INTERIM
lake in November deep blue and crystal clear
geese flock and rest on this warm afternoon
oak leaves have dropped to make a brown carpet
my firewood is sawed and split - stacked for later warmth
the sunny sky is an airway for every size migrant
beside these waters I sit content and ready
ready for next season next idea next task next sound
it comes across the lake where a hundred geese
approach the shore
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
WHAT IS NORMAL?
as seen in WATERWORKS 11/4/2009 The Aitkin Independent Age
Water scientists look at sampling results on our lakes and will only talk about trends in water quality after years of observations. But cabin people like to talk about the look of the lake and the weather we’re having “right now.” “What’s all this about global warming? It’s been cold in October!” Now that the last week of October has seen a little sunshine, and outside chores are finished, I’m still convinced that this is not a "normal" fall season.
In September we had a month of warm summer weather, which kept the green foliage on trees and shrubs. Then a week into October, when brilliant maple colors were reaching a delayed peak, we had sudden snowfalls and a killing freeze that withered our gardens.
Confusion everywhere. Snow collected on green oak leaves. Two inches of snow covered green lawns. Box elder trees shed leaves quickly in connected bunches. Surprisingly, the tamaracks stood out boldly in their finest gold. Deciduous trees around the lake were still green when cold weather forced the last holdout to skip a boatride to view the fall colors. Time to put away the boat and remove the dock ahead of an early freeze-up.
Sure, the glaciers somewhere may be disappearing, and the polar icecaps are getting thinner. There are songbirds are moving their nests north. We can discuss “climate” at another time. But can you recall ever experiencing “weather” like this?
ORGANIZING LAKE ASSOCIATIONS
About five years ago a new lake association got off the ground with help from neighbors and the Soil and Water office. Our stated purpose at Nord Lake was pretty simple - to protect and preserve the lake, and to get to know the people living around the lake. In my experience as a vacationer, and more recently as a cabin owner, I have observed that some folks come North to “get away” and are not looking for new social networks.
But there were some on our lake who urged us on - to organize, in order to preserve the lake, and to get better acquainted. It turned out that about half of the people near our lake have become association members, with a core group willing to lead picnics, road pick-ups, boat parades, and send out newsletters.
In the summer of 2004 the Aitkin County Water Planning Task Force sponsored a series of workshops on lake stewardship to help reorganize a previous coalition of county lake associations that had become inactive. Today this new Aitkin County Lakes And Rivers Association, or “ACLARA,” is planning some initiatives for its 20 member associations in the coming year. An educational event about the movement of Aquatic Invasive Species into our area, and demonstrations of stormwater management will be offered. Lakes that are looking for help in forming new associations, or support with existing ones, will find experienced organizers ready to work with them.
Water scientists look at sampling results on our lakes and will only talk about trends in water quality after years of observations. But cabin people like to talk about the look of the lake and the weather we’re having “right now.” “What’s all this about global warming? It’s been cold in October!” Now that the last week of October has seen a little sunshine, and outside chores are finished, I’m still convinced that this is not a "normal" fall season.
In September we had a month of warm summer weather, which kept the green foliage on trees and shrubs. Then a week into October, when brilliant maple colors were reaching a delayed peak, we had sudden snowfalls and a killing freeze that withered our gardens.
Confusion everywhere. Snow collected on green oak leaves. Two inches of snow covered green lawns. Box elder trees shed leaves quickly in connected bunches. Surprisingly, the tamaracks stood out boldly in their finest gold. Deciduous trees around the lake were still green when cold weather forced the last holdout to skip a boatride to view the fall colors. Time to put away the boat and remove the dock ahead of an early freeze-up.
Sure, the glaciers somewhere may be disappearing, and the polar icecaps are getting thinner. There are songbirds are moving their nests north. We can discuss “climate” at another time. But can you recall ever experiencing “weather” like this?
