Minnesota Coalition of Lake Associations

MSU again offers Introduction to Lakes Online course
2024-01-29 - 2024-03-30
Registration for the award-winning Michigan State University Extension Introduction to Lakes Online course is now open! Our own Jim Kutzner took this on-line course 2 years ago and thought it was highly valuable and completely relevant to Minnesota Lakes.
This introductory six-week online course kicks off January 30th and is designed for anyone interested in inland lakes including concerned residents, decision makers, local leaders, and lakefront property owners. Course instructors include faculty from MSU Extension and state agency personnel.
Course topics include lake ecology, watershed management, shoreline protection, aquatic plants, Michigan water law, and community engagement. These six topics are explored online through video lectures, interactive activities, and discussion forums. Additional resources are also provided for those looking to dive deeper into a topic. Participants communicate with each other and instructors through lively discussion forums and biweekly Ask-an-Expert webinars which include guests from organizations such as the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
The course price is $115.00. The deadline to register is January 28, 2024.
If the cost of the course is a burden to your participation, please email Paige Filice at filicepa@msu.edu. Financial assistance is available.

Webinar: Charting the Course for a Comprehensive Point-Intercept Database
2024-01-25 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Chicago)
Imagine that hundreds of comprehensive aquatic plant surveys were conducted on Minnesota lakes every year, representing hundreds of hours worked and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent. Now imagine that these incredibly valuable data sets were held by not one but rather dozens of different groups throughout the state, deeply embedded within the unique file and reporting systems of each. Then, even if you could find them, imagine no two of these files looked alike, such that it took hours just to combine even two of them into a single unified data set. Then, imagine that more or less these same circumstances existed in Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Ontario, and elsewhere.
It would all seem like a missed opportunity, wouldn’t it? And yet, this is the reality. Or, rather, it was–in February 2023, MAISRC launched Version 1 of PI Charter, an R Shiny app designed to 1) receive submissions of PI survey data sheets (no matter what they look like!) from anyone who may possess them, 2) process them automatically so they can be combined, and 3) allow anyone to explore the processed data to better understand the health and plant composition of our state’s lakes. Already, we have added several million point-level observations into our database, and we’re just getting started!
Come and hear how we plan to chart PI Charter’s next course!

Harmful Algal Bloom Virtual Research Symposium in early January
2024-01-04 00:00 - 2024-01-05 23:59
The Algal Bloom Action Team of the North Central Region Water Network is once again hosting their Virtual Harmful Algal Bloom Research Symposium on January 4th and 5th.
This free, virtual event brings together over 800 water professionals from across the North Central Region to hear about the latest harmful algal bloom (HAB) research, discuss examples of effective bloom management, and learn about the latest technologies being used to tackle this global issue.
The North Central Region Water Network is comprised of 12 Land-grant colleges and universities, including the U of MN Extension, U of WI Extension, and the MSU Extension.
The Algal Bloom Action Team offers a series of Educational Resources on their webpage that you may find valuable, including HAB FAQs, factsheets, prevention and treatment options, and more

Webinar on the unique pathways of invasive mussel spread – December 13
2023-12-13
Register for this free webinar on December 13 from 1:00 – 2:30 ET to hear 3 presentations on unique pathways of invasive mussel spread. The webinar is hosted by the Invasive Mussel Collaborative. Presentations include:
More than we bargained for: Zebra mussels transported amongst European native freshwater snails by James Dickey with Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
Assessing Dreissena spread in Lake Superior through traditional and eDNA surveys by Courtney Larson with the US EPA Office of Research and Development, Great Lakes Toxicology and Ecology Division, Duluth, MN
Chemical drivers of Dreissenid habitat: Moving beyond calcium and temperature by Daniel Sandborn with the University of Minnesota Duluth.

MN COLA Membership Meeting
2023-12-05 09:00 - 11:00
Check your calendars! Following MN COLA’s successful September meeting, our next membership meeting is Tuesday, December 5th at 9am-11am and it will be online. Details will follow as we get closer, but for now save the date!

