L.A. LOOKS Wildlife Corner Photo & Article By Barbara Ann Comer The Common Nighthawk is a familiar bird in the summer skies of Lake Ashton as it flies about erratically chasing bugs and dragonflies mainly at dawn and dusk. This bird is a member of the Goatsucker or Nightjar family. It has a large mouth and flies with it wide open ingesting insects in flight. It is a mottled brown and the long pointed wings each sport a white wing bar prominent in flight. It calls attention to itself with its repeated nasal utterances "Peent, Peent." During the aerial courtship display the male's wings make a hollow booming sound as the bird plummets quickly to within a few feet of the ground. The sound is created by the air rushing through the primary flight feathers. Nighthawks are easily overlooked during the day as they perch cryptically on tree branches resembling a bump in the bark more than a bird. WAYS TO PROTECT LA PONDS THIS SUMMER Why does my pond smell? Why is our pond green and scummy looking? Almost certainly, that is algae you see. Algae blooms when water nutrients are in excess and the weather is warm and sunny. An algae bloom is the result of an excessive growth of algae. Is algae bad for the pond? A significant number of living things in the pond use algae for nourishment. Even though algae are part of the environment and do assist breaking down the nutrients in the pond, excessive amounts of algae can lead to a variety of difficulties. Sunlight is essential for the development 14 of plants. When algae grows to cover the surface of the pond, it cuts down on the quantity of light that can reach the plants that are submerged in the water or that are growing on the bottom of the pond. The sustainability of the habitat may suffer as a result of this, as it may impede the growth of a great number of native plants. Please contact Matt Fisher at mfisher@lakeashtoncdd.com with any questions or concerns regarding CDD ponds. LA II (WH ) HOA The short-term rental amendment was signed and filed with the county on April 23, 2023, and is now the 7th amendment to the CC&Rs. Stambaugh mailed a copy to all homeowners the first week of May so you should have your copy. If you have not completed your age verification paperwork, please do not hesitate. It is very important that we have this information on file to maintain our status as a 55+ community. We appreciate those who have filed and encourage those that haven’t to do so. Your Lake Ashton II Homeowners Association Board members are: • Kristy McKibben, President, presidentla2hoa@outlook.com • Gary Johnson, Secretary, secretaryla2hoa@outlook.com • Ray Rudy, Treasurer, treasurerla2hoa@outlook.com • Dave Bishop, VP & ARC Liaison, vparcla2hoa@outlook.com • Bill Testa, VP & Asst. Treasurer, vptreasurerla2hoa@outlook.com LA ( LW) ARC By Greg Bluemke The ARC committee has had a great response with the ARC Tracker computer program that has been in place since the first of August this past year. During this time, we as a committee have helped numerous homeowners that have needed help getting logged into the program, and many more have commented that it is very easy to navigate through the program. The questions that are being asked have helped the homeowners understand exactly what is being asked of them. (continued on p. 16)
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