Great news for our lakes!

Trash carts have been installed at the three DNR-owned landings!

Thanks to a major advocacy effort behind the scenes, keeping our shorelines clean just got a lot easier. A massive shoutout and thank you to SRCLA board member Steve Weeres and Stearns County Commissioner Jeff Bertram for working hard together to secure these carts for our community boat launches.  Carts have been installed at Co. Rd. 71, MN-22 and Long Lake landings (the Hwy 23 landing is owned by Cold Spring and under their care).

Let's keep this momentum going and protect our waters:

• 🗑️ Use the carts: Empty your boat trash directly into the new bins before heading home.

• 🛑 Secure your loads: Ensure no loose garbage flies out of your vehicle or boat at the landing.

• 🌿 Clean, Drain, Dry: Keep doing your part to stop the spread of aquatic invasive species!

Next time you see Steve or Commissioner Bertram, please give them a big thank you for protecting our lakes!

DNR: Help Protect Minnesota Waters

🌊 Protect our lakes! 🚣‍♂️ Stopping Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) starts with us. Whether you’re a boater, paddler, or lake shore owner, here is how you can do your part to keep Minnesota's waters healthy:

Boaters & Paddlers

• Clean: Remove all visible plants, mud, and debris from your watercraft and trailer before leaving the access.

• Drain: Pull the plug! Drain all water from your boat, livewell, and bait buckets. Keep plugs out during transport.

• Dry: For best results, let your boat and gear dry for 5 days before heading to another water body.

Lake Shore Owners

• Dry Equipment: If you are moving docks, boat lifts, or rafts to a different lake, they must dry for 21 days.

• Professional Help: Consider hiring a permitted Lake Service Provider to safely decontaminate and move your equipment.

Everyone can help!

• Dispose of Bait: Never release unused bait into the water. Put it in the trash.

• Decontaminate: Use high-pressure, hot water (120°F–140°F) to kill unseen AIS.

• Report: See something suspicious? Take a photo, note the location, and report it to the DNR or via EDDMapS.

Let's keep our waters clear for everyone to enjoy! 💧 Go to Aquatic Plant Management and Aquatic Plant Management for Home Owners to learn more. To download the images below as a PDF, click here.

Trends in Minnesota’s Lakes and Rivers

🌊 Big news for Minnesota’s waters! 🚣‍♂️

The latest 2025 report from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) shows that our collective efforts to protect our lakes and rivers are paying off. Here’s the breakdown on how our waters are flowing forward:

• Life is Thriving: Fish and bug communities in our rivers and streams are showing statistically significant improvements! 🐟🐜

• Cleaner Water: Phosphorus levels in large rivers are mostly stable or declining, and nearly a third of monitored lakes show improving water clarity. ✨ 

• Success Stories: Since 2002, 95 lakes and river segments have been healthy enough to be removed from the impaired waters list! 🏆

• The Long Game: Real restoration takes time (often a decade or more), but programs like the Clean Water Fund are making a measurable difference through better land management and community action. 🌱 

• While challenges like "forever chemicals" (PFAS) and nitrates remain, the trend is clear: Minnesota’s water is getting healthier. 💧

Check out the full report to see how our watershed is doing, and visit the Water Quality page to see data on our own Chain of Lakes.

Take a Mom Fishing Weekend

Every year on Mother's Day weekend, all moms across Minnesota can fish for free without a license. For more information see the DNR website here:
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/events/event.html?id=81396

‘Quit mowing’: Turning Minnesota lake homeowners into shoreline stewards, one lawn at a time

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more of MPR’s Kirsti Mahron articles in her "Trouble by the Water" series, covering wake impacts, pros/cons of riprap, and shoreline steward programs. This next MPR article describes the journey that prompted Dorothy Whitmer of the Gull Lake chain to create the Lake Steward program, which has been adopted by dozens of lake associations across the state, including the SRCLA!

Click here to read the article.

To learn more about the SRCL Lake Steward Program, check out the information here, and the current Lake Stewards on the Chain here.

MPCA Volunteer Monitoring Reports and Data

🌊 Curious about the health of your favorite Minnesota lake or stream? 🛶

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has an incredible Volunteer Monitoring Reports and Data portal that puts decades of community-driven science right at your fingertips! Here are the key features you can explore:

• 📈 Transparency Trends: See how water clarity has changed over time with easy-to-read charts. This data helps identify if a lake's health is improving or declining.

• 📊 Annual Data Summaries: Get an in-depth look at the most recent monitoring season, including site-specific statistics and user perceptions of water quality.

• 🗺️ Interactive Maps: Use the map tool to find specific monitoring stations or see which lakes and streams still need a volunteer "eyes on the water".

• 🏆 Aquatic Recreation Assessments: Learn how well a water body supports activities like swimming and wading based on nutrient levels and sediment.

• ❄️ Lake Ice Reporting: Check "ice-in" and "ice-out" dates to track how shorter winters are impacting our local ecosystems.

Did you know? Over 1,000 volunteers across the state contribute this vital data, often providing the only information available for certain bodies of water.

