1st in a Series: Lake Minnetonka’s Health

Please attend Monday, May 12 Orono City Council meeting to voice your concerns

Is there anything more important than the health of our dearly loved Lake Minnetonka?

That’s why we wondered how so many people could be talked into dumping chemicals - some banned in the EU for harming pets (and thereby fish and other wildlife) - and some named “forever chemicals” into Lake Minnetonka? Is it because the powers that be used unsuspecting neighbors who know nothing about lake habitat to sell their chemicals?

Let’s not be shy. This is an Erin Brockovich moment for all of Lake Minnetonka. If you have signed petitions promising to help lake quality by killing invasives and not harming native plants, you need to ask for specific data and/or proof as to exactly how they are going to do that. Fyi their own studies refute this claim. See Carmen Bay Data here: https://www.friendsoforono.org/stewardship-lids

We also need to ask who exactly is benefiting from this program. The Lake Minnetonka Association (LMA)? The Chemical company? It’s certainly not benefitting any lakeshore residents for the natural habitat to degrade or diminish.

LIDS actually shift legal responsibility and liability to the City, the LID AND THE HOMEOWNERS from the DNR and State of MN. By the way, all Residents around the LID could be taxed for said treatments whether they want them or not. Sounds like a deal from the Denny Days doesn't?

Their Story Doesn’t Add Up

How can you dump chemicals into a body of water that is moving constantly, and keep them in one area? How do you know that natives and invasives aren’t cohabitating? How do you know if certain wildlife aren’t right next door or under the silt or going to pass by? Do you know what native Coontail looks like?

No, most likely you do not, and corralling harmful chemicals in a moving body of water just isn’t logical. Is this why unknowing residents need to do their own homework. (See all the links below).

As an example, the Carmen Bay LID data shows that native Coontail has diminished in 2019 from 65% to 34% in 2024. These chemicals killed nearly half of the native Coontail and surely it’s killed other wildlife and plant life. Why isn't the LMA ensuring before and after treatment studies? Why only after treatment? Why focus on the invasives and not the natives?

Suffice it to say Carmen Bay appears to be slowly getting stripped of its naturally occurring natives and self cleaning elements along with undesirable “weeds”.

Also of note, the Carmen’s Bay LID was formed during the Denny Walsh administration which was notoriously anti environment. Please see more about the chemicals being dumped into our lake here: https://www.friendsoforono.org/stewardship-lids

They want Stubbs Bay to “Sparkle?”

Now let’s point out a few facts about the April 14, 2025 Orono City Council meeting where three individuals showed up to promise “pool level quality” in what was once one of the great rice lakes in Minnesota.

Asking for Stubbs Bay to be “clear” and “sparkle clean” means you think you can offset the decades of farm chemicals and current residents’ lawn chemicals. It also means that you can clear the mucky bottom that is naturally occurring. Meanwhile, as you clear the lake’s own ability to clean itself, you will have to continually treat for the foreseeable future to maintain the artificial and unachievable “sparkle” quality you have promised. Sounds like a boondoogle for the chemical company and??

During this meeting, one of the Council members noted that there ISN’T a significant weed problem in Stubbs Bay according to the presented statistics - less than .1% Pondweed and only 11% Milfoil in order to warrant such treatment. One wonders how much damage the chemicals are doing for such a small problem.

In fact, there was a lot of missing data, including facts about said chemicals and case studies about treatments. Why isn’t all that data on the Stubbs Bay website? (And no, the screenshot typed up information isn’t good enough. It needs to be from a credible source and labeled with dates and actual institutions that can confirm the data).

What about the replacement of natives? What about new designated wetland areas? What about encouraging homeowners to reduce their lawns and add native habitat? Let’s ask to consider holistic plans that do not harm the lake in the near and long term. And just a reminder - we are all stewards of the lake. Do we really believe that a few individuals have the right to strip out the native environment now and into the future?

Cast of Characters - LMA/Stubbs Bay LID

And now let’s point out