A brush fire erupted Sunday in Island Lake. The Wauconda Fire District posted on Facebook Sunday evening that it was working on a brush fire that “has been elevated to a box alarm” and said nobody needed to evacuate. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network A massive brush fire was reported Sunday afternoon in Island Lake. Video shared by John McDonnell. ISLAND LAKE, Ill. - A massive brush fire in Island Lake prompted a large response from firefighters Sunday evening. As of around 9:20 p.m., the fire was contained. The Wauconda Fire District posted on Facebook at 6:21 p.m. Sunday that fire crews were responding to a brush fire near Route 17 and Bassler Drive and had elevated the response to a box alarm. Drone video of the fire showed large plumes of smoke and heavy flames in the area.  There were no evacuations in place. No injuries were reported and no structures sustained any damage, according to fire officials.  As of around 8:15 p.m., firefighters said the majority of the fire had been extinguished, but they were still working to cut down trees and brush for the next hour or two. By 9:20 p.m., the fire was completely out. This is a developing story. More updates will be provided as they become available. The information in this article was provided by the Wauconda Fire District. By clicking Sign Up, I confirmthat I have read and agreeto the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service Lake and McHenry County Scanner Fire officials say an investigation is underway after over 100 acres of land were burned by a massive fire in Island Lake that could be seen for miles away Sunday evening The Wauconda Fire District responded around 5:34 p.m Sunday to the area of Route 176 and Bassler Drive in Island Lake for a report of an outside fire Wauconda Fire District Battalion Chief Adam Schlick said responding crews observed a large plume of black smoke Firefighters arrived at the scene in three minutes and discovered a “significant active” fire at Cotton Creek Marsh Nature Preserve which is owned by the McHenry County Conservation District The incident was immediately upgraded from an outside fire call to a grass fire call bringing additional resources to the scene The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was soon activated minutes later to the box alarm level The MABAS Box was upgraded again to the second alarm level to deploy the Lake and McHenry County Wildland Team for additional support Schlick said it was estimated that over 100 acres of land were involved in the fire told Lake and McHenry County Scanner they could see the large smoke header in the distance Some residents in Algonquin and Lake in the Hills reported seeing falling ash from the fire No injuries were reported to any civilians or firefighters No damage to surrounding neighborhoods was found Schlick said the cause of the fire remains underdetermined and is under investigation by the Wauconda Fire District Drone footage shared with Lake and McHenry County Scanner showed the extent of damage to the nature preserve with the blaze coming close to homes in two nearby neighborhoods as well as fire departments from Lake Zurich Nunda Rural and Lake Bluff responded to the scene The Barrington Countryside and Wonder Lake fire districts covered Wauconda fire stations during the incident No part of this website may be reproduced or stored in any form without written permission from Lake and McHenry County Scanner To keep you informed about the latest news across Lake and McHenry counties as it happens Firefighters from around Lake and McHenry counties continued to battle a large brush fire that sparked in Island Lake Sunday evening Multiple 9-1-1 calls came in at about 5:35 p.m Sunday and scanner reports were that people could see heavy smoke and fire at Route 176 and Bassler Drive Command immediately requested a Mutual Aid Box Alarm (MABAS) for additional resources to the scene The cause of the blaze and whether there are any injuries are unknown at this time Fire department increased the MABAS call to a second alarm bringing in additional resources like All-Terrain Vehicles and Wildland Technicians and Long Grove are reported to have been called to the scene There are no evacuations in place at this time as well as photos on the Lake and McHenry County Facebook page show the massive fire spreading with flames high across open land in the area People on the Lake & McHenry Scanner Facebook page said the plume of smoke could be seen as far away as Crystal Lake Officials from the Wauconda Fire Protection District were not able to respond regarding the incident at 7:30 p.m This is a developing story at Lake & McHenry County Scanner People are urged to continue to check back repeatedly for updates No injuries or property damage was reported from a brush fire Sunday evening in Island Lake that scorched more than 100 acres Multiple agencies helped extinguish the blaze that was first reported at about 5:30 p.m The cause of the fire remains under investigation ExpandBlack smoke fills the sky during a brush fire in Island Lake Sunday More than 100 acres burned in a brush fire that erupted Sunday in Island Lake and sent thick black smoke billowing into the sky The cause of the blaze remains under investigation The fire did not start out as a controlled burn The Wauconda Fire District said in a news release late Sunday it had been called out to the intersection of Route 176 and Bassler Drive in Island Lake about 5:34 p.m Crews observed a “large plume of heavy black smoke” in transit and arrived within three minutes to find a “significant active fire” in a field in the McHenry County Conservation District jurisdiction Firefighters immediately upgraded the fire to a grass fire to bring more resources to the scene crews upgraded to a first alarm brush fire box and later requested the Lake and McHenry County Wildland Team to the scene and surrounding neighborhoods were not found to have any damage though the wildland team stayed on site to “address dead trees in the area,” according to the release The department estimated more than 100 acres “were involved in the fire.” The Wauconda Fire District confirmed Sunday evening on Facebook that it was working on a brush fire that “has been elevated to a box alarm” and said nobody needed to evacuate. Wauconda Fire District investigators are investigating the cause of the fire, which “remains undetermined,” according to the release. The conservation district released a statement saying the fire occurred in the Cotton Creek Marsh and that there was no reported damage to “personal property.” “The Conservation District is assisting local fire and police as they investigate the cause of the fire. No controlled burns by District staff or Volunteers were scheduled for Sunday, and the source of the fire remains unknown at this time,” the district said. The Kitsap County Hearing Examiner has approved the land use permit that is proposed for a development that will bring 329 single-family residential subdivisions to undeveloped land on the south end of Island Lake The developer Sequoia Spring III, LLC, based in Redmond, plans to build single-family homes at the site of a longtime camp previously owned by CRISTA Ministries opposite the site of county's Island Lake Park the Kitsap County Hearing Examiner approved its permit application One of the mitigation measures requires walking paths along Island Lake Road the residential street that serves as a current access to the property The company has applied for approval of a preliminary plat and shoreline conditional use permit for a 329-home residential subdivision on 55.29 acres located at the southwest edge of Island Lake off Camp Court NW near its intersection with NW Island Lake Road Also included in the project proposal are stormwater facilities located in the southeast boundary of the project with two detention ponds west of Barker Creek and associated wetlands The project will extend water utilities from Camp Court NW A shoreline permit is required because the proposal comprises a residential subdivision within the shoreline jurisdiction of Island Lake Concerns raised over water levels in Island LakeWhether the development will impact the water levels of the lake was brought up in the approval notice Island Lake went through dramatic changes in water levels resulting in dry beds extending beyond at least one dock and summer water levels below that of the previous 30 years A group calling itself Friends of Island Lake appealed a mitigated determination of nonsignificance (MDNS) issued for the preliminary plat and attributed the water level problems to nearby residential development that is similar to the proposal the Silverdale Water District entered into an agreement with the county to pump water into the lake from an underlying aquifer to maintain lake levels "The Water District pumps water out of the aquifer to serve customers throughout the area Between 2021 and 2024 the Water District had to pump a yearly average of approximately 30 million gallons into the lake to maintain lake levels between May and September," according to the notice "The proposed development will reduce recharge of an aquifer underlying the lake by 11-13 million gallons a year more than a third of the water that the Water District has to pump back into the lake each year." disagreed with Friends of Island Lake and stated that the water level problem was not caused by adjoining development Kindred pointed out that development would increase flows into the lake He identified that removal of forest for residential development results in decreased evapotranspiration and increases the total volume of runoff available for either groundwater recharge or discharge into surface water," according to the notice Kindred also found that reduced aquifer levels didn’t affect the lake level because the lake bed is located 12-30 feet above the top of the aquifer." The hydrogeologist didn’t identify the cause of the reduced lake levels The applicant "established by substantial evidence that the proposed development would not significantly affect lake levels." Background: Public comments show concerns for rezoning near Island Lake to allow more development Friends of Island Lake also raised concerns about lake flooding and lake depletion The developer established that surface flows would only add a nominal amount to lake levels and that the depletion in aquifer levels caused by the development will have no impact on lake levels because the aquifer doesn’t recharge the lake "The top of the aquifer is several feet below the bottom of the lake The Applicant established that the aquifer flows to the west away from the lake," according to the document Background: Island Lake neighbors brace for residential development at former church camp site Friends of Island Lake also presented substantial evidence that the proposed development could harm lake ecology by overuse of a dock and beach that were used by the former camp the developer proposes to fence off this portion of the project site and post it with no trespass signs "There is good reason to be skeptical that such actions will be sufficient to keep the 800 residents of the new development out of the lake To ensure that these actions are effective a condition of approval requires that the CC&R’s of the project include a covenant that authorizes Kitsap County to remove the dock and revegetate the beach if those amenities are used more than four times per month for three or more months in a row," according to the document the decision also leaves open the potential of beach access in the future "If the homeowner’s association at any point in the future wishes to have the covenant removed it can apply for an amended shoreline conditional use permit that assesses open beach use and includes appropriate mitigation," according to the document The Notice of Hearing Examiner Decision can be downloaded here Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application (Faller) Stanek and was a loving brother to Paul Edwin Louis Stanek Austin graduated from Wauconda High School in 2018 he loved playing baseball and basketball as a kid and after high school Austin had a knack for bringing others together whether they were teammates or just friends hanging out His easygoing nature made everyone feel welcome and it was impossible to be around him without feeling his positive energy Austin had the amazing ability to connect with anyone He could easily strike up a conversation and within minutes gain a new friend Austin’s smile and energy could light up any room He took pride in his work at D’Ascanio Custom they were a successful team designing and remodeling homes and being part of a team that put their heart into their work (the late Ida Jean) Stanek and Edwin and Sharon Faller; his beloved dog Koda; and a large extended family of aunts many friends who will miss him dearly.  2024—his 25th birthday—from 3:00 p.m celebrating the joy and friendship he brought into our lives for the past 25 years In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a special scholarship in Austin’s name. Please click here to donate Davenport Family Funeral Homes and Crematory – Crystal Lake Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors chances are you’ve dreamt of cat skiing at Island Lake Lodge Images of the storied outfitter’s ridiculously deep snow and blower powder dominated films and magazine covers in the 90s convincing many-a-skier to quit their job and move to Fernie you can’t stop thinking about it,” she says “And you’ll do anything to ski it.” Wright grew up in a small snow-starved coastal town just north of Vancouver She got her fix by snagging Warren Miller ski porn from the video rental shop her father owned she moved to Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies and lived in a friend’s closet so she could ski bell-to-bell She got her first glimpse of Island Lake Lodge when a screening of Greg Stump’s seminal “P-Tex Lies & Duct Tape” popped up in Lake Louise in 1995 “I can still remember the powder flying over people’s heads and thinking she landed the glamorous gig of scrubbing toilets Happy to do whatever it took to be part of this skier’s Shangri-la she accepted the job and got to work performing tasks from bedmaking and bartending to helping the chef prep meals and serving as a back-up tail guide.  