Happy Labor Day from GLUE!!

Here’s hoping all our members and all Grand Lakers have a safe and fun filled Labor Day Weekend! As you know by now, the lake level will not be taken down for the annual millet seeding to benefit the ducks. We still have a goal of stabilizing the lake at 742’, but there’s still a lot of work to do. I happy to report that state rep Doug Cox and U.S senator Tom Coburn are also actively helping with this issue. Below I have pasted in two thing for your information; Dr. Coburn’s letter to FERC about their authority over this lake and the millet seeding program and Dr. Cox’s associated letter and a piece I wrote that is in this week’s edition of The Chronicle about our organization.

Enjoy and have a good weekend!

GLUE: A year in Review

In May 2006, we announced the formation of Grand Lakers United Enterprise at the suggestion of state representative Doug Cox. The primary motivation for our existence was the Shoreline Management Plan mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It was our belief, both then and now, that the silent majority of Grand Lakers should have a voice in decisions affecting the future of Grand Lake.

As I like to say, a lot of water has passed through the turbines since then. Our membership has steadily grown and is made up of property owners, property owners associations, boaters, commercial interests, politicians and people just plain interested in Grand Lake. To my knowledge, we’ve not refused membership to any one person or organization. However, I’ve not seen a membership application from Mike Brady or the Duck Creek Homeowners Association.

By the end of the first year, our membership had grown to approximately 225. We worked hard to establish some name recognition for our group by adopting a slogan, GLUE: WE STICK TO THE ISSUES. Through the attendance of countless meetings, both public and private, we established a positive relationship with the GRDA, have become a known entity at FERC; have expressed our concerns about the future of Grand Lake to our elected representatives, at both the state and federal levels;  and perhaps most importantly, we provided the GRDA the only written proposal for changes to the Shoreline Management Plan prepared by the SMP committees and Kleinschmidt & Associates, the consulting firm, headquartered in Maine, hired to develop the plan.

We also initiated action, through the development of a petition, signed by thousands of lakers just like you, to find an alternative to the millet seeding program which required the lake level to be dropped to an elevation of 741’ each year. That petition was presented to the GRDA full board and was favorably received. In May, we met with the Technology Committee, made up of GRDA staff members, state and federal wildlife personnel, a representative from the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and two professors from Oklahoma State University, to pitch our alternative to the millet seeding program. Without their endorsement, our proposal would stand little chance of being approved by FERC.

Although our proposal was favorably received, the committee would have to have assurances the city of Miami would not intervene. I agreed to contact the Miami city manager to test the waters. The heavy rain fall and flooding we’ve experienced this season have put that effort on hold with respect to timing.

There is still a lot of work to do. Since the public meetings in February and March, the GRDA legal staff has been tweaking the shoreline management plan draft for presentation to their board. We are convinced the authority has heard the public and has implemented changes accordingly. We also think our recommended changes will have been incorporated into the plan and that it may even be better than we hoped for. The plan will be made public at the September board meting scheduled for September 12^th.

Through our efforts and other Grand Lakers, who provided valuable input to the authority at public meetings, in phone calls, e-mails and letters, it is our belief the GRDA is developing a user friendly plan. There’s a lot of ground to cover before such a plan is approved by the feds.

There will be a public comment period and an agency comment period that will prove vitally important in determining the future of Grand Lake. If the plan turns out as we expect, GLUE will be at the forefront supporting the plan, but the naysayers will be there to. Our group will need to be extremely active in this portion of the process, if we are to get a plan we can all live with.

We accomplished a lot in this first year with respect to representing the views of moderate thinking Grand Lakers. As our membership grows, we can become even more effective in representing the views of the “Silent Majority.” For those of you who have joined us this year in the fight for Grand Lake’s future, we thank you and look forward to your continued support. As promised, our application for tax deductible non-profit status has now been initiated. We are currently a not-for-profit Oklahoma corporation.

For those of you that share our concerns for the future, your membership in our organization will be welcomed. For more information, I can be e-mailed at rustyfleming@wavelinx.net or you can visit our web site at www.grandglue.com.

See Ya’ Around the Pond!