• Home
  • Dues
  • HLPOA Board Minutes / Financials
  • Resident Information
  • Rules/Information
  • Lake Health
  • Fishing Report
  • Videos
  • Pictures
  • Downloads
  • The Board
  • Contact Us
  • Area Links
HIGHLAND LAKE COMMUNITY
Picture
Park Place

Lake County Sheriff 
Non-Emergency Phone Number
847-549-5200

Pay Your Dues/Contributions Here

The Official Highland Lake Facebook Page

Picture

Top Headlines

Make Sure To Scroll Down To See All The News

Important Documents

Make your 2025 Dues Payment
2025 Budget
Final Approved Bylaws
Fish Survey June 1st 2023
Highland Lake Rules and Regulations
Open Burning Ordinance    
Boating Regulations
Lake Aquatic Plant Survey
Grayslake Weather
Weather info for Grayslake
Up Coming Events

Beavers Causing Tree Damage at Hartnett Park

Picture
Tree Damage
Picture
Tree Exclosure
​Dear neighbors,

Please note that beavers have been active in Hartnett Park, as well as at some properties around the lake (including mine, where I had three young aspen trees taken down by beavers this summer.

If you live on the shore I urge you to protect trees that may be vulnerable to beaver damage. Typically they like trees that are 2-6” in diameter, but they can take trees larger than that. Beavers prefer aspen, cottonwood, poplar, willow, apple, birch and cherry. Aspen, poplar and cottonwood are their favorite, but they will nibble on other trees as well. Beavers feed on tree bark. They will take down trees and then chop it up into pieces, which they store in the lake to feed on over the winter.  

To protect your trees you can wrap the trunk with wire mesh that is at least 36” high. The mesh tube should give the trunk at least 2” space all around. The chicken wire exclosures that we use to defend against rabbits were not good enough for beavers- they were too short and too flimsy. See the photo for the wire mesh tube I am using now.

Beavers are an important native animal that has a huge positive influence on wetlands, which we have in abundance in Lake County. And they are a protected species. The good news is that the presence of beavers is a sign of a healthy environment. But they can be destructive.

The wildlife people I have spoken with at the county and state level have advised learning to live with beavers. If we trap them they are very likely to be replaced by other beavers. I have been told that this year was a bumper year for beavers in our area.


The most effective measure we can take in learning to live with beavers is protecting our trees. There are repellants that claim to protect against beavers but I have seen mixed opinions regarding repellants. Use a wire mesh exclosure.

This site is very informative: https://www.beaverinstitute.org/get-beaver-help/tree-damage/. If you want to know more about beavers I recommend this book: Beaver Land: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila Philip

Pat Herendeen

HLPOA President

Leaf Clean Up Service 11/15 and 11/29

There are just two remaining two dates for our Waste Disposal Service LRS to vacuum leaves from the curb. The dates are Saturday November 15 and 29. Please be sure to not obstruct storm sewer grates or to mix other yard waste or heavy objects in with the leaves.

Fall Edition Highland Lake Neighbor

Picture
Long time resident Barb Jolly
Click here to see what's happening in our community during fall.

HLPOA PUMPKIN DECORATING PARTY
October 25th 12 pm until 3 pm Downey Park

E-Bike Information

Learn more about E-bikes and current regulations. Click here for more information. 

Semi-Annual Board Meeting October 18th

Dear Highland Lake neighbors

Please join the HLPOA Board for our semi-annual meeting on Saturday October 18 (9:00-11:30) in the Community Room at State Bank of the Lakes (50 Commerce Dr., Grayslake, IL). Our special guest speaker is John Wasik, Lake County Board Member. After John’s presentation we will talk briefly about Highland Lake facilities and the work that is needed to take care of these community amenities. Your input to this discussion will be appreciated. The last part of the program will be an opportunity for the Board members, committee chairs and others in the community who help with projects around the lake to make a pitch for what they do and a call for help- we need new blood to get involved in our community.

Following the program the HLPOA Board will hold an abbreviated monthly meeting. Among other things we will be discussing the 2026 budget and annual dues.

We look forward to seeing you there! Click here to view the agenda.

Sincerely,

​Pat Herendeen

News Archives

Carp Fest Totals Final Count 13 Carp Removed

Picture
The 32nd annual Carp Fest was held May 30-June 1 and June 6-8. This is the first year that the Fest has been scheduled for two weekends, giving residents a better chance of not missing out on the fun. If you have not seen the Carptain America video please see it below.

And the winners were: Don Roberts with the biggest fish (27 lbs.), Dylan Mihojevich (greatest number of fish- 4) and his big fish 17.6 lbs, and Maggie Jensen with the smallest fish (6.2 lbs.). Maggie did get the longest carp going back to 2005 at 37 inches. It's possible it is the longest fish since the event started.

Sincere thanks to the organizers, Marc Rosemeyer, Ron Jensen, Ron Mittlestadt, Gregg Denig, Don Roberts, Colleen and Jim Benzo. And huge thanks to the sponsors for their generous donations (ECHO, Inc. Lake Zurich, IL, DAREDEVLE by Eppinger Dearborn, MI, Super Electric Construction Company Chicago, IL, Action Fence Mundelein, IL, Diversey River Bowl, Chicago, IL, Grayslake Feed Sales, Triangle Sport and Marine (Antioch) and many more).

