Be an active lake steward (2005-08-29)

How can you help improve the quality of Minnesota's lakes and rivers? It's simple. Show up. Speak up. Write a check. In other words, get in the game.

Get involved. Join your local lake association or neighborhood association. Local development issues, which often impact natural resources, are often guided and inspired by grassroots groups with strong opinions about what kinds of development are appropriate for maintaining the environmental integrity as well as a sense of place in their particular neighborhood.

Make phone calls, write letters and send emails to your elected and appointed officials. Your city council, your planning commission, and your county commissioners need to know how you feel about preserving Minnesota's natural heritage.

Vote in decision-makers who understand the need to balance development with conservation and who will work to make that happen. Campaign for candidates who will stand up for healthy lakes and rivers. And once they're successfully elected, help them accomplish these environmental goals.

Attend and participate in civic meetings to discuss future growth and development in your community. The rules are made by those who show up. They are not made by those who stay at home and watch reruns. Participate in the betterment of your community.

If you can't be as active as you want, write a tax-deductible check to support a nonprofit organization that is working to preserve the natural environment for public benefit. A couple of examples are 1000 Friends of Minnesota and the Minnesota Lakes Association. Run for an elected public office. Become a member of your city council, or become a county commissioner, or get appointed to your local planning commission or Board of Adjustment. Here is where the ultimate decisions are made concerning where and how a community grows, whether a wetland gets filled or not, and if further environmental review is necessary.

Show up, speak up, write a check, and remember the words of anthropologist Margaret Mead, who said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has".

For more information, email the North Central Minnesota Lakes Project (NCML) at lakewaves@dnr.state.mn.us. NCML is part of Governor Pawlenty's Clean Water Initiative.

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