The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources seeks public input on the management plans for 19 lakes and two streams near Ely.
The lakes in question are Deep, Halfmoon, Shipman Bass, Browns, Cold, East Twin, Everett, High, Hobo, Joseph, Lost, Mitchell, Picket, Pine, Tofte, St. Mary’s, Wind, Spree and Ennis. The streams are Grassy Creek and Section 30 Creek.
Every year DNR fisheries staff prepares or revises individual lake and stream management plans for several waters in each management area.
The DNR’s lake and stream management plans seek to describe the past, present, and desired future conditions of the water body and the fish community. According to the DNR, they include background on the lake including water chemistry, temperature, and what species are present. The plans help identify goals and objectives for the fish community and identify specific management activities planned for the next 10 to 20 years.
“These management plans are the basis of how we make fishery decisions for individual lakes and streams,” Edie Evarts, Tower area fisheries supervisor, said in a DNR media release. “Public comment is important as we create and revise goals in a plan. Input is important in complex management where we have special regulations, but can also be incorporated into a simple plan for a small lake by allowing us to gather information from the public that is not collected by survey crews.”
Citzens can review current plans for lakes and streams as well as recent fish population assessment information at the DNR’s Tower Fisheries office, 650 Highway 169, Tower, MN. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. To request a copy of any lake or stream management plan listed above, email dena.weber@state.mn.us. Comments or questions about the plans may be directed to edie.evarts@state.mn.us.
Public comments on these lake and stream management plans will be taken through Monday, March 30. Suggestions for management of any of the other lakes and streams in the Tower area are welcome at any time and will be considered when those plans are due for review, according to the DNR.