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What's New at MN COLA?
- Early spring puts many of us behind
News of interest
- MN COLA announces speakers for Annual Meeting
- Enhanced wakes lumber across the US
- Inland waters need the forest!
- Water clarity in lakes affecting loons' success
- Whose permission do you need for shoreline work?
- It's AIS season. Ready, Set, Go!
- Test your private well every year
- Harmful algal blooms: "When in doubt, stay out!"
Best We've Seen
- Oops! Did you miss a webinar?
- AIS Roundtable - June 1
- Which Plants Should I Plant? - June 13 or June 20
- Getting AIS into the classrooms - June 25
- An Underwater Tour through a North County Lake - June 28
- MAISRC 2024 Showcase - September 25
- Inland lake shoreline assessment and best management practices in Michigan - October 15
- Basics of Shoreline Erosion Control: New Documents to help in design and management -October 29
www.lakeadmin.org featured posts
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Early spring puts many of us behind
It’s been busy as usual for those of us leading MN COLA.
Kathy Jonsrud fielded questions from the Star-Tribune for an article about the DNR’s plan to improve many boat launches across the state.
MN COLA commented to the National Park Service on their proposal for Yellowstone National Park to Implement Certain Restrictions for Launch of Some Types of Motorized Boats to Reduce the Risk of Aquatic Invasive Species
And we got ready for the MN COLA Annual meeting with vetting director candidates and arranging for great speakers. We think it will be a terrific meeting and hope to see you on-line on June 18.
More information
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MN COLA announces speakers for Annual Meeting | |
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What do Kathryn Hoffman, Dr. John Rogers, Jeff Forester, and Hilarie Sorenson all have in common?
They are all speaking about water at the MN COLA Annual Meeting on June 18 from 9 am – 11 am CT. The meeting is guaranteed to be interesting and informative, and we hope you will attend.
Register here for the Zoom meeting.
More details about the meeting can be found here.
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Enhanced wakes lumber across the US | |
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This spring has brought a variety of state actions to address the personal safety and ecological impacts of enhanced wake watersports.
Vermont is now implementing the toughest restrictions in the US. Maine has passed a bill calling for a 300’ distance from shore and a new study. Michigan introduced legislation but the uproar was enough to stall it out for now. Wisconsin passed legislation calling for a study.
And MN COLA is continuing to follow the path we agreed to with our lobbyists with MN Lakes and Rivers Advocates to first get science completed, then build a strong base with the watercraft operator’s license and mandatory education including best practices for enhanced wake watersports.
There’s more to each story, so read on.
More information
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Inland waters need the forest! | |
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MN COLA strongly believes in the need for keeping and reclaiming natural shorelines. This is especially important with the trend of turning part-time cabins into full-time homes. We have many resources on our website to make that case, but it is up to us, as shore owners to understand the impacts of making changes at the shoreline and to retain and/or reclaim the elements that favorably affect water quality.
With the permission of Michigan Lakes and Streams Association, we are pleased to provide a link to a terrific article that highlights the important connection between forests and lakes for strong water quality, shoreline stabilization, resistance to AIS, and a strong fishery.
The science supports keeping the forest and lakes connected. Let's do our part!
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Water clarity in lakes affecting loons’ success | |
Photo: Evan Frost | MPR News 2019 | |
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Kirsti Marohn of MPR News, reported on new research that indicates reduced water clarity of lakes in mid-summer, linked to increased rainfall caused by climate change, is affecting the survival of common loons in northern Wisconsin. This is relevant research for Minnesota as well.
Here is the link to the new research.
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Whose permission do you need for shoreline work? | |
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We talk a lot about reclaiming natural shorelines, but you may not have a perspective on the permissions that you will need before you do the work.
This “Regulation Guide” (pictured above) was developed by Blue Thumb and it provides that perspective on approvals you need based on what you plan to do. Blue Thumb’s shoreline stabilization webpage has tabs with Planning, Design, Installation, and Maintenance considerations.
Blue Thumb is an educational program of Metro Blooms, a Minneapolis-based non-profit.
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It's AIS season, Ready, Set, Go! | |
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The open water boating season is here and many of your organizations are involved with AIS inspections, inspectors, and early detection activities. Here are a couple of things you may not know about which may help.
The Lake Tahoe watercraft decontamination manual is well-organized with 91 pages of photos and great content, including nearly 30 pages of manufacturer-specific decontamination considerations.
The MAISRC AIS identification guide contains tips for identifying a number of aquatic invasive species (AIS) that are considered high-risk to Minnesota waters, as well as some common native lookalike species. You can download it for free, buy the book, or become an AIS Detector and get the book — plus tons of hands-on training!
The free Check-In, Check-Out program was designed by our friends at CD3 to educate boaters on hand cleaning different types of watercraft and trailers. Simply place the Check-In, Check-Out QR code at a visible location at your boat launch.
The Watersports Industry Association has a website for manufacturer-provided decontamination drawings that detail intake and outlet sites for raw water systems used for engine cooling, ballast systems, showers, etc. It’s optional for manufacturers, but for example, Malibu and MasterCraft have supplied drawings starting with just their 2024 model year boats.
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Test your private well every year | |
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Private wells produce 20% of Minnesota’s drinking water and serve a majority of waterfront property owners in the state. If you have a private well, you should know that the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recommends you test for nitrates and coliform bacteria every year, especially if babies or young children are drinking your well water.
They have a webpage on private well testing that provides more details.