Michigan hosts a virtual Summit on Great Lakes PFAS - December 5 - 7
2023-12-05 - 2023-12-07
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) continue to present some of the biggest challenges in chemical contamination across the world. States throughout the nation, including the Great Lakes region, are finding PFAS contamination in a growing number of locations where these persistent chemicals pose a threat to human health and the environment.
The Great Lakes PFAS Summit will bring together environmental program managers, policy experts, researchers, and contractors from around the Great Lakes region to share new methods of addressing this contamination and present innovative technical solutions developed to address these “forever” chemicals.
The Summit is hosted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
Admission is $35, but is waived for government, non-profits, and students. The registration deadline is December 1.

Register now for the North American Lake Management Society Symposium
2023-10-22 - 2023-10-26
October 22–26, 2023 in Erie, Pennsylvania:
It’s pricey and requires travel, but this a big, important conference for lake managers and concerned citizens.
The North American Lake Management Society (NALMS) and Pennsylvania Lake Management Society invites you to attend the 43rd International Symposium
At a time when climate change, invasive species risks, and cultural pressures threaten the natural environment and biodiversity of our fragile ecosystem, the opportunity to highlight and mesh the State of Pennsylvania and its rich diversity of aquatic habitats is long overdue.
NALMS’ Symposium typically attracts an international collection of 500–600 lake management professionals, academia, and citizen attendees. The Symposium promotes the exchange of lake and reservoir management science, produces material for NALMS’ high-quality publications, provides a rare opportunity for networking, as well as an opportunity to recognize excellence in the field of lake and reservoir management.
Registration: https://nalms.wildapricot.org/event-5312182
Program info: https://www.nalms.org/nalms2023/preliminary-program/
Conference Home page: https://www.nalms.org/nalms2023/

Blooming Waters: Understanding Harmful Algal Blooms and Safe Drinking Water
2023-10-03 12:00 - 13:00
Highly relevant for Minnesota, this free webinar is hosted by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
Harmful algal blooms are a growing concern across the nation, and Michigan is no exception. These blooms can produce toxins that pose significant risks to both human health and aquatic ecosystems. In this webinar, we will delve into the fascinating science behind algal blooms, their causes and detrimental effects, and examples of efforts taken to prevent drinking water exposures.
Key Topics to be Covered:

Understanding the Science: Discover the factors that contribute to the formation of harmful algal blooms and the conditions that foster their growth.
Monitoring Michigan’s Waterways: Learn about EGLE’s efforts to track and detect harmful algal blooms in various surface water bodies.
Safeguarding Drinking Water: Explore Michigan’s efforts to ensure the safety of drinking water systems and protect the health of its residents.

This is a Zoom session and Registration is required.

MAISRC Showcase is Wednesday, September 20!
2023-09-20 08:00 - 17:00
The 2023 MAISRC Showcase will be held this year on September 20th. EARLY BIRD registration for the annual AIS Research and Management Showcase opens Monday, August 14th. Ticket price of $25 $20 (early bird pricing!) includes exclusive access to recordings of the showcase, before the general public. Click this link (on or after the 14th) to register!

Dr. Mark Seeley headlines MN COLA’s September ONLINE-ONLY meeting
2023-09-19 10:00 - 15:00
The MN COLA meeting will be held Tuesday September 19 from 10 – 3 CT ONLINE ONLY on Zoom.
Dr. Mark Seeley is a renowned climatologist and meteorologist who recently retired from the University of Minnesota and is now with the Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership Mark will present on the impact of climate change to our Minnesota waters. For the past year and a half MN COLA has presented on Lake Resiliency and this will be a capstone to our 2-year Lake Resiliency series. This should be a great talk!

Photo: MPR News
Other topics to be covered include:

We’ll have an opportunity to see what one COLA has created to help slow the spread of AIS
Later in the meeting you get the chance to help us prioritize the issues that are most important to MN COLA members as we prepare for the 2024 Legislative Agenda. This is your opportunity to provide your input and discuss current plans

As always we will have a Round-Robin session to discuss what’s happening in your world and share our ideas.
If you plan to attend, click here to register for the Zoom meeting. You will get the meeting link from Zoom after you register.
(The session was previously announced as a hybrid session, but attendees voted with their fingers to move it to online only.)