The Lizard Range is one of few places where terrain like this is cat accessible | Photo: Mark Gallup Brenda is one of a handful of veteran guides who have devoted their lives to safely navigating guests through beautiful alpine bowls and perfectly-spaced trees at Island Lake Lodge “You couldn’t manifest a more perfect piece of terrain,” she says she says she still gets “the tinglies” when she sees the season’s first snow is largely responsible for launching the mythical terrain into the mainstream imagination The first senior photographer for Transworld Snowboarding Gallup’s relationship with the lodge dates to 1992 when he proposed founder Dan MacDonald start hosting athletes and media.  Gallup brought out freeskiing pioneer Scot Schmidt and late snowboarding icon Craig Kelly to sample the goods along with snowboarders Jason Ford and Jake Blattner would eventually become lodge shareholders and pave the way for Island Lake’s reputation as a storied stomping ground for the world’s best riders Suddenly Island Lake Lodge was the backdrop in films from major production companies like Warren Miller Teton Gravity Research and Matchstick Productions “I was drawn to the aesthetics of the mountain,” says Gallup who’s a key player in the photography program and also serves as a tail guide “It’s a powder mecca with unreal alpine backdrops for photos.” While the acreage is relatively small compared to other operations’ tenures—5,000 skiable acres across 7,000 private acres of terrain—it packs a huge punch who is going into her twenty-second year at Island Lake This is thanks in large part to strategically built roads that allow the cats to reach some crazy places “Our terrain is slightly lower elevation compared to some other Western Canadian areas The property also benefits from a unique microclimate that dumps unfathomable amounts of fluffy And the lodge has curated one of the industry’s most experienced crews of snow safety whizzes to guide guests down near-vertical couloirs and through snorkel-worthy conditions longtime guide Steve Kuijt was the one leading pro athletes like Seth Morrison and Terje Håkonsen into the white room and down gnarly cliff faces who got his start driving cats at the lodge in 1990 and is now an ACMG-certified guide massive limestone sinkholes and depressions humidity.” That dynamic nature of the terrain is part of what keeps Kuijt returning each season “You’d think after 30-plus years I’d have skied everything here,” he says “But I’m still discovering lines no one has skied yet and that keeps me excited.” No one knows the terrain more intimately than Brenda’s husband The couple met while guiding at Island Lake Lodge and share an insatiable appetite for powder Known by the team as “The Captain,” he’s been glading the terrain (a job Brenda refers to as powder skier habitat enhancement) for 27 of his 32 years here He’s flattered that multiple guests have referred to Island Lake Lodge as the Augusta of tree skiing—a reference to the immaculate golf course I can’t imagine a greater privilege than to create these runs,” he says His parents gave him an atlas of the world’s greatest ski areas when he was a young boy “I was always drawing ski runs on imaginary mountains,” he says Very few ski operations can say they create custom runs for guests but given Island Lake Lodge’s 90-percent return client rate Corrie says he often has specific guests in mind when he’s designing them That combination of repeat clients and long-time guides makes for a very special relationship “We develop very beautiful friendships which allow us to know people’s abilities and expectations,” says Brenda watch the forecast and toss and turn all night if it’s not what they want disappear into the mountains and ski powder.” Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell Montana is an easy 2.5-hour from the lodge Guests can also fly to Calgary International Airport (a 3.5-hour drive) or Cranbrook/Canadian Rockies International Airport (a 1.5-hour drive) is the only fully compliant transportation provider for the cross-border route (from $899; resortours.ca) Four beautifully appointed timber lodges are nestled off the grid between the frozen lake and old-growth forest Cedar and Tamarack Lodges each have eight rooms and Red Eagle Lodge has 10; all have ensuite bathrooms Each lodge has its own outdoor sauna with views of the Lizard Range and the main spa offers a barrel sauna a guitar collection and an iconic massive stone fireplace A gear locker room and full gym are also availabe on the lower level. Enjoy a three-course with dishes like Fraser Valley duck dumplings and beef en croute paired with wines from the 3,000-bottle cellar 5,000 acres of skiable terrain spread across 7,000 private acres of alpine bowls and tree skiing low-density snow and great powder skiing but less access to all-terrain January has similar conditions but more terrain access February brings the most consistent temperatures and conditions March delivers the biggest storms and warmer Conditions can range from spring-like to serious pow Two to Three Night Tours Starting At: $2,958 Book your trip today at islandlakelodge.com This story originally appeared in FREESKIER Magazine Volume 27 Issue 2. Click here to subscribe to FREESKIER and have print copies (yes real print magazines!) delivered right to your door Don't waste time seeking out the best skiing content; we'll send it all right to you An Island Lake man is serving a 40-day jail sentence after admitting guilt to an animal cruelty charge for housing 46 cats in a U-Haul van for months also was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge after pleading guilty to one count of animal cruelty according to a judgment order filed in McHenry County court of Glenview pleaded guilty to the same offense and received the same sentence The couple housed dozens of cats inside a Ford Transit U-Haul van for at least two months The animals were confined in a manner that placed them “in a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time and that resulted in such severe medical issues for twelve of the cats that caused a veterinarian to recommend euthanasia,” court documents state Criminal complaints also alleged the couple allowed the cats to live in conditions that were unsafe unsanitary and “extreme.” Besides their health problems there was inbreeding among the animals and they lacked veterinary care The cats were seized by Island Lake police and placed with McHenry County Animal Control Both defendants also were ordered to seek mental health evaluations charges of failing or violation of owners’ duties were dismissed ExpandPatryk Popek (Photo Provided by McHenry County Sheriff's Office) given the circumstances and the unsanitary conditions the cats were living in 40 of the 47 cats had to be euthanized for an inability to thrive with highly communicable zoonotic diseases,” Kubiak said “The remaining seven cats were either adopted or transferred to rescues.” According to McHenry County court documents, a veterinarian initially recommended that 12 of the cats be euthanized because of their poor health Two people pleaded guilty in the case to one count each of animal cruelty, Class A misdemeanors, and were sentenced to 40 days in the county jail and one year of conditional discharge Both also were ordered to seek mental health evaluations according to orders in McHenry County court were accused of housing dozens of cats in a Ford Transit U-Haul van found in Island Lake for at least two months were kept in “a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time,” according to a petition The couple allowed the cats to live in conditions that were unsafe, unsanitary and “extreme,” and besides their health problems, there was inbreeding among the animals, and they lacked veterinary care, according to court documents. The cats were seized by Island Lake police and placed with McHenry County Animal Control, according to a petition. The couple was ordered to pay McHenry County Animal Control $15,300 to care for the cats, including three that were pregnant, records show. An Island Lake woman was killed after being hit by a car while walking on Route 176 in Island Lake Two Island Lake police officers were on patrol in the same vehicle and heading eastbound on IL Route 176 just east of Waters Edge Drive in Island Lake when they came upon a fatal car versus pedestrian crash at about 9:15 p.m said Island Lake Police Chief Jennifer Paulus Paulus said the preliminary investigation revealed a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado driven by a 21-year-old female from Glenview was traveling eastbound on Route 176 when the vehicle struck Kristen Koehnke Koehnke is believed to have been in the roadway at the time of the crash and was pronounced deceased on the scene by members of the Wauconda Fire Protection District The uninjured driver from Glenview was transported to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital where she consented to toxicology testing Paulus said the victim was transported to the Lake County Coroner’s office Impairment is unknown pending autopsy toxicology reports The crash is under investigation by the Island Lake Police Department with the assistance of the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team Route 176 was shut down between Westridge Drive and Darrell Road for about three hours while the scene was investigated “Our deepest condolences go out to the grieving family of one of our very own Island Lake residents,” Paulus said Jurors have found an Island Lake man not guilty of sexual assault after dramatic testimony that included the woman’s secret recording of the Christmas Eve 2021 encounter After about an hour and a half of deliberating Wednesday, the jury in McHenry County acquitted Hunter Johnson, 32. He had been accused of criminal sexual assault with use of force, a Class 1 felony, and two counts of misdemeanor domestic battery, but he was cleared of all charges. During the trial, jurors heard a recording that the woman secretly made during the alleged assault. She is heard crying and saying “stop” and “it hurts.” Jurors heard Johnson on the recording say, “You can cry all you want, literally nobody cares. ... You gotta let me do it. ... You’re gonna take it.” He also is heard at least once telling her he loves and only wants to be with her. Prosecutors had asserted during closing arguments Wednesday that this was part of his manipulation to get what he wanted, a notion the jury seemingly rejected. After the acquittal, one of Johnson’s attorney, Adam Sheppard, said, “It was a just verdict.” “There was a lack of corroboration of her allegations, a delay in her outcry, and we argued the steps she took [after the encounter] were not consistent with someone who was a rape victim,” Sheppard said. The woman said after the trial that when she heard the words “not guilty,” “I just went numb. ... I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that after hearing the audio of the actual incident they could still find him not guilty.” The defense attorney said the woman used the recording to threaten Johnson and did not make a police report even when an officer was at Johnson’s house in 2022. During closing arguments, fellow defense attorney Barry Sheppard told jurors that the woman was “controlling,” “jealous” and “a manipulator.“ He also said that no one knows what people ”do behind closed doors.” In his final statement to jurors, Barry Sheppard said the state did not prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and if deliberating and jurors are not sure, “the tie goes to the defendant.” “The jury seemed to concur with our interpretation of the evidence virtue of the fact he was found not guilty on all counts,” Adam Sheppard said after court. During the trial, prosecutors had argued that it didn’t matter if the two had had sex before and after this incident, because this time she’d said no. In closing arguments, Assistant State’s Attorney Justin Neubauer turned and walked toward Johnson, whose head was down, and said, “When a woman says ‘no,’ you don’t. That’s how simple it is. When a woman says ‘no,’ you don’t.” Johnson “took what he wanted by force. He didn’t care about her or what she wanted,” fellow prosecutor Matthew Brodersen told jurors. “She did not consent. There is no reason to disbelieve what happened that night. You heard it on a recording.” The defense sought to minimize the interaction. Barry Sheppard questioned whether the incident was just “aggressive sex.” Sheppard asked why the woman didn’t leave the house if she was afraid. She replied from the witness stand that she didn’t leave because she feared he would follow her home, as he had done in the past. She said she brought him food from her family Christmas party that night and was going to drop it off and go home to wrap presents. She had no intent to have sex with him that night, but Johnson was drunk and threatening, she testified. The recording captured the beginning of the encounter. The woman is heard crying, saying “no” and “stop,” and telling Johnson he was hurting her. She testified that she “froze up” and was shocked at what was happening. After that night, the couple continued their relationship for about a year and a half, but she testified that Johnson was abusive. Neubauer said that throughout Johnson and the woman’s relationship, Johnson “bullied and gaslighted her.” The woman, the state’s only witness, testified that Johnson was drunk and “scary,” that night, that his anger escalated, and that he slapped her. She said she feared for her life that night. On the recording, he is heard threatening that he would get “hookers” and “whores” if she would not have sex with him. He called her names, told her to “stop crying” and “shut up.” “You are a ridiculous woman,” jurors heard him say on the