Volunteers In their own words

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Vernon Bailey
5 years ago
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Volunteers In their own words...reflect on their time spent monitoring our lakes and streams, and share some of their experiences while out on the water.

nature, and to build a common appreciation for our shared waters.

1 Volunteers In their own words...reflect on their time spent monitoring our lakes and streams, and share some of their experiences while out on the water. As so many have noted, the care volunteer monitors take to follow standardized procedures and share results supports water protection efforts, but it also provides opportunities to really notice nature, and to build a common appreciation for our shared waters. Stream volunteers Pat Sullivan, 5-year volunteer on Unnamed Creek, Dakota County The stream that I monitor runs under Cedar Avenue in Lakeville, Minnesota. One day, while in a rush, I parked on Cedar Avenue while checking the stream.i am usually in a designated parking area.upon returning to the car, I found I was being issued a parking ticket.the officer was quite interested in my tube and bucket and asked quite a few questions.i invited him to walk down to the stream where I could help visualize the answers to some of his questions.he agreed. That worked out well.his interest was very genuine, and as a bonus he voided the ticket and thanked me for the volunteer efforts. PS - I am going to take that tube everywhere, but not sure how it would get me out of a speeding ticket Cheryl Wilke, 5-year volunteer on the Knife River, Lake County Stream monitoring is a family affair at this family s cabin. Christiana (age 12) draws a sample from the Knife River and checks out its clarity. She knows that keeping Mother Nature healthy will help to keep her and her family happy and healthy. Terry and Jack Bovee, 10-year volunteers on the Rush River, Sibley County My son Jack and I have enjoyed doing this activity over the years. Living in the Minnesota River valley provides us a close-at-hand, natural window to the interaction between rainfall or drought events, flood stages and how we use land within this watershed. The year-end report of observations is like the Tale of the Tube and is very informative. Keep up the good work!

Michael McKinney, 5-year volunteer on Minnehaha Creek, Hennepin County An interesting comparison of the flooding of 2013 and slight drought of 2012 - both photos of the red Specialized road bike were

Paul and Greg Thompson, 15-year volunteers on Cascade Creek, Olmsted County (see photos above) Reflecting back, it is hard to believe that fifteen years have gone by since Greg and I started

During this time, we have seen many changes at our creek site: multiple revisions to lay rip rap, flash flood levels, a spill that leaked from a truck, and the development of the Cascade Lake public

On each visit to our site, Greg and I often answer questions from walkers and bikers on the nearby trail, to people pausing as they cross over the bridge that are curious about what we are doing and

Peter, Minnesota on seven acres that include a 140 year-old farmhouse and restored native prairies and woodland.

2 Michael McKinney, 5-year volunteer on Minnehaha Creek, Hennepin County An interesting comparison of the flooding of 2013 and slight drought of both photos of the red Specialized road bike were taken at the same location, a year apart, at approximately the same time of year. Paul and Greg Thompson, 15-year volunteers on Cascade Creek, Olmsted County (see photos above) Reflecting back, it is hard to believe that fifteen years have gone by since Greg and I started monitoring our site on Cascade Creek. Greg was only eight years old in 99 and his enthusiasm for environmental science made being MPCA CSMP volunteers a perfect fit for us to share science together. During this time, we have seen many changes at our creek site: multiple revisions to lay rip rap, flash flood levels, a spill that leaked from a truck, and the development of the Cascade Lake public areas upstream. On each visit to our site, Greg and I often answer questions from walkers and bikers on the nearby trail, to people pausing as they cross over the bridge that are curious about what we are doing and why we are doing what we are doing. It is surprising to me how many of them thank us for our efforts. Jim Bonilla, 10-year volunteer on Seven Mile Creek, Nicollet County Jim lives in St.Peter, Minnesota on seven acres that include a 140 year-old farmhouse and restored native prairies and woodland.jim is a writer, certified master naturalist, retired professor and cultural competence consultant. Among his publications is Making Green Organizations Multicultural: Debunking the Myths About People of Color & the Environment which he uses to assist environmental and outdoor organizations become more culturally competent. Barbara Baker, 10-year volunteer on Judicial Ditch 13 in Faribault County Jared Turbes, 5-year volunteer on the Blue Earth River, Faribault County (photo, pg 9) Sometimes I get company when I go to the river - my wife and my little buddy Polito like to go for a ride so they come along with me, but they like it much better on warmer days.i saw an ad about being a volunteer, but came across a gal checking the river, so I stopped and talked to her.she wanted me to take her spot because she monitored another one closer to her home.a friend of mine volunteers for the National Weather Service so there gets to be a lot of talk about rain fall, temperature, river level and quality where we work. Gary Mogren, 10-year volunteer on the Straight River, Rice County My grandsons found this little fellow heading toward downtown Faribault on the pedestrian bridge while we were monitoring the Straight River. After taking several pictures of it to send to the Department of Natural Resources for their identification program, we released this rare little wood turtle into a safer environment. Monitoring my small creek has been interesting, educational, and useful. I have seen minnows, carp, ducks, dragonflies, and a chemical spill from an out of state business that the Department of Natural Resources did stop from flowing further downstream. Normally, because of local erosion control by neighboring farmers, this creek has been rated very clean. The last drought did leave only water puddles in the creek, which eliminated most fish, but the water level has risen since then and minnows have returned. The water level has not been so low for over 30 years. It is good to be able to assist in compiling statistics that may help identify problems that can eventually be improved.

