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What's New at MN COLA?
- An update from Joe Shneider
News of interest
- Wanted: MN COLA Director candidates
- What do you prefer for our Annual meeting?
- Light snow cover could boost curly-leaf pondweed
- Lake Superior has dramatically less ice this season
- Climate Change is affecting walleye spawning
- Enhanced wakes are stirring things up
- Bill introduced to recycle boat shrink wrap in Minnesota
- Add your Point-intercept data to MAISRC's database
- MN DNR designates 13 more AIS
- MN DNR to upgrade many boat ramps
Upcoming events
- MN COLA 2024 meeting dates
- Climate change effects on fisheries - April 23
- Containing Michigan's first hydrilla infestation - May 21
- Stories of Progress in Invasive Phragmites Management in Minnesota - May 22
- WAPOA hosts AIS Roundtable - June 1
- Getting AIS into the classrooms - June 25
Best We've Seen
- "A Cover Story" about boat shrink wrap
Commentary
- "We have met the enemy and he is us"
www.lakeadmin.org featured posts
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We can’t be from Minnesota if we don’t talk about the weather. This winter season has really been bizarre, and it will impact the lakes.
To that end, inside this issue of Current Waters, you will find 3 news articles about the impacts from the short ice season and limited snow cover on Minnesota lakes, plus you will find an event coming up put on by Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership on the impacts to the fisheries from climate change. And our March 19 MN COLA Membership meeting has 2 well-seasoned experts talking about the impacts of the short winter on the fishery and the ecology of the lakes.
In addition to talking about the weather, we have been spending a lot of time and energy on the enhanced wake issues. We are all looking forward to getting the Phase 2 results from the St. Anthony Falls Lab wake research, and we are closely monitoring what is happening in other states. You will find a news article below to keep you informed on this area.
MN COLA's membership renewal season is underway and we are pleased to note that the early results are strong. Many lake/river associations and COLAs/LARAs are using their credit cards to pay dues. THANK YOU to all our members for your ongoing support and to new members for having the trust in MN COLA to help you and your organizations.
Hope to see you at the MN COLA Zoom meeting at 9 am CT on Tuesday, March 19. Here’s the registration link.
Joe Shneider
President, MN COLA
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Wanted: MN COLA Director candidates! | |
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Every year, MN COLA elects or re-elects Directors for terms up to 3 years at our Annual meeting in June. If you have been interested in MN COLA and would like to get more involved as a Board member, please send an email to contact@mncola.org.
Check About Us on mncola.org for more information on how MN COLA operates and is organized.
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What do you prefer for our Annual meeting? | |
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MN COLA had just one in-person meeting during June 2023 and that was the Annual meeting in Little Falls, MN. It was the first time we got back together in person since before COVID. That meeting was well attended and in fact, it was our largest in-person meeting ever. We had planned to meet again in person for our September meeting, but most people wanted to attend via Zoom instead.
So, before we spend time planning our Annual meeting this year, we thought it prudent to ask you if you prefer to have it in person or via Zoom? If we meet in person, it will be from 10 am to 3 pm in a centrally located city like St. Cloud or Little Falls. Our Zoom meeting would be from 9 am to 11 am.
So please take this quick one question survey and let us know. Here’s the survey link.
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Light snow cover could boost curly-leaf pondweed | Kirsti Marohn of Minnesota Public Radio talked with U of MN researcher Michael Verhoeven about the impact that this year’s limited lake snow could have on curly-leaf pondweed (CLP). It may be getting a growth spurt much sooner than normal. Read the full article at MPR news. | |
Lake Superior has dramatically less ice this season | |
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More insights on the impacts of this season’s limited ice on Lake Superior can be found in Jana Hollingsworth’s article from February 20, 2024, in the StarTribune. About 2% of the lake had ice compared to about 20% last year and 80% in 2022. Forty percent is the average ice concentration over the last 50 years.
Researchers are suggesting potential impacts to AIS, fish species, algae blooms, and more. All of the Great Lakes had limited ice this season and the effects will be studied for years.
Here's the link to the article. You may have to have a StarTribune subscription to view the article.
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Climate change is affecting walleye spawning | |
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A recent study, published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters, examined 194 lakes in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to assess changes in walleye spawning. The takeaway is that climate change is causing lakes to thaw earlier and faster than walleye are adapting. When the walleye spawn, there is less food resource available for the babies and their survival can be low.
Danielle Kaeding of Wisconsin Public Radio reported this news article.
| Enhanced wakes are stirring things up | |
There is a lot happening around the country regarding enhanced wakes.