recording. “I don’t want to hear your stupidness.” The woman said she did not report the assault sooner because she was not yet ready and hoped that he would change. However, she said things only became worse. She became ready in 2023 to come forward with her allegation after talking to a domestic abuse advocate and attending a support group, she said. After court, the woman said that moving forward, she will focus on pursuing her degree in forensic psychology and neurobiology. She wants to work with prison inmates convicted of violent crimes and sex crimes. She hopes to do clinical work to help determine risk factors and help inmates after they leave prison so they do not reoffend. “It’s going to be really hard for some time to move forward. ... It doesn’t feel final yet because he is walking free,” the woman said. Although it is not the outcome she wanted, she said she feels that speaking up about what happened was the right thing. Adam Barry said that with this behind him, Johnson will continue caring for his mother and is “naturally relieved, as anybody would be.” An Island Lake man admitted to animal cruelty for housing 46 cats in a U-Haul van for months and has begun serving his 40-day jail sentence In March, Patryk Popek, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of animal cruelty, a Class A misdemeanor. He also was sentenced to one year of conditional discharge, according to the judgment order filed in McHenry County court. according to the documents in her case in McHenry County Both were required to serve half the jail time they received The couple were accused of housing the dozens of cats inside a Ford Transit U-Haul van for at least two months The animals were confined in a manner that placed them “in a life-threatening situation for a prolonged period of time and that resulted in such severe medical issues for 12 of the cats that caused a veterinarian to recommend euthanasia,” according to petitions in court According to the complaints, the couple allowed the cats to live in conditions that were unsafe, unsanitary and “extreme,” and besides their health problems, there was inbreeding among the animals, and they lacked veterinary care, according to court documents. The cats were seized by Island Lake police and placed with McHenry County Animal Control The petition ordered that the couple pay McHenry County Animal Control $15,300 to care for the cats Both Popek and Blotnicki were ordered to seek mental health evaluations. Blotnicki began serving her time Feb. 25, the same day she entered the guilty plea, and has since been released, court and jail records show. In exchange for their guilty pleas, charges of failing or violating owners’ duties were dismissed, according to the court order. a Chicago-based band founded by musician and philanthropist Rob Stepen will host a charity performance at Sideouts Sports Tavern in Island Lake on Friday This event follows the October release of The Generations’ debut album “Alternate View.” The album’s origins trace back to 1985 when Rob Stepen recorded two tracks but never had the means to listen to them due to not owning a reel-to-reel player The tapes remained forgotten in his attic until 2023 Beyond celebrating The Generations’ long-awaited musical journey with all proceeds benefiting local nonprofits and will begin with an introduction to the charity from 7-7:30 p.m with the Generations performance at 7:30 p.m visit Sideouts Sports Tavern or follow The Generations on social media NAMI Will-Grundy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Joliet and a local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness the nation’s largest grass-roots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness NAMI Will-Grundy’s mission is to provide education so that all individuals and families affected by mental health conditions can build better lives NAMI Will-Grundy offers all services at no cost to anyone in the community regardless of where they live Previous offices held: Island Lake Village Trustee since 2021 Is there a particular issue that motivates you what makes you the best candidate for the position I realized that many residents felt unheard and that decisions were being made unilaterally I decided to run for mayor because I believed the incumbent should not run unopposed again when the former public works director announced his candidacy I soon recognized that the same cycle of politics was reemerging and that I had the best skill set to move Island Lake forward As a trustee of the Parks and Lake Commission our group initiated three new village events and collaborated with the Lions Club to install a kayak launch We also secured a stormwater grant to create a native buffer on Mutton Creek and developed a lake management plan along with overseeing the grant for replacing Converse Park We successfully collaborated with public works to establish a list of necessary park improvements and workforce development equips me with unique skills for working effectively with diverse groups and individuals What is the most serious issue your community will face in coming years and how should leaders respond to it The village needs to prioritize infrastructure facing potential encroachment from neighboring towns making it essential for residents to have a voice in managing future growth A clear vision should be included in the comprehensive plan to guide our development Should we strive to remain a small town with defined boundaries focusing on the lake and other natural resources to attract tourism Or should we aim to develop a vibrant downtown is it sufficient for us to exist as a bedroom community with just a grocery store and a few strip malls Given our location in both Lake and McHenry counties along Route 176 we face unique questions regarding a viable development plan How would you describe the state of your community's finances What should be the top priorities for spending during the next few years Are there areas of spending that need to be curtailed Island Lake’s financial situation is stable but there is pressure to generate additional revenue Building a reserve for significant expenses has been challenging as the budget primarily focuses on covering current bills With the potential use of Lake Michigan water and frequent breaks occurring prioritizing solid water main repairs is essential there is a need for important infrastructure upgrades including road repairs and sidewalk construction Having been raised in a family where dinner came before fun I believe that some of Island Lake's most popular events — such as the fireworks and Oktoberfest — should undergo cost analysis We should explore ways to support these events outside of the budget through donations and sponsorship packages What do you see as the most important infrastructure project you must address what project(s) can be put on the back burner Upgrading and securing water mains is the most important infrastructure issue A serious main break damages private property temporarily shuts off water and potentially incurs repairs outside the budget Federal or state grants to complete a water main project all at once would be ideal but can't be counted on Procuring a low interest loan like the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency State Revolving Fund program could be carefully considered Unfortunately “back burner” projects tend to be nonessential services like park maintenance which leads to eventual decay and more cost I would work with public works to identify areas that can get by with a little less attention Describe your leadership style and explain how you think it will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board I believe strongly in participative leadership When people have input into projects it creates ownership The answer is because my years in special education event planning and museum work have provided me the skills to work with just about anyone Working with sitting board members and the newly elected is crucial to moving Island Lake forward and a participative leadership style invites everyone in What’s one good idea you have to better the community that no one is talking about yet there are very few walking and biking paths connecting Island Lake to Wauconda with Bonner Road being the only available option While participating in the Native Buffer and Shoreline Stabilization project along Mutton Creek I envisioned how wonderful it would be to have a path that connects us to Wauconda alongside the creek I understand that completing such a project will require collaboration among many property owners There are often grants available for this type of work Continuing the shoreline stabilization efforts along Mutton Creek is a crucial first step toward restoring the ecosystem and paving the way for a path system that future generations can enjoy you’ll connect to the Lake County Forest Preserve’s Millennium Trail Reducing the amount of phosphorus entering Mutton Creek through nutrient deactivation methods collaborating with others in the Nine Lakes Watershed and preventing further shoreline erosion are essential to preserving the waterway and creating enough space for a path system there's a lot happening off Jones Island in Lake Michigan this winter Head south on the Hoan Bridge towards Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood and you'll see perhaps the most striking activity with barges floating 950 steel pipe piles — each measuring 85-feet-long — out into the lake the walls will create a waterproof border around a site the equivalent size of 13 football fields filled 50 feet deep "It's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to have a cleaner waterway," said Bridget Henk a senior project manager with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District The site will become Milwaukee's new dredged materials management facility and it will hold millions of cubic yards of polluted sediment removed from the city's waterways Here's what to know about the project and what work Milwaukeeans will continue to see off Jones Island More: River revival: Milwaukee's long-neglected Kinnickinnic River is on the verge of a revival as well as nearshore areas of Lake Michigan Legacy industrial pollution is largely to blame for the impairments in the Milwaukee estuary PCBs are a class of hundreds of chemicals banned by the federal government in 1979 because they are hazardous to humans The only way to get rid of these cancer-causing pollutants is to physically remove and store them permanently in a safe facility The Michels Corporation started construction of the new facility last winter It will have a dual wall structure with a 50-foot space between that is filled with sand and rocks There will also be a two-and-a-half foot wide impermeable barrier so water and pollutants cannot pass through That is what keeps the polluted sediment contained The project is on schedule and the new facility should be operational by early 2027 at the latest the inner wall is being placed into the lake The steel piles are so heavy they actually vibrate in place which is why the construction work is not noisy Milwaukeeans also will see tub trucks bringing in sand that will go in between the dual walls The impermeable wall will be put this summer Project partners on the facility include the Port of Milwaukee and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and We Energies Some of the polluted sediment is associated with the operation of the former Third Ward Manufactured Gas Plant operated by one of We Energies’ corporate predecessors The facility will store nearly 2 million cubic yards of polluted sedimentThe new storage space will be located next to an existing sediment storage facility on Jones Island that is nearly full The new facility will be 42 acres and will hold roughly 1.9 million cubic yards of polluted sediment it was designed with preventive measures to make sure pollutants do not seep into Lake Michigan There also will be ongoing monitoring by the Port of Milwaukee and other project partners to make sure leaks are prevented Over time the sediment sinks and becomes compact the 42-acre site will be capped and become city property managed under the public trust doctrine to be preserved for public use The Lake Express terminal also was built on a similar site storing dredged material It could take 40 to 50 years before this can happen The city and sewerage district are also in the midst of an ongoing lawsuit against Monsanto the chemical manufacturer now owned by the German company Bayer Monsanto is more commonly known as the manufacturer that created the weedkiller Roundup which has faced thousands of lawsuits as well The city and sewerage district allege that Monsanto promoted and sold PCBs throughout the 1950s to 1970s while concealing the health risks. It’s one of several lawsuits across the country that have been filed against Monsanto The Lower Fox River and the bay of Green Bay faced similar legacy PCB-contamination from wastewater discharged from paper mills along the river The $1.3 billion cleanup effort is considered the world's largest PCB cleanup effort removing 6.5 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment − nearly 3.5 times more than Milwaukee's cleanup effort but it will be upwards of three decades before fish consumption advisories for PCBs are removed More: Five years after the world’s largest PCB cleanup ended, how's the Lower Fox River doing? This story was updated because an earlier version had an inaccuracy Please consider supporting journalism that informs our democracy with a tax-deductible gift to this reporting effort at jsonline.com/RFA or by check made out to The GroundTruth Project with subject line Report for America Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Campaign Metrics details Global warming significantly alters lake ecosystems worldwide the effects of warming at a regional scale are often overlooked due to the scarcity of multidecadal to centennial regional studies we examined diatom sedimentary records from five lakes on São Miguel Island (Azores archipelago) over the