L.A. LOOKS Wildlife Corner Photo & Article By Barbara Ann Comer The little blue heron is a tricky one. It isn't always "blue." These small herons start out white and then get blotches of blue throughout their feathers (see above) before they finally turn totally "blue" (dark slaty blue - pictured at right) as full adults (at about a year old). Little Blues "part way through" can be very interesting looking! The way to tell an all white immature Little Blue Heron from a Snowy Egret is subtle at first. The Little Blue has dull yellow legs and feet (Snowy's have the golden slippers). Little Blues also have a thicker bill which is two-toned with a gray base and a dark tip. A bi-colored bill rules out Snowy. If the bird flies away uttering a squawk of annoyance it's probably a Little Blue. There are plenty of Little Blues at Lake Ashton to practice your identification skills on. Getting a photo can help. GO BIRD WATCHING WITH BARBARA! Meet at 8 am Monday, January 5 at the Clubhouse West Parking Lot in your golf cart for an 8:10 am departure. We plan to tour the east course via golf carts in search of birds. “Cartpooling” is encouraged. Bring binoculars, water, hats and sunglasses, and wear sunscreen or clothing that will protect you from the sun. We plan to bird for about 1 – 2 hours maximum. 16 LA (LW) HOA CORNER By Deanne Mayne We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is looking forward to 2026! Assessment statements will be mailed out in January. Make sure to follow the payment instructions outlined in your statement. Remember, NO PAYMENTS SHOULD BE DROPPED OFF AT THE CLUBHOUSE. Compliance is still looking at mailboxes that need some TLC and driveways that need cleaning. Some residents have spruced up their mailboxes or hired painters or a member of the Lake Ashton community to fix paint, numbers, and flags. The contact information for the Lake Ashton resident is 616-648-9890. The number of mailboxes and driveways that need cleaning is still substantial so we are repeating the October focus. One issue that compliance has noticed more often lately is trash bins that are left outside of garages. If the bins are shielded from view by vegetation, that is not a violation. However, many trash bins are quite visible from the street - that is a violation. Lastly, we will be sending out a package in the next 30 days with a need for your votes and a letter from John Donahue, President. Due to lack of quorum, the annual meeting will be held Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 1:30 pm (Saturday) in the Clubhouse Ballroom. That meeting will be an opportunity to meet your board and to vote on amendments to our current Master Declaration that governs all Property exteriors. An important note: We have changed out our property management company as of July of 2025 to Stambaugh (863-324-5100). There have been multiple notices online about the change and recommendation that you sign up on the website, lakeashtonhoa.org to get notices or links to our ARC if you need to make any changes to your exterior as well as documents and other important links like over 55 affidavits. Also enclosed are a welcome letter from property management with sign-up information, a reminder from the HOA’s attorney regarding compliance
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