Regarding Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) - Even though MDH recently reported that 22 Minnesota water systems have PFAS levels above the new federal limits, they do not recommend that every private well is tested for PFAS. If you use a private well for drinking water that is included in an existing environmental investigation near a known source of contamination, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) will notify you if your well might be affected. If you still want to test your private well for PFAS and are not a part of an MPCA environmental investigation, see the Testing your private well for PFAS section.
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Harmful algal blooms: “When in doubt, stay out!” | |
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Algal blooms occur when tiny, naturally occurring plants grow rapidly in an area of water and are visible without a microscope. Not all algal blooms are toxic, but some are. Algal blooms capable of producing toxins dangerous to humans or animals are considered Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs).
MN’s Pollution Control Agency has simple advice for algae blooms: “When in doubt, STAY OUT!”
Here is some great information:
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Oops! Did you miss a webinar? | |
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Fear not! Most webinars are recorded. Here are links to webinars you might want to watch and share with your members and friends.
MAISRC, the AIS Research Center at the University of Minnesota, webinars are all available on their YouTube channel.
Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) hosts the NotMISpecies webinars about both aquatic and terrestrial invasive species. Scroll past the upcoming events to see their recorded webinars.
The Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership (MGLP) hosts lake conservation webinars. Scroll past the upcoming events to see their recorded webinars.
MN COLA’s membership meeting videos on lake resiliency, best practices in action, and other topical presentations.
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The Whitefish Area Property Owner’s Association and the Crow Wing LARA are hosting the 8th Annual AIS Roundtable featuring speakers from the University of Minnesota AIS Research Center. The event provides a great opportunity to hear from the Center’s Director, Dr. Nick Phelps, as well as from several researchers with projects underway.
The event runs from 8:30 to noon CT in Crosslake, MN. Register here to attend the event in person or on-line.
More information
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Which Plants Should I Plant? – June 13 or June 20 | Photo: J. Weisenhorn/ UMN Extension | |
The 1-hour webinar is free and starts at noon CT on June 13. The session will be repeated on June 20 at 6 pm CT.
Grow your knowledge of native Minnesotan plants as you prepare your own gardens with MN Sea Grant's Jessy Carlson and John Bly of Metro Blooms for a free webinar hosted by Cook County Higher Education. This event is part of MN Sea Grant's project on Partnering with Local Governments for Climate Adaptation.
More information and the registration link are available for the specific session you want to attend: June 13 session or June 20 session.
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Getting AIS into the classrooms - June 25
Getting students aware of AIS is a good thing and it will also foster behavior change in adults. Lake Superior State University brings together students, teachers, natural resource mentors, and staff from LSSU’s Center for Freshwater Research and Education to conduct hands-on research into local invasive species issues. Learn how this collaboration has fostered local, student-led stewardship projects to raise awareness and inspire action in communities across Northern Michigan. Then let’s do more of this in Minnesota!
The webinar starts at 8 am CT and is free, but registration is required.
After registering, you will receive an email from "EGLE Outreach" with a link for you to use to join the webinar.
| An Underwater Tour through a North Country Lake! - June28 | |
This in-person session is June 28 from 9:30-11:00 am at the Cass County Land Office, 218 Washburn Avenue E, Backus, MN 56435
Dr. Bruce R. Carlson, a retired professor from the University of Michigan Medical School, will lead the session addressing:
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An overview of how a typical area lake is put together and how it functions
- Numerous underwater videos that paint a vivid picture of the fascinating activities of many of the aquatic inhabitants of the lake
- How zebra mussels and Eurasian water milfoil affect the ecology of a lake.
Dr. Carlson has written two books on lakes and a new one on aquatic invasive species. An avid fisherman, for 25 years, he wrote articles for In-Fisherman magazine.
| MAISRC 2024 Showcase - September 25 | Save the date! The MAISRC 2024 Showcase will be in-person at the St. Paul Student Center | |
Inland lake shoreline assessment
and best management practices
in Michigan - October 15
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The free webinar is on Oct. 15, 2024, at 1:00 pm CT.
This presentation will review the Inland Lake Shoreline Energy Assessment Tool. The goal of this new tool is to educate the user on important inland lake shoreline characteristics and to provide a standardized approach for Michigan users to evaluate the erosive potential of an inland lake shoreline. Assessing an inland lake shoreline is important for selecting an appropriate shoreline protection design that minimizes impacts to inland lake resources. Some example best practices for shoreline protection will be highlighted.
The presenter is Eric Calabro, Inland Lake Policy Analyst for Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy
Registration is required.
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Basics of Shoreline Erosion Control:
New Documents to help in design and management
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The free webinar is on Oct. 29, 2024, at 1 pm CT.
Bioengineering can offer a nature-based solution on lake shorelines for controlling erosion, adding beauty, and providing habitat for fishes, birds, and other fauna. However, reference materials for professionals conducting lakeshore bioengineering projects and for homeowners seeking to have them installed are lacking. This presentation will introduce two new MGLP-produced reference documents for professionals and homeowners that help build the foundation for understanding what is happening at the shoreline and provide some basic design tips for dealing with erosion across a range of environmental conditions.
The presenters are:
- Julia Kirkwood, Lake Stewardship Specialist with Michigan EGLE and Chair of the Michigan Natural Shoreline Partnership
- Jen Buchanan, Red Twig Environmental, LLC
Registration is required.
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MN COLA Board of Directors | |
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Blaine Barkley
Jan Beliveau
Biz Clark
Don Deutsch
Kevin Farnum
Jeff Forester
Steve Frawley
Lynn Goodrich, Vice-President
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Jim Gray
David Helgerson
Kathy Jonsrud, Treasurer
Jim Kutzner
Tom Nelson, Secretary
Ruth Schaefer
Joe Shneider, President
Tom Watson
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