Lake volunteers Arden and Marilyn DeBoer, 25 years Bill Eral, 5 years When I retired in 2009, I was looking for volunteer work, and was assigned to monitor water quality at South Chisago Lake.

Now I take my pontoon to do the water quality check. We have always enjoyed the lake country. So in 1985, we purchased a cabin on Oxyoke Lake near Hackensack. Our family loved it.

Shortly after we bought our lake place, our daughter, Wendy Turri, who is with MPCA, said we should become monitoring volunteers to help keep Oxyoke s water in great condition.

3 Lake volunteers Arden and Marilyn DeBoer, 25 years Bill Eral, 5 years When I retired in 2009, I was looking for volunteer work, and was assigned to monitor water quality at South Chisago Lake. I lived in Maplewood and thought this was a good way to go fishing up north while checking water quality. Surprise - I ended up moving to the Chisago Chain of Lakes in Now I take my pontoon to do the water quality check. We have always enjoyed the lake country. So in 1985, we purchased a cabin on Oxyoke Lake near Hackensack. Our family loved it. Since 1985, our lake and cabin have been such a large part of our lives. Our home is in Lafayette, Minnesota, and we winter for three months in Arizona. Shortly after we bought our lake place, our daughter, Wendy Turri, who is with MPCA, said we should become monitoring volunteers to help keep Oxyoke s water in great condition. We have really enjoyed doing it. Judy and Dave Topinka, 10 years Ken and Betty Simonson, 15 years We are Ken and Betty Simonson. We have a cabin on Burnt Shanty Lake since 1964 and have lived there full time since 1994 when Ken retired. Our lake is not a real big lake, but we have two islands and no one lives on the islands. We live on the north side of the lake at the end of the road. We have beautiful sunsets and enjoy living in northern Minnesota. We have been told by an old timer than lived on the next lake that in 1918, a forest fire went through this area and burned everything, leaving bare hills and valleys We have found old burned tree stumps that are still visible just north of us. John and Gail Boline, 10 years It has been a joy and privilege to monitor the lake I live on with my wife in retirement We are year rounders and find ourselves on the lake often. It only makes sense to monitor it when we are out in the summer. Our lake is on the Whitefish Chain allowing us to play on 14,000 acres of paradise. We have been taking secchi readings at three locations on Lower Hay Lake, part of the Whitefish Chain in Crow Wing County, since The readings have remained fairly consistent over the years and Lower Hay Lake remains an ideal lake for water activities. Two years ago we started taking monthly readings on Hay Creek, a waterway connecting Upper Hay Lake to Lower Hay Lake. Upper Hay Lake has a TSI reading of greater than 50 while Lower Hay Lake's reading is 42. There is a concern that the inflow from Upper Hay Lake will impact the clarity and health of Lower Hay Lake. Our lake association is actively working to keep Lower Hay Lake an ideal place to live.

Margaret and Don Haapoja, 5 years (see photo at right) Volunteering to do the Citizen Lake Monitoring has guaranteed that we spend time enjoying our lake.

Now we are able to get out on the lake at least once a month to do our Secchi disk reading, and the photo was taken on one of those perfect June days.

The oars took me to my 40 hole in the eastern bay and then across the lake to the 90 hole on the southwest big open area.

