Early Detection of Aquatic Invasive Species Provides Profound Results and Good Return on Investment Washburn Lake Eradicates Eurasian Watermilfoil (mostly) In about 2007, I received a call from Ted Johnson, the President of the Lake Washburn Association, LWA about Aquatic Invasive Species. Ted was concerned that Lake Washburn was susceptible to AIS following the construction… Read more »
Tag: lake association
Mobilizing Lake Associations for Policy & Building Civic Capacity
MLR uses Civic Organizing strategies to address the gap between citizens and government Minnesota Lakes and Rivers first applied the Civic Organizing framework as a strategy to advance the public good policy positions during the 2022 election cycle. Much of our time is spent working at the State Capitol, attending hearings, providing testimony, participating in… Read more »
Examples of shoreline restoration and protection from Big Sandy Lake and Crow Wing county.
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 »
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
Lake Steward Program Gains Ground
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 »
Transform Water Education in Minnesota with Project WET
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 »
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 »
Lake Steward Launches on Gull Lake
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 a survey tool. If the candidate… Read more »







