Carol Mortenson died September 11, 2004, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Working as a botanist for the Fish, Wildlife and Plant Resources Program of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Carol was active in restoring and preserving native habitat. She was a strong supporter and collaborator with the University of Minnesota Extension Shoreland Education Program. She authored and co-authored many books and articles on invasive plant species and their control (see From Shore to Shore June 2004 issue), and was instrumental in developing the Northern Minnesota Botanical Society, which provides opportunities to learn about local plants and plant communities. She is already missed.

Ron Struss, Regional Extension Educator, University of Minnesota Extension Service, 651-215-1950

The Law: After January 1, 2005, phosphorus fertilizer cannot be used on lawns in Minnesota unless one of the following exceptions is met:

Exceptions: Phosphorus fertilizer can be used on lawns in Minnesota when:

What to look for on your fertilizer bag.

• Establishing a new lawn by seed or sod.
• Soil testing shows need for phosphorus fertilization.
• Fertilizer is applied by golf course staff that have taken state approved training.
• Phosphorus fertilizer was purchased before August 1, 2004 and is used outside of the seven county metro area.

Minnesota law also requires spilled and over spread fertilizer, whether containing phophorus or not, to be cleaned up immediately.

For soil testing information, contact the U of MN Soil Test Lab at 612-625-3101 or visit them at the “Yard and Garden” section on the web.

Look for the middle number! A string of three numbers on a fertilizer bag show its analysis – the middle number being phosphate (phosphorus) content A “zero in the middle” means phosphorus-free fertilizer.

Kent Montgomery, University of Minnesota Extension Service, (888) 241-0720

Why does our lake get murky during the fall? Has curly leaf pondweed made it into our lake? How do we get more young people involved in our lake association? If you have asked yourself any of these questions, you may find the answer in the Outdoor Corps program.

Through the outdoor Corps, local students provide important sampling services for lake associations.

The Outdoor Corps, a University of Minnesota Extension Service program, assists high school students in providing environmental stewardship services for their communities. Students participating in the program are trained in limnology and water sampling protocol and armed with industry-standard equipment. These students then contract with lake associations to monitor water quality within their lake. Typical services include sampling a variety of water quality parameters throughout the summer, such as lake profiles and measures of total phosphorus and chlorophyll-a concentrations, which are processed at a certified laboratory. Sampling results are shared with lake associations through oral presentations, written reports, and a program Web site.

Outdoor Corps students also manage the program budget and make financial decisions throughout the summer. Their budget typically includes salary (students are paid for their participation), mileage, and laboratory analysis fees. Through their participation in the program, students are able to explore careers in natural resources, apply their math and science to real-world settings, learn the basics of operating a small business, work with a variety of community members, and become more-informed consumers of natural resources.

This is an example of the kind of lake information gathered by Outdoor Corps students.

This program not only addresses youth development issues (safe and healthy opportunities to explore careers and experience personal growth), but also provides invaluable services to shoreline property owners in Minnesota. Sampling results, interpretation, and recommendations provided to area lake associations by the students lead lake members to a better understanding of how their lake functions and its overall health, and presumably greater stewardship of their common resource.

The Outdoor Corps is currently operating in Benton, Cass, Crow Wing, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, and Stearns County. For more information about the Outdoor Corps program contact, Kent Montgomery at (888) 241-0720.

Phil Monson,Tana Haugen-Brown, and Sophie Demchik have recently joined the Extension Shoreland Program team. Phil will be working on a six-month appointment to help coordinate Shoreland Volunteers and Woodland Advisors – see his article below.

Sophie Demchik is the new Technical Advisor for Crow Wing County and will be a great addition to our team. Sophie comes to us with a wealth of experience in ecology, horticulture, and biology. She will work with Shoreland Volunteers, shoreland owners and Master Gardeners. You can contact her at demch002@umn.edu; 218-824-1068; fax: 218-828-2424.

Tana Haugen-Brown will be working in Sherburne County as a half-time AFE Technical Advisor. She will provide technical assistance and information in the areas of home/community horticulture and natural resources/ environment. Tana will coordinate Master Gardeners, Shoreland Volunteers, and Woodland Advisor volunteer programs. You can reach her at 763-241-2723 or thbrown@umn.edu.

Calling All Volunteers!