- The Phase 2 wake research from the St. Anthony Falls Lab at the University of Minnesota should get released sometime soon.
- Minnesota is readying the best practice education to accompany the new Watercraft Operators License.
- Michigan and Wisconsin have proposed legislation for regulating wakes.
- The State of Vermont has defined new rules addressing wake surf areas along with a new program to reduce the spread of AIS from ballast water.
- And on top of all that, new data from the National Marine Manufacturer’s Association showed that new “tow boat” sales dropped 20% from 2022 to 2023.
More information
| Bill introduced to recycle boat shrink wrap in Minnesota | |
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Photo: Michigan Recycling Coalition
Shrink wrap is used across the country to protect boats from the elements. Unfortunately, the opportunities to recycle that plastic are currently very limited. And we are talking about a lot of plastic. A 25-foot boat uses approximately 25 pounds of plastic and that’s roughly equivalent to over 2,000 plastic shopping bags. Think about the 800,000 registered watercraft in Minnesota and how many of them are shrink wrapped every year. The amount of boat shrink wrap Minnesota uses just one time is staggering.
Note: This initiative is not identified in our 2024 MN COLA Legislative Agenda, but it’s one that is worth supporting!
Read on to find out more about the proposed legislation and the opportunity to do this smarter.
More information
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Add your Point-Intercept data to MAISRC’s database | |
MAISRC is seeking your point-intercept (PI) aquatic plant survey data to add to their statewide database. If your lake or river association have done or are doing lake surveys and are using a point-intercept approach, please follow this link to get more information about the MAISRC database. | |
MN DNR designates 12 more AIS | |
Photo: Yellow floating heart | |
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources recently classified 13 high-risk invasive aquatic plants, fish and invertebrates as prohibited invasive species. All are aquatic invasive species except for the jumping worms which are a terrestrial invasive species.
These are the 12 new AIS: mitten crab, Nile perch, snakehead family, walking catfish family, yellow floating-heart, tench, golden mussel, marbled crayfish (marmorkrebs), golden clam, tubenose gobies (any fish belonging to the genus Proterorhinus), eastern mosquitofish, and non-native subspecies of Phragmites.
You can relax, there is not going to be a test.
For more information on these new AIS, you can check out the DNR’s website.
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MN DNR to upgrade many boat ramps | |
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Minnesota DNR has identified more than 40 public water access sites throughout the state for extensive upgrades. Smaller-scale improvements to more than 75 additional accesses are also on the way.
Visit the MN DNR website for more information about these projects.
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2024 meeting dates
- March 19, 2024, from 9-11 CT on Zoom
- June 18, 2024, in-person or Zoom to be determined (see the survey question above)
- September 17, 2024, from 9-11 CT on Zoom
- December 10, 2024, from 9-11 CT on Zoom
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Climate change effects on fisheries - April 23
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Researchers from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri talk about their work in quantifying the impacts of climate change on fish growth and production using the largest-ever database of Midwest glacial lakes fisheries surveys to enable sustainable management.
The webinar starts at 1 pm CT and is free, but registration is required
| Containing Michigan’s first hydrilla infestation – May 21 | |
The mythical Hydra was a water serpent that sprouted two heads for every one cut off. In a similar fashion, hydrilla - said to be the most invasive aquatic plant in the world - can grow new plants from stem fragments, making it a formidable challenge to control. That challenge now faces Michigan, where hydrilla was recently detected for the first time. Learn why hydrilla is such a threat, how the Michigan Invasive Species Program is working to eradicate it, and what you can do to help identify and report it.
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.
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Stories of Progress in Invasive Phragmites
Management in Minnesota – May 22
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Did you know there has been a landscape-scale effort to prevent invasive Phragmites from becoming a major threat to Minnesota habitats for the past four years?
Join the webinar to hear a talk called Tall Tales: Stories of progress in invasive phragmites management in Minnesota.
More information
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WAPOA hosts AIS Roundtable - June 1 | |
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The Whitefish Area Property Owner’s Association (WAPOA) is again hosting an 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. You can attend the event in person or on-line.
Please note that the registration link is not yet available.
More information
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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.
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This section showcases the best things we've seen so that MN COLA members and friends can be in the know. | |
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An article in the Chesapeake Quarterly, appropriately titled “A Cover Story”, simply and clearly articulates the issue that we as boaters collectively should address regarding recycling of boat shrink wrap.
You’ll also find this link with the news article about the recently introduced Boat Shrink Wrap bill.
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“We have met the enemy and he is us”
Commentary by Joe Shneider
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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.
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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:
Design guides for your shore:
Shoreland Programs:
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
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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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