ORGANIZING LAKE ASSOCIATIONS
About five years ago a new lake association got off the ground with help from neighbors and the Soil and Water office. Our stated purpose at Nord Lake was pretty simple - to protect and preserve the lake, and to get to know the people living around the lake. In my experience as a vacationer, and more recently as a cabin owner, I have observed that some folks come North to “get away” and are not looking for new social networks.
But there were some on our lake who urged us on - to organize, in order to preserve the lake, and to get better acquainted. It turned out that about half of the people near our lake have become association members, with a core group willing to lead picnics, road pick-ups, boat parades, and send out newsletters.
In the summer of 2004 the Aitkin County Water Planning Task Force sponsored a series of workshops on lake stewardship to help reorganize a previous coalition of county lake associations that had become inactive. Today this new Aitkin County Lakes And Rivers Association, or “ACLARA,” is planning some initiatives for its 20 member associations in the coming year. An educational event about the movement of Aquatic Invasive Species into our area, and demonstrations of stormwater management will be offered. Lakes that are looking for help in forming new associations, or support with existing ones, will find experienced organizers ready to work with them.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Our Best Idea
WATERWORKS Column for 10/14/2009 Age
The week September 27 to October 2 contained television at its best, in this columnist’s opinion. Ken Burns introduced himself to millions of public TV watchers years ago when he filmed a riveting special on the Civil War. In this new 12-hour feature Our National Parks, we saw spectacular beauty of the natural features of the United States. The cinematography, historical narration, and musical accompaniment combined to make a program noone should miss. If you haven’t seen it, I’m sure there will be PBS reruns.
As David Duncan explains in the show, the National Parks, which now number at least 38, are America’s “Best Idea.” Except for our democratic form of government. So caught up in catching most of the 12 hours over the six days was I, that I completely forgot about my Waterworks column and its Friday deadline. So instead of the “first Wednesday” this time, it comes to you now.
A year ago in early August the Pricketts celebrated our wedding anniversary with an Empire Builder Amtrak train ride to East Glacier Park, Montana, and a week’s stay at Many Glacier Lodge in Glacier National Park. It was our “Best Idea in 2008,” and it has been fun seeing these sights again with Ken Burns.
OLD GEEZERS NEAR THE BWCA
My love of wilderness lakes and woods was formed at age 14 when our Scoutmaster organized a two-week canoe trip with his neighbor who manufactured “Barnard Wilderness Tents.” We paddled, portaged, camped, swam, and fished along the Canadian border in the Superior National Forest, at that time a roadless area, where flying was banned.
This year from late August to the Labor Day weekend, seven high school classmates came together up near Ely for our thirteenth “Old Geezer Canoe Trip.” This is the scribe’s account:
Burntside Retreat
After many trips into the wilderness the old guys settle for easier camping: a rented hideaway dry and furnished on a rocky pine-bordered lake at the edge of Ely’’s waters. Old stories are mostly repeated; friendships and rivalries persist since grade school.
Our leader Tony Andersen has died, who restarted us 26 years ago. Four of the living began paddling 60 years ago with Scoutmaster Elmer L. Now we ride in a power boat with electronic finder for fish and depth, zooming here and there at 25 mph to troll and snag, sometimes catching smallmouth and northern pike. A faithful few still paddle Mad River and Grumman canoes.
Sleeping bags cover mattresses in the cabin. Propane gives refrigeration, cooking stove, and lamps. Lake water is drinkable, mostly boiled. We reminisce, eat, and drink well; sing, smoke, and strum.
Just a handful of years remain for this declining gang. Once we could pull a lot of water and take portages in stride. Today we limp onto the dock stiffly, after hours in the boat. We tell each other how fun it is. We’ll do it some more, as soon as we can.
