Tag: water quality

2024 Lake Steward Webinar

Join Minnesota Lakes and Rivers (MLR) for an engaging and informative webinar dedicated to celebrating the exceptional contributions of Lake Stewards. In this session, we’ll explore the impactful work being done across our lakes and demonstrate how you can play a vital role in this essential initiative. Gain valuable insights into the various aspects of… 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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2023 Legislative Outcomes – Remarkable Progress

2023 Legislative Outcomes – Gains Made in Advancing Clean Water and Property Tax Relief on Shorelands St. Paul, 6:30 PM, May 18th, 2023 – Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates’ (MLR) professional lobbying and the grassroots advocacy of lake associations and MLR members combined to promote passage of the sweeping 450 page Environment and Natural Resources… Read more »

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MLR, Key Lake Association Leaders and Political Allies working to build “civic infrastructure” to protect our lakes and rivers.

During the 2022 election cycle, for the first time, Minnesota Lakes and Rivers applied the Civic Organizing framework as a strategy to advance the public good policy positions we have identified.  MLR’s work is cyclical. During the first part of the year much of our time is spent working at the State Capitol, attending hearings,… Read more »

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Our Lake and River Shorelines are at a Turning Point

Our Lake and River Shorelines are at a Turning Point Our lakes are in trouble and the situation is urgent. If we want to manage water, we must manage land. As lake shore property owners we have both a significant opportunity and exposure to negative impacts from water quality decline. According to shoreline specialists at… 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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Healthy Shoreline

A guide to the tried and true workhorse native plants for shoreline restoration and protection. Examples 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 »

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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