Fish News
You may have noticed several dead fish in our Trout Valley ponds over the past few weeks.
We reached out to the company that manages the chemical treatments of the weeds in our ponds, as well as a fish expert from a local fish hatchery in McHenry County.
A summary of the findings is below:
We started the normal chemical treatment of the ponds during the week of April 16th this year. This treatment has been performed for many years, and is a necessary (and safe) process for our aquatic weed control. In addition to the chemical treatments, we also use a mechanical treatment, which consists of manual removal of the weeds. Due to the extensive weed growth that had already occurred, mainly in Ponds 2 - 5, we felt it necessary to rake out a large amount of the weed coverage that had already grown to the surface. This raking occurred during the same time frame as the chemical treatment.
Four of the dead fish were examined, and they were all brown trout = one of the most fragile of all fish. So the assumption is the aggressive weed pulling stirred up the water, and when combined with the recent chemical treatment, this caused too much stress on a few of the fish.
Going forward, IF we have to manually intervene to clear the weeds, we will limit weed cutter to 15 throws per pond per week, and at least 5 days after chemical treatment.
This is also a great time of year to remind all residents of the fishing policy in Trout Valley:
Tom Sawyer pond is the only pond that is not fly fishing only. The TV Association directory has a write up on the fishing policy. Please review if you have any questions.
Fishing Rules
- Only members and accompanied guests, all wearing fishing badges, may fish in the trout ponds and Tom Sawyer pond.
- All fish caught anywhere in Trout Valley waters must be released.
- In the trout ponds only fly fishing with barb-less hooks is permitted. Other tackle and baits may be used to fish Tom Sawyer pond and deeply hooked fish must be released by cutting the line close to the hook.
- Fishing badges must be worn when fishing. A State License is also required.
- All Trout Valley residents are asked to observe that fishing badges are displayed by people fishing and an official TVA diamond is affixed on parked cars.
Please wear your fishing badges where they can be easily seen by a passerby and have a TV diamond on your parked car. If residents see people fishing without badges they have every right to inquire and ask for proof of residency.
Finally, new signs specifying the fishing rules are coming soon.
Please remember: The reason we have good fishing is because the person before you took care to catch and release the fish you caught.
Steve Thallemer
Fen and Ponds
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Spring has Sprung in the Valley
Check out our Nature Trail and Park for these beauties:
(Photos courtesy of Kathy Weiss)
The trail is located near the ponds on Trout Valley Road, see the Trout Valley Map for directions. Look for Dutchman's Breeches, Marsh Marigold, Bloodroot, Bluebells, Blue #yed Grass, May Apple,
Skunk Cabbage, Jack-in the-Pulpit, and Trillium
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Calling All Electricians !!
We have a small Trout Valley job that requires the skill of somebody who likes to play with electricity. If you'd like to help (I'm not allowed) give me a call and we'll talk.
Wally Zimmerman
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The River Birch
Arbor Day 2015 Planting
The River birch is the most common birch tree. It grows up to 80 feet tall and grows fast. It produces flowers in the spring and winter, and small cones in the summer. It is an ornamental tree. The leaves turn bright yellow in the autumn. The showy, silvery trunk adds beauty to the landscape. The wood is durable and many items are made of it, such as toys, artificial limbs, and flatware. Many types of wildlife, such as birds, and rodents eat its seeds, and deer like the twigs and foliage. Rubythroated hummingbirds suck the sap. Squirrels and various insects also drink the sap. Beavers eat the bark, and Rabbits eat seedlings (baby trees). The Yellow bellied sap sucker drills holes for a drink of the sap.
The poet, Robert Frost, was inspired to write "The Birches" which is a favorite of mine. Arbor Day is always the last Friday in the month of April. National Arbor Day is The Tree Planters Holiday.
Plant a tree, grow up together.
Nurture a tree, grow old together.
Shirley J. Beene
Trout Valley Tree Board
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2015 Riding Club/Barn Flower Sale
Pick up day is Saturday, May 9th from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the barn (just in time for Mother's Day).
Additional plants will be for sale that day, as well.
Thank you for supporting the Riding Club and the barn!
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New Resident Event at the Barn!
All new residents from the last two years are invited to attend a welcoming party at the
Trout Valley Barn.
When: Saturday, May 9th
Time: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Come and meet your new neighbors, get information on clubs and amenities and enjoy some refreshments!
