Guest blog by Dr. John Richard Saylor – Author of “Lakes: Their Birth, Life, and Death,” (https://johnrichardsaylor.com/index.html). The environmental segment of a typical popular science magazine or news show can be prettygloomy. Stories on global warming, as just one example, point toward a future of rising sealevels, torrential floods, and searing droughts. While these stories… Read more »
These hot and muggy dog days are perfect lake weather, perfect for swimming in the lake, waterskiing and other water sports. Unfortunately, it is also becoming primetime for the algae blooms that can spread across the lakes we love and make swimming, skiing and watersports impossible. There are many different types of algae, from the… Read more »
Get the Lead Out is a program at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Our mission is to educate about the dangers of lead fishing tackle to Minnesota’s loons and wildlife. Impacts of lead on loons: Lead poisoning from ingesting lead tackle is a leading… Read more »
The best plants to protect your shore – A Case Study By Jeff Forester On June 19, 2012 it began to rain in northern Minnesota. It poured actually. Over ten inches fell on ground that was already saturated from rainfalls the week before. The damage was incredible, with over 250 families displaced, zoo animals drowned,… Read more »
Lake Steward sign goes up on Lawrence Lake Lloyd Thyen’s grandparents originally purchased 100’ of lakeshore on Lawrence Lake in Cass County in the 1940’s with a vertical log cabin on site. Some believe it to have been the oldest structure on Lawrence Lake. Eventually the cabin had to be torn down and the family… Read more »
City of East Gull Lake Takes Big Steps to Protect Water Quality in Permitting Process Connecting with new shoreline owners as they are starting to make decisions about how to develop their lots is critical to protecting water quality. Including Lake Steward in the Land Use Permit Application, as the City of East Gull Lake… Read more »
As lake leaders you know that the threats to our lakes, and MN’s lake heritage, are mounting. In 2020 the MPCA, after extensive testing, listed 56% of Minnesota’s lakes as impaired. This year they added another 305 water bodies to the list. Agricultural runoff, industrial pollution, salt from our roads, phosphorus from lakeshore management, are… Read more »
Inspiring Shoreline Stewardship and Community Action The idea behind Minnesota Lakes & River’s Lake Steward Program is simple but powerful. Your lake association sends out a simple ten question quiz that property owners can take to “score their shore.” The results are sent to a volunteer “evaluator” who then visits with the property to evaluate using… Read more »
A farm to table program that protects water MLR, in partnership with Fish and Waters Conservation Fund, Association of Cass County Lakes, Happy Dancing Turtle and Pine River Watershed Alliance has launched this as a pilot in Cass County. “Up the Creek Meats” simply connects lake associations directly with farmers who produce food in a way that protects water. Said Jeff Forester,… Read more »
The Important Ecosystem Services of “Weeds” by Dr. Lorin Hatch, Widseth One definition of a weed I’ve heard is that it is a plant out of place, which is really a human judgement. For example, some people like dandelions on their lawns, some don’t. Let’s turn that idea to the lakeshore, specifically the rooted plants that… Read more »