Carptain America Video Trailer

Eurasian Water Milfoil Treatment May 23th

Update Eurasian Water Milfoil treatment

Due to weather considerations McCloud Aquatics has rescheduled the treatment date to Friday May 23.

Some residents have asked about precautions after treatment with ProcellaCOR. Manufacturer documents indicate there are no drinking water, swimming, fishing, or lawn irrigation restrictions after application. Our McCloud representative confirmed this with the manufacturer. They stated EXTRA safety is recommend to not use lake water for irrigation on the day of treatment only.

Last summer we had a survey of aquatic plants in the lake conducted to evaluate the health of the lake and determine whether any invasive plant species need attention. The survey determined that there were three patches of Eurasian Water Milfoil that needed targeted spot treatment. We have engaged McCloud Aquatics to do the treatment. The crew will be entering the lake from Downey Park. The treatment using ProcellaCOR will focus on a total of 3.9 acres in the west, north, and northeast regions of the lake. All areas are well offshore.

If you have any questions please contact Pat Herendeen ([email protected])

Beaver Spotted on the Lake

Dear neighbors,

Please note that a beaver has been sighted in the lake and crossing to the wetland on the south side of Washington. If you live on or near the shore you may wish to protect trees that may be vulnerable to beaver damage. Beavers are an important native animal that has a huge positive influence on wetlands. And they are a protected species. The good news is that the presence of beavers is a sign of a healthy environment. We just need to learn how to live with beavers. People often confuse beavers and muskrats. Beavers have flat, wide naked tails whereas muskrats have round naked tails. Both are good swimmers.

What kinds of trees do beavers like? Beavers prefer alder, aspen, apple, birch, cherry, cottonwood, poplar and willow. Aspen/poplar and cottonwood are their favorite. However, a couple years ago I saw beaver damage on a cedar tree near the shore (a couple nibbles and it apparently decided that tree was not good).

How do I protect my trees? The easiest way to protect a tree is to wrap the base of the trunk with wire mesh. Click here to protect your trees.

Marc Rosemeyer’s Pot Roast Recipe

Take a pot roast and trim all the excess fat off. Season well on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a dutch oven heat 1 tbs of olive oil and brown on both sides. Add 1 large sliced onion, 1 sliced sweet pepper, 1 12 oz can stewed tomatoes  and 1 can diced tomatoes. Add 1 tbs each of basil, thyme, and oregano. Cover and bake in a pre-heated oven at 325 for 1 1/2 hours. Add 2 or 3 medium potatoes submersed in the liquid and cook until tender. If to saucy, cook the final step, uncovered. You want the sauce to be thick.

For other recipes checkout Ron Jensen's corn bread. click here and Hans Kribbel Famous Highland Lake Chili. Click here.

If you would like to share your favorite recipe for our cook book please
send me your recipe to [email protected]

Sincerely

Ron Jensen

Several Dead Geese Reported

Several dead Canada geese have been reported on Highland Lake and other lakes nearby. Both the County and IDNR are suspicious of the highly pathogenic Avian flu as the cause. Do not handle or attempt to capture waterfowl or other wild birds that are dead or displaying signs of illness. 

Due to risk of infection to other animals, dogs and other pets should be kept away from the carcasses of birds that may have died or display signs of illness.

For more information go to this link from the Illinois DNR. https://www.illinois.gov/news/press-release.30768.html

2024 Fish Stocking Completed

In addition to the 200 Large mouth bass stocked in late September, 1,100 walleye and 600 perch were released from Downey Park on 11/15. See the video below covering the stocking.

Fish Stocking 9/24/24

200 large mouth bass 6 to 8 inches were released from Chic Park this week. All were healthy. Make sure to release all fish in this size length.

Highland Lake Olympics Pictures

The first time Highland Lake Olympics was a fun time for our residents with over 30 people in attendance. The weather cooperated too.

Carp Electrofishing Wednesday May 29th

A total of 159 carp were removed from the lake weighing over 1 ton. Average length almost 29 inches and average weight 13 lbs. 5 oz. Special thanks to Andy Plauck and his team at IDNR, Pat Herendeen, Ed Venner and his buddy Trevor Mock from Island Lake, Evan and Chase Mittelstaedt, and Joe Bigalke. 

The disposal of carp was potentially the biggest challenge (solved this time by Joe Bigalke)
Picture

Highland Lake (Lake County Fish Survey)

The report on the Highland Lake fish survey that was conducted in June last year. Click here to see the survey.

New Highland Lake Resident Rules and Regulations

The Highland Lake rules and regulations for the residents is now posted. Click here to view what is new.

Important Boat Regulations

Effective 11/21/22, boats will be limited to a maximum speed of 4 mph and any new boats purchased and placed on the lake can be no longer than 20ft. Click here to view the new regulation. These new regulations were approved by your board on 11/21/2022.

Open Burning Ordinance

Permanent Open Burning Ordinance will be in effect, starting June 1, 2022. To find out more about these ordinances go to the Lake County website at https://clean-air-lakecountyil.hub.arcgis.com/ To see the ordnance click here.


                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                   
© Highland Lake Community Site 2025 All Rights Reserved

Proudly powered by Weebly