We survived the winter but what about the spring? As all of you know by now, we have some serious flooding problems. We have applied for an emergency no-wake ordinance on Deer lake until the level of the lake subsides and the threat of flooding is no longer a concern. Please help when boating on the lake not to make any more wake than is necessary.

We are rapidly approaching our annual meeting which will be held on June 14^th at the Salvation Army camp at 7PM. Please plan to join us for refreshments and an interesting and, hopefully, informative program along with the election of officers and directors for the 97/98 year.

The notice we all received from Stevens County planning department has been addressed by a special meeting of your board and was then followed by a discussion at our regular monthly meeting. We elected a committee to look into the issues addressed by the planning department. A meeting is now being set with the planning department, county attorney, and commissioners, where a discussion will be held about the zoning plan currently in place. After this meeting we will give an update at the upcoming annual meeting as well as in our newsletter. Please feel free to call on me of you want any additional information about this or any other issues we are working on.

Thank you for your support and the many calls. We appreciate your input and look forward to hearing more from you in the future. If you have a desire to be on our board or participate in any of our monthly meetings, please let myself or any of the directors know, or just join us at the regular board meetings held the second Wednesday of each month in the new Loon Lake School at 7pm.

Hi -- I am Donald Perry, the new Stevens county Fire District #1 fire chief. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to get in this publication on my first day on the job.

As I am sure many of you are aware, the fire district is in the starting phase of putting together a district wide strategic plan. This plan will focus on what our facilities and equipment needs will be over the next three to five years. We will be doing a district risk assessment looking at the types of service calls the future may bring. We will also be looking at aggressively increasing our training program and public education efforts. We are hoping and planning to get more Deer Lake residents involved in our volunteer firefighter and support staff programs.

I am going to be sending out a district wide newsletter soon advising residents to carefully survey and clean up damaged trees and shrubs resulting from the severe winter snows and ice storms. This dead material will greatly increase the risk of a wildfire spreading to adjacent homes if not disposed of now. It is also a good idea to inspect your foors and gutters. Remove pine needles and leaf litter. This material will give burning embers a chance to ignite your roofing material.

Many of you have junipers and arborvitae planted close-in to your homes. These shrubs can become explosive in dry, summertime conditions. It is a good idea to make sure these type of shrubs are properly maintained, pruned, and watered on a regular basis. Be sure and remove any dead or dying materials.

Please feel free to call us prior to the fire season for a free home inspection. The phone number to call is 233-8015. I look forward to attending your annual meeting and talking with you personally.

At the time of this writing, the contract for the resurfacing of Garden Spot Road has not yet been awarded. However, the project is scheduled to begin in the latter part of May or early June. It will be completed approximately three months later. Expect delays when traveling this area during construction and you are encouraged to select alternate routes in order to save time.

The county is scurrying to find funds to repair the heavy damage that has been sustained by our roads from the severe winter and spring flooding. Current plans call for repairs to the most heavily =traveled roads first -- then the other roads as funds permit. If you notice particular road problems that may present a hazard, please call the county Public Works Department at 1-800-606-4548.

As the summer approaches, so does the yearly parking dilemma we have on some of our narrow roads around the lake. It is difficult to find adequate parking in many places, but a major problem exists where parked cars to not allow enough space for emergency vehicles to pass. This could result not only in fines but -- more importantly -- in the potential loss of lives or property because an emergency vehicle was unable to respond to a call for help. Please keep this in mind when planning your summer gatherings and try to park carefully.

Your association along with a lot of help from Doyle Knight was able to get an emergency "no wake" ordinance passed for all of Deer Lake due to the high water levels of the lake that are causing damage to the shorelines as well as flooding of homes. The ordinance went into effect on April 29^th and will continue until water levels no longer pose a problem. Please help all of us around the lake by keeping your boat speeds down until the lake subsides to normal levels. It appears this is already beginning to happen.

The patrol boat is being launched and the patrol volunteers assisting the regular deputies will be Doyle Knight and Wayne Crockett. They are hoping for an uneventful summer and if you need to contact authorities, please do so by calling the Dispatch Center at 1-800-572-0947.

Yes, it is going to warm up and we hope you will have a safe and enjoyable summer.

Colleen King wrote in the last newsletter about the infestation of Eurasion Milfoil found in Loon Lake. It is very important that we be on the lookout for signs of this weed in our lake. Once it gets started, it is extremely difficult and costly to try and control. If you see anything that might be Milfoil please report it to the Department of Ecology at 509-456-2926.