last 170 years Our analysis using hierarchical generalised additive models revealed an abrupt shift in the island-wide diatom community around 1982 CE when the Northern Hemisphere temperature exceeded 0.35 °C above the 20th-century mean This community regime shift resulted in a 27% loss in regional diatom diversity across the Island previous anthropogenic impacts may have enhanced lakes’ rapid response to warming These findings highlight the vulnerability of freshwater island ecosystems to climate warming and emphasise the importance of transitioning from local to regional assessments to preserve regional resilience and prevent irreversible damage to these essential freshwater resources and their biodiversity a Annual Northern Hemisphere surface temperature anomaly (NHSTA) averaged from 1982 to 2011 compared to the 1901–1981 average the black rectangle indicates the Azores archipelago b Location of the studied lakes in São Miguel Island understanding biodiversity dynamics before and after a regime shift is essential for predicting and managing the impacts and recovery of such shifts on ecosystems coupled with the scarcity of data from subtropical regions a Lakes responding coherently to climate warming at both local and island-wide scales; b lakes showing divergent lake-specific (local) responses yet aligning at the island scale; or c lakes diverging at the local scale without a shared response at the island scale Lake-scale responses indicate changes in diatom community turnover over time Lake-scale shifts (thicker coloured bands) indicate significant rates of change for each lake Island-scale responses represent the island-fitted trend of diatom community turnover for all lakes (the shared regional response) An increase or decrease in the y-axis is reflected in the “average” predicted value of community turnover at the island scale Island-scale shifts (thicker red band) indicate significant rates of change that are common in all lakes Values inside brackets after the lake name indicate the community turnover in DCA standard deviation units (SD) using only the data from the last 50 years the onset of the decline of Urosolenia eriensis (U eriensis) and the transient increase in benthic diatoms The abrupt transition after 1980 CE towards a planktonic dominance of diatom species in deep lakes leads to a regional-scale functional homogenisation of the island deep lake ecosystems a Results of losses/gains ratio between consecutive 30-year intervals across the entire record b Results of losses/gains ratio between consecutive 10-year intervals only for the recent period (1969–2010) Colours and labels indicate the time interval from the most recent of two consecutive periods where species losses and gains have been assessed (e.g. 1950–1980 indicates the species losses/gains occurred between the 1930–1950 and 1950–1980 periods) these factors may have significantly reduced the diversity of benthic diatoms at local and regional scales This may explain why our data did not show a clear island-scale diatom community response to previous fish introductions over the last two centuries fish introductions and local land use disturbances may cause rapid changes at the local lake-specific scale that could erode lake ecosystem resilience to warming lake-specific anthropogenic activities would not be the main driver that caused the island-scale shift in diatom communities after ca this regional coherent shift could be explained by the effects of warming on lake limnological conditions through its effects on lake stratification and mixing regimes our data did not show a significant diatom community response to changes in precipitation precipitation records did not show a recent significant trend with positive and negative extreme years after ca Precipitation events may impact lake limnology at the lake-specific scale (e.g. lake and catchment characteristics would determine their impact on the ecosystem capturing long-term island-scale coherent or lake-specific responses could be difficult using a dataset at the time resolution of our diatom sediment records potentially facilitating the island-scale regime shift driven by the temperature increase since 1982 CE Integrating knowledge of past responses from sediment lake records from different catchments especially those encompassing the spatial heterogeneity of the islands will play a key role in enhancing the accuracy of recovery scenarios under ongoing and future changes across multiple scales this advanced knowledge provides a unique quantitative evidence-based basis for restoration and conservation actions of freshwater ecosystems providing a determinant and crucial step in the design of a sustainable highly effective lake conservation and mitigation strategy applicable worldwide Taxa were grouped according to their habitat preferences and benthic (see Supplementary Methods for further details) We examined three scenarios: (a) lakes responding coherently to climate warming at both local and island-wide scales; (b) lakes showing divergent local responses yet aligning at the island scale; or (c) lakes diverging at the local scale without a unified response at the island scale (Fig. 2) We tested these predictions by modelling how diatom communities changed over time due to increasing temperatures and previous anthropogenic impacts DCA values) and expected abiotic external drivers of change (i.e. air temperature) to assess significant trends in species turnover over time at a regional scale We used an HGAM to model the expected value of community turnover (DCA) with (i) a global smooth to model any trends that are common to all lakes; (ii) individual lake-specific effects with their own smoothness penalties to allow each lake to have its own trend in time \({f}_{{lake}(i)}({tim}{e}_{i})\); and (iii) \({\gamma }_{{lake}(i)}\) a random intercept for each lake about the mean response We also model DCA axis 1 scores as a function of temperature replacing time in the previous Equation (see above) with the NHSAT anomalies or the Ponta Delgada instrumental air temperature anomalies (see below) To fit the model using temperature data for each sediment sample we first calculated the top and bottom ages for each sample to calculate the mean temperature anomaly for the time interval that integrates each sediment sample Temperature and precipitation annual anomalies were computed relative to the 1901–2000 average This approach was implemented because changes in evenness (SAD) and the species pool size across the last 200 years could be expected time intervals with higher species turnover (i.e. greater species replacement over time) are expected to have a larger species pool size than time intervals with lower species turnover Notice that we have only used four lakes because Lake Furnas was excluded from this first analysis using the 30-year time intervals The number of species gains and losses between consecutive time intervals at a regional scale was assessed using the R library “codyn” (version 2.0.5)88 We employed the same procedure and standardisation protocol to calculate regional dominance metrics obtaining the regional species matrix across the studied period and grouping the data set into 30-year time intervals for the full record and 10-year intervals for the most recent period (1969–2011 CE) Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article North Hemisphere Surface Air temperature was downloaded from https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/climate-at-a-glance/global/time-series. Ponta Delgada air temperature and precipitation and the five diatom sediment records data set are available at Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13853797 The code and data for the present analysis and figures are available at Zenodo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13853797 Pörtner, H.-O. et al. 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Generalized Additive Models: An Introduction with R (Chapman and Hall/CRC, 2017). https://doi.org/10.1201/9781315370279 Gratia: graceful ggplot-based graphics and other functions for GAMs fitted using mgcv Modelling palaeoecological time series using generalised additive models mgcv: mixed GAM computation vehicle with automatic smoothness estimation New Azores archipelago daily precipitation dataset and its links with large-scale modes of climate variability RClimDex-extraQC (EXTRAQC Quality Control Software) User Manual (Centre for Climate Change University Rivira i Virgili ERA-CLIM: historical surface and upper-air data for future reanalyses Embracing scale-dependence to achieve a deeper understanding of biodiversity and its change across communities Using coverage‐based rarefaction to infer non‐random species distributions Assessing microbial diversity using recent lake sediments and estimations of spatio-temporal diversity: spatio-temporal γ-diversity and sediments iNEXT: an R package for rarefaction and extrapolation of species diversity (Hill numbers) Coverage-based rarefaction and extrapolation: standardizing samples by completeness rather than size The relation between evenness and diversity codyn: An r package of community dynamics metrics Download references The European Research Council supported S.P.-R was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (DL57/2016/ICETA/EEC2018/25) and the DISCOVERAZORES research project (PTDC/CTA-AMB/28511/2017) which funded CIBIO/InBIO (projects UIDB/50027/2020 is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Ramón y Cajal Scheme (RYC2020-029253-I) This research was partially funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness projects PaleoNAO “ESF Investing in your future” and “ERDF A way of making Europe” Sampling locations are publicly accessible and not subject to restricted regulations All procedures followed local and national guidelines MED – Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture Environment and Development & CHANGE Global Change and Sustainability Institute Institute for Advanced Studies and Research Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos Centro Interdisciplinar de Química e Bioloxía (CICA) Integrative Freshwater Ecology (CEAB-CSIC) Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences conceptualised and developed the original idea and built the database analysed the data and prepared visualisations co-wrote the first draft of the manuscript contributed to the edition and revision of subsequent and submitted versions The authors declare no competing interests Communications Earth & Environment thanks John Smol reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01744-6 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Anthropocene newsletter — what matters in anthropocene research a global hospitality leader with a network of more than 560 hotels across six continents have partnered with YouChao International Tourism Hotel Co to develop Anantara Thousand Island Lake Resort Scheduled to open on the banks of Qiandao Lake in Hangzhou City in October 2027 the 160-key resort is poised to bring a fresh perspective to the popular holiday destination in Zhejiang Province Spanning a total construction area of 36,000 square metres Anantara Thousand Island Lake Resort will honour Qiandao's fame as the world's most island-rich freshwater lake Holidaymakers familiar with the area's charm as well as new generations of vacationers will be immersed in the tranquil beauty of the reservoir and the lush surrounding forest they will find abundant natural and cultural attractions once a major trade centre on the Silk Road picturesque mountain villages and fishing adventures at Longchuanwan National Fishing Centre The property is designed to accommodate a wide range of guests from solo travellers seeking solitude to families looking for in-nature activities to business travellers with the resort's multifunctional banquet and meeting space In addition to guest rooms ranging in size from 62 to 340 square meters dining outlets at Anantara Thousand Island Lake Resort will include all-day dining The hotel will offer a variety of recreational facilities to enhance the guest experience including a fitness centre "We are honoured to collaborate with YouChao International Tourism Hotel Co to bring Anantara to Qiandao Lake," said Mr Vice President of Development for Greater China at Minor Hotels Group and a board member of Funyard Minor China "This cooperation marks another significant milestone in our expansion in the Yangtze Delta Region while also showcasing our deep commitment and confidence in the Chinese market We look forward to this project bringing positive economic impact to the local community and promoting the sustained development of the tourism industry." "We are delighted to join hands with Minor Hotels," said Ms Chairman of YouChao International Tourism Hotel Co "We look forward to working closely with Minor Hotels to promote the development of the hotel industry in the area and leverage Qiandao Lake's immense potential as a world-class tourism destination." Anantara Thousand Island Lake Resort is located 22 kilometres from Qiandaohu Railway Station that links it to tier one cities such as Hangzhou and 150 kilometres from Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport Minor Hotels currently operates four properties in China and plans to grow to 15 properties within the next three years Brand OwnerMinor Hotels ExpandStacey Pyne (Photo provided by Stacey Pyne) Mayor of Island Lake Municipal elections are Independent, but I am a Democrat Retired Special Education Vocational Facilitator No, Facebook page - Pyne for Island Lake Mayor University of Northern Colorado - B.S. Special Education and Rehabilitation Southern Illinois University - M.S - Workforce Development and Education I am married to Rodney Petersen; we have three children, four grandchildren, and one on the way. If someone has been arrested for a serious crime and is found to be in the country illegally, then yes, there may be grounds for action. However, immigrants who are seeking or waiting for legal status should be allowed to continue with their applications. Local law enforcement has worked hard to build trust within immigrant communities, and turning individuals over to a federal agency simply for living in the country is a betrayal of that trust. The Village of Island Lake needs to focus on infrastructure, economic development and defining what kind of place it wants to be. We are at a crossroads with other towns encroaching and the people need an opportunity to have a say in future growth. There is a comprehensive plan that needs to be considered with the vision. I would do this by forming an advisory board and inviting residents in to share their ideas. The Island Lake Village Board supports local business and actively works toward economic growth. It is not their job to broker deals between developers and private owners but to know what the vision for growth is and that it is properly supported in ordinances and zoning. Actively identifying potential business partners by attending industry events is also an important role. In the current national political climate this is a difficult question to answer. Public officials need to disclose potential conflicts of interest. Statements of economic interest need to be current, and every board should have an ethics committee to address this. Building trust and transparency is a key part of my campaign platform. To achieve this, I propose the following initiatives: 2. Distribute regular newsletters to keep residents informed about ongoing initiatives. 