Explore the data or sign up to become a monitor yourself! 🔗 MPCA Volunteer Monitoring

Check out the great work by our Water Quality Team - they could use an extra hand!

Reporter's Notebook: Covering the impact of rock riprap on Minnesota lakes

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more of MPR’s Kirsti Mahron articles in her "Trouble by the Water" series, covering wake impacts, pros/cons of riprap, and shoreline steward programs.

Rock riprap is probably one of the most misunderstood options for addressing shoreline erosion. This MPR article does a good job of explaining the pros and cons of rock riprap versus other options like native buffer zones. If you’re curious about this topic, please reach out to us…we’d love to talk to you about your shoreline!

2026 Youth Watercraft Operator Permit & Water Safety Class

Sponsored by Stearns County Coalition of Lake Associations (COLA)

Stearns COLA is pleased to announce the scheduling of youth Watercraft Safety Classes for 2026.  The COLA helps supervise the classes and provides refreshments including pizza for all participants.  There are only 20 slots for each class. 

Event: Sauk River Chain of Lakes Youth Watercraft Operator Permit & Water Safety Class
Date: Wednesday, June 29th, 2026
Time: Time: 7:00 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Shady's Long Shots - 17467 Fairway Circle, Cold Spring, Minnesota 56320

For details and requirements of this program and to register for this event click HERE. If you sign up and decide you cannot attend please cancel your reservation so others can attend. 

For more information: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/boater-education-law.html

ANNUAL MEETING

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Sauk River Chain of Lakes Association annual meeting is June 13, 9AM at Shady's Long Shots. Agenda is on the calendar. Of special note is we have several members rolling off the board and are looking for a few more people to fill these important positions. Interested? Complete the online form under About Us -> Contact or email Richard Gallea, current SRCLA President at rjgallea@gmail.com.

Spring Photo Contest Winners!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send in their pictures of the Chain for the Spring Photo Contest. We had 27 delightful submissions. Our board enjoyed all of the images, it was hard narrowing it down to just three winners. We'll be featuring all of the images over the coming weeks online. Congratulations, Malissa Mauricio, Brittany Peterson, and Peg Hesse. We hope your enjoy your SRCLA koozies!

Ask The Board: Are Chemicals Safe for Fish?

Steve Reid, SRCLA Board Member since 2023, was recently asked if the chemicals used to control weeds have any negative impact on our fish or other beneficial biological entities (turtles, frogs, dragonflies) in our lakes.  Steve discussed this with one of the Association’s partners (in treatment), Dan McEwen,  Ph.D., CLP, Principal Scientist at Limnopro. Dan’s response is summarized below:

Generally speaking, the risks of any negative effects from chemicals on animals living in/around our treatment areas is less than the risk of leaving nuisance plants growing in the lake.  Dense plant growth leads to reduced oxygen, blue-green algae blooms, and can make foraging difficult for the types of sports fish most people want to catch (e.g., northern, bass, sunfish, walleye, etc.).  Chemicals that go into the lake are heavily regulated by EPA.  It would be misleading to say there was zero risk, but the risks are known and minimal, particularly given that animals can move, and the areas treated in lakes are small relative to the whole lake.

Dan also provided two documents, the first from the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation, a non-profit organization interested in “science-based solutions to restore and maintain sustainable water resources” and the second is a government document written by John Madsen, who is now retired but arguably the world's expert on everything and anything that has to do with plant control in lakes.   You can read through his chapters 3 and 5 here.  

Great questions!  Thank you, Steve, for the follow-up on this important topic!

🧊 Our "Land of 10,000 Lakes" is seeing some major shifts on the ice

The latest data from the MPCA (Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) shows that our ice season is shrinking. Here is what the trends look like for Minnesota and the Sauk River Chain of Lakes:

📉 Across the State

• Shrinking Seasons: Over the last 50 years, Minnesota lakes have lost an average of 10–14 days of ice cover.

• Later Freeze, Earlier Thaw: Since 1967, "ice-in" dates are arriving about 9 days later, while "ice-out" dates are happening 4–5 days earlier.

• Warmer Water: Average surface water temperatures in July and August are now 3.0–3.9°F higher than they were 50 years ago, leading to more frequent algal blooms.

📍 Sauk River Chain of Lakes Focus

• Improving Clarity: While the ice season is shorter, there’s a silver lining for water quality—14 lakes in the Sauk River watershed (including Maple and Maria) are showing improving water clarity trends!

• Chain Reaction: In the Sauk River Chain specifically, Knaus Lake saw a significant clarity boost in 2024, reaching over 6 feet of visibility—a big jump from its usual 4-foot average.

• Ongoing Challenges: Despite these gains, nutrient levels (like phosphorus and nitrates) remain high across the mainstem of the Sauk River, reminding us that there’s still work to be done.

