Letter from the Lake Manager

Happy belated New Year.

To begin with, I would like to welcome Tom McBride to the Sherwood Lake Club Board of Directors. Mr. McBride will be the new board president. Mr. McBride is recently retired in April 2022 as owner and operator of Title Midwest and has been a Sherwood Lake Club member since 1992. He brings unique skills that will serve the Sherwood Lake Club well into the future.

Sadly, Annette Beck will be stepping down from the SLC Board of Directors and as the board president. I would like to thank her for her years of dedication and service to our lake and community. She has spent countless days working for the best interest of the Sherwood Lake Club. Under her leadership our lake club has prospered. Thank you again, Annette, for your direction, guidance and encouragement over this last year.

This upcoming season the Lake Quality and Environment Committee has made it a 2023 priority that all vessels registered to Lake Sherwood have the Sherwood Lake Club stickers displaying the member’s SLC number. This will help guarantee that the vessel is registered to Lake Sherwood. Ski boats, fishing and pontoons will display two stickers on the rear end of the port and starboard sides of the vessel. Personal watercrafts only need one sticker per vessel. Sherwood Lake Club staff will have SLC stickers and numbers available at the boat ramp this spring. The SLC staff will be required to attached stickers to vessels that do not already display the proper identification. Vessels will not be allowed to launch without SLC stickers and the member’s number. Also, according to the Sherwood Lake Club by-laws an SLC sticker must also be attached to the boat trailer. Once again, these stickers and numbers will be available at the boat ramp.

Remember, personal watercraft (PWCs) that are launched directly from members shorelines and are not inspected for zebra mussels at the boat ramp by the SLC staff, these crafts can easily introduce zebra mussels into our lake. PWCs are probably our greatest threat. So please be mindful to clean, drain and dry these vessels before they are launched on Sherwood.

Once again, thank you to the Lake Quality & Environment Committee, which has worked hard to preserve our lake. I would personally like to thank Dr. Randy McAlister, Warren Schmidgall, Nelson Dean, Kevin Beck, Steve Brewster, Tracy Lynch, Joy Dodd, Steve Dodd and others on the committee that have put in countless hours serving SLC. Watch for the LQEC updates that will be sent out by email to all SLC members.

Furthermore, the Annual Spring Clean Up will be held at the clubhouse on April 22. Rain delay date will be April 29. We intend to spruce up around the clubhouse and beach and will take only three to four hours to complete. We will begin at 10 a.m. Also, the Boater Safety Class will be offered May 3 and 24 at 7 p.m. If you have not taken the class, it is mandatory to be eligible to operate a boat on

Lake Sherwood. Please note that the classes will be held by Zoom. Look for registration reminders that will be sent through email in April.

As spring approaches, please review the boating rules and regulations as you begin the 2023 season. This information also can be found on the SLC website, and they are printed in the Scene. Some highlights are as follows:

1. All boats and PWC must be registered with proper SLC numbers displayed on the hull.

2. Wake Surfing: Please review the wake surfing rules & regulations located under Section I, number #4 of the SLC Boating Rules.

3. The entire lake is a “No Wake Zone” from dusk to dawn. The RED light on the east end of the dam will indicate the beginning of the No Wake Zone at the end of the day.

4. Please use the lake in a counterclockwise direction. Speed Limit is 35 mph.

5. All boaters, skiers and passengers must have a CGA personal floatation device.

6. When a skier or tuber is down, please display the skier down RED FLAG, while they remain in the water. Once the skier or tuber is back up, the flag should be put away.

7. Remember that guest boats of any kind are not allowed on Lake Sherwood. This includes kayaks, canoes, paddle boards, towables and inflatable islands. The purpose of the rule is to avoid the zebra mussel pandemic that has plagued northeast Kansas. Our lake is one of the few that does not have a zebra mussel infestation. It will be to the profit of all Sherwood members to make this priority number one.

Just a last-minute reminder: When purchasing a new boat, remember that the under SLC rules the boats cannot exceed 25 feet. On Ski or Fishing boats measure from the tip of the bow to the stern not including the swim deck or outboard pontoon or the deck) to the stern of the pontoon not including the outboard motor or permanent extended ladder. FYI: If the pontoon has an extended transit that mounts the outboard motor three or four feet out the back of the vessel, the transit is considered part of the length of the boat.

Have a pleasant & wonderful 2023 recreational season.

Respectfully,

Jeff Handley