Starry Trek 2023
2023-08-19 08:00 - 13:00
Plan to be part of Starry Trek 2023! Starry Trek is organized by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center and University of Minnesota Extension in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Registration is open now at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/starry-trek-2023-tickets-664078706287.

Why, Oh Why Won’t They Clean, Drain and Dry? Understanding Impediments to Boater and Angler Behavior Change
2023-08-10 08:00 - 09:00
Join this webinar on Aug 10, 2023, 08:00 am CT and hear the results of a Michigan State University study about boater resistance to cleaning their equipment of harmful, transferrable AIS. It’s free, but you need to register in advance.
Aquatic invasive species continue to be spread by boaters and anglers, primarily by those who travel between waterways without cleaning their equipment. Well, why aren’t people cleaning when we know the risks of spread? Carrie Meier from Daniel Hayes’ lab in the MSU Department of Fisheries and Wildlife interviewed a thousand boaters and anglers to understand just that. Meier will share what was learned about motivations and barriers to equipment cleaning, perceptions of invasive species spread and other interesting results.

Itasca Waters virtual session addresses impending AIS threats: Can they kill my pet or hurt my kids?
2023-08-03 12:00 - 13:00
Dr. Cody Sheik is a microbial ecologist at the University of Minnesota Duluth where he focuses his work on the roles microorganisms, especially cyanobacteria, play in freshwater ecosystems.
In this virtual session he will share important research to identify what microbes are present across Minnesota and the Great Lakes, and to consider the implications to our environment and our use of water for recreation and daily living. He will also talk about some non-native microbes that can cause even bigger problems as they invade our lakes.
The sessions are free, but registration is required.
Check out these links for more information about Itasca Waters and their Practical Water Wisdom series.

MAISRC hosts AIS workshop for North Central MN
2023-06-23 08:00 - 2023-06-24 17:00
Join the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) and regional leaders in a two-day workshop about priority aquatic invasive species concerns for North Central Minnesota.
Date: Friday, June 23 and Saturday, June 24, 2023
Location: Cedar Lakes Casino, 6268 Upper Cass Frontage Rd NW, Cass Lake, MN 56633
Cost: $45 for both Friday and Saturday; $30 for Friday only. There is no option to register only on Saturday.
Registration required. For more information visit the Lab to Lakes page on the MAISRC website.

MN COLA Annual Meeting
2023-06-13 10:00 - 15:00
The 2023 MN COLA Annual Meeting will be held in person at the Initiative Foundation in beautiful downtown Little Falls, MN!
Our Annual Member Meeting promises to be content rich and an exciting opportunity to meet in person.
The agenda includes the all-important Legislative Update. Jeff Forester of Minnesota Lakes and River’s Advocates will be there to share details of what happened and what it means for protecting Minnesota’s public waters. Three important items on the MN COLA Legislative Agenda were being addressed this session:

Stable funding for MAISRC (the AIS Research Center at the University of Minnesota);
Watercraft Operator’s License;
Improved funding for AIS treatments.

We are thrilled to have author Ted Rulseh as our lunch speaker. His most recent book, Ripple Effects: How we’re loving our lakes to death, will be featured. It provides a history of how our lifestyle changes and upward mobility have increased the demands we place on our lakes in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Rulseh addresses the reasons behind our vanishing natural shorelines and other impacts to lake life.
Registration is free, and there is an option to have a box lunch for $10. We hope to see you there and please register today!

