Sunday, January 21st @ 10:00 AM

1980 Association formed with 22 families. Lee Wallace, Ken Campbell, and Lee Keeley (pictured left to right with Don Patterson) were original members and are still active members today with over 150 contributing families in the association and a mailing list of nearly 300.

1981 Founders Lee Wallace, Ken Campbell and Lee Keeley established by-laws, articles of incorporation, and first Board of Directors. Meeting with Freshwater Institute to become a Pilot Lake. 

1983 Gleason Lake established as a Pilot Lake for water clarity and preservation. Harsh winter killed most of fish in the lake.

1984 Lake-wide aeration and weed management initiated. Eight of 24 aerators were installed and fish re-stocked.

1985 Mechanical harvesting of lake. Dam repaired.

1986 Lost most stocked fish from 1984. DNR would not let aerators be run until ice was 9″ thick and by that time oxygen was too low to recover and save fish.

1987 Water reached a low of 4 ft below dam level in August.

1988 First year for chemical weed control

1989 Lake posted regarding Eurasian Milfoil threat.

1992 Board works with MCWD and DNR to alter dam and lake levels through Gleason Creek project.

1993 Chemical weed control continues and water quality steadily improves.

1994 New dam built by MCWD with GLIA assistance. First carp appears on lake due to dam work. Holding pond on north end of lake approved.

1995 First “Day on the Lake” held for members to celebrate completion of new dam and a holding pond on north bay which will keep contaminants from flowing into the lake. 

1996 Second “Day on the Lake.” Board voted for 8 ice vents to eliminate open water (a hazard on the lake). The ice vent goes over an aerator, diffuses the air flow downward and oxygenates the lake. After another harsh winter, the aerators worked to preserve fish population. By-laws revised.

1997 Loosestrife eradication program using beetles. New Luce Line bridge installed.

1998 Eurasian milfoil eradication program initiated; spot treatments continue with MidWest AquaCare. Lake Management Plan initiated with Emmons & Oliver.

GLIA partners

2000-2003 Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) eradication with DNR.

2003 Luce Line rain garden completed for zero runoff demonstration with Fortin Consulting.

2001-2003  Aquatic plant survey reveals:  
3.89 miles of lakeshore
160 acres of water area plus  Adjacent 14 acre wetland
Maximum depth of 16 feet
Average depth 5-10 feet
Volume: 400 million gallons
Gleason Lake Watershed: 3,900 acres, located primarily (95%) in Plymouth, with portions in Minnetonka and Wayzata. Involves an estimated 3,000 homes.
High Phosphorous concentration results in blue-green algae blooms in late summer. The health of Gleason Lake affects Lake Minnetonka (Wayzata Bay), Minnehaha Creek, and the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.

2003 Final Lake Management Plan done with Emmons-Oliver

2004 Protect water quality with Best Management Practices (BMPs) initiated: 
• Clean sweep debris in streets and driveways
• Clean up after your pet.
• Install rain gardens to filter water into the soil
• Keep pollutants out of storm drains
• Use zero Ph fertilizer and maintain a buffer on the lake
• Direct downspouts away from hard surfaces, filter into soil

2007 City of Plymouth street maintenance around Gleason Lake west side with improved storm drains and rain gardens installed. 

2008 CIP & MCWD with GLIA improved holding ponds on CR 6 and Garland Lane and just north of Gleason Lake townhomes, nicknamed “The Big Dig.”

2007 – 2011 Five Year Contract with DNR, MCWD and GLIA to study effects of whole lake herbicide treatment (Aquathol K) to control Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP). Final reports indicate greatly reduced plant growth with herbicide treatment. The Fish Survey shows a good and healthy population (see report under Lake Health). 

In 2007, 2008, and 2009, 140 of the total 160 acres were sprayed with Aquathol K (see details under Lake Health).

In 2010, 27 acres and in 2011, 16 acres. From 2007- 2011, this was funded by MCWD with DNR approval.

2012 GLIA assumed total reponsibility and paid $13,000 to treat CLP in 45 acres (due to an early warm season and drought, the acreage was tripled from previous year). 