- Guide Gord, September 2009
The week September 27 to October 2 contained television at its best, in this columnist’s opinion. Ken Burns introduced himself to millions of public TV watchers years ago when he filmed a riveting special on the Civil War. In this new 12-hour feature Our National Parks, we saw spectacular beauty of the natural features of the United States. The cinematography, historical narration, and musical accompaniment combined to make a program noone should miss. If you haven’t seen it, I’m sure there will be PBS reruns.
As David Duncan explains in the show, the National Parks, which now number at least 38, are America’s “Best Idea.” Except for our democratic form of government. So caught up in catching most of the 12 hours over the six days was I, that I completely forgot about my Waterworks column and its Friday deadline. So instead of the “first Wednesday” this time, it comes to you now.
A year ago in early August the Pricketts celebrated our wedding anniversary with an Empire Builder Amtrak train ride to East Glacier Park, Montana, and a week’s stay at Many Glacier Lodge in Glacier National Park. It was our “Best Idea in 2008,” and it has been fun seeing these sights again with Ken Burns.
OLD GEEZERS NEAR THE BWCA
My love of wilderness lakes and woods was formed at age 14 when our Scoutmaster organized a two-week canoe trip with his neighbor who manufactured “Barnard Wilderness Tents.” We paddled, portaged, camped, swam, and fished along the Canadian border in the Superior National Forest, at that time a roadless area, where flying was banned.
This year from late August to the Labor Day weekend, seven high school classmates came together up near Ely for our thirteenth “Old Geezer Canoe Trip.” This is the scribe’s account:
Burntside Retreat
After many trips into the wilderness the old guys settle for easier camping: a rented hideaway dry and furnished on a rocky pine-bordered lake at the edge of Ely’’s waters. Old stories are mostly repeated; friendships and rivalries persist since grade school.
Our leader Tony Andersen has died, who restarted us 26 years ago. Four of the living began paddling 60 years ago with Scoutmaster Elmer L. Now we ride in a power boat with electronic finder for fish and depth, zooming here and there at 25 mph to troll and snag, sometimes catching smallmouth and northern pike. A faithful few still paddle Mad River and Grumman canoes.
Sleeping bags cover mattresses in the cabin. Propane gives refrigeration, cooking stove, and lamps. Lake water is drinkable, mostly boiled. We reminisce, eat, and drink well; sing, smoke, and strum.
Just a handful of years remain for this declining gang. Once we could pull a lot of water and take portages in stride. Today we limp onto the dock stiffly, after hours in the boat. We tell each other how fun it is. We’ll do it some more, as soon as we can.
- Guide Gord, September 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Waterworks Column Aitkin Independent Age 9/2/2009
IT STILL RAINS IN MINNESOTA
Looking at the foliage, the pastures, and the lake levels this summer, I take encouragement from the renewable water supply in this neck of the woods. We hear of drought, lack of rainfall, heat waves, and wild fires in other parts of the country. About a century ago my grandfather, living in dry Nebraska, saw advertisements for farmland in west central Minnesota. They read “It still rains in Minnesota!” And so it does. From our rain gauge, I recorded 7.9 inches in July and, lacking a couple days, 2.4 inches in August.
With much of the world looking at fresh water scarcity, in Aitkin County we have a resource advantage of plentiful wetlands, rivers, and lakes. Plus a spreading awareness of how to keep the quality of these water bodies safe and secure. One of the projects of our Water Planning Task Force is sponsorship of rain garden and rain barrel demonstrations. By containing and slowing the movement of pouring-down rains, these measures help prevent erosion and siltation. Work is now in progress at the Long Lake Conservation Center and at the Soil and Water Office, where you will be able to observe and receive instruction in better practices with rainfall where you live.
LAKE MONITORS GET REPORTS
Reports from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency have been published last month for sites at 1317 Minnesota lakes. In Aitkin County about 30 lakes have been regularly monitored in recent years. My individual Site Report for Nord Lake in 2008, and the preceding 11 years, is the most complete and easy to read of any lake information that I have seen.