May 31 webinar - Update on wakes, waves, and propeller wash research from UMN's SAFL
2023-05-31 18:30 - 20:00
Register today for this webinar with Jeff Marr and Andy Riesgraf of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota for an update on this critically important research: recently completed, in-process, and future.
This free session is on May 31 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm, but you must register in advance. Big thanks go to Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates for hosting the session.
Jeff Forester, Executive Director of Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates said this about the upcoming webinar:
“Boating season is upon us. Minnesotans, as they have for generations, will enjoy sun and water and fun. But there the similarity ends. Many of the new boats on the water bear no resemblance to your grandfathers fishing boat.
The boats now are larger and far more powerful. Where once boats were powered with 25 HP or maybe 50 HP motors and 40 knots was considered fast, there are boats on the market now that go over 70 mph or have engines generating 400 hp or more. And there are more of them.
It is time to try to see what the impacts of our boats, wakes, prop thrust and boating habits are on lake ecology and wildlife. Minnesota Lakes and Rivers has been working the last few years to support funding for world class researchers to begin exploring these issues.
We wanted to provide an opportunity for you to learn more.
This presentation by Jeff Marr will summarize completed comparative research on the size, energy, and power of boat-generated wake waves produced by a number of recreational boats under various modes of operation and data-informed guidance on recommend operational distances for enhanced wake watercraft.
The presentation will also share an update of ongoing research focusing on characterizing the propeller wash created by recreational boats and potential implications of propeller wash on lake health.
Finally, Jeff Marr will present our research plans for an upcoming research study, pending funding by the State of Minnesota, that will explore environmental impacts of boat-generated wave, propeller wash and wind driven waves.
The presentation will allow time for questions and discussion.
We hope to see you there and enjoy the spring.

Invasive Mussel Collaborative hosts: How invasive mussels impact and are affected by North American ecosystems
2023-05-30 09:00 - 10:30
Want to delve a little deeper into the zebra and quagga mussel invasion? Try this webinar put on by the Invasive Mussel Collaborative. It includes two presentations:
Mussel squeeze: dissolved oxygen and temperature can “squeeze” zebra mussels out of invaded reservoirs by Rich Miller and Crysta Gantz with Portland State University, Portland, OR
Dreissena (zebra and quagga mussels) in the Great Lakes: what have we learned in 35 years of invasion by Alexander Karatayev with SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY
The webinar is free, but registration is required.

MGLP: Healthy Watersheds, High-Quality Waters- A New program for protecting the wonderful waters of Wisconsin
2023-05-16 13:00 - 14:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register here

Wisconsin DNR seeks to protect Wisconsin’s wonderful waters and way of life. Not only is Wisconsin blessed with a landscape filled with water resources, but those lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands also provide tremendous public health, recreation, and economic benefits. The Healthy Watersheds, High-Quality Waters initiative is a first step towards greater balance between restoration and protection to conserve water resources and the values they provide. The overall goal is to keep 100% of the priority healthy watersheds and high-quality waters within them at or better than their current conditions through 2030. Modeling and assessment results, geographic priorities, partner feedback, action plan, and experiences from the first year of implementation will be shared.

MGLP: Shoreline Living Volume Two: Property owner experiences in lakefront conservation
2023-05-02 13:00 - 14:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register here

This presentation will introduce the second volume of the MGLP’s Living document. With over 90,000 copies in circulation, both versions of the MGLP’s Shoreline Living document are excellent resources for starting conversations about natural shorelines. These magazine-style publications contain articles highlighting families who live on natural shorelines and have taken a variety of steps to benefit themselves and their lakes. Beautiful photographs of each property accompany the articles, where the families share their process in creating, maintaining, enjoying, and protecting their natural shorelines. This presentation will provide an opportunity to hear directly from some of the featured property owners as they share their experiences in conservation.

MGLP: Conservationists' perspectives of governance in the Iowa Great Lakes
2023-04-18 13:00 - 14:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register here

Multiple activities within watershed boundaries impact the quality of freshwater systems. Since many of these systems are managed by complex governance structures, there is a need to understand how social settings and interactions between stakeholders can impact governance. This presentation examines stakeholders’ perspectives of governance in the Iowa Great Lakes region. These lakes are a valuable freshwater system because they are a popular tourist destination and drinking water source for communities, but they reside in a watershed with large amounts of agricultural production and development. Because of these various interests, conservationists must work within a complex governance structure to protect these lakes. This presentation examines conservationists’ perspectives on the region’s environmental pressures, barriers they encounter, and solutions within this system. Our results highlight the difficulties of working with this system to mitigate environmental pressures as well as possible solutions.

