After two full years of County AIS Prevention AiD, it is time to look at the impacts of this program. Results exceed expectations.
Over $750,000 dollars was granted to counties to assist low-income homeowners with SSTS upgrades.
Over 350 people from across Minnesota registered for the Aquatic Invaders Summit. The energy and commitment of attendees was impressive and generated well founded hope moving forward. The need to build AIS programs using a broad based partnership between local professional resource managers, local policy makers, resorts, angling groups, lake associations, businesses and the faith community emerged as a Best Management Practice in AIS and other water efforts.
The Northern Water Alliance issues an update on the status of the proposed Sandpiper Pipeline from the Bakken Oil fields across Minnesota to Superior, Wisconsin.
MLR knows that our members are anglers. Yet Lake Associations and local residents are often not percieved to be the core angling constituency in Minnesota. MLR has hired an indpendent researcher, Norman Striezeck, to conduct phone interviews and quantify your commitment and interest in fishing. So if you get a call from Norman - please pick up the call and take a few minutes to talk with him.
Lake Associations the most effective, generous and committed conservation group in Minnesota. No other group of people does as much to advance the public good.
MLR began the year with low expectations and we were not disappointed. Minnesota’s 2016 Legislative Session ended in chaos. A number of important pieces of legislation simply died because the clock ran out.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s AgBMP loan program could be used as a possible funding option for virtually any project that will help improve, reduce or prevent water quality concerns.
In 2014 MLR and MN COLA urged the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, LSOHC to reccommend to the the Minnesota Legislature that part of the money raised by the 3.8ths of a cent sales tax approved by MN voters in 2008 (The Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment) be used to protect aquatic habitats from aquatic invasive species, AIS. The LSOHC suggested that the MN Legislature create a "AIS Innovation Grant" of about $4.5 million to be administered by the Initiative Foundation. The Legislature approved this appropriation in 2014.
Here is a link to the update recently provided by the Intitiative Foundation. This grant has an open application process and uch of the funding is still available. You can learn more about how to apply for this funding at https://www.ifound.org/community/aquatic-invasive-species/
Happy Thanksgiving to you. This is a busy week of travel, or getting ready for family to come and visit. It is a wonderful time of the year. But it is also the time when you will receive your Proposed Property Tax bills for 2016. For the first time in a few years many of us will see significant increases.
The reason? Elections matter.