To see what the status is on any of the monitored county lakes, the first call to make is to an officer or member of the particular lake association. Most of the 30 or so monitored lakes have volunteers who measure the transparency during the summer, and they receive this detailed report. Lake association members, in most cases, have access to the water data, which is shared around the lake.
If you need further assistance, the Soil and Water Office keeps water monitoring records and can direct you to the person who is currently measuring the clarity at each organized lake. Just call them at 927-6565.
In the case of Nord Lake, the clarity has been steady over 12 years with no trending, and the standards for recreational suitability are being met consistently.
Looking at the foliage, the pastures, and the lake levels this summer, I take encouragement from the renewable water supply in this neck of the woods. We hear of drought, lack of rainfall, heat waves, and wild fires in other parts of the country. About a century ago my grandfather, living in dry Nebraska, saw advertisements for farmland in west central Minnesota. They read “It still rains in Minnesota!” And so it does. From our rain gauge, I recorded 7.9 inches in July and, lacking a couple days, 2.4 inches in August.
With much of the world looking at fresh water scarcity, in Aitkin County we have a resource advantage of plentiful wetlands, rivers, and lakes. Plus a spreading awareness of how to keep the quality of these water bodies safe and secure. One of the projects of our Water Planning Task Force is sponsorship of rain garden and rain barrel demonstrations. By containing and slowing the movement of pouring-down rains, these measures help prevent erosion and siltation. Work is now in progress at the Long Lake Conservation Center and at the Soil and Water Office, where you will be able to observe and receive instruction in better practices with rainfall where you live.
LAKE MONITORS GET REPORTS
Reports from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency have been published last month for sites at 1317 Minnesota lakes. In Aitkin County about 30 lakes have been regularly monitored in recent years. My individual Site Report for Nord Lake in 2008, and the preceding 11 years, is the most complete and easy to read of any lake information that I have seen.
To see what the status is on any of the monitored county lakes, the first call to make is to an officer or member of the particular lake association. Most of the 30 or so monitored lakes have volunteers who measure the transparency during the summer, and they receive this detailed report. Lake association members, in most cases, have access to the water data, which is shared around the lake.
If you need further assistance, the Soil and Water Office keeps water monitoring records and can direct you to the person who is currently measuring the clarity at each organized lake. Just call them at 927-6565.
In the case of Nord Lake, the clarity has been steady over 12 years with no trending, and the standards for recreational suitability are being met consistently.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Becoming an Eagle
Twenty five years ago our son prepared for high school graduation and entry to college. With only a couple months to go he realized that he was just a few merit badges lacking for his Eagle Scout award. And this needed to happen before his 18th birthday. With a sustained burst of effort he completed those badges and his eagle tree-planting project.
For the past two weeks I have listened and watched along our lakeshore as one and maybe two eaglets have fledged. We saw the nesting pair of adult eagles return to their tallest white pine this Spring. Then for weeks one of the eagles was delivering food from lake to nest.
Imagine if your very first step was out of a warm comfortable nest into thin air ninety feet above ground. Instinct and parents prepare these young birds. They grow and exercise their new wings day by day, gaining strength. As a pilot I recall my very first time alone in an airborne cockpit, maneuvering towards an airstrip with no alternative but a safe landing on the ground.
For about two weeks we have seen a young eagle - all dark brown, with a few light blotches on its chest - flying above the trees along the lakeshore.
Sometimes he lands on a dead branch or a covered boatlift. Always he gives a loud high-pitched squeak every few seconds. Today I heard a second distant squeak while watching the first eaglet sitting on the neighbor's boatlift and squeaking. It appears that a second eaglet has now left the nest. As the air show continued, a parent (identified by its white tail, neck, and head) circled above.
Yesterday out on the lake I saw the young eagle occupying the same bare branch on a tall tree on the island where the parents regularly roost. This perch gives them a clear view in all directions. Flight school will continue now with training in searching, diving, grasping, and carrying fish.
