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