Jefferson-Madison Library at FL
The Jefferson-Madison Regional Library Bookmobile visits the North parking lot the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from 2:45 - 3:30 pm.  Take this opportunity to check out some books without having to drive several miles (or drive at all!).

Grass Clippings
A number of Forest Lakes residents bag their lawn clippings and place them in the trash or put them on a compost pile.  While composting can seem like the environmentally friendly thing to do, it can also create an unsightly and smelly problem as the grass rots, particularly for your neighbors downwind.  In addition, compost piles in the common areas are prohibited.  Putting the clippings in the trash adds waste to landfills.

So, what's the best solution?  Use a mulching mower to mulch the clippings back into your lawn.  Grass clippings contain about 85% water, along with nitrogen and other nutrients.  As such, they provide needed moisture and about 25% of your lawn's total fertilizer needs!  Lawn care companies actually recommend that you mulch the clippings back into your lawn.  In addition, it takes a lot less time to mow your lawn!

But, doesn't mulching contribute to thatch?  No, that's a common myth.  Because of the high moisture content, clippings decompose rapidly when filtered into your lawn.

Living with Beavers
A number of beavers have taken up residence in the community's many lakes.  While it's great to have such wildlife close by, beavers can also cause considerable tree damage.  To minimize such damage, surround all of your trees (no matter how big or small) with heavy gauge wire fencing with a maximum 2 inch mesh that is 4 feet tall and at least 4 inches from the trunk.  Chicken wire is NOT suitable!  Secure the fence to the ground if possible and be sure to wire the ends together securely.  FLCA has already installed fences on many of the desirable trees that are on common property around the lakes.

Pavilion, Pool, and Poolhouse Rental
The North Pool, Poolhouse, and Pavilion next to it are available for residents to rent for parties and other occasions.  Here is the rental contract form for the pavilion and poolhouse.  Please call the FLCA office (973-7946) for further information.

To rent the pool, please call the FLCA office for pricing and additional information.

Recycling and Trash Tips
Allied Waste is the approved trash removal company in Forest Lakes.  Here is the current contract.  They also offer curbside recycling of plastic, aluminum, glass, cardboard, and tin containers as well as newspaper and magazines.  All recyclable materials can also be dropped off at the McIntire Recycling Center.

Here are some additional trash tips:

• Place trash toters and recycle bins on opposite sides of your driveway.
• Cut and bundle not more than 3ft in length vegetation trimmings.
• Don't put out more than 10 bags of leaves per pickup.

Disclosure Packet Requests
You are required by the Virginia Homeowner's Act to provide an FLCA Disclosure Packet to potential buyers. The packet contains a variety of legal documents, the budget and related materials, and confirms the status of assessment payments (past due assessments will be deducted at settlement).

The best way to do this is to request the packet as soon as you put your house on the market, NOT when you get an offer. The procedure for acquiring a disclosure packet is as follows:

Visit Community Group's website at www.communitygroup.com.  On the home page, click the Homeowner's link on the left. On the next page to the left click Selling your home then click Order Resale Documents. The following page will give you a choice of what you are looking for. Follow the prompts to complete your request. Please note that for any 'required field' that you do not have the information for (i.e., Title Company enter n/a in the field.)

The cost of the disclosure packet is $145 and is payable in advance to Community Group, Inc. Payment can be made by Visa, MasterCard, personal check or money order. Rush orders can be completed for an additional $25.

In accordance with the Virginia Homeowner's Act, an exterior inspection of your home will be done by Community Group to identity to your buyer that any exterior improvements have a prior ARB approval on file and that the exterior condition is in compliance with FLCA guidelines.

In addition, if you own property that has a sub-association, you will also need to contact Real Property Inc. at 971-1600 to obtain the required Disclosure Packet for your sub-association. Real Property will be able to provide you the fees and process to follow. The following communities have sub-associations: Arbor Lakes, Ashland, Gateway, Ravenscroft/Ravenswood, Springridge, Willow Bend and Worth Crossing.

Lake Buffers
Some of you might be wondering why we don't mow right up to the edge of the lakes.  The short answer is that it helps protect our lakes and all downstream waterways, including the Chesapeake Bay.  Riparian buffers, as they are called, are strongly recommended for a variety of reasons.  According to the USDA, an undisturbed natural area provides several benefits:

• Stabilizes bank erosion and filters sediment (among other benefits, this delays inevitable lake dredging, which will be extremely costly).
• Filters nutrients (e.g., nitrogen from lawn fertilizer) that encourages excessive algae and aquatic weed growth.
• Provides an aquatic and wildlife habitat. 
• It also provides a source of food/wood for the beavers.  The sprawling, fast-growing willow trees that sprout up along the lakes aren't very desirable (since they spread out so much), but the beavers love them.  Without them, they'd be cutting down desirable trees along the banks and in residents' yards.  So, they get a source of food and control the growth of the willows, saving FLCA the expense of cutting them down.

The buffers also discourage (but not prevent) geese from coming ashore by providing an obstacle course and a potential hiding place for predators.  The USDA requires such buffers before they will provide egg addling and geese capture services.

The next time you're walking along the lakes, look closely and you'll see a variety of plant and animal species in these lakeside ecosystems.