frogs or fish.

A final word: If the plant you spray has a deep tap root, like a Canada thistle, it may re-sprout and you might have to spray again.

The Great Gray Owl is usually found from Alaska to forested areas of Southern Canada and almost never near Lake Hubert. It is a huge owl with a length as much as 33 inches and a wingspan up to 5 feet.

Click on the photo below to see three large photos.

Click Here to go to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Great Gray Owl page

Fresh snow on the ground absorbs sound because of the air trapped between snowflakes. When heavy snow is falling through the air, the sound absorbing effect is enhanced further. Once snow on the ground has settled into a more compact layer, sounds can reflect off of the surface and the silence is broken.

Adult deer tick on a thumbnail.

CLICK HERE to read the whole story of Critter Wars at a home on Lake Hubert.

Meet a New Neighbor

We had a visitor this week, just a few feet outside our window. This hawk is between 20 and 24 inches long and after much exploring of bird books it was determined to be an immature goshawk. It stayed for quite a few minutes and then flew away, seemingly effortlessly.

Soon, our wonderful flying acrobats, the hummingbirds, will disappear from our feeders, the osprey will be gone from our skies and thousands of little warblers will pass through.

Watch for these harbingers of autumn as the first leaves change color and thoughts of winter begin to creep into the far corners of our minds.

Some people's driveways were so clogged with large downed trees that they couldn't get out for days. The sound of chain saws became the most common sounds heard for most of the week. The cleanup will continue for a very long time.

Here are some photos taken of the damage. These do NOT show the worst damage because it was too difficult to get to the worst hit areas until many of the downed trees were cut up.

Click on a photo to see a larger version.

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If you're not at the lake, we recommend you have your property checked as soon as possible.

Entrance road to Camp Lake Hubert on July 13.

If you can hear thunder when you're on the lake you can be struck by lightning, even if you're not under the storm cloud. Lightning can travel more than ten miles away from the thunderstorm cloud. You can even be struck by lightning if the sun is shining on you so if you're out boating or fishing and you hear thunder, get off the lake immediately!

Click Here to see the complete government study.

This wonderful photo and note were sent to us by Lake Hubert residents Fred and Mary Jarl.

Early Easter Sunday evening we saw these two bald eagles laying on the ice on Lake Hubert about 250 feet out from our home.  They probably had been fighting in mid-air, locked talons and crashed to the ice.  Crows came in close for a look, but were chased away by other eagles.  We contacted the DNR to report what we were witnessing.

After about 1-1/2 hours the two eagles started flopping around and got untangled.  One eagle flew away immediately.  The other one tried to take off, but broke through the ice several times. Eventually, it too was able to fly away.

Click Here to see our snowflake photo page.

Thursday, February 7, 1929
"Henceforth Hubert will be known to the world as Lake Hubert. The new name has already been placed into effect by the U. S. Postal Department. Lake Hubert today stands out as a summer resort station, the terminal of many train journeyers to the lake country."

Thanks to Lake Hubert resident Larry Lindman for passing this article along.

Do You Know This Bird?

The bird in the picture above does not make sounds and is seldom seen on Lake Hubert. It is the same loon we love to hear and see on our lake but this is its winter plumage. Note that the loon's red eye we see in summer is gone as are the beautiful black and white markings we recognize. In the winter, our loons travel to the east and south sea coasts of the U.S. and while there they do not call like they do on our lake. What an amazing transformation!

A family of Timber Wolves, also called Gray Wolves, has been living not far from Lake Hubert for several years. Recently several members of this family were spotted on the Paul Bunyan Trail a few miles from Lake Hubert. They did not bother the people who saw them or the dogs that were being walked.

Wolves are NOT the scary "big, bad, wolves" of childhood fairy tales and rarely, if ever, are a threat to humans.

Although the wolves are very unlikely to bother people, we recommend that you never leave your dogs or cats outside alone and that you not leave their food outside either. A domestic dog, even a large one, or a cat can be easy prey for wolves.

For those of you who find deer eating your garden plants again and again, the presence of wolves can be a good thing. Wolves often feed on deer, helping to keep the deer herd size in check.

We also have families of coyotes living quite close to Lake Hubert so if you see an animal and want to know whether it's a wolf or a coyote, here's how to tell them apart.

If you see tracks, here's how to identify them.

If you see tracks in the snow, you can make a preliminary determination by seeing whether the tracks are in a straight line or if they meander. Wolves and coyotes usually walk in a straight line. Dogs meander.

Quite a few of us at Lake Hubert would love to see the wolves but will probably never get the opportunity. If you see them and get pictures, please send them to us at LakeHubert@aol.com and we'll post them on this website.

To learn lots more about wolves, check out the Wild Bytes Blog written by the folks at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota.

The LHCA fall newsletter will soon be under construction. The newsletter will contain valuable information about LHCA Board action, news items relating to Lake Hubert, nature and lake quality updates, and much, much more. However, it CANNOT be e-mailed unless we have accurate demographic information on you. Thus, if you have changed your e-mail address we need to know your updated information as soon as possible.

This valuable updated information can be sent to us at LHCAMN@gmail.com with the subject saying, "Address Change".

Please help us out on this matter so as we can serve you as best as we can.

 Thank you!

Do you still bathe in the lake? Please seriously consider washing yourself in your shower rather than in the lake but if you can’t bring yourself to forgo washing in the lake, PLEASE use biodegradable soap instead of the polluting “bath bars” (also known as detergent, which is why the labels don’t use the word “soap”).

Here are some links to sites where you can buy biodegradable soaps.
The Lake Hubert Conservation Association doesn’t endorse any of these sites or products but the soaps appear to be less harmful to the lake than other so called bath and beauty bars. Remember, it’s still best to bathe in your shower or tub rather than the lake.

Amazon.com: Two Pack of 2oz Campsuds Biodegradable Soap

REI-biodegradable soap at REI.com

Bassproshops.com/biodegradableSoap/

Campmor.com/outdoor/gear/BiodegradableSoap

If you see a neighbor bathing in the lake, point them to this article or buy them some biodegradable soap, or both. The lake will be better for it.

Thank you from the Lake Hubert Conservation Association!

The following is from a book found for sale at Crow Wing State Park.

"In 1855 the council of Crow Wing appointed a committee to locate a Territorial Road from Fort Ripley to a point on the Red River in Pembina County.............This route was mapped by E.A. Holmes and George H. Belden in 1855. Surveyor George Hubert Belden married Miss Elizabeth Peake at St. Columbia in 1858 and was the man for whom Hubert Lake is named."

from: Old Crow Wing, A History of a Village by Sister Bernard Coleman, Sister Verona LaBud and John Humphrey, originally published in 1967 and re-published in 2000 by Evergreen Press in Baxter.