3. Hold quarterly public meetings to gather feedback and maintain an open dialogue. Previous offices held: Mayor since 2021; Island Lake Trustee from 2019-21 I was elected village trustee in 2019 and then mayor in 2021 to restore integrity to the village after years of mismanagement I have taken my responsibility very seriously and have diligently worked to restore accountability and work toward diversifying the village’s housing supply to bring more affordable options to the residents I have an extensive list of accomplishments from my first term as mayor and I will build on those achievements in a second term as mayor and adding more housing that residents can afford will be my priorities in a second term We’ve made significant strides on those fronts; however secured over $200k for parkland and shoreline restoration reinvested gaming revenues into park and lake maintenance It's important for the residents to have a sense of community We’ve worked to make sure all our residents feel included in village activities My administration has fostered our traditional events and added new ones • Lakefest: We expanded this to three days of rides • Oktoberfest: We hosted our fifth Oktoberfest along with our third annual Dachsund Derby • Cardboard Sled Race: We held our second annual sled event at Converse Park Hill • Senior Center Dinners: We hosted our second annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners at our local senior centers • Carp Fest: This year we hosted the third annual event with a new Kids Fishing Derby I have worked tirelessly to ensure our village’s budget is balanced and reflective of our community’s priorities Every dollar spent has been carefully evaluated to maximize efficiency while maintaining the high-quality services our residents expect and deserve we have invested in critical infrastructure and economic development without placing unnecessary burdens on taxpayers and cost-saving measures to stretch our resources further ensuring financial stability for years to come Transparency and fiscal responsibility have guided every decision and I am proud of the progress we have made in strengthening our village’s financial future I will continue to work hard to make sure every tax dollar is spent wisely and that our village remains strong I will invest in additional infrastructural improvements and the diversification of our housing supply Securing a source of limitless clean drinking water for current and future use is a top infrastructural priority We have started the process to build onto the CLCJAWA (Lake Michigan water) pipeline that will bring a reliable supply of fresh drinking water to the residents As a result of careful budgeting and planning Island Lake is positioned to be the next municipality to join the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency All of our infrastructure projects have been well planned including the funding source for them Some of the infrastructural projects already completed and scheduled include: • Replaced over 800 residential water meters with another 2200 scheduled for replacement • Island Drive Bridge is slated for replacement in 2027 Build Back America • Completed a major remodel of the Island Lake Village Hall • Paved and curbed the streets in Porten Subdivision Describe your leadership style and explain how you think it will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions with your village board or city council Army Military Police Corps and have spent my career helping people cultivate their leadership skills I believe in empowering people around me and nurturing the ability for other people to develop their leadership skills We must be willing to hear different perspectives and not be afraid to compromise for the betterment of the village Big initiatives cannot be achieved unless we all work together I believe in the saying “If you want to go fast The village could benefit from additional recreational facilities that cultivate resident involvement and community building The village could use a sports center and I intend to work on making that a reality in my next term as mayor Eilers (Photo Provided by McHenry County Sheriff's Office) A McHenry woman charged with fatally striking a young man with her car in September didn’t stop or call police after the crash had been drinking in bars earlier that night and afterward “concealed” her vehicle in her boyfriend’s garage authorities alleged Tuesday during the woman’s initial court appearance Christine S. Eilers, 50, of was arrested Monday in connection to the Sept. 27 hit-and-run death of Austin Stanek, 24, according to a release from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Eilers is charged with felony counts of failure to report a crash involving death and leaving the scene of a crash involving death Eilers made her initial appearance on the charges in McHenry County court Tuesday afternoon where she was allowed to be released with conditions and electronic monitoring while she awaits trial Authorities said the defendant also goes by the name Christine Pine but that Eilers is her legal name the group was walking on or near the side of the road and the make and model of the vehicle was unknown Austin Stanek 2018 yearbook photo (Wauconda High School 2018 yearbook photo) Stanek was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital near Barrington McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Anthony Marin said Eilers struck Stanek from behind with her car and drove on Eilers went to her boyfriend’s home in Lakemoor told him she had been in an accident and was “distraught,” and that’s when they “concealed” her white SUV in his garage underneath a covering When the investigation eventually led to that car authorities found that it had damage that was consistent with the crash and the debris that was left behind The car’s internal GPS system and surveillance footage showed that she had been drinking at two bars earlier that night and the GPS system also placed her car at the scene of the crash when it occurred He also alleged that Eilers called her attorney the night of the crash but did not call 911 noted that she told her lawyers where her car could be found and that was shared with authorities Marin asked for Eilers to be held in McHenry County Jail while she awaits trial noting that she left the state shortly after the crash occurred Hickey countered that Eilers merely went to Iowa for a brief visit with family but has been in McHenry since Judge Cynthia Lamb ruled that Eilers could be released from jail with electronic monitoring and house arrest Eilers appeared at the hearing in jail-issued clothing and showed no outward signs of emotion Within days of Stanek’s death, authorities had announced that they’d identified a person of interest and the vehicle believed to have been involved the sheriff’s major crash investigation unit collected evidence ExpandRichard McLaughlin (Photo provided by Richard McLaughlin ) Occupation and employer: Retired Veteran of the US Army Military Police Corp Campaign Website: www.IslandLakePeoplesParty.com Education: Studied at Central Texas College Community Involvement: I am a member of the Moose Lodge and the Island Lake Lions Club. Marital status/Immediate family:Married with Children The country is facing a housing crisis due to not having enough units to meet current population demands. Like many communities around Illinois, Island Lake has experienced the challenges the shortage has created and we are working to bring more rooftops to the community. We must embrace a diversified housing strategy to address this crisis and ensure that the residents of the village have access to a variety of housing products. Economic development and environmental sustainability do not have to be mutually exclusive. My administration has -Attracted over 15 new businesses to Island Lake -Successfully secured over $200k for parkland and shoreline restoration -Reinvested gaming revenues into park and lake maintenance -Added new playground equipment, updated basketball courts, and opened an 18-hole disc golf course As mayor I have diligently focused on investments in our current infrastructure as well as our future infrastructural needs. Some of the projects we have completed and scheduled include: -Replaced over 800 residential water meters -Island Dr. Bridge is slated for replacement in 2027 -Completed a major remodel of the Island Lake Village Hall, optimizing unused space. -Paved and curbed the streets in Newbury Village, Burnett Rd., and Eastway Dr. The village should play an active role in supporting local businesses and spurring economic growth. There are many opportunities for public-private partnerships that foster the growth of our commercial and industrial sectors. Our economic growth policies have allowed us to eliminate the village’s vehicle stickers, providing residents financial relief. A vibrant community has a strong focus on public safety and we have secured $60k in grant funding for officer wellness, equipment, and safety programs. We have invested in our public safety infrastructure by adding body-worn police cameras, new police vehicles, and implemented a modern dispatch and records systems. The residents of our village have been able to engage directly with our law enforcement personnel through our Adopt-A-Cop, National Night Out, and Cop on a Rooftop programs. Island Lake is an incredibility inclusive town with residents from all walks of life. We have worked to make sure all our residents have a seat at the table and feel included in village activities. My administration has fostered our traditional village events as well as added new ones. Some of the community gatherings include: -Lakefest: We expanded this to three days of rides, live music, and fun. -Oktoberfest: We hosted the village’s 5th annual Oktoberfest in conjunction with our 3rd annual Dachsund Derby. -Cardboard Sled Race: We celebrated the 2nd annual sled event at Converse Park Hill. -Senior Center Dinners: We hosted our 2nd annual Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners at our local senior centers. -Carp Fest: This year we hosted the 3rd annual event with a new Kids Fishing Derby -Villages 75th Anniversary: Our anniversary events will include a parade, picnic, and live music. Public disclosure by our elected officials is good policy and the key to transparent government. All board members are required to file a public Statement of Economic Interest, which outlines potential conflicts of interest. I think these reporting requirements are critical to ensuring that government is working for the people and not an elected official. Since being elected Village Trustee and consequently Village Mayor, I have strived to make myself accessible to all residents. A village is strongest when residents participate in their government and are welcomed into the decision-making process. The residents of Island Lake know I am only a phone call away and always willing to listen. Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInCHARLOTTE (WBTV) - Dozens of homes along the Catawba River were underwater and significantly damaged by flooding during Helene Mecklenburg County leaders have approved a plan to buy them Known as the “Quick Buy” program, the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners said the goal is to provide homeowners with options following major losses from flooding and to reduce future flood losses 46 homes were “substantially damaged” and cannot be repaired to pre-flood conditions That came after the Catawba River Basin received up to 20 inches of rain during Helene Dozens of those homes were in the Mountain Island Lake area The money to purchase the damaged homes will come from Mecklenburg County Storm Water Services It intends to spend $8.5 million on the program and grants are available to those who prefer to elevate or demolish their homes Mecklenburg County enacted similar programs after floods in 2003 The process is expected to happen over the next six months Home demolitions could take up to two years More information about the voluntary program can be found here Related: Mountain Island Lake couple, 1-year-old trying to move forward after Helene destroys their home — Being at the cabin in Northern Minnesota This rare sighting is one that Island Lake cabin owner Stephanie Nixon did not expect “The weather has been so nice; we were actually heading out for a swim And I looked in the water and saw what appeared to be a jellyfish we don’t have jellyfish here,” said Nixon Nixon was pretty confident in her findings despite what her family had to say and when we saw multiple of them and we’re able to visualize them and we looked around and there were dozens of them And because we haven’t heard of jellyfish being in the area before and we were worried about invasive species I contacted the DNR,” explained Nixon an Aquatic Invertebrate Biologist at the DNR was just surprised as Nixon’s family sent in some photos and some videos and a short description of a jellyfish Because they do just kind of appear sporadically out of the blue,” said Eaton “He also reassured me that they weren’t eating fish eggs or causing damage to general ecology And really eating more microscopic things that this was a life cycle phase,” said Nixon The jellyfish are related to marine jellyfish They are in a whole different class of organisms And they do have little stinging cells which they use to predate small And things which are naturally microscopic organisms floating around in the water The stinging cells which they use do not at all affect humans or even fish,” explained Eaton Eaton says that the freshwater jellyfish are invasive but have stuck around in areas like mine pits since the early 1900s is it originates in the Yangtze River basin in China But probably was moved around like the 1900s North America and other continents,” said Eaton Eaton is hoping to remind people to be mindful of harmful invasive species like zebra mussels And to clean and inspect boats to reduce the spread everyone involved is excited about this safe The only time they’ve really seen jellyfish is at the aquarium And to actually see them at our home it was pretty special,” beamed Nixon “It’s just gratifying knowing that there are folks out they’re kind of keeping an eye on the environment You know our job at the DNR is to protect natural resources And mine is to monitor and hopefully preserve conditions That freshwater invertebrates and other freshwater aquatic life continue to do well in our lakes,” said Eaton ExpandSteve Deasey (Photo provided by Steve Deasey) Island Lake Trustee Board of Directors, Carmel Catholic High School Board of Directors, Wauconda Fire Department Bachelor of Science degree - Biology; Loyola University Chicago Member of Wauconda Fire Rescue Association and Charity Golf Committee Member of Carmel Catholic High School Building and Grounds Committee Island Lake has a wide range of housing developments for it’s residents including multiple established single family subdivisions as well as the recently opened Senior Lofts for veterans and limited income senior citizens. It is important for Island Lake to have a full range of housing available to all of our residents including young families and our growing population of senior citizens and veterans. Continue focus on new economic/business development to increase local options for residents and village revenue for infrastructure improvements. Work with state and county officials to improve the safety of village roads, crosswalks and pedestrian/bicycle pathways. Continue transparency of village activities and open communication with residents. Focus economic development in all current vacant properties where possible. Encourage and support the building of energy efficient and sustainable structures when new construction is needed. Require all new development to follow all current environmental and building requirements/regulations. Recycle old equipment, building materials and waste when tear down of old structures is required. Encourage the purchase of lightly used equipment, when possible, instead of the manufacturing and purchase of new equipment. In Island Lake, we need to work with state and county officials to improve the safety and traffic flow on Rt. 176, River, Roberts and Darrell Roads that have high daily volumes of all vehicles. More stoplights with arrows, longer turn lanes, roundabouts and clear lines of sight are all possibilities that should be investigated. Traffic flow through town as addressed earlier. The need to establish a safe connection of pedestrian/bicycle pathways throughout the village. We will continue to work with state officials to make access to our parks, schools and businesses safer for all. The administration will continue transparency of village activities and open communication with all residents to hear their needs and concerns. Yes, and it should be done annually similar to what is currently done in other organizations. Village board meetings, Village website, Village events and social activities, meet and greet events and open communication with residents, neighbors and businesses around town. and I know it really broke their heart that they weren't able to keep going with it,” said Robert Giuliani who entered into a lease to take over the Island Lake space on June 1 Giuliani quietly reopened as the Smiling Loon Restaurant & Bar / Jack Frosty Drive In a week later Word of the new eating options spread quickly among locals The Smiling Loon menu features elevated casual American cuisine made from scratch Jack Frosty will replace the former Lake Ave Drive-In which was previously home to the High 12 Drive-In starting in 1963 the addition of the bar and restaurant next door served as Boondocks Saloon and Grill Jack Frosty offers ice cream treats and traditional drive-in fare and I know that people are going to enjoy the food It has a little bit of that ‘supper club’ feel.” and its staff of 22 is anticipated to fluctuate seasonally while it continues to be owned by Midlife Investment Group received another remodel to better reflect its cabin-going patrons A collage of local photography and taxidermy was added to the walls including antique water skis and a 1950s Johnson motor and pull tabs are anticipated to be available soon The restaurant also hosts bike nights for motorcyclists on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month A private dining room with seating for up to 40 people called the “Loon’s Nest” will host cooking classes and other special events The restaurant is situated on the south end of Island Lake It has nearby snowmobile trails and the Boulder Lake Cross Country Ski Trails and the Island Lake Inn is a few blocks away “It’s going from being on the water on a boat the Outpost gas station and convenience store “It's a nice addition because right before you cross the bridge to go to the lake you're able to grab things that you know you might need at the house or at the cabin," Giuliani said "Or if you're going on the boats and you need snacks “I remember coming up to Island Lake as a kid and my father taking me to the bridge and learning how to fish there,” he said and we would grab a sundae or an ice cream cone after a day of fishing A lot of my friends had cabins up on the lake we'd come up here and go water skiing or swimming.” After graduating from Duluth East High School Giuliani attended the Culinary Institute of America and later worked with chefs in New York City at Aquavit and Chambers He opened Martini BLU at The Grotto in Fargo before returning to Duluth to help open Clyde Iron Works Restaurant & Bar (plus event venues) with his brother is currently undergoing a transition of its own with the addition of a nine-room boutique hotel on the West Duluth property Giuliani is catering a menu to the cabin-goers and outdoor enthusiasts with a full range of comfort food including daily specials like tater tot hot dish Tuesdays fish fry Fridays and smoked prime rib Saturdays Dinner entrees go beyond the typical bar burger with dishes such as stuffed chicken breast and marinated flank steak Jack Frosty’s offers more traditional old-school drive-in fare along with treats like banana splits Giuliani also owns Tacos Tacos Tacos in downtown St and had planned to open Tacos Tacos Tacos in downtown Duluth he said he’s shifting gears to create a more “well-rounded” restaurant concept for that location A pedestrian struck and killed by a vehicle Friday night in Island Lake has been identified was in the area of Route 176 east of Water’s Edge Drive about 9:15 p.m When she was struck by a 2018 Chevrolet Colorado driven by a 21-year-old Glenview woman The Chevrolet was traveling east on Route 176 and Koehnke was believed to have been in the road at the time of the crash Autopsy results show Koehnke died from injuries as a result of the crash The driver stopped and no tickets have been issued or charges sought Route 176 was closed between Westridge Drive and Darrell Road for about three hours Island Lake and the Major Crash Assistance Team of Lake County are investigating (WBTV) - A flash flood warning was issued Friday afternoon around Mountain Island Lake as Duke Energy prepared to move significant water through the area Residents near Mountain Island Lake were ordered to evacuate early Friday, Sept. 27, as the lake was projected to overflow and flood the area. A voluntary evacuation order was initially issued Thursday night Residents of Riverside Drive, Lake Drive, Riverhaven Drive, and parts of Beagle Club Road and Hart Road were being told to leave the area A voluntary evacuation order was issued Friday afternoon for the Nivens Cove neighborhood adjacent to the lake the floodgates at Cowans Ford Dam are now open and officials are expecting Mountain Island Lake to quickly rise A shelter is open at Tuckaseegee Rec Center at 4820 Tuckaseegee Rd Significant rainfall hit the region amid then-Hurricane Helene overnight Thursday into Friday morning -- though several inches of rain fell before the storm even came through was expected to reach or exceed 110 feet on Friday which would be the highest ever recorded at that lake Duke Energy was preparing to move "large amounts of rainwater through the Catawba River System from Lake Norman to Lake Wylie through Mountain Island Lake,” the Charlotte Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office reported at 2:30 p.m “Flood waters will rise RAPIDLY and conditions will change quickly,” officials said Residents nearby were urged to prepare to evacuate immediately due to the anticipated flooding A shelter was open for residents at the Tuckaseegee Recreation Center (4820 Tuckaseegee Road) in Charlotte Lake levels can be monitored here or via the Duke Energy Lake View mobile app Related: 1 dead, 1 badly hurt after tree crushes Charlotte home as Helene blows through A 50-year-old McHenry woman is facing felony charges in a hit-and-run crash near Island Lake last year that killed a pedestrian Eilers was arrested Monday on charges of leaving the scene of a crash involving death and failure to comply/report a crash involving death Officials said McHenry County sheriff’s deputies Island Lake police and Wauconda firefighters responded at 10:48 p.m 27 to the crash on the 4300 block of Roberts Road later identified as 24-year-old Austin Stanek of Island Lake was struck by a vehicle that failed to stop after the collision He was taken to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Lake Barrington After a nearly four-month investigation by the McHenry County Sheriff’s Major Crash Investigation Unit authorities say they identified Eilers as the driver who left the scene of the fatal crash The vehicle believed involved was found in a garage in Lakemoor Eilers was taken to the McHenry County jail after her arrest to await her next court appearance ExpandIan Novom (Photo Provided by McHenry County Sheriff's Office) An Island Lake man is accused of possessing images of child sexual abuse Ian Novom, 19, of the 3400 block of Southport Drive, is charged with six counts of possessing images involving children younger than 13, according to a criminal complaint filed in McHenry County court. Sentences for those convicted of such felonies can range from probation to seven years in prison Novom made his initial court appearance Saturday morning when he was granted release from the county jail pretrial with conditions including that he have no intentional contact with any minors younger than 18 who are not part of his immediate family or with whom he does not live according to the pretrial release order signed by Judge Joel Burg Novom is slated to appear again in court Oct. 25. By Emma McIntosh, The Narwhal Emma and photographer Christopher Katsarov Luna spent four days in northwestern Ontario It’s hard not to feel haunted by the caribou They used to be everywhere along the coast of Lake Superior Even as their numbers have dropped over the last century they’ve remained regular characters in living memory People tell tales of running into one along a forested trail a hungry horde gulping down a picnic’s worth of food breaking into an unattended cooler and scarfing an entire box of chocolate chip cookies Some remember watching caribou flock to salt licks in their yards the way others might watch birds at a feeder The waters of Lake Superior — or Gitchigumi in Anishinaabemowin — are unsettled with whitecaps in the distance as we set out looking for caribou It’s late July and feels more like fall than midsummer a town tucked inside a harbour 300 kilometres east of Thunder Bay waves crash against the hull and the fog is so dense we can’t see the cluster of conifers we’re aiming for until it’s right in front of us We spend the better part of the day puttering around the rocky islands one of the few strongholds where Lake Superior caribou still live But it’s starting to feel like we’re chasing a phantom Caribou on Lake Superior are uniquely isolated retreating to offshore islands to get more distance from predators and people (Photo Credit: Christopher Katsarov Luna/The Narwhal) Paths they’ve worn onto the forest floor look well trodden drapes from the trees in such abundance it’s easy to imagine a bull with velvety antlers stepping out of the bush to steal a nibble we haven’t seen hide nor hair of a single one The few caribou still surviving here tend to make themselves scarce our guide for the day Doug Bourgeault tells us He leads photographer Christopher Katsarov Luna and me onto a small rickety dock on one of the islands and past a ramshackle research cabin into the bush It’s a last-ditch attempt to spot a caribou on land since finding one from the water hasn’t panned out which sits on