Tips and tales about keeping water clean
On January 22, the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources approved $13.9 million in Clean Water Fund grants to improve water quality in lakes, streams, and groundwater aquifers across the state. Forest Lake emerged as a big winner in this round of funding, with the Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District securing two…
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Watershed tour highlights projects on Shields Lake Once upon a time, a handsome prince ruled over the Kingdom of Bohemia. Within his family’s estates, Prince Schwarzenberg had elegant palaces, imposing castles, and 20,000 acres of carp ponds. The hardy fish were a symbol of opulent wealth and provided a steady source of delicious, nourishing food…
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Lakes International Language Academy & Forest Lake Area High School both gain recognition for environmental initiatives The fourth grade students at Lakes International Language Academy (LILA) have been learning a lot about water this year. “We have a science unit about matter and have focused on water throughout the year,” explains teacher Roberto Izquierdo. “It…
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Jack MacKenzie is a former golf course superintendent with a passion for eco-friendly lawn care and community volunteerism. Craig Mattson operates a cattle farm in southern Chisago County, which employs managed rotational grazing and specially designed fencing to protect wetlands on his property. Though the two might not have much in common, they both care…
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It was a beautiful night for Arts in the Park; the air was cool, the storm clouds had passed, and a Beatles tribute band was rocking the pavilion. My Forest Lake friends – a damselfly larva and a crawling water beetle – were swimming to the beat of the music in a container full of…
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Rain carries everything that lands on our streets — trash, leaves, grass clippings, automotive fluids, and even dog poop — into lakes, streams and wetlands via storm drains and pipes that run underground. Even so, many people think their actions don’t matter if they don’t live near the water.
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The state has 11,842 lakes and 69,000 miles of rivers and streams, and Minnesotans intend to hunt, fish, boat and swim every one of those water bodies.
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Analysis conducted by Emmons & Olivier Resources, Inc. (EOR) for the Comfort Lake – Forest Lake Watershed District indicates that the City of Forest Lake could keep an additional 137 pounds of phosphorus and 169,793 pounds of solids out of local lakes if it began sweeping twice a month with a regenerative air sweeper.
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On Saturday, June 3, a variety of outdoor and family-friendly activities are scheduled around the east metro to help kick-off the summer. Events include WaterFest at Lake Phalen in Maplewood/St. Paul, Explore Your Parks Day at Washington County Parks, and Lake Fest in Forest Lake.
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Water quality problems in the Sunrise River harken back to the early 1900s when farmers ditched many stretches of the river in order to dry out nearby wetlands to plant crops.
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