Phil Monson, Cloquet Forestry Center, 218-726-6471.

Volunteers are the hallmark of the Shoreland Program. Your activities are an important part of Extension’s efforts to provide education and information exchange. You are the link that expands that knowledge to a greater community of citizens throughout the state. Past surveys have indicated your strong support of the Shoreland Program, your involvement in volunteer activities, and an interest in staying connected through education events and products like this newsletter. My work over the next few months will focus on gaining a better understanding of how the University might better assist with your needs as a volunteer. My first step as Volunteer Coordinator will be to implement a survey of volunteers guided, in part, by your past responses. Your participation with this survey will be critical.Thank you and have a safe and wonderful summer.

Looking for some new material to adapt for your newsletter, use at an annual meeting, or share to improve shoreland management? There are many, easyto- access educational resources available through the shoreland education program.

Electronic

www.shoreland_management.org

includes basic fact sheets, technical background information, and archives of From Shore to Shore to use for newsletter articles or handouts. Resources on this web site are not copyrighted, but please cite the source and don’t revise the text.

www.extension.umn.edu/water/shore/

provides dates, locations, agendas, and online registration for our shoreland workshops. You can also learn more about the shoreland education program.

Info-U - 1-800-525-8636 or www.extension.umn.edu/info-u

has hundreds of recorded messages and online scripts that you can print out, including many about water resource issues.

Video

Keeping Our Shores

introduces best management practices that property owners can use to protect water quality. VH-06947-WRC. $15.

The Living Shore

reviews the benefits of shoreland vegetation and introduces shoreline restoration. VH- 07129-WRC. $15.

Standing Firm Against Erosion

explains why erosion occurs and demonstrates shoreline stabilization techniques. VH-07130-WRC. $15.

Rivers: Ribbons on Life

illustrates the importance of sound land management practices and informed decisionmaking. VH-07542-WRC. $10.

Water Conservation

stressed the economic savings, improved wastewater management, and reduction in chemical use that results from household water conservation. VH-6948-WRC. $15.

Septic Systems Revealed

describes the basics of septic systems, and features tips for homeowner operation and maintenance. VH-06768-WRC. $15.

Print

Shoreland Landscaping Series

includes four publications compiled as a guide to natural landscaping and shoreline revegetation. PC-07357-WRC. $5.

Protecting Our Waters

is a packet of 18 publications explaining easy and inexpensive BMPs that shoreland property owners can adopt to protect water quality. MI- 06946-WRC. $10.

Turfgrass Management for Protecting Surface Water

Quality provides in-depth information on turf management practices, including the use of fertilizer and pesticides. BU-05726-WRC. $4.

Managing Aquatic Plants in Minnesota Lakes

identifies invasive exotic plants and describes control options, including preventative approaches. FO-06955-WRC. $2.

Septic System Owners Guide

is a fully illustrated guide that includes information on safety, use and operation, maintenance and trouble shooting. PC-06583-WRC. $4.

Video and print products are available from the University of Minnesota Extension Service. To order, call 1-800-876- 8636. Credit cards are accepted. You can also order online.

The North Central Lakes Pilot Project, one of Governor Pawlenty’s Clean Water Initiative projects (established in 2003), includes Aitkin, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, and Itasca counties. In these counties, which host 21 percent of the state’s lakes, and the population is booming with growth rates of 23 and 24 percent, compared with the statewide population growth of 12 percent, impacts from human activities to water quality and habitat are of concern.

Because of the popularity of area lakes, increased development is a given. However, development is possible without causing serious impacts to the very resources (the lakes) that bring people to the area. The pilot project includes seven major objectives that all have solution-oriented work plans. “We are optimistic,” said John Stine, project coordinator, “because support for lakes stretches from cabins to the Capitol. We have the right people working together on these projects. People know our quality of life is linked to the quality of our lakes.”

Projects include:

• Updated shoreland rules will give local government officials more options and alternatives when making land use decisions.
• Conservation easements will allow property owners to direct future use of cherished lands while providing potential tax deductions in the short term.
• The Healthy Lakes and Rivers Partnership program helps citizen leaders develop and implement their own lake or river management plans and measure success.
• The Brainerd Lakes Area Conservation Collaborative (BLACC) offers long-term strategies that balance development and conservation.
• A regional sanitary district will be considered along with a wastewater management plan, capital improvement plan, and district-wide on-site inspections.
• The land use and water quality education project will improve lake management by providing water quality management education and project opportunities for local officials, housing industry professionals and the public.
• The lakes technical team will help define the technical aspects of the projects, provide technical assistance, and report on results.

