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Seasonal Magic:

How Ice Out in Lakes and Ponds Helps Nourish Life

Excerpts from an article by Warren P. Balgooyen. Edited by Matt Loosigian, Deb Avalon-King and Christine Smith.

For some peculiar reason, when water freezes to ice, it floats. This is one of the unusual properties of water. When most compounds change from liquid to solid they become heavier. But not water. Water molecules become less dense (spread further apart) as water freezes.

If not for this unique property of water, lakes would freeze solid from the bottom up, and there would be little if any living things in them. After all, what kinds of organisms could survive in solid ice? Ice would remain deep in the lakes like permafrost in the arctic tundra.

How does ice over happen in a lake or a pond?

Each winter, as water cools, its molecules crowd closer together, until it cools to a “magic” temperature (39.2°F, or 4°C), where it reaches its heaviest density and sinks to the bottom.

Normally the surface water of a lake is easily mixed as wind blows over the surface. For instance, in the summer only the top layer of warm water 75°F to 80°F is mixed.

Before a lake can freeze over, its entire water column from top to bottom, must reach that magic temperature (39.2°F or 4°C). This natural cooling process is called fall overturn. It is a gradual process as the surface water slowly cools down and a larger and large layer of water can be mixed by the wind. Some lakes never completely mix at turnover.

Lake turnover is a very important event, a time when the water body mixes. The mixing water carries up nutrients (food) from bottom sediment to the surface. This happens in both spring and fall. The bottom sediment is filled with nutrients and when that nutrient rich water floats to the surface in fall and spring, it carries up nutrients to the phytoplankton, algae and other plant life as part of the food web.

After the entire body of water reaches magic temperature, 39.2°F or 4°C, the water on top can finally get cold enough to freeze. Small ponds tend to ice over earlier in the winter than deep lakes, because there is less water to cool. Some very deep lakes never freeze because the entire depth of the lake does not cool down to the magic temperature. Most Michigan lakes are shallow enough and winter is long and cold enough, so that they freeze over.

In winter most fish spend their time near bottom, where the food and warmest (39.2°F) water lies. As an exception salmon (and other species on occasion) will cruise the colder waters just under the ice. Oxygen is often richer close to the surface in winter. Many ice fishermen catch salmon just below the ice.

Ice-out begins in late winter as the sun becomes stronger and starts to melt the ice and warm the water from 32°F to 39.2°F (the magic temperature). As the ice melts it forms pencil-like crystals arranged vertically through the ice mass. The ice becomes crystallized or “honey combed.”

If you are lucky enough to be nearby a lake the day of ice out, you may hear a “tinkling” sound. The pencil-like ice crystals fall against each other like dominoes when the waves of open water nibble at the ice edge, creating that special sound.

Any weedy areas and rocks, logs, or any other solid objects in the water will absorb the sun’s rays and heat up the water around it. Even a leaf blown out onto the ice will melt its way downward in the ice. Often a band of open water develops along shorelines before the ice weakens over the deeper, middle part of a lake.

After ice out, the water once again is a uniform magic temperature of 39.2°F, or 4°C and can freely mix, with the help of wind and currents. Then those valuable bottom nutrients are recycled to nourish living things near the surface.

All the living organisms that have been dormant come to life and start growing again. Spring overturn also happens to be the best time for spring fishing because the mixed uniform water, now filled with oxygen, brings trout and other species up from their deep winter retreat. They can be found at any depth at this season.

Commodore’s Comments

Hello to friends and neighbors,

On a personal note, I wanted to inform all of you that someone is sending messages to people from Birch Lake, pretending to be me. They are trying to get money from you, and they complete the message with my full name. Please let me know if you have received a message. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.

Halloween around the lake was so much fun! We enjoyed the benefit of good weather. Big thanks to Amber Grundy for organizing the Halloween route and getting the trailer. Andy Snider did a great job driving the truck that pulled the trailer of excited trick-or-treaters. Some lucky adults got to enjoy the ride, myself included! It was fun, watching neighbors give out treats. The kids had a blast! After the trick-or-treating came to an end, Andy and Lori Snider hosted a gathering at their home. Thank you Andy and Lori for your neighborly hospitality! 

Thanksgiving has come gone. It’s that time of year we gather together with loved ones and we give thanks for all of our blessings. Our family and friends include our Birch Lake neighbors. I want to thank all the individuals that helped shut down and clean the BLYC building. Sending thanks to Sandy and Phil Vitale, Vickie Rogers, Sue Williams, Deb Hall, and Ron Niezgodski. Ron also replaced a faucet in the women’s bathroom! Your help is very much is appreciated!