It was a long swim home to the north shore where I lived, pushing the boat! Finally, the old boat was leaking and had to be bailed every time before I headed out.

4 Margaret and Don Haapoja, 5 years (see photo at right) Volunteering to do the Citizen Lake Monitoring has guaranteed that we spend time enjoying our lake. When we were young we water skied and swam in our lake, but at our age we spend less time in the water. Now we are able to get out on the lake at least once a month to do our Secchi disk reading, and the photo was taken on one of those perfect June days. Betty Sandberg, 15 years For many years my first trips around Big Hanging Horn were made in my husband Don s old Alumacraft duck boat. The oars took me to my 40 hole in the eastern bay and then across the lake to the 90 hole on the southwest big open area. Several times as I leaned over to drop my disk, the boat tipped and dumped me in. I always had the rope tied to my wrist so I wouldn t lose it. It was a long swim home to the north shore where I lived, pushing the boat! Finally, the old boat was leaking and had to be bailed every time before I headed out. Then an Alumacraft canoe replaced the boat and I managed to get dumped out of the canoe a few times also. But, I love this beautiful lake and enjoy participating with fond memories of the Hanging Horn Lakeshore Association. Our deep, cold waters are calm and clean and are judged to be suitable for fishing and recreation. Richard Nelles, 15 years Last summer, when Richard Nelles marked his 15th year of Secchi disk transparency observations at two sites on Washburn Lake, he was also reaching his 43rd year of volunteer work with a variety of DNR programs. He says he is proud to carry on a family tradition of natural resource conservation that inspired him as a young man. He lives year around on the property his parents bought in This property has been on a DNR forest management program since 1969, and 38 of the 40 acres, including 1100 feet of lake shore, are in a conservation easement. He is away in the woods and on the water seven days a week with his volunteer activities, which currently also include live-trapping fishers to be fitted with radio collars for a DNR wildlife management study, lake level observations, ice on and off, loon observations and counts. Richard reports that his interest in the natural world and commitment to conservation values only deepens with the time he spends immersed in the wild. Marjorie Dahlager, 15 years The continued health of Mule Lake is very important.

Richard Lacher, 15 years Some of my other water related work: Serve on the Itasca County Water Plan Implementation Committee for the SWCD; Water Quality Coordinator for the Big Fork River Board, a

year; monitor water levels of Dora Lake for the DNR; collect rain amounts for the U of M.

of silver pearls on her back, which shine, gleam, pure glow! beneath the lake surface: The silver of it! The emerald of its dive! And not a glisten of it for me alone.

5 Richard Lacher, 15 years Some of my other water related work: Serve on the Itasca County Water Plan Implementation Committee for the SWCD; Water Quality Coordinator for the Big Fork River Board, a Joint Powers Board overseeing the Big Fork River Management Plan; developed and managed the River Watch program since two high schools measure WQ at seven sites on the river four times per year; monitor water levels of Dora Lake for the DNR; collect rain amounts for the U of M. Richard Fenton Sederstrom, 5 years Loonshine After all, it is the nature of loons to swim even under boats sometimes but not under this one before, not ours, not until now nor wearing these clusters of silver pearls on her back, which shine, gleam, pure glow! beneath the lake surface: The silver of it! The emerald of its dive! And not a glisten of it for me alone. This elemental lack is oxygen to my moment of joy. What did Francis declare to be perfect joy? My joy, likewise severe and likewise difficult and likewise nowise cursed by perfection, follows the deepening shine of the bird. Steve and Mary Lou Mattana, 5 years (picture, above) Our dream was to move onto a lake in the north woods of Minnesota. When we found our property on Bagley Lake in Leonard we were thrilled. We would be the only people that live on the lake full time. We began the construction process in early 2005 and moved in August. A few years later we had a really bad algae bloom here, and so began our journey into the lake monitoring process. We do secchi readings each summer and have done water sample testing also. The cleanliness of our lake is extremely important to us, as it is our home. We have been told that from our work with the Citizen Lake Monitoring Program actions have been taken to assure that at least one issue that could cause algae has been taken care of. For that we are heartily thankful. We look forward to continuing our work with the CLMP.

The Boating Lifestyle

The Boating Lifestyle Thanks so much checking into the Carefree Boat Club. The club owners and members are fans because we use it ourselves. Boating is a fantastic way to enjoy time with family and friends.