one of the few pieces of land within Slate Islands Provincial Park set aside for human access — leaving the caribou everything else We slowly pick our way back to Bourgeault’s boat stepping over downed trees and beds of tiny ferns while mosquitoes whine in our ears With one last look at the still forest behind us “No worries at all,” I tell Bourgeault as he starts the engine doing my best to keep the disappointment out of my voice Bourgeault warned us from the get-go: our chances of spotting a caribou on the Slates these days were pretty much zero Despite making regular visits to the islands he hasn’t seen a caribou here in at least four years These unseen ungulates on Lake Superior are woodland caribou members of a threatened subspecies whose range covers most of northern Ontario — most of Canada Their numbers have been trending down for a century The looming threat of woodland caribou’s extinction has inspired multimillion-dollar efforts across the country to save them their habitat tends to overlap with areas where logging and mining are big economic drivers and governments have been reluctant to impose conservation-related restrictions on major industries The question of what to do about them has been at the centre of squabbles between the federal government and several provinces in recent years The Lake Superior caribou are a special case one of the more fragile groups among an already-vulnerable subspecies the balance in their range is already heavily tipped towards development with so much human activity for so long that it’s almost impossible to imagine caribou returning to most of it They’ve largely retreated to offshore islands There’s no margin of error in case anything else goes wrong — like climate change or wolves two big factors in the recent decline of the Slate Islands caribou though — enough that Katsarov Luna and I travelled 800 kilometres by plane car and boat to attempt to see them — is because they show how fragile fates become for threatened species and how monumental a task it is to bring them back once they reach this point and some sporadic interventions from the Ontario government Lake Superior caribou are only a little better off than they were a decade ago And the laws that allowed them to reach this point are still pretty much the same which doesn’t bode well for the future of other herds Perhaps there’s a lesson here in knowing when we’ve reached a tipping point — and more importantly how to recognize it before the end sits in plain sight Doug Bourgeault runs the only charter service that takes visitors to the Slate Islands He also comes here regularly on his own time he hadn’t seen a caribou on the archipelago for at least four years Caribou are as iconic as they are imperilled Cultures in the upper half of the northern hemisphere are closely tied to the gentle ungulates They’re stamped on the back of the Canadian quarter a pillar of spirituality and survival for many Indigenous communities and best known internationally for pulling Santa’s sleigh There are two types of woodland caribou in Ontario: migratory ones that travel in herds spanning vast distances from the boreal forest to the tundra near Hudson Bay and forest-dwellers that tend to stick to one area and hang out in smaller groups once abundant across most of northern Ontario From the last ice age until about 150 years ago they lived as far south as what is now Algonquin Provincial Park Caribou are no longer a common sight around Sudbury about 200 kilometres northwest of Algonquin as the crow flies their decline has been continuous for decades their slow march towards local extinction began more than a century ago As European settlers moved into the region dispossessing Indigenous nations of their territories highways and electricity transmission lines too running through places that would later become national and provincial parks on the north shore of Lake Superior Each piece of new development fed the economic prosperity of industries in northern Ontario the same wealth that drew my ancestors to settle here in the last century Human development on the Lake Superior shoreline started to displace caribou about 150 years ago power lines and mines are regular features along the Trans-Canada Highway on the lake’s eastern side whose numbers were also diminished by overhunting are more sensitive to human disturbance than deer and moose And while moose thrive in the young forests that sprout up after an area has been logged it can take caribou up to 60 years to return to areas humans have cleared Their main defence mechanism is their stealth which helps them avoid predators like wolves But they are far more vulnerable if the deep woods they rely on have been pared down to disconnected patches the changing landscape and a few years of heavy snow attracted more moose to the places traditionally occupied by caribou The abundance of moose attracted more wolves which are also a natural part of the ecosystem the balance between predator and prey had tipped heavily towards the predators with wolves using human-made clearings like roads and hydro corridors to hunt caribou with more ease than ever before The caribou retreated to a few strongholds on the northeast side of Lake Superior A gap of 100 kilometres opened up between the shoreline caribou and the next closest herd One small population hung on for a time in Pukaskwa National Park whose traditional territory encompasses the national park His last encounter with a caribou on the land happened along a trail in the park more than two decades ago and I wanted to see what that was,” Michano recalls Biigtigong Nishnaabeg Chief Duncan Michano used to see caribou once in a while when he worked at Pukaskwa National Park But the herd there has been gone for over a decade He climbed up some deadfall to get a better look “He was nosy.” They stared at each other for a while before the caribou turned around and strolled away “They’re beautiful little animals,” he says Michano tells me the story from a bench at the mouth of Biigtig Ziibii A massive expanse of sand dunes stretch out to the west Pukaskwa sits just across the river to the east a rocky shoreline giving way to dense forest As pristine and peaceful as the place seems, the Pukaskwa herd couldn’t hang on. Their numbers suffered a hasty decline in 1988, leaving just five survivors by 2009. A paper published in 2015 concluded the group is effectively gone where about 100 to 200 resided in the early 2010s a lighthouse keeper noticed the tracks of a caribou bull on an ice bridge frozen over the lake to Michipicoten The Ontario government moved seven females and one more male over to join him in hopes the population would take off Even though caribou had been erased from most of their historic range around the Great Lakes they were still abundant on Michipicoten Island Bourgeault remembers camping trips on Lake Superior in the 2000s where he’d spend mealtimes shoving a caribou’s muzzle away from his plate Signs of caribou are everywhere on the Slate Islands but the ungulates themselves remain hidden abandoned caribou research pens still sit on the shoreline caribou scat can be spotted on the forest floor Sometime around the winter of 2013 to 2014 an especially frigid cold spell allowed parts of Lake Superior to freeze over An ice bridge formed from the mainland to Michipicoten Island and wolves crossed over This isn’t abnormal — it used to happen much more often, allowing a freer flow of animals between the islands and the shore. Wolves could pursue the caribou, and some caribou could evade them and escape. Or, if caribou numbers started to decline, wolves could leave and seek other, more plentiful food sources on the mainland. But climate change is warming Lake Superior faster than any of the Great Lakes and it doesn’t freeze over as early or often as it used to and wolves and caribou were trapped together The wolves dined on the threatened ungulates The islands that gave them sanctuary also dealt them what appeared to be a death blow and the Ontario government studied the situation but didn’t do anything about it Michipicoten First Nation and other locals called on them to act two bulls were the only caribou left on the Slate Islands About 15 more caribou remained on Michipicoten Island “Governments move slow as heck,” Michano told me in 2022, for a previous story about Lake Superior caribou “They sat around on their hands until almost all of the caribou were gone.” the Ontario government worked with First Nations and scientists to airlift Lake Superior caribou away from the wolves on Michipicoten Island Nine went to the Slate Islands and six to Caribou Island the Ontario government stepped in and worked with Michipicoten First Nation to airlift the 15 animals to safety by helicopter six caribou from Michipicoten were dropped off at a wolf-free hideout so far out in the lake an ice bridge seems nearly impossible as luck would have it — a privately-owned dot on the map named after a herd briefly introduced there a century ago The remaining nine caribou were transplanted to the Slates in 2018 to join the lonely bulls the wolves had left to find more abundant prey allowing caribou numbers to slowly rebound but the reasons for the demise of woodland caribou are more complex: successive generations and governments have allowed Lake Superior caribou herds to wither away to the point where it only took a tip on the scales of predator and prey to nearly wipe them out completely Many of us think of it as a wildlife management problem but it’s really a people management problem Lake Superior caribou are a special case compared to their relatives Their behaviour is different: they’ve been spotted eating campfire ashes something even caribou relatives 100 kilometres north don’t do “The wolves were always there,” Michano says There wasn’t a whole shitload of fucking transmission lines there.” to Marathon on a winding stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway those human changes to the landscape are easily visible The Slate Islands are only about 12 kilometres from the shore a stark contrast to the stomach-churning swells on the open lake The smell of the spruces on shore envelope you before your feet even touch land The thin whistles of sparrows ring out from the treetops The only other people we see are a small group resting on the rocky shore “See any caribou?” Katsarov Luna calls to them as we draw closer a decent hideout for a group of shy caribou Even though there’s some evidence of human presence here like a mine shaft that predates the provincial park and a lighthouse that no longer has a keeper There is a little bit of human activity on the Slates — a lighthouse that no longer has a keeper a shallow mine shaft that predates the provincial park Kayakers and researchers travel through here too sometimes camping at sites around the islands meaning there aren’t facilities or staff on site There’s plenty of undisturbed forest where a shy caribou can hide The caribou gene pool in both places is also pretty shallow They’d have a better shot at avoiding the health problems that can come with inbreeding if they had some different Y chromosomes in the mix caribou can’t stay put on the islands forever “When is the [ministry] going to get off their arse?” Michano asks The Slate Islands were created by a meteor that struck Earth leaving an archipelago with quiet channels running between them They’re now a haven for other flora and fauna as well as caribou Birdsong rings out from the treetops in summer while Lake Superior’s cold climate allows some Arctic and alpine plants to grow Right after the 2018 caribou translocations the Ontario government seemed interested in finding a long-term solution for the island caribou The Environment Ministry consulted the public about a long-term strategy for Lake Superior caribou protection and recovery that same year But it was never finalized; a public posting about the plan hasn’t been updated since 2019 Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and caribou advocates continued to push it seemed the province’s motivation had fizzled The Lake Superior caribou fell off the radar for a while until Ottawa waded into the debate over caribou protection in Ontario It was part of a greater push by federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault to crack down on the provinces’ management of species at risk The federal government is usually only automatically responsible for flora and fauna on federal lands while provinces and territories cover the rest of the areas within their borders But the federal government can step in if it thinks provinces and territories aren’t doing enough and Guilbeault warned in 2022 that a crackdown was coming if provinces didn’t take steps to safeguard wildlife at risk of extinction on provincial lands Caribou were one of the animals Guilbeault set his sights on the federal government and Ontario penned an agreement in spring 2022 to protect them Each government pledged to put $5 million that year towards work to conserve the ungulates The plan also included a standalone section about the Lake Superior caribou mandating that Ontario finalize its management approach by 2024 and implement it the following year with conservation groups and First Nations saying it fails to address the cumulative effects of industrial logging it’s unlikely to help the Lake Superior caribou — or prevent other herds from having their habitat whittled away until they’re in similarly dire straits The caribou conservation agreement Ontario signed with the federal government included timelines for finalizing plans to manage Lake Superior caribou But it didn’t include measures to address the cumulative effects of industry and human development which means it’s unlikely to help the Lake Superior caribou or any other herds “That conservation agreement is a lot of words that really say nothing,” Chief Patricia Tangie of Michipicoten First Nation told The Narwhal in 2022 (Tangie wasn’t available to be interviewed for this story.) In the months after the federal agreement was inked, the Ontario