MGLP: On thin ice: Are lakes feeling the heat?
2023-04-18 13:00 - 14:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register here

Our planet is experiencing accelerated climate warming, with dramatic consequences not only on lake ecology, but also on the ecosystem services we rely on from our freshwater resources. Lakes with seasonal ice cover, which represent more than half of the world’s lakes, are especially sensitive to a changing climate, as ice cover is a strong determinant of lake ecosystem functioning. Lakes are losing ice cover at unprecedented rates. On average, ice duration is shorter by 17 days/century. However, in the past 25 years, lake ice loss is 6 times faster, with some lakes not freezing every winter. By the end of the century, over 200,000 lakes may no longer regularly freeze and almost 6,000 lakes may permanently lose ice cover with climate warming. With reduced ice cover, lakes may stratify earlier which can lead to elevated water temperatures, primary production, and likelihood of algal blooms, some of which may be toxic. Mitigation of greenhouse gases is essential to preserving this ecological, cultural, and economically important resource.

MGLP: Managing for RADical lake change: applying the Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework to support walleye management in Wisconsin
2023-04-11 13:00 - 14:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register here

Managers facing transforming lakes can benefit from considering broader objectives beyond a traditional focus on resisting change. They can also consider whether accepting inevitable change or directing it along some desirable pathway is more practical and appropriate under some circumstances (the RAD framework). Here, we’ll introduce the RAD framework and highlight a decision-support tool for the walleye recreational fishery in Wisconsin as an example of how to link the RAD framework to real-world management of a large recreational fishery.

Clearwater River Watershed District’s 4th AIS Forum
2023-04-06 17:00 - 18:30 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register here

The Clearwater River Watershed District (includes counties of Wright, Stearns, Meeker) is hosting its 4th AIS Forum. A great line up of speakers is planned, along with information about the District’s enhanced carp management.

The event is free, but registration is required. Click here for more information

Speakers include: Ariana Richardson, Meeker Co AIS Coordinator Cole Loewen, Stearns County Environmental Services Alicia O’Hare, Wright Co Water Resources Specialist Paul Pattee, Clearwater Lake Property Owners Assoc – Clearwater Lake AIS Action Plan & Results from Recent Sediment Studies Bruce Hall, Clear Lake Property Owners Assoc – Clear Lake Harvester Success Story Curt Forst, Wright Co Coalition of Lake Assoc – AIS Strategies for Wright County Associations Jeff Forester, MN Lakes & Rivers Advocates – MN Legislative Updates on AIS

MGLP: Dissolved oxygen in warming lakes
2023-03-28 13:00 - 14:00
Register here

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a fundamental component of lake ecosystems. It is an important attribute of habitat in that low levels make habitat unsuitable for most aerobic organisms like fish. In addition, because of its role in redox reactions, DO strongly influences water chemistry. Low oxygen can result in internal loading of limiting nutrients, accumulation of the greenhouse gas methane, as well as formation of the toxic form of mercury in the water column. Therefore, changes to lake DO strongly impact the functioning of lake ecosystems with implications for drinking water quality, biodiversity, and possibly, fish toxicity. In theory, DO should respond to warming surface waters through a variety of mechanisms. This talk will summarize recently published work that used long-term and geographically extensive lake water quality data to explore the relationship between warming of surface waters and DO.

MN COLA Round Robin
2023-03-14 11:00 - 12:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register Here:
The Round Robin event is an “open mic, ask any question” event. This is your chance to get your topic on the table and find out what other lake and river professionals and supporters think. Just stay online following the Membership Meeting.

MN COLA March 2023 Membership Meeting
2023-03-14 09:00 - 11:00 | In Person, 1st Street Southeast, Little Falls, MN, 56345, United States
Register Here:
Winter is still here, but the 2023 season on the water will be here before you know it. Like most of you, MN COLA continues working during these shorter days to help protect our Minnesota waters. Join us at our March Membership meeting to find out what’s happening in St. Paul related to our priorities and take in the next session on Lake Resiliency. This meeting will feature Rob Karner, Watershed Scientist (Glen Lake Association, Michigan) presenting Riparians in the Driver Seat: Collective Action Can Make a Difference. Joining him will be Dennis Wiand (Zerogravity Aerial) and Ron Reimink (Freshwater Solutions) who leverage drone technology for water quality projects and how they have partnered to move projects forward. We will have updates on our MN COLA Legislative Agenda. The Legislature is no longer divided so we this is a very interesting year and you won’t want to miss this update.