Whether you travel to other areas or stay home, I wish all friends and neighbors a safe, healthy, and happy holiday season!

If a neighbor does need help, it a comfort to know that we help each other in time of need.
May 2025 be a year full of love, peace, and joy for all! 

We come from many different places, but we are on the same boat, we love Birch Lake!

~Commodore Julie

Christmas at the Bonine House

(click image to enlarge)

Fleet Captain’s Corner

No report this month.

~ F.C. Bob

Public Service Announcements

Homeowner’s Association

The Birch Lake HOA has contacted the Cass County Road Commission and there is no money in the budget to put a guard rail on the west side of Birch Lake Road, between Sears Road and the public landing. Please give any car heading up towards Sears Road as much room as you can safely do so. 

No Christmas Crawl this year

There will be no Christmas Crawl this year due to the lack of host houses. Have a very Happy Holiday.

Turtle Signs

Please remember to put away your “Slow Down” signs so they don’t get destroyed over the winter!

Update Your Email Preferences

You can choose which emails you want to receive from the Birch Barker! Please click here to update your email preferences.

BLYC Website Updates

Be sure to check out the updated BLYC website! We have recently added an Archives section with copies of Birch Barkers dating back to the very first edition in July of 1944. Eventually, I plan to add a section of historical information about Birch Lake.

There is also a new Photographs section on the site where we will post photos from lake events. There are currently photos from the Earl Troeger, Jr. Memorial Regatta, the Fall Dinner, and photos taken by Birch Lake residents of the Northern Lights in October.

If you need to contact any of the Birch Lake Yacht Club Directors, Officers, or Committee Chairs, click on the “About BLYC” link at the top of the page to find the list of members and contact information.

If you have any old Barkers that are not posted on the site, historical information, or photos you would like to share, please email birchbarker1@gmail.com so that I can add them.

BLYC Directory

Corrections and updates to the new directory? Send any updates to birchbarker1@gmail.com and we’ll publish them here for folks to update their directories.

2025 Yacht Club Dues

It’s never too early to pay your BLYC dues for next summer! You can pay online here or mail a check payable to BLYC to:

Deb Spratt, Treasurer
18100 Farmington Hills Dr.
South Bend, IN 46637

Events

2025 BLYC Board Meetings

Board meetings take place at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings at the Yacht Club, and are open to all lake residents. The 2025 schedule is TBA. We will meet in May, June, July, August, and September.

Upcoming Events

• May 17, 2025 – Spring Dinner
• June TBA – Trivia Night
• June TBA – Commodore / Vice Commodore Party + Stock the Bar
• June TBA – Spaghetti Dinner
• July 5, 2025 – Boat Parade
• July 5, 2025 – Fireworks
• July 6, 2025 – Pancake Breakfast
• July 18, 2025 – Ladies’ Golf Outing
• July 25, 2025 – Men’s Golf Outing
• July TBA – Family Picnic
• August 2, 2025 – Corn & Sausage Roast
• August TBA – Fall Dinner
• September TBA – Fall Frolic
• October TBA – Bad Patty Crockpot Challenge

Kids of the Month

Forrest Hall (Cove) snuggled in for the winter. He did NOT want to get up this morning!

Dominic Vitale-Richards, grandson of Phil and Sandy Vitale (east side), is a senior at Riley High School and a member of the Riley HS Swim Team.

Photo by Buzz Rasmussen, Doolittle’s driveway

🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍

Please share your own kids (or pets or whatever!) to be featured in an upcoming issue. You can email them to birchbarker1@gmail.com.

Classifieds

Wanted to Buy: My large extended family has owned a cottage called “Chaos” (Cove) for 60 years. Our place will stay in the family… but our own individual needs have expanded and we are looking for more room so our grandkids can stay during the summer and make memories here, too. We are looking for a 3 or 4 bedroom place on the lake. If you are thinking about selling, please email Ann Nyberg at ann.nyberg@gmail.com.

Wanted to Buy: Bill and Sherry Holleman are looking to get back on to Birch Lake part-time or full-time. If you are thinking about selling, please email Sherry at dakotalynn01@aol.com.

Services: I do sewing and mending at fair prices – zippers, hemming, small alterations; call Kathy at 269-476-9317.