For further information, please contact Eleanor Burkett, University of Minnesota Extension Service Regional Center, Brainerd, (888) 241-0720.

Three new shoreland education workshops will be offered by the University of Minnesota Extension Service in 2004: Wetland Plant Identification, Maintenance of Shoreland Revegetation Projects, and Curly-leaf Pondweed Management. They are being developed in response to requests by shoreland workshop participants in past years (We really do read your workshop evaluations and take them seriously!) and lake association leaders. These workshops will be added to the Shoreland Volunteer, Shoreland Revegetation, and Aquatic Plant Identification workshops already offered across the state.

The Curly-leaf Pondweed Management workshop is co-sponsored by the Initiative Foundation and Minnesota Lakes Association. It will cover strategies for preventing introduction of curly-leaf pondweed, for its early detection, and for management of it in lakes already infested. Participants will learn to identify the plant and how resource professionals can assist them in developing and implementing management strategies that emphasize restoring the natural functions of the lake.

The Wetland Plant Identification workshop will include a three-hour classroom session that introduces participants to the importance of wetland plants, basic terminology, and use of plant keys. This will be followed by a day in the field, collecting wetland plants, using a key to identify them, and learning how to press and preserve them for future reference.

Participants of the Maintenance of Shoreland Restoration Projects workshop will visit a variety of previously planted shoreland restoration projects in the area. Project leaders will discuss how site preparation, plant selection, and maintenance techniques were used to meet project goals.

The complete schedule of these shoreland education workshops and registration information is posted on the University of Minnesota’s Extension web site.

It’s an obituary for a lake. Meant to be a bit offbeat and eye catching, it shares three main messages:

1. Lakes are being damaged from polluted runoff
2. phosphorus is a key pollutant
3. there are things we can do to help.

The ad, scheduled to run in early October in the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune, is the first activity of a stormwater pollution prevention campaign being conducted by Metro WaterShed Partners. The campaign aims to assist city-based clean water education programs by placing metrowide messages in the media and providing city staff with easy to adapt educational materials.

The web site will start small and grow. This fall it will provide homeowners yard care tips for clean water. Over time it will expand to be a stormwater pollution prevention resource for city staff, educators, and students.

Metro WaterShed Partners is an organization of 40 organizations and agencies involved in water resources education in the Twin Cities Metro area. Grant money for the campaign is coming from the Metropolitan Council, the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. For information on the campaign and MetroWaterShed Partners, contact Ron Struss, University of Minnesota Extension Service, 651-215-1950.

Readers of From Shore to Shore are invited to submit articles, pictures and stories about shoreland or water quality. Share your experiences and ideas with others across the state! Tell us about a project you are working on, send a photo of a project you are proud of (digital or print) or submit a suggestion for an article topic. For submissions, please send materials to Barb Liukkonen, Water Resources Center, 173 McNeal Hall, 1985 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108.

Thanks to those of you who returned the yellow postcard from the June issue of From Shore to Shore news. If you haven’t yet replied, you can still ensure that you will continue to receive this newsletter, by returning the post card, sending an email to Mary Blickenderfer, or calling Ron Struss (651-215-1950). Please note that Mary’s email address was wrong on the original postcard.

As of July 16, about 40% of you had responded. 100 indicated that you’ll access the newsletter electronically in the future. 114 people need to continue to receive the newsletter in hard copy via US mail. Only 14 replied that they don’t wish to continue to receive the newsletter, which says to us that you find the newsletter useful and we should continue to produce it as a way to provide timely shoreland education and information.

Everyone on the mailing list will receive this August issue in hard copy, but those of you who can access it electronically will also get an email announcement so you can check it out online. Beginning in September, we’ll transition to mailing the newsletter only to those people who replied that they want to continue to receive it in hard copy. In the future, if you want to read the newsletter online, you can visit www.shorelandmanagement.org/citizen

This change will allow us to save money, natural resources, and staff time, while maintaining communications and coordination with people like you who are committed to protecting our lakes and rivers. Thanks for your continued interest and support.