This is the second year we have watched as eaglets are shown by their parents how to become full-fledged eagles. What a delight to observe up close the development of this majestic bird with its graceful and powerful flight.
For the past two weeks I have listened and watched along our lakeshore as one and maybe two eaglets have fledged. We saw the nesting pair of adult eagles return to their tallest white pine this Spring. Then for weeks one of the eagles was delivering food from lake to nest.
Imagine if your very first step was out of a warm comfortable nest into thin air ninety feet above ground. Instinct and parents prepare these young birds. They grow and exercise their new wings day by day, gaining strength. As a pilot I recall my very first time alone in an airborne cockpit, maneuvering towards an airstrip with no alternative but a safe landing on the ground.
For about two weeks we have seen a young eagle - all dark brown, with a few light blotches on its chest - flying above the trees along the lakeshore.
Sometimes he lands on a dead branch or a covered boatlift. Always he gives a loud high-pitched squeak every few seconds. Today I heard a second distant squeak while watching the first eaglet sitting on the neighbor's boatlift and squeaking. It appears that a second eaglet has now left the nest. As the air show continued, a parent (identified by its white tail, neck, and head) circled above.
Yesterday out on the lake I saw the young eagle occupying the same bare branch on a tall tree on the island where the parents regularly roost. This perch gives them a clear view in all directions. Flight school will continue now with training in searching, diving, grasping, and carrying fish.
This is the second year we have watched as eaglets are shown by their parents how to become full-fledged eagles. What a delight to observe up close the development of this majestic bird with its graceful and powerful flight.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Waterworks: Fish Population Assessments
COUNTING FISH ON OUR LAKE
In May and June this year Aitkin DNR Fisheries did an assessment of the fish population on our lake. On a Tuesday evening, May 26th, about 9 p.m., my neighbor noticed a boat crew out on the lake with bright lights, towing a raft near her shore, with some unusual equipment. Next morning we talked it over, and I called Rick Bruesewitz, Fisheries Supervisor, to learn what was going on at Nord Lake. It had been about one hour of “standard electrofishing” for Largemouth Bass, with his fisheries crew cruising near shore, around the perimeter of the lake.
This is what I learned about electrofishing. Using electrical probes, a charge is introduced in the water that attracts and then stuns the bass temporarily. The crew scoops up the unconscious fish and puts them in a towed tank for examination, before releasing them unharmed. The fish are measured and weighed, and a few scales are removed to estimate the fish’s age.
I also learned that this was only the beginning of a periodic population assessment of the fish in our lake. Two years ago Rick had presented an historical summary of the Nord Lake Fishery at our annual lake association meeting, dating from 1960. There would soon be a sampling of all species around the lake. He agreed to let us know in advance when the trap nets and gill nets would be placed in the lake, so that we could notice them and avoid getting tangled up with the floats and nets.
TRAP NETS AND GILL NETS
On the week of June 22-26, the three-man fisheries crew returned to set and lift nets around the lake, leaving each net in place for a few days. The trap nets are set near shore, with a float and a trap out in the water and the weighted net bottom attached onshore. The gill nets are deployed out in deep water, between two buoys a short distance apart. Lead-weighted lines hold the base of the gill nets on the lake bottom. During the week boat traffic was light, and we put out the word to residents to steer clear of these orange floats.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Of course, we will not disclose here exactly what was learned. The details of all Aitkin Area fishery population assessments can be viewed at the DNR office next to Southgate on Highway 169. However, a number of Largemouth Bass were collected and released, and the lengths and average weight are in a preliminary report.
There were nine trap net sets and nine gill net sets, during the week. The significant species observed included: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Dogfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Walleye, and Yellow Bullhead.
Copies of these catches were shared with lake association members at our annual picnic last Saturday. To find out more about fish surveys - when they are scheduled and to learn about the populations on your lake of interest - just call DNR Fisheries at 927-3751.