Sponsored by the Trout Valley Welcoming Committee.
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If you represent a club, organization, amenity, Trout Valley Association Board, Trout Valley Village Board, etc., and would like to have an information table at this event - please contact Patty Maune @ 585-350-9407 or txangels66@gmail.com
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Wood Chipping
Chipping of brush and tree limbs is a service provided by Trout Valley maintenance personnel using Trout Valley provided wood chipping equipment for the convenience of Trout Valley residents. It is NOT for cleanup after professional landscape or tree services. Large wood chipping equipment is used in this process and will not be brought onto the resident's property (liability issues); nor will small, left over debris be raked up. Piles of wood and brush must be left next to the street on the resident's property. Those piles should be stacked with cut ends facing the street - haphazard piles take 3 times as long to chip and may be left behind if they are too tangled
Timing of wood chipping will be posted on signs coming into Trout Valley. Currently those signs are on Stonegate as it intersects Country Commons and on Country Commons at the intersection with Turkey Run. The wood chipping season is largely dependent on Algonquin Township's ability to accept woodchip dumping. The usual season is March through October.
Watch the signage near the barn street corners for specific dates each month.
Walter Zimmerman
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Summary of Open Burning of Landscape Waste Regulations
McHenry County Public Health Ordinance
Article III - Section 1.29
Effective April 1, 2008
PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES:
Burning of manure, garbage, litter, etc. on any property in McHenry County
Burning of landscape waste within 100' of a habitable structure (i.e. residence, school, etc.)
Burning of landscape waste within 50' of a non-habitable structure (i.e. detached garage, barn, etc.)
RESTRICTIONS WHEN GREATER THAN 100' FROM A HABITABLE STRUCTURE AND 50' FROM A NON-HABITABLE STRUCTURE
Only landscape waste and only on the property where the landscape waste was generated
Only during the months of April, May, October and November (weekends only)
Only between dawn and dusk
Only when the winds are less than 10 mph
Must be supervised by an individual at least 18 years of age
A fire extinguisher, garden hose, or water source must be available by the burning site.
500' EXEMPTIONS
Burning of on-site generated landscape waste 500' or greater from a habitable structure is allowed:
1. During any month of the year
2. On any day of the week
3. At any time of the day
Note: All other prohibitions/restrictions apply.
OTHER EXEMPTIONS
Recreational fires, not larger than 3'x3'x3', and excludes leaves, grass or shrubbery clippings
Ceremonial fires (bonfires) larger than 3'x3'x3', and excludes leaves, grass or shrubbery clippings; permit required from McHenry County Department of Health
Habitat Reclamation or Firefighter
ENFORCEMENT
Any officer of the McHenry County Department of Health, law enforcement agency, fire department or fire protection district is authorized to enforce the provisions of this Ordinance.
Website
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Lifeguards
We are getting ready for another great year at the Trout Valley Pool. Anyone who is interested in being a lifeguard at the pool please contact Dave Mokry (dm@barnwoodstudio.com) or Rob Wheelhouse (rwheelhouse@hotmail.com) for an interview.
Meghan Lentz will be in charge of the lifeguard staff this year.
Thank you for your time.
Dave
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 Spring Events in the Area
Native Plant Sale
Sunday, May 3, 2015 12PM to 3PM
McHenry County College Cafeteria
8900 US Hwy 14, Crystal Lake, IL
Prairie Plants, Grasses, Woodland Plants & Ferns
$3 to $7 (most plants. some large sized plants may be higher)
Over 150 species available! Native plants for every environment: prairie, savanna, woodland and wetland (quantities may be limited).
Organic Heirloom Garden Vegetables and Herbs, from W&M Landcorp Organic Nursery
Native Trees and Shrubs from Ohana Farms
For plant lists and more info: thewppc.org
Proceeds benefit our educational programs and outdoor classrooms.
Cash or check only! The WPPC cannot accept credit cards. ATM is available.
Cary Area Teen
Battle of the Bands
Saturday, May 9
1:00 pm
Bands Needed To Compete
Get your band together and compete in one of the hottest competitions in the area. The battle gives local teen bands the chance to compete against their peers and possibly move on to the State Battle of the Bands held during the Illinois State Fair this summer.
