An update on weed control.

Thank you to all who attended the Annual Meeting and were part of the discussion on how we can band together to enjoy the lakes as we know them, while also battling the weed issue present from many factors. 

Attached you'll see an assessment from our partners at Limnpro, where they applied a couple of different rates of 2, 4D to treat HWM along with ProcellaCOR. The assessment shows that 2, 4D worked, so we will move ahead with looking at the cost of 2,4D vs ProcellaCOR in treating the areas approved on Cedar Island and Zumwalde.

This type of research is running in parallel to the harvesting in the areas that we've shared recently, including Becker Lake and Zumwalde. 

MPR Article

Here’s a great article from MPR News on the plans to restore wetlands and native prairie that had been farmed, which will help protect and improve the water quality of the Sauk River and chain of lakes. Click here for the full article.

Be a Hero Transport Zero - Drain Livewell

Fight the spread of aquatic invaders. Be a hero, transport zero. Drain all water from your watercraft before leaving the lake access to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.

🌸 Beer & Blooms 🌸

Join the SRWD on July 9 for a tour of great gardens in the Cold Spring area! Featured will be anything from perennial gardens to shoreline restoration. Tour stops include both public and private property. Group meets at the school’s DEF Building parking lot, caravan from location to location, and end our tour at Third Street Brew house. There, we will have a presentation on perennial planting. Participants will receive handouts, brochures, and a chance to win prizes! Register through ROCORI Community Education .
Appetizers are included, and a cash bar will be available! Questions? Contact Abi at abigail@srwdmn.org.

Lake Steward Program Gains Momentum!

As you may have read about in recent issues of The Chain Link, the SRCLA is sponsoring a Lake Steward program that's being rolled out statewide by the Minnesota Lakes & Rivers organization.  

Five families have taken a short quiz about how they're managing their lakeshore property, covering things like the presence of native buffers, fertilizer & pesticide use, etc.  Qualifying properties are awarded a cool metal sign that can be displayed on their dock or shoreline to signal their support for the best practices that help reduce nutrient runoff into our lakes.

Congratulations to the first five families to be designated as Lake Stewards on the Sauk River Chain of Lakes!

If you'd like to see if your parcel qualifies, please use this link to take the quiz and get the process started:  Lake Steward Quiz

Come join the club!

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Atkinson Family - Bolfing Lake

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Gabrielson Family - Long Lake

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Gallea Family - Great Northern Lake

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Kron Family - Great Northern Lake

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Matuska Family - Knaus Lake

Mechanical Weed Removal Continues

Can you believe this came out of Becker Lake's recent weed harvest? Look at those piles, they are 5 Feet HIGH! Thank you, WeedsUp for removing curly-leaf pondweed from Becker Lake! Why Becker Lake? It's one of the few lakes where the SRCLA was approved for a permit for mechanical weed removal.
Random fact time - Becker Lake is the only lake designated an "Environmental Lake" so no chemicals can be used.

Recap of Annual Meeting and Annoucement of Board Members

Thank you to everyone that attended the Annual Meeting held @ Shady’s Longshots this past Saturday.

We thank our outgoing Board members Aaron Schwartz, Karla Smetana and Gary Schnobrich and are happy to announce three board member continuations, Steve Reid, Richard Gallea and Wayne Karg as well as three new Board Members, Brenda Herubin, Candy Burns and Jamie Juelfs.  

Along with Board voting, a treasury report was provided, we heard from Jeff Bertram, 3rd District Commissioner,  and House of Representatives Representative Lisa Demuth and ended with open Q&A by members. Open discussion focused on weed control and no-wake questions, of which additional communication to the members was requested.  To answer that need, members should look for more member-specific communication in the coming months and as always, keep your questions and comments coming to the Association!

Find the meeting minutes here.

Not a member?  Now is the time to band together and become one! Sign-up here!

Be a Hero Transport Zero - Clean Off Your Anchor.

Fight the spread of aquatic invaders. Be a hero, transport zero. Remove all weeds from your watercraft and equipment before leaving the lake access to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.

How Well Do you Know Minnesota? Part 1

There are so many water quality issues for which there is no simple solution. But the spread of Aquatic Invasive Species has a simple solution - if everyone thoroughly Cleaned, Drained and Dried their boats and water related equipment after each use, and then inspected it prior to each use in a new water body, AIS would not spread. This is why education is the cornerstone of all efforts to protect our lakes and rivers from aquatic invasive species."~Jeff Forester, Executive Director, Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates.

Be a Hero Transport Zero - Drain All Water

Fight the spread of aquatic invaders. Be a hero, transport zero. Drain all water from your watercraft before leaving the lake access to help stop the spread of aquatic invasive species.

Response to Weeds on the Chain

Our members concerns, are our concerns.  Listen to Association President, Brad Matuska, as he provides insight into weed growth being seen in areas of the Chain, as well as what has been done and what can be done.

Stop the Spread: How to Get AIS OUT of your boat - Webinar

Join us for an enlightening webinar as we explore the cutting-edge research on preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species (AIS) among waterbodies!