Why it matters: Shorter ice seasons aren't just about less time for ice fishing; they affect fish spawning, water evaporation, and the entire local economy. Check the MPCA’s interactive map to see how your favorite lake is changing! MPCA

👷JOIN THE CREW👷‍♀️

Here is a call to action for anyone willing to make an immediate impact on water quality! We will be doing our annual spring Adopt-a-Highway clean up on May 2nd. We are responsible for the two mile stretch of Hwy 22 from the public access to the Cozy Corners Main entrance. We will meet at the Hwy 22 public access at 9AM. Please contact Jon Folkedahl if you can join the crew by - his email is folkedahljon@gmail.com@gmail.com.

🌊 Help Us Protect the Chain! 🌊

It’s time to renew your membership for the upcoming season! As a member-driven, volunteer organization, your support is what allows us to continue our mission of preserving and protecting our beautiful waters.
🚤 Renewing is Easy! You’re just one click away.

And while you’re here on the website, you can check out the latest:
📊 Water quality reports
📅 Upcoming community events
🌼 Lake Stewards on the Chain
📰 The latest association news
Once you've renewed, you'll receive your 2026 membership decal to display on your boat or vehicle. Together, we are making a difference. Let’s keep our lakes healthy and vibrant for years to come. See you out on the water! ☀️

Legislative Update - Jet Skis & Hours of Operation

Minnesota Lakes & Rivers (MLR) was asked by jet ski advocates if they would support legislation to pull in the operating hours to start at 8:00 am rather than 9:30 am. MLR sent a survey to 2,000 members and were surprised to see a 33% response rate and a clear trend. The vast majority do not support extending the morning operating hours! Click here to view MLR's report.

Ice Out Dates

After this weekend's storm, summer on the lakes might seem like it will never come - but it will! If you recall, late last fall, we asked you to help us track the ice in dates across the chain. Now it's time to track the spring ice out dates.

The ask? Monitor your lake, and when you see conditions matching the official ice out definition found on the Ice In/Ice Out page on our website, reply to the Facebook post with 1) lake name 2) date of observation 3) photo if possible.

All valid submissions will be entered in a drawing for an SRCLA Goodie Bag. Timing depends, of course, on Mother Nature! But this new ice-out tool from UMN might give us some insight. https://seagrant.umn.edu/programs/recreation-and-water-safety-program/mn-ice-out-clock

10 key data points and graphs about loss of shoreline on Minnesota’s lakes

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more of MPR’s Kirsti Mahron articles in her "Trouble by the Water" series, covering wake impacts, pros/cons of riprap, and shoreline steward programs. This article has a lot of great information about recent trends regarding the development of shorelines across Minnesota. It includes a look-up table of shoreland building permits by county.  Here’s what Stearns Co. look like:

There are also look-up tables for shoreline habitat quality and nutrient impairment by lake. To read the full article click here.

2025 SRCLA Lake Monitoring Report

The 2025 SRCLA Lake Monitoring report has been compiled by Abi Borgerding of the Sauk River Watershed District (SRWD). The SRWD and the SRCLA board have worked together for decades on our shared goal of improving water quality. This year's report summarizes data taken from periodic water samples from six lakes on the Chain: Horseshoe, Cedar Island, Bolfing, Krays, Knaus and Schneider. Both flowage and non-flowage lakes are deliberately sampled to provide a complete picture of the health of the Chain.

Click here to read the full report. If you have any questions about the report, please contact our Water Quality lead, Jon Folkedahl, at folkedahljon@gmail.com.

Big news for Minnesota bass anglers!

Minnesota anglers who like to fish for bass will now have the opportunity to catch the fish year-round. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has added a new catch-and-release season for bass. The new regulations cover both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The harvest season remains the same, but the new catch-and-release rules went into effect on Monday and include no fishing closures moving forward.

Read more here: https://wjon.com/minnesota-bass-fishing-year-round/

2025 Membership by Lake

The SRLCA appreciates the support of its members!   Revenue from memberships is a major factor in our ability to fund the many initiatives that aim to continue to improve water quality on the Chain.  And a high membership level affirms our collective commitment to partner with our neighbors toward our many shared goals.

The chart below shows the number (inset in the blue bar) and percentage of addresses by lake (the number on top of the bar) that purchased a 2025 SRCLA membership.  As you can see, membership percentages tend to run between 20 - 30%, with a couple of notable exceptions (we’re talking about you, Park Lake and river residents!).

Income from memberships, grants and charitable gambling helps fund aquatic invasive species (AIS) management, as well as projects like the I-LIDS stations at the public landings and the sign & mirror we installed in the channel between Long and Horseshoe Lakes.  For 2026, we’re working with the Sheriff’s Department to improve communication in the event of temporary no-wake designations, including the fabrication of signs to be deployed on bridges to improve awareness by boaters.

The SRCLA board and our members want to grow membership numbers by each lake so we can work as a larger group towards the shared goal of keeping the Chain that we all love, healthy for many years to come.

A stretch goal is to get every lake’s participation percentage up to the level of Park Lake!

So, if you aren’t currently a member or have let your membership lapse for a while, please consider a 2026 membership and join the party!