In The News

How Grass Roots Advocates Built a Statewide Movement to Protect Lakes – A Case Study of the Keep It Clean Effort

by Robyn Dwight, Upper Red lake Association Up at Lake of the Woods, straddling the Minnesota-Canadian border, concerned local residents have spent over a decade looking for sustainable solutions to a human waste problem that occurs every winter because of leftovers of human activity. More recently, advocates from Upper Red Lake and Mille Lacs Lake… Read more »

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Big Pine Lake, goes “All In” – Pilots New Lake Association Membership Structure

by Tom Hubbnard, President, Big Pine Lake Property Owners Association After several years of working with Jeff Forester at MLR, and seeing the amazing work his group has undertaken, the Big Pine Lake Property Owners Association (BPLPOA) board decided to modestly increase their annual contribution level and buy a membership for 100 of our members.… Read more »

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Case Study: Square Lake Conservancy, May Township, MN – 2022-23

October 6, 2023 Jim Seidl This is the story of an all-volunteer team of committed conservationists who mobilized our community to rise-up and take action to protect & preserve a beloved lake and surrounding forest from commercialization, development, and environmental degradation. It’s an important, much-needed, example of successful conservation and community action – for other lake associations… Read more »

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Make a Difference on November 16th – Give to the Max Day

We see, both in the news and off the end of our docks,  threats to the lakes we love. Poor shoreline development allows nutrients to run into our lakes and destroys habitat for fish and nesting loons. Boaters continue to spread Aquatic Invasive Species, (AIS). Agricultural runoff degrades water and  drives larger and more frequent… Read more »

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Emily Mining Group Providing Information on Proposed Manganese Mine in Cass County

Emily Mine Information Group meets By Joan Hasskamp – Crosby-Ironton Courier Approximately 30 people attended the Emily Mine Information Group’s listening session and letter-writing event on Monday, Oct. 16 at the Outing Crooked Lake Township Townhall.  Dan Brennan, one of the group’s founders, explained a primary purpose of the group is to gather and share information… Read more »

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“Adopt a harbor” program launches on Leech Lake

Lake advocates working with resorts to prevent starry stonewort spread. An important aspect of dealing with aquatic invasive species is monitoring their prevalence or absence in as many lakes and streams as possible.  In the summer of 2022 two volunteers and the Cass County AIS technician took on that task: sampling nearly 40 resort harbors… Read more »

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Contributions to MLR Do Not Affect a Lake Association’s Charitable Exemption

by John James, former Commissioner of MN Department of Revenue A concern has arisen about whether joining and contributing to Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates would put a lake association which is a tax exempt charitable organization under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3) at risk of losing its tax exemption because MLR engages in lobbying.… Read more »

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Focus on a Minnesota Lakes And Rivers Advocate – Sheila Johnston – The Loon Lady

I first met Sheila Johnston, from the Gull Chain of Lakes Association, at Minnesota Lakes and Rivers 2016 Aquatic Invaders Summit. She joined MLR at that time and has been an active member since then. We see each other at many lake related events, like the Harvest Supper in Brainerd, MLR Annual Water Connects Us… Read more »

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