Discover how innovative boat cleaning tools, meticulously tested, can effectively remove AIS. From hand removal to waterless tools to low-pressure rinsing and their combinations, learn which methods yield the best results for various types of boats.

Click here to register.

Contact Sami at sami@mnlakesandrivers.org for more information.

Spring Chain Link now available!

The Spring 2024 Chain Link Magazine arrived in mailboxes today! You can also view online by clicking HERE.

Curly-leaf Pondweed Chemical Treatment on Knaus Completed

Knaus Lake chemical treatment map (completed on 4/30/24) shown below.

Curly-leaf Pondweed Treatment Update

Limnopro Aquatic Science chemically treated curly-leaf pondweed on April 24. The blue areas indicate the spots that we requested from the DNR for treatment, and the red areas indicate what was approved and what was treated. You can see that we requested much more area than what was approved.

Lawns to Legumes: Your Yard Can BEE the Change

The Lawns to Legumes program offers a combination of workshops, coaching, planting guides and cost-share funding (individual support grants) for installing pollinator-friendly native plantings in residential lawns. Go to the MN Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) site to learn more: https://bwsr.state.mn.us/l2l

Lake Level Update

The river stage has crested at St. Martin and is beginning to drop. The SRCL elevation has also peaked and will slowly start to decline, unless we experience another significant precipitation event.

For those planning to put their docks in the water, the level is currently at its peak. Keep an eye on updates in case of any changes.

View the current status here: https://srcl.org/water-level-horseshoe

Message from MN COLA president Joe Schneider

“We have met the enemy and he is us” Commentary by Joe Shneider

 It’s a paradox.

 Waterfront property owners are generally very aware of AIS and how it can change the lakes and rivers that we love. And we fight every year to stop the spread and contain the damage so that we can keep our water quality strong. We fight against the other boaters who are doing this to our lakes and river.

 Yet, year by year, decade by decade, we degrade those same waters by our own actions. We clear the view from our houses to the water’s edge. We lay down lawns where there was natural vegetation. We put riprap on the banks to keep the waves from destroying our property. We’ve transitioned from seasonal use of our waterfront property to permanent residences. We break larger lots into many; with each lot making further changes to the shore.

Every one of those actions reduces the amount of natural shoreline that protects the quality of the water… naturally. As cartoonist Walt Kelly coined for Earth Day in 1970: “We have met the enemy and he is us”

 MN COLA is proud to be a part of the Natural Shorelines Partnership with MN Lakes and Rivers Advocates, the MN DNR, UMN-Extension, BWSR, Freshwater, County SWCD’s, various Watershed Districts, and others to raise the awareness of the loss of natural shorelines, and to support actions to retain and reclaim nature’s designs to protect the quality of the water.

 Here are a few resources to help you:

 Minnesota DNR’s Natural Shorelines website

 Shoreland Programs:

• Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Lake Steward Program

• Stearns County Shoreline/Streambank Erosion Control & Restoration

• Gull Chain of Lakes Association Lake Steward Program

• Itasca Waters Shoreland Advisors program

• Deer Lake Association Shoreland Initiative

 Let's be good stewards of our public waters and work with your shoreline neighbors to do the same. Your children and grandchildren will thank you!

 Joe Shneider
Minnesota Coalition of Lake Associations

Minnesota’s Vanishing Natural Shorelines: A Loss that Contributes to Degraded Lake Quality

The Natural Shoreline Partnership’s Statement of Purpose (click to open) was formulated out of discussions with non-profit organizational leaders and government (state and local) natural resource professionals concerned about the continuing loss of shoreline vegetation, which helps protect clean water, habitat, lakeshore character, and recreation.

Minnesota Natural Shoreline Partnership:

Anne Sawyer (UMN-Extension)*, Chris Pence (BWSR), Dan Petrik (DNR), Dan Shaw (BWSR), Greg Berg (Stearns County SWCD), Jeff Forester (Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates), Jeff Hrubes (BWSR), Jennifer Shillcox (DNR), Joe Shneider (MN COLA), John Linc Stine (Freshwater Society)*, Kris Meyer (Freshwater Society), Kristin Carlson (DNR), Paul Radomski (DNR), Steve Kloiber (DNR), Tom Nelson (Itasca County SWCD), Wade Johnson (DNR), Jason Moeckel (DNR), Nick Neuman (Stearns County Environmental Services), Becky Rice (Blue Thumb), Beth Carreno (Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District), Annie Knight (NWLT), Elizabeth Mboutchom (NWLT), Nicole Ward (DNR).

* - past member

Response from the DNR about the Cold Spring Dam

In the fall of 2023, the SRCLA Board began a discussion with stakeholders about potentially changing the Cold Spring Dam. Consecutive years of flooding and drought conditions caused the Board to approach the MN DNR, who owns the dam, to see if there were options to modify the dam. The other stakeholders involved were Senator Howe, Representative Demuth, Commissioner Bertram, and representatives from the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Watershed District. After fact finding and other discussions, this letter was the MN DNR's response. The SRCLA will continue discussions where appropriate and will continue to monitor the options.

In addition, find a great article “What can (and should) I do about fluctuating water levels on my property?” from the DNR.