Wright County COLA 2024 Spring Meeting

Date and Time: May 4th, 9-11am

Location: Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve, Maple Lake

Wright County Coalition of Lake Association’s Spring Meeting is soon here! The feature presentation will be a new initiative “Leave AIS at the Launch”. Wright SWCD will be the source for the DNR-approved signs, posts, and tools for any interested lake association or boat launch owner. The cost of the entire package is only $150 each.  Mark your calendars for the morning of May 4th to hear more about the initiative and network with neighbors. All are welcome!

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Wright Soil and Water AIS Treatment Grants Now Open | Applications due April 1, 2024.

WSWCD AIS Treatment grant application period is now open! There have been important enhancements to the program! Click here for a summary and here are the guidelines .

  1. Applications will be taken online this year. If you need an alternative form, or have questions, please email Alicia.ohare@usda.gov or call 763-614-2919.
  2. All species will be combined into one application this year, do not submit multiple applications.
  3. Proactive searches for new species will be an eligible expense requiring a 1:1 match (50% of total cost). Only one event will be eligible per year.
  4. The match requirements for surveys has changed!  Only surveys verifying a treatment area will be covered 100%. Whole lake surveys will require a 1:1 match.
  5. Pre-treatment surveys will still be required for Eurasian watermilfoil, and starry stonewort.

Click here to apply

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Time to pay 2024 WCCOLA Dues! Still only $25/year

Wright County Coalition of Lake Associations appreciates your support! And it is time to pay 2024 dues! Click here for a membership form.

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Engaging with University of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center

Wright County COLA has a close relationship with the University of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center. In 2023, we had two projects with them:

Spiny Water Flea Hunt | Curt Forst, WCCOLA President, led the hunt on Cedar Lake and Howard Lake. Good news–none of the invasive species were found. Click here for more details about the hunt.

Zebra Mussel Safari | David Glass, Cedar Lake Conservation Club, worked with a research scientist over the summer. The goal is to understand the how and why of the shifts in zebra mussel density, abundance, and distribution within a lake.

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Check out the MN COLA website!

  • You don’t want to miss the new Best Practices in Action information–great projects and ideas for your lake association to leverage and grow.
  • It provides a wealth of links to other relevant sites.
  • Membership renewals are handled online.

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Starry Stonewort: A formidable foe

Starry stonewort is one of the newer aquatic invaders–particularly fearsome due to its aggressive nature and ability to mat and interfere with habitat and recreation. Here are a couple of great videos to provide more information:

Overview of Starry Stonewort from U of Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center

4 Minute Video on How to Identify Starry Stonewort

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Wright County Coalition of Lake Associations Directory

Want to connect with other lakes in your area? A Wright County directory of lakes is available. Please email Kathy Jonsrud at kjonsrud@yahoo.com and a copy will be mailed to you.