Children's Art Classes Every Saturday212-4 W Main, Cary IL 60013 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Cost: $16 Smilingshamrock.com 847-421-1616
This Saturday, Children can paint the Firefly or the Seahorse, April 25th at 10 am to noon, bring a drink and treat for your child. Instruction will be given but with the freedom to create their design on their own. Go to SmilingShamrock.com/calendar , look for the Seahorse on Saturday April 25th, tag the picture and it leads you to signup. Kids will be dropped off (parents can go down the street to All Fired Up Coffee Cafe for 2 hours!) while we let your children be creative in a safe environment! Ages are 5 to teens, we separate larger classes by age. Information for registration
St. Baldrick's Event May 20 St. Baldrick's head shaving event held at the Broken Oar, Cary For those of you not familiar with St. Baldrick's, it is a charitable organization focused solely on raising money for childhood cancer research. This event was created to help support a District 26 second grade student. Recently he was diagnosed with leukemia, and expressed concern over losing his hair. The intent is to help him feel better about a difficult situation, as well as to raise money for a great cause. All donations made for this event will go to the St. Baldrick's foundation to fund research. www.stbaldricks.org/events/brokenoar The website listed above is the site for this specific event. If you would like to donate, or sign up to be a "shavee" (people who get their head shaved), this is the best place to do it. All of the event details can be found on the website. The event itself is going to be from 3:00pm - 5:30pm on Saturday, May 2 at the Broken Oar Bar & Grill. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Anthony Loessl at anthonyloessl@yahoo.com, or call (847) 513-2448. Thank you for any and all support with this endeavor.
A Taste of Downton Abbey - Traditional English TeaMay 28th at 1:00 p.m. The Garlands 1000 Garlands Lane Barrington, Il Information
Residential electronics & recycling event, May 2
Here's a spring cleaning event you won't want to miss! McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) encourages residents to bring their old electronics, paint, batteries and documents for shredding to the annual Residential Electronics and Recycling event scheduled from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 2 at the McHenry County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.
No commercial or business waste will be accepted. Recycling fees apply to fluorescent lamps, CFLs and latex paint. A limit of ten electronic devices per participant. See the flyer at www.mcdh.info for a full list of acceptable items. For more information, call MCDH at 815-334-4585.
Grounds To Grow On Program - K-Cup recycling
With the popularity of K-Cups on the rise, disposal of the non-recyclable single serving containers has become a growing issue. In 2014 alone, Keurig Green Mountain produced 9.8 billion K-Cups, enough to circle the Earth 12 times. In total, there have been 60 billion K-Cups that have gone into landfills during Keurig's rise. In an effort to address this problem, Keurig started a program that takes back your spent K-Cups. They then turn the grounds into compost and take the non-recyclable containers and send them to a Waste to Energy facility which incinerates them and captures the electricity to be used in the grid.
If you are interested in more information please visit the Grounds to Grow On program website by clicking here.
Village of Algonquin Concert Series:
Concerts are held weekly beginning at 7:30 p.m., Thursday nights at Riverfront Park. We will be having a different food truck every week that will serve up great food to go with great music. These trucks have dinner covered and these FREE concerts are a great way to enjoy the scenic Fox River with your family around a picnic dinner. Parking is available on and around North Harrison Street
Come on down to the park for great food, music, and fun! For more information, please visit
Cary Grove Area Business Scholarship Pageant 2015 Miss Cary-Grove Pageant
Saturday, May 16 at
Prairie Ridge High School from 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Cary Cruise Night 2015
Begins June 3, 2015 and runs every Wednesday night throughout the summer
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM CDT
Downtown Cary
Cary Farmers Market 2015
Begins June 14, 2015 and runs every Sunday morning throughout the summer
Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM CDT
Cary Train Station parking lot (near the bus parking lot)
Rotary Club of Cary-Grove Winter Farmers' Market
The winter farmers' market is held at the Algonquin Township Offices at 3702 US Highway 14 in Crystal Lake from 9:00am to Noon.
Click here to view the Farmers' Market flyer.
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Trout Valley Association News
Call the Sheriff
If you are aware of a problem in the community, it's often best to call the McHenry County Sheriff to ensure they have a record of the problem. If your home is burglarized, you witness vandalism, you see people loitering down by the river or at other locations within the Valley, please inform the Sheriff. Maintaining a connection with the Sheriff's office helps to ensure the security of our community. The Sheriff's non-emergency number is (815) 338-2144.
