In The News

Lakeshore residents’ perspectives about aquatic invasive species management

Minnesota’s lakeshore communities are acutely aware of the threat aquatic invasive species (AIS) pose to the native ecology and the cultural enjoyment of our lakes and rivers. AIS is a recurring topic at lake association meetings, where members are actively managing infested waters, mobilizing volunteers, and sharing practical prevention strategies to protect their waters from… Read more »

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MLR Intern Leads Summer Swim and Conservation Camp

by Judi Lee At the swim camp for nine kids recently housed at the Lakes Crisis and Resource Center, our focus was not only on the improvement of their swimming skills but also on the development of an environmentally conscious mindset. Those three weeks were jam-packed with art projects, field trips, and outdoor adventures, many… Read more »

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A Study of Wave Height, Energy, and Power from Recreational Boats on a Freshwater Lake

In 2019 MLR began receiving reports that large wakes were creating conflicts among different lake users, eroding shoreline, and creating other problems. During the pandemic lake based recreation increased dramatically as did the sale of watercraft. Industry data shows that consumers gravitated to the ends of the boat spectrum. Sales of large, powerful watercraft like… Read more »

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MLR and County Partners Launch Statewide Aquatic Invasive Species PAS Series

Counties across Minnesota and Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates have come together to produce a unique ‘How Well Do You Know Minnesota?’ series that provides MN fun facts and information about aquatic invasive species. The series launched May 1st and will run through September 30th with a different video showcased each month. This video series… Read more »

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Minnesota Lakes and Rivers 2024 Legislative Update

The 2024 session was extremely short, mid-February to mid-May. This meant that there was very little time for complex or controversial legislation to work its way through the process. MLR set a more modest legislative agenda this year, focusing on issues on which we had been able to initiate in previous years. The most important of… Read more »

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MLR Water Connects Us All Conference

On May 17th, over 100 of the lake leaders from across Minnesota gathered at the Saint Anthony Falls Lab to see some of the latest science on zaqwuatic invas9ve species, algae blooms, shoreline ecology and wake and prop thrust impacts. They also had a chance to connect with eachother, share information and efforts, and build… Read more »

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MLR Pursues Long Term Strategy to Address Wake Surfing Impacts

The Problem Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates (MLR) received the first email from a member regarding the impacts of wake surfing in 2019. By the summer of 2020 more members were telling us the large, powerful wakes generated by wake surfing boats were eroding shorelines, knocking people from pontoon or fishing boats, swamping canoes, kayaks… Read more »

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Significant Shift in DNR Roundtable With More Lake Advocate Voices in the Rooms

Lake Steward and Natural Shoreline Break Out Session Highlights On Friday, January 19th, more than 400 people, 75 of them DNR personnel,  gathered at the DNR Roundtable to have conversations with other leaders in conservation, strengthen partnerships, and define challenges and opportunities in conservation efforts in fisheries, wildlife, and ecological and water resources in Minnesota.… Read more »

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