In May and June this year Aitkin DNR Fisheries did an assessment of the fish population on our lake. On a Tuesday evening, May 26th, about 9 p.m., my neighbor noticed a boat crew out on the lake with bright lights, towing a raft near her shore, with some unusual equipment. Next morning we talked it over, and I called Rick Bruesewitz, Fisheries Supervisor, to learn what was going on at Nord Lake. It had been about one hour of “standard electrofishing” for Largemouth Bass, with his fisheries crew cruising near shore, around the perimeter of the lake.
This is what I learned about electrofishing. Using electrical probes, a charge is introduced in the water that attracts and then stuns the bass temporarily. The crew scoops up the unconscious fish and puts them in a towed tank for examination, before releasing them unharmed. The fish are measured and weighed, and a few scales are removed to estimate the fish’s age.
I also learned that this was only the beginning of a periodic population assessment of the fish in our lake. Two years ago Rick had presented an historical summary of the Nord Lake Fishery at our annual lake association meeting, dating from 1960. There would soon be a sampling of all species around the lake. He agreed to let us know in advance when the trap nets and gill nets would be placed in the lake, so that we could notice them and avoid getting tangled up with the floats and nets.
TRAP NETS AND GILL NETS
On the week of June 22-26, the three-man fisheries crew returned to set and lift nets around the lake, leaving each net in place for a few days. The trap nets are set near shore, with a float and a trap out in the water and the weighted net bottom attached onshore. The gill nets are deployed out in deep water, between two buoys a short distance apart. Lead-weighted lines hold the base of the gill nets on the lake bottom. During the week boat traffic was light, and we put out the word to residents to steer clear of these orange floats.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Of course, we will not disclose here exactly what was learned. The details of all Aitkin Area fishery population assessments can be viewed at the DNR office next to Southgate on Highway 169. However, a number of Largemouth Bass were collected and released, and the lengths and average weight are in a preliminary report.
There were nine trap net sets and nine gill net sets, during the week. The significant species observed included: Black Crappie, Bluegill, Dogfish, Hybrid Sunfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Pumpkinseed, Walleye, and Yellow Bullhead.
Copies of these catches were shared with lake association members at our annual picnic last Saturday. To find out more about fish surveys - when they are scheduled and to learn about the populations on your lake of interest - just call DNR Fisheries at 927-3751.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Water Treatments
On July 1st the Aitkin Independent Age weekly newspaper ran my previous posting in its Outdoors Section, as the "Waterworks" column, published every First Wednesday over the last 11 years. A portion of the piece is included here -
MODERN WATER TREATMENT
Suburban developers buy off and take over natural open space to clear cut and bulldoze forest, farm fields, and wetlands to house the thousands who flock to the Cities for better paying jobs and for their cultural amenities. The rainfall on these made-over suburban communities runs downhill into ponds, streams, wetlands, rivers, and lakes. The roofs, asphalt driveways, patios, and chemical lawns all add their ingredients into our once beautiful waters. To escape their routine of commuting, working, and schooling, the suburban families search out a “lake place” for summer weekends. They bring their horticultural habits with them, as well as memories of winter vacations on the saltwater beaches in the Gulf of Mexico.
These Minnesota lake properties used to be the province of resort owners who offered weekly rentals with housekeeping cabins, a fishing boat, and a swimming beach.
Most of them have gone the way of the family farm, with only a few large Ruttgers or Craguns left, and quite a few RV campgrounds around the settled lakes. But a large number of northbound folks decide to buy land. Pull up a house trailer and someday maybe build a cabin or retirement home. They may find vacant resort property with cabins that can be remodeled and enlarged. Everyone wants his own dock and sand beach. In this way the shoreline on many lakes is altered, and the lake water changes from clear and transparent to not-so-clear as before. (end of excerpt)
This brings us to the Fourth of July 2009. Our lake was filled with floating algae yesterday morning on a no-wind glassy surface. The shallows in front of our dock are filling slowly, year by year, with more emergent aquatic vegetation.