government revisited its long-stalled plan for the Lake Superior caribou, putting out a request for bids from consultants to help with the work The move drew ire from Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Michipicoten First Nation who had long had caribou restoration plans and said the province should be putting them in action instead of hiring contractors It’s not clear whether the ministry ever hired someone The ministry didn’t answer questions from The Narwhal about whether it will meet the deadlines in the federal-provincial agreement — or anything else about how it manages caribou Guilbeault briefly threatened Ontario with federal intervention in 2023 warning caribou in the province were still “not effectively protected.” But the two governments buried the hatchet and once again agreed to collaborate in May 2024 with each putting up another $29 million for caribou conservation work until 2027 Ontario also committed to expanding two protected areas, conserving an additional 44,000 hectares of land that include caribou habitat, as early as 2025, but hasn’t released details yet of where those areas will be. In July, the province posted a list of provincial parks and conservation reserves it hopes to expand but only one site’s description mentions caribou: about 152 hectares of proposed conservation reserve land on the Lake Superior shoreline south of Wawa The government didn’t answer questions about whether any of the sites are a part of its caribou conservation promises Environment and Climate Change Canada spokesperson Amelie Desmarais didn’t directly answer when asked if the federal government is satisfied with how Ontario is following through on its caribou conservation commitments Desmarais said Ontario has made progress on all of the measures in the federal-provincial agreement The first two years of the agreement were focused on “necessary planning and program development,” she said which Ontario must now put into action to maintain “existing undisturbed habitat and provide new habitat in ranges where disturbance levels are high.” an associate professor at Lakehead University who has studied the Slate Islands caribou tells me it will take some time and monitoring to see if any initiatives underway will translate into better outcomes for caribou Their slow reproductive rate means it’ll be a while before experts can tell whether conservation measures are working which he argues is all the more reason to keep funding them “I think that the expectation that we’re going to have a lot of recovery everywhere in Ontario in three years is not really grounded in reality,” McLaren adds On the whole, the province has emphasized the need for “balance” between protecting and recovering caribou and the “social and economic realities of Ontarians and industries in the north.” But the two don’t have to be in conflict One paper published in the journal Wildlife Society Bulletin in 2018 said although some people blame caribou conservation for economic hardship in northern Ontario the amount of wood available for harvest hasn’t played a role in mill closures and job losses In Ontario forests overlapping with caribou ranges there’s already more wood legally available for harvest year after year than companies are actually taking “The discussion of real economic tradeoffs may be more germane to areas outside Ontario,” the paper noted pointing to Alberta’s imperilled caribou herds (One of the paper’s co-authors is a member of The Narwhal’s board of directors The Narwhal’s editorial decisions are made independently of our board.) David Wells is one of those people who feels torn over the cost of conservation a company based in Wawa that runs a lodge and offers guided paddling trips on Lake Superior some of his guides lead tours to the Slate Islands the iconic animals could be a huge draw for visitors I’d be driving a Porsche,” he jokes from a sitting room at the lodge waves crash over the greenstone that Wawa is known for a type of volcanic rock that often also hosts deposits of valuable minerals like gold Michipicoten Island is visible on the horizon — some days fog and the angles of light can make it look like it’s floating above the water There’s something ethical about the idea of restoring caribou here Wells worries the Lake Superior caribou are beyond saving and that government money might be better spent elsewhere Wells was a forester before he started the adventure company and he’s concerned about what could happen to the local economy if too much land is protected from industrial activity “It disturbs me when I see money being wasted on things that aren’t going to work,” he says “The politics of these things are disturbing as well then there’s going to be a lot of hungry people That’s not right … So how do you balance those things?” Michano tells me he doesn’t think we’ll ever again see an abundance of caribou along these shores but he thinks most of this land already had little to no chance of ever being caribou habitat again — what’s done is done “All the infrastructure and all the factors that contributed to the decline are still there,” he says adding a little mine here and there is not going to create that much of an impact That started with the railroad in the late 1800s My take on it basically is that we’ve got to preserve what we have and then see if we can’t expand the population.” To start, Michipicoten is spearheading a plan to airlift some caribou back to Michipicoten Island, which could happen as soon as this winter. If it goes well, Michano would like to try reintroducing them at Pukaskwa National Park as well. Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and their neighbours to the east, Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg, are also working on an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area around several rivers which could eventually provide nature corridors to connect the Lake Superior caribou to the northern herds It’s not without complications. Not everyone feels great about airlifting caribou from place to place. The Ontario government’s discussion paper also mentions a need for some sort of predator control — which might mean culling and especially Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Michipicoten First Nation it’s better than allowing caribou to disappear “They’re our relatives,” Michipicoten Chief Tangie said of the caribou back in 2022 “I think that’s one of the most important things to remember Just like we would not harm our aunties and uncles or our brothers and sisters supports the idea of trying to reconnect the Lake Superior caribou to northern herds through nature corridors He also thinks it’ll require something governments are often reluctant to offer: willingness to try when there’s no guarantee it will work “The fact that more people are talking about it suggests that we may have something happen,” he says scientists on the ground have been able to get some idea of caribou movements in the region with aerial surveys in the winter when there’s less foliage blocking their view and the fresh snow makes hoofprints easy to spot Other studies have used fecal DNA, sometimes with surprising results. A 2023 study found a little bit of genetic flow between caribou in the Lake Superior range and the ones 100 kilometres to the north individual ungulates cross the expanse of development separating them and reconnect with their relatives The study was done by a group of researchers at Trent University along with one scientist from Environment and Climate Change Canada with some funding from Ontario’s caribou conservation program Researchers have also used the Ontario government’s trail cameras on the Slate Islands to get a sense of caribou movements on the archipelago Visitors to the Slates who see them in person seem to find them more by chance than anything else steers us down one last channel before we’ll head back to the mainland I’m beginning to accept that luck just isn’t on our side I crack open my notebook while Katsarov Luna and there he is: a magnificent bull with an enormous rack of antlers paddling across the channel a few hundred metres ahead of us Katsarov Luna readies his camera while I fumble for a pair of binoculars and the three of us peer at the swimmer through the windshield he reaches the shore and heaves himself onto the beach in a flash of hooves His fur blends perfectly with the rocky shoreline and the tree trunks behind it save a bright white patch beneath his tail With a few more steps he melts completely into the forest A tiny, endangered fish lies on the path of Highway 413. Canada has a plan, but no new power to protect it ‘These are not your lands to give away’: 6 First Nations take Ontario to court over mining law Featured image: Caribou used to be everywhere on the shoreline of Lake Superior but their habitat was gradually whittled away until a pack of wolves was all it took to nearly wipe them out What can they teach us about bringing a threatened species back from the brink and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Lake Sørvágsvatn is also the largest lake in the Faroe Islands (WBTV) - A mandatory evacuation has been ordered for an area along the Catawba River at Mountain Island Lake as floodwaters continue to rise on Friday morning The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office announced the evacuation just before 7 a.m Riverhaven Drive and parts of Beagle Club Road and Hart Road are being told to leave the area A shelter is open at the Tuckaseegee Recreation Center on Tuckaseegee Road in Charlotte Water levels at Mountain Island Lake were predicted to reach or exceed 110 feet by Friday afternoon Levels can be monitored here A voluntary evacuation was issued in the area on Thursday The heaviest impacts of now Tropical Storm Helene are expected to affect the Charlotte area Friday morning Rain will have largely cleared out by the midday or afternoon hours CharMeckALERT: MANDATORY EVACUATION for the area of Riverside Dr, Lake Dr, Riverhaven Dr and parts of Beagle Club Rd & Hart Rd near Mtn Island Lake. FLOOD waters are rising. A shelter is open at Tuckaseegee Rec Center at 4820 Tuckaseegee Rd, Charlotte, NC. @CharlotteFire crews… pic.twitter.com/HFvjnj3EeB CharMeckALERT: MANDATORY EVACUATION for the area of Riverside Dr, Lake Dr, Riverhaven Dr and parts of Beagle Club Rd & Hart Rd near Mtn Island Lake. FLOOD waters are rising. A shelter is open at Tuckaseegee Rec Center at 4820 Tuckaseegee Rd, Charlotte, NC. @CharlotteFire crews… pic.twitter.com/HFvjnj3EeB A fire broke out late Friday at an Island Lake residence causing an estimated $100,000 in damage Wauconda Fire District firefighters responded to an 11:30 p.m call about a fire in the 3000 block of Mallard Point Upon arrival they found smoke coming from the garage of the two-story residence according to a prepared statement from Fire Chief Patrick Kane Smoke alarms woke the residents and no one was injured The Island Lake Police Department and public works Barrington Countryside and McHenry fire departments assisted the Wauconda Fire District Kane reminded residents to install smoke alarms and make sure they are working properly Queen City News Duke Energy will open the floodgates at 5 p.m Do you have pictures or videos of severe weather MECKLENBURG COUNTY (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A flash flood is ‘imminent’ at Mountain Island Lake on Friday according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Duke Energy will open floodgates at Cowans Ford Dam Officials said flood waters will rise rapidly and conditions will change quickly “Duke Energy needs to move large amounts of rainwater through the Catawba River System from Lake Norman to Lake Wylie through Mountain Island Lake,” Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management said Stay home and do not travel on the roads unless you are evacuating,” authorities said Officers are going door-to-door notifying residents of the danger from the rising waters Authorities are asking everyone to evacuate the area on Friday There is a shelter open on Friday at Tuckaseegee Rec Center located at 4820 Tuckaseegee Road emergency officials are moving its emergency shelter to Belmont Middle School located at 1020 South Point Road in Belmont HAZARDS: Life-threatening flash flooding from dam floodgate releases caused by excessive rainfall SOURCE: Duke Energy and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management IMPACT: This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION IMMEDIATE EVACUATION for areas along the river immediately downstream of the dam and potential historic flash flooding of areas along the Catawba River from immediately downstream of Cowans Ford Dam to Mountain Island Lake to the Riverside Drive community below Mountain Island Lake Dam At 106.5 feet…major flooding continues these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals McHenry County investigators have identified a person of interest in a hit-and-run crash over the weekend that killed an Island Lake man no one has been arrested and the investigation is ongoing was walking with a group of people on the 4300 block of Roberts Road near Island Lake when a white vehicle struck him at about 10:48 p.m Stanek was taken from the scene to Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in North Barrington Friends and family of the 2018 Wauconda High School graduate have launched an online fundraiser to start a scholarship in his memory. The fundraiser can be visited at gofundme.com/f/celebrating-austins-spirit-with-a-scholarship “Austin had a knack for bringing others together whether they were teammates or just friends hanging out,” the fundraiser page reads “His easygoing nature made everyone feel welcome and it was impossible to be around him without feeling his positive energy.” The vehicle that struck Stanek failed to stop after the crash but debris from its front and right side were found on the scene and collected as evidence Anyone with information is asked to contact the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office at (815) 338-2144