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Russ Smith, Photographer, The Loon Project At times the glacial northward push by loons can look more like dawdling than caution. So it seemed with Lena, Sheila Johnston’s favorite loon, when, on April 3rd, she stopped to visit Chicago for four days on her return to Upper Gull Lake in north-central Minnesota. She was undaunted by the…

Kirsti Marohn & Ben Hovland, MPR News University of Minnesota PhD student Amanda Schuermann collects snail samples at a private beach on Pleasant Lake in North Oaks, Minn., on Sept. 15. Schuermann is studying whether there’s a connection between aquatic invasive species and an increase in swimmer’s itch cases. Read more.

MPR News by Kristii Marohn and Ben Hovland On lakes across Minnesota, it’s common to see shorelines buffered with boulders, often stretching hundreds of feet across and several feet deep. These barricades of large rocks, known as riprap, are designed to keep soil from crumbling into the lake due to waves or high water. For…

CBS News by Joe Van Ryn & Jeff Wagner It’s peak summer on Minnesota’s Gull Lake Chain. Boats are buzzing, jet skis slicing and loons are calling. “So it sounds like a territorial challenge that’s starting,” said Sheila Johnston, listening to loons in the distance. Johnston, known by her nickname “the Loon Lady,” has made…

Fox9 by Nathan O’Neal The Brief The FOX 9 Investigators recently highlighted a growing push to ban or limit wakesurfing on potentially thousands of Minnesota lakes, citing environmental concerns. Underwater videos released by the University of Minnesota reveal the impact of wakesurfing on lake environments. The study recommends wakesurfing boats should operate at depths of…

The St. Anthony Falls Laboratory study recommends that wake boats should operate in 20 feet of water or greater when in surfing mode to minimize impact to the bottom of the lake. Read more.

MPR News by Dan Gunderson Sheila Johnston on Upper Gull Lake on June 24. She’s long loved photographing loons, but one experience led her to become an advocate for protecting the Minnesota state bird. Read more.

Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research (MAISRC) Press Release

Interview of Sheila Farrell Johnston, Loon Conservancy Committee Chair

Interview of Dorothy Whitmer, Lake Steward Committee Chair