Some of the shoreland residents use chemical fertilizers and herbicides to groom their lawns that reach down slope to the water's edge. Heavy rains flush these components into the lake, which takes up excess nutrients of phosphate and nitrogen. This process hastens the lake's eutrophication - the filling of a fresh water basin with more and more plant growth. What once was a clear lake becomes, over time, a green vegetation-choked wetland marsh.
Water planners in Aitkin County are providing lake stewardship guidebooks to newcomers, educational pieces in the newspaper, and briefings for lake associations, all containing information about "best practices" for taking care of the lakes and rivers we enjoy.
The lakeside image of a grassy fairway to a broad sand beach, as the ideal, is fixed in many minds. But it has nothing to do with healthy lakes in Northern Minnesota, and in fact, can lead to their decline.
My message for everyone who comes up to our lakes is this: Stop mowing or clearing any lawn or vegetation within at least 15 feet of the shore. Let the seeds in this ground sprout and grow to restore a natural filter for the shoreland runoff. It's as simple as that. A cleared narrow path about 10 feet wide is all you need for access to boating and swimming at your dock. Install no more dock structure than necessary to float your watercraft.
This is one very important way that you can help improve the quality of the lake water.
MODERN WATER TREATMENT
Suburban developers buy off and take over natural open space to clear cut and bulldoze forest, farm fields, and wetlands to house the thousands who flock to the Cities for better paying jobs and for their cultural amenities. The rainfall on these made-over suburban communities runs downhill into ponds, streams, wetlands, rivers, and lakes. The roofs, asphalt driveways, patios, and chemical lawns all add their ingredients into our once beautiful waters. To escape their routine of commuting, working, and schooling, the suburban families search out a “lake place” for summer weekends. They bring their horticultural habits with them, as well as memories of winter vacations on the saltwater beaches in the Gulf of Mexico.
These Minnesota lake properties used to be the province of resort owners who offered weekly rentals with housekeeping cabins, a fishing boat, and a swimming beach.
Most of them have gone the way of the family farm, with only a few large Ruttgers or Craguns left, and quite a few RV campgrounds around the settled lakes. But a large number of northbound folks decide to buy land. Pull up a house trailer and someday maybe build a cabin or retirement home. They may find vacant resort property with cabins that can be remodeled and enlarged. Everyone wants his own dock and sand beach. In this way the shoreline on many lakes is altered, and the lake water changes from clear and transparent to not-so-clear as before. (end of excerpt)
This brings us to the Fourth of July 2009. Our lake was filled with floating algae yesterday morning on a no-wind glassy surface. The shallows in front of our dock are filling slowly, year by year, with more emergent aquatic vegetation.
Some of the shoreland residents use chemical fertilizers and herbicides to groom their lawns that reach down slope to the water's edge. Heavy rains flush these components into the lake, which takes up excess nutrients of phosphate and nitrogen. This process hastens the lake's eutrophication - the filling of a fresh water basin with more and more plant growth. What once was a clear lake becomes, over time, a green vegetation-choked wetland marsh.
Water planners in Aitkin County are providing lake stewardship guidebooks to newcomers, educational pieces in the newspaper, and briefings for lake associations, all containing information about "best practices" for taking care of the lakes and rivers we enjoy.
The lakeside image of a grassy fairway to a broad sand beach, as the ideal, is fixed in many minds. But it has nothing to do with healthy lakes in Northern Minnesota, and in fact, can lead to their decline.
My message for everyone who comes up to our lakes is this: Stop mowing or clearing any lawn or vegetation within at least 15 feet of the shore. Let the seeds in this ground sprout and grow to restore a natural filter for the shoreland runoff. It's as simple as that. A cleared narrow path about 10 feet wide is all you need for access to boating and swimming at your dock. Install no more dock structure than necessary to float your watercraft.
This is one very important way that you can help improve the quality of the lake water.
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