Laurie Almeraz
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Looking for the minutes of recent board meetings?
They are posted to the Trout Valley Website, after they are appoved:
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Trout Valley Website
I am seeking current information to post on the website. If you are in charge of a TV club or group, could you please send me your information for updating? Are there any new groups that are not listed on the website (listed under Activities tab)?
If anyone sees other errors on the website - please let me know so that I can fix them.
All residents have access to the website by creating a log in.
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Future Neighborhood Directory
The 2015 Directory is going to print soon
If you wish to submit a correction, throughout the next year, for the 2016 Directory or you are a new resident, please email the following information to Vernie at troutvalleynews@gmail.com:
Last Name
First Names of adults (please indicate if there is a different last name)
Street Address
Home (or main) Phone
Cell phone(s) optional
Email - optional
Kids names - optional
Thank you - we try hard to keep our information up to date.
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New Residents
If you are new to the neighborhood (in the past 2 years) and would like to be featured in this newsletter, please send your information to Vernie Vadnais at troutvalleynews@gmail.com
Thank you,
Vernie
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Welcome Lady!
There's a new Welcome Lady in town!! Terry Parrilli has graciously offered to bring back our old tradition of visiting the homes of new neighbors to bring them neighborhood greetings and information. She will be able to answer your questions about our village and association, the many wonderful amenities, and the clubs and activities that are available, etc.
She has already started contacting some of our new neighbors, but if you moved in recently and would like a visit - please feel free to contact Terry.
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Maintenance Work Requests
If you have any new work requests for Bernie, please contact either Steve Gerard (
) so we can prioritize this work appropriately.
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Maintenance Phone Numbers
We have had some issues recently with Bernie's cell phone. All is now good again. Bernie's cell phone is 224-401-3128 and Tony is now at 224-610-9995. Those are both Trout Valley phones.
Wally Zimmerman
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Did you miss a previous issue of the
Trout Valley News
or a Trout Valley Blast?
Click on the Archive button at the bottom of the page. The Archive page is the best place to print the newsletter, if you need a paper copy.
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Need to rent the barn or lodge?
Anyone who is interested in renting the Lodge, Barn or tables and chairs should visit the link below and complete the form. Laura will respond to the request within 24 hours to let you know if the space is available and send along the paperwork, instructions, etc. Please check the Events Calendar (link is below) for availability before submitting requests.
Questions about rentals - please email Laura Whalen at
Need the barn or lodge for a TV club or government event?
If you are reserving dates for a TV club or government event that does
not have to pay to rent the facilities, Vernie Vadnais can add you to the calendar and a form does not need to be submitted. Please check the Events Calendar
for availability before submitting your request.
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Send newsletter submissions
to Vernie Vadnais at
Submissions are due by Wednesday for the upcoming newsletter. We welcome your assistance in getting out the Valley's news! See the option in the footer below to update your email address.
Send blast submissions
to Bob Baker at
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Blast versus Newsletter?
We've recently had questions and requests for sending out email blasts to Trout Valley residents. These have included blasts for charitable donations and open houses. Most community information can be circulated in the weekly newsletter. The blasts are reserved for important and time-sensitive information. We want residents to know that when they receive a blast, they should read it as soon as they can, as it is something of concern for the community.
When we reject a blast request, we are trying to balance the need to communicate effectively and quickly with Trout Valley against the rights of the residents not to be overwhelmed with local messages. If we don't send out a lot of blasts, we hope those we do send get your attention. We appreciate your consideration.
Thanks, Bob Baker
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View Past Issues of the Trout Valley News
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Fish News
Nature Trail and Parks
Electrical Help needed
The River Birch
Riding Club Flower Sale - Flower Pick up
New Resident Event
Wood Chipping
Open Burning Ordinance
Lifeguards
Spring Events
More Information:
Welcome Lady
Lodge/barn rental
Maintenance
TV Directory Form
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Upcoming Public
Meetings:
Trout Valley Association Board
2015 Schedule
May 18
June 15
July 20
August 17
Sun, September 20 Annual meeting at the barn
September 28
October 19
November 16
December 21
7 p.m. at the Lodge (except for the Annual meeting)
All are welcome
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Village of Trout Valley Board Meeting Dates
2015 Schedule
October 12th
December 7th
7 p.m. at the lodge All are welcome
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Village of Trout Valley Links:
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Stay Connected
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