Category: Legislative Updates

Tired of algae in the lake? Then lower the phosphorus levels with Lake Steward

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 »

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MLR Bids Farewell to Senate Champions – Work begins to educate candidates on the importance of lake issues

Water management is highly political, but MLR has always been completely non-partisan. What I mean by highly political is that protecting water is the work of citizens. The alphabet soup of agencies, MN DNR, SWCDs, WDs are simply not equipped nor do they have the budget to take the actions required to protect pristine waters… Read more »

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Lake Associations Protect Loons with Get the Lead Out

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 »

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Minnesota Property Tax – A Primer

Why Minnesota Property Taxes Go Up or Down At the most basic level, property taxes are levied by Local Government Units, (LGUs) against the assessed value of the property in that district to pay for local services. The costs of government are tallied up and then spread against the dollar value of all of the… Read more »

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Civic Partnerships Key to Lake Preservation Center Lakes – A Case Study

By Jeff Forester, Executive Director, Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates Last year the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, MPCA released a list of impaired waters; 56% of Minnesota’s surface waters are impaired to the point that the water quality limits fishing and swimming. There was a silver lining in this dark cloud, however, North Center andRead More

Impact of Watercraft on Lake Ecosystems: Key Findings from a New Study

By Jeff Forester, Executive Director MLR On February 17th Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates hosted a webinar featuring a presentation by Jeffrey Marr and Andrew Riesgraf, St. Anthony Falls Lab, SAFL within the University of Minnesota.  Their study of the wake energy and height produced by different watercraft in different configurations has been much anticipated… Read more »

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2021 MLR Policy Meeting: Strengthening Lakes and Rivers Advocacy

Jeff Forester, Executive Director of MN Lakes and Rivers Advocates welcomed about 75 Lake Association leaders to the virtual meeting. His opening presentation focused on a Civic based strategy to vertically integrate lake and river advocacy in MN. Lake and rivers are a key resource for local communities, providing quality of life, property tax base,… Read more »

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