We need to raise $15,000–$20,000 each year to support this endeavor as well as our administrative costs and outreach. The Volunteer Board manages the funds to insure that 90% goes directly to lake improvement. 

2012 GLIA celebrated “30 YEARS” with 70 members present. It was held at Heiland’s and guest speakers (Steve McComas, Eric Evenson, Metro Blooms and the University Bee Squad) informed members of Gleason Lake’s status. Special thanks to Heidi and Dan Heiland, Donna Wolsted, Lee Keeley, Lee Wallace, Rob Peterson, Mary Meyer, David and Mary Brown, Mark Rausch and Don Patterson for their efforts to make this happen. 

2013 We treated 11 acres of curlyleaf pondweed. The vegetation growth is dependent on the type of winter and spring we incur: heavy snow cover or light snow; very cold winter temps or mild; a warm early spring or late spring; a rainy season or dry one. Thus, it is hard to predict how much we need to treat until Blue Water Science (Steve McComas) does a survey in May (since 2007). We are beginning to realize slowly some improvement in water quality.

2014 We treated 13 acres of curly leaf pondweed. We began the year in June with an abundance of rainfall. By the end of the year we were below normal rainfall for the year. The shallower water allows the sun’s rays to penetrate to the bottom and the CLP becomes more abundant. The winter began with an early freeze in November, mild December and sub zero temps in January. We had little snow cover all winter. 

2015 We had a light snow year and in March temperatures were above average, which gave the aquatic plants more sunlight and advanced growth time before treatment. We treated 32 acres of curly leaf pondweed with Aquathol-K. The areas treated showed significant improvement 4 weeks later. Members commented this was a good year for boating — the best it has been for a while. However, the algae was significant in August to mid September. Midwest Aqua Care did treat algae for individuals who opted for treatment. Coontail (anative lake plant) was reduced by the CLP treatment even though it is not the optimal time for herbicide application. 

2016 This past winter was very mild with a week or two “cold snap” where temps fell below zero for 7-10 days. We had very little snow; it rained 1.5 inches on Christmas Day. We had another warm spring and the ice went out March 24. Spring comes earlier each year it seems. We have gotten Curlyleaf Pondweed under control – we treated 19 acres of the 160 total acres. We continue to work with Blue Science, Steve McComas who does the spring and summer survey of plant vegetation, as well as the DNR and MCWD and our sprayer Midwest Aqua Care.

2017-2018
• 27 GLIA Homeowners did shoreline treatments in 2018, which is a record setting year. Two rounds of spraying were completed in June and July. This is the highest participation in 35 years, which has aided in the quality of the lake.
• Open water CLP (Curly Leaf Pondweed) spraying was completed on 5/31/18 and covered 19 acres.
• For 2018, more than 10,000 beetles were released in 5 different areas of shoreline. These beetles were released between May 17-23, 2018. This is the third consecutive year of release with great reduction of Purple Loosestrife (an invasive species), which will be monitored for future treatment. 
• 24 Homeowners attended the Spring Meeting.

TODAY Curlyleaf Pondweed has been minimized on our lake. The native coon tail and white lily pads and high level of vegetation rate the water quality a C+ (2013) by DNR standards due to high phosphorous in algae in late summer. The lake is 5-7’ shallow and has a soft mud bottom. Some manage to ski in the south bay and kayak, canoes, pontoons and fishing boats are suggested.

OUR PARTNERS

LOCAL

• Coalition of Minnehaha Creek Waters
• City of Plymouth
• Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
• Gleason Lake KICK “Keep It Clean Kids”
• Lake Minnetonka Association

STATE

• Conservation Minnesota
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• Minnesota Environmental Initiative
• UofM Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center
• Minnesota Association of Watershed Districts
• Department of Natural Resources
• Metropolitan Council
• Board of Water & Soil Resources
• Water on the Web
• Freshwater Society
• MN Lakes & Rivers

OTHER

• Blue Water Science
• Lake Restoration
• MidWest Aqua Care
• Wenck Associates
• Emmons & Oliver Resources
• Fortin Consulting