White Iron Chain Of Lakes Association
Aquatic Invasive Species Citizen Sentry Program
Join your friends and neighbors as we learn how to monitor our favorite waters! Much like our ‘rusty crayfish trappers’, WICOLA wants to help you learn how to identify other invasive species and keep an eye on our beautiful chain of lakes.
Despite efforts on the part of numerous state and local agencies, current monitoring efforts are outmatched by the sheer size and number of lakes in Minnesota. In order to prevent additional Aquatic invasive species (AIS) from establishing on lakes in the area and to track the status of already infested lakes, WICOLA is sponsoring a citizen science monitoring education program. This program aims to narrow the monitoring gap by training citizen monitors as ‘sentries’. By keeping an eye on an area they know well, a sentry is well poised to recognize when the health of their lake is changing. Sentries will be given a field guide and training administered by Lake County to aid identification and surveying. Data collected by volunteers will be passed along to Lake County Soil & Water Conservation District and infestations will also be reported to the MNDNR.
Trainings for citizen monitors, structured as a session to learn more about identifying aquatic plants and animals, will be held at a few different lakes in the Ely Area:
June 10th at Shagawa Lake- part of the Great American Canoe Festival offerings
June 14th at Vermilion Lake
June 24th at Farm Lake
July 8th at Burntside Lake
Identification sessions will run from 9am-12:30pm and include classroom and lakeside training. A light breakfast is included. WICOLA is providing these classes to you at no charge as part of a grant received from Lake County to support AIS education. Please consider filling out and sending in the attached registration form; 2017-CitizenSentryRegistration-3.pdf
If you have questions, please contact Mary Setterholm at;
612-741-8761 or
Spread the word, not the species!
When you subscribe to the blog, we will send you an e-mail when there are new updates on the site so you wouldn't miss them.