Lake Vermilion Business Owners Expand Their Role in AIS Prevention

The Vermilion Lake Association (VLA) and North St. Louis Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) recently hosted area resort owners, marina owners and campground community leaders to discuss the immediate actions that can be taken on the fight against aquatic invasive species (AIS) threats to Lake Vermilion.

The two dinner meetings, one held on each end of the lake at the Crescent and at the Vermilion Club, were deemed an overwhelming success by Jeff Lovgren, AIS Prevention Program leader for the lake association. Business leaders were more than willing to partner with the VLA and SWCD on boat inspections at their private accesses, on sharing pre-travel information with their guests, on offering AIS materials at their places of business, and to participate in the new Sentry early-detection project at their launch sites.

Lovgren and Terry Grosshauser, VLA President, led the presentation with the recently posted video “Aquatic Invasive Species-Above and Below the Waterline” produced by Wildlife Forever. This “must see” video documents the rapidly expanding problems encountered at Lake Koronis in central Minnesota after starry stonewort, an invasive macro-algae, was discovered there in 2015.

Anita Provinzino, North St. Louis SWCD Administrator, and Emily Nelson, SWCD Watercraft Inspector Supervisor, were both on hand to answer questions and share the importance of the effort.

To learn how you can do your part in the fight against AIS, please contact Jeff Lovgren or Terry Grosshauser.