Fireworks over the lake are once again planned for July 3rd, 2024 at dusk. The costs for a July 4th show are unaffordable so the organizers at KABOOM are keeping with July 3rd. These are paid for by your donations so please be generous and chip in when the request for help comes out.
As part of our ongoing effort to preserve and improve the water quality and recreational enjoyment of Lake Minnewashta for all, the LMPA will be treating Aquatic Invasive Plants again this year. We wish to keep all of you well informed and this is Notice that we will be treating various areas of Lake Minnewashta for AIS .
We will be using the 2023 Invasive Weed survey to guide our treatment plans this year.
Our plans to reduce the impact of the growing invasive weeds include two treatment periods. The first treatment is for Curly-leaf pondweed(CLP) which is an invasive plant that grows in the spring and early summer. The objective of the curly leaf pondweed treatment program is to treat the heaviest growth of CLP to improve the water quality and recreational use of the lake. The proposed treatment areas may be within 150 feet of your shoreline. The DNR requires us to notify property owners of the treatment with this announcement. The treatment methods will follow Department of Natural Resources’ guidelines and permit.
Curly Leaf Pondweed will be targeted, as in previous years, with the chemical Dibrox (Active Ingredient 37.3% Diquat), an EPA and DNR approved chemical for this use and no restrictions for swimming or fishing following application. This treatment will be completed in April as Curly Leaf Pondweed is actively growing now and needs to be performed at the correct water temperature.
If you do not want the treatment to occur adjacent to your property (within 150 feet from shore), please notify us immediately at info@lakeminnewashta.org.
Eurasian Water Milfoil will be targeted for treatment later this spring with the product 2,4-D This is an EPA and DNR approved product has also been very effective in the past and has also resulted in a reduction of the areas needing treatment. Treatment areas will be determined by the most recent weed survey.
Float signs will be placed in the affected areas when these treatments are made. There are very few water use restrictions with these chemicals, but property owners should take note of the information on the float signs if treatment is done in their area. For more information, please contact us.
The cost of these treatments is funded by the generous donations of LMPA members and is an important step in maintaining the superior water quality that we all enjoy. If you are a lakeshore property owner or a fan of the lake and don’t already belong, please consider joining LMPA and help by providing a donation to support this important program. More information can be found on our website.
Thank you for your consideration and support!
GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO INSTALL A BEAUTIFUL ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY PROJECT IN YOUR YARD AT A VERY FRIENDLY COST!!
The LMPA grant program for all residents within the Minnewashta Watershed (see map below) is now open for applications. Projects can consist of runoff areas and/or rain gardens that retain water from running into the lake or storm sewer system, draining through soil and native vegetation filtration. Benefits are in preventing phosphorus, nitrogen, and chlorides from entering waterways, resulting in less algae development and better water quality for a natural habitat.
This is a time sensitive opportunity to obtain the cost-free installation from CCM. There may be a limited number of installation days available.
We have several potential grants involved in this opportunity and we thank all of our partners for their help and cooperation. The potential exists to receive 50% of cost in grants to help pay for your project.
Interested parties should contact the following, with approval from LMPA and CSWCD, Metro Blooms will then help with consultation, design and filling in the applications.
Seth Ristow – sristow@co.carver.mn.us, Landscape Restoration Specialist, CSWCD
Kevin Zahler – kjzahler@hotmail.com, Minnesota Water Steward, LMPA
The Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association’s annual meeting and Pot Luck Dinner is scheduled for Sunday October 29th from 4PM to 7PM at the Campfire Minnesota dining center. We will be providing hot dogs and fixings so please bring your favorite beverage and a dish to share. This is a great time to catch up and meet your neighbors and hear an update on what’s going on with Lake Minnewashta. The Camp’s address is 3300 Tanadoona Drive
AGENDA:
4 – 5 PM Registration and Social Hour
5 – 5:30 Dinner
5:30 – 6:30 LMPA Annual Meeting
6:30 – 7 Clean up and meeting close
So we have an idea of how many hot dogs we will need, please RSVP to Helen Gunther at hgunther57@gmail.com or 612-986-4073
Post compliments of Blue Thumb and Metro Blooms! See original post HERE
On a summer day at Lake Minnewashta, Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowaand Metro Blooms Design+Build crew members gathered in a resident’s yard to remove a large patch of sod and shape out a new garden bed. After a long day of digging, mulching, and planting, a new spread of small green tufts dotted the shoreline—a diverse mix of native plants including Bebb’s sedge, black-eyed Susan, marsh blazing star and wild bergamot. In time, these plants will fill in and create a buffer to help provide pollinator habitat and, with their deep roots, protect the water quality of Lake Minnewashta.
This is just one of four community-focused runoff projects in the last two years at Lake Minnewashta. As part of Metro Blooms Design+Build’s Neighborhood of Raingardens program, the Lake Minnewashta Preservation Association (LMPA), Carver County Soil and Water Conservation District, and the City of Chanhassen have been getting lakeshore residents involved in creating native plantings and buffers to increase habitat and help filter stormwater runoff.
“Native plant species provide fish and wildlife habitat and soil stabilization through their long roots and stems,” says Jennifer Moeller, Neighborhood Project Manager and Landscape Designer at Metro Blooms Design+Build. Some native plants, such as Bebb’s sedge, thrive in partially submerged environments, while other native plants like blazing stars and bergamot prefer a drying environment. As their roots grow deeper, they help stabilize the soil and become a natural woven filter for runoff, Moeller explains.
Filtering stormwater runoff that ends up in our lakes and rivers is an important step towards improving Minnesota’s water quality. With almost 12,000 lakes and 6,500 natural rivers and streams, Minnesota has an abundance of water resources. However, 56% of our state’s water bodies fail to meet state water quality standards. In 2022 alone, 305 lakes and streams were added to Minnesota’s impaired waters list. One big reason for that? Our loss of natural shorelines.
Conservation Corps of Minnesota & Iowa members working on the Lake Minnewashta shoreline planting.
“Before human development, lakes, rivers, ponds, and any other bodies of water were all kept functioning cleanly within their ecosystems. Much of this is due to the vegetative cover surrounding the water,” explains Kyle Thurston, a Landscape Design Assistant with Metro Blooms Design+Build who helped with the Lake Minnewashta planting. As native vegetation has been gradually replaced with impervious surfaces like roads, houses, and industrial buildings, pollutants and excess nutrients easily flow over these surfaces and directly into the water. Today, about half of Minnesotan’s natural shorelines have been lost to development.
“Stormwater from impervious surfaces, lawns, bare soil and lake basins all come in contact at shorelines,” Moeller shares. “It’s vitally important to design and install these areas with care.” Even lawns do little to protect the shoreline and water. Typical turfgrass roots barely sink deeper than a few inches, not enough for infiltration of a lot of water. According to the Natural Shoreline Partnership, mowed shorelines allow 7 to 9 times more pollutants to enter the lake than a more naturally vegetated shoreline. Replanting shorelines with native species provides more effective filtration.
Restoring Resilient Shores
All of us are responsible for protecting Minnesota’s shorelines. Through the Shoreland Management Act, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources sets shoreland regulations and shoreland development standards for local governments to implement. But community-led efforts involving residents, like at Lake Minnewashta, are critical for restoring our shores. Counties and cities then implement those regulations through local zoning. The landscaping decisions you make on your property have a direct impact on the health of your lake, stream, or river.
If you are lucky to have undisturbed shorelines, keep it that way! It’s much harder to restore a natural shore once it’s gone. If you don’t, consider reviving your shoreline to its natural state by removing retaining walls and old docks, installing erosion control and incorporating native plants that bring water quality benefits and increased wildlife habitat to the surrounding area. Even adding an unmowed strip of native vegetation between developed land and the water’s edge is a great start towards restoring shoreline.
| A shoreline planting begins with a planting design. The plants for the Lake Minnewashta project were selected based on factors like sunlight requirements, soil moisture, and proximity to the lake. To create a layered effect, smaller sedges and flowering perennial species were interspersed in a matrix of taller grasses and perennials. Check out Blue Thumb’s new Resilient Shorelines online learning series for more project guidance! |
Chris Ototo from Metro Blooms Design+Build works on plant placement during a 2022 shoreline planting at Lake Minnewashta.
“If created well, the shoreline buffer can preserve and greatly enhance a water body’s water clarity, cleanliness, and habitat value,” Moeller shares. “It can also reduce soil erosion, and property loss over time.” Beyond water quality protection, natural shorelines cost less to maintain, adapt better to changes in precipitation and lake levels, and provide both beauty and privacy as plants fill in.
Shifting social norms is a necessary step in restoring our shores. Individuals and lake associations have a lot of opportunities to promote and build community around their lakes. While working on the Lake Minnewashta planting, Thurston was inspired by the other properties on the lakefront. “I felt a sense of reassurance glancing around… there’s beginnings of some impressive native plantings along the shoreline. Seeing the work we were doing and the impact it may have in encouraging others was a great feeling,” Thurston shares.
To learn more about how your neighborhood, lake association, or city can work with Metro Blooms to get raingardens and shoreline plantings in more yards, visit their Neighborhood of Raingardens page.
We’re approaching historic low water levels so be aware of submerged boulders around the lake. Not all of them are marked with a buoy so be mindful. Here’s a map of risky rocks and boulders and an interactive map for your use. Click the link HERE.
Also be careful when using the Carver Park boat launch to load your boat. If you back your trailer too far into the lake, you might drop the wheels over the edge of the concrete ramp and have difficulty pulling it out. Use caution!
