How to Protect Your Property from Wildfire By Jeff Forester, Executive Director of MLR and author of Forest for the Trees, How Humans Shaped the Northwoods As smoke from wildfires in northern Minnesota fills our skies, my staff and I at Minnesota Lakes & Rivers have been thinking about the communities experiencing these impacts firsthand—communities… Read more »
Efoils are self-propelled electric surfboards equipped powered by rechargeable batteries, these boards allow riders to glide above the water without a towboat. This summer, our friends at Glyde Watersports invited the MLR staff to try eFoiling firsthand and learn more about this emerging watersport. You begin by lying on your stomach and using a wristband… Read more »
The Legacy of the Lakes Museum documents decades of this shared heritage and displays it for young and old; year-round resident or snow bird; environmentalists, fishers, or boaters. MLR staff had the pleasure of visiting the Museum in Alexandria this October. There are a lot of boats at this museum, but it is far more… Read more »
This past summer, with funding from the Minneapolis Foundation, MLR piloted an urban version of the Lake Steward program, reimagining city curbs as shorelines and exploring how residents can help protect urban waterways through everyday actions. The initiative encouraged both homeowners and renters to take simple, positive steps to protect our lakes—planting native gardens, picking… Read more »
MN Lakes and Rivers is thrilled to partner with Broken Clock Brewing, Curiouso Coffee, Queermunity, Marcy Bikes, and local musicians Daisy Forester and Emma Jeanne for Tunes, Tunes & Loons — a lively, all-ages community bike ride across Minneapolis. The ride ends in celebration with live music, bike tune-ups, coffee, beer, and a spotlight on… Read more »
Hello neighbors, If you’ve noticed murky water, algae blooms, or fewer fish in your lake or pond, you’re not alone. These issues are often caused by fertilizer runoff and low oxygen levels—but the good news is, we now have a natural, effective solution that starts right at our shorelines. Let’s dive into the plan to… Read more »
If you’ve ever spent a quiet spring morning beside a Minnesota lake, you may have heard the eerie, beautiful call of the common loon echoing across the water. Loons are more than a symbol of our northern heritage as the Minnesota state bird. They are also an indicator of lake health, reflecting the condition of… Read more »
By Lily Carr, Lake Steward Coordinator Welcome to January in the land of 10,000 lakes! In my corner of Minnesota, pond hockey season is in full swing. A brave few take the plunge into the icy waters of Cedar Lake through a hole cut in the ice. Others huddle in cozy ice fishing huts, hopeful… Read more »
By Lily Carr, Civic Leader and Program Coordinator, MLR In the midst of ever complex and contentious mining debates, the Emily Mine Information Group (EMIG) is making a case for the effectiveness of Civic Organizing as a method by which to inform and organize community members in a completely new way- not against mining, but… Read more »
“The (Lake Steward) program has spread to dozens more lakes across Minnesota. Supporters view it as part of a strategy to help change societal norms and expectations around lakeshore development, and help slow the loss of natural shoreline that protects lakes from pollution.” – Kirsti Marohn, MPR Minnesota’s lakeshores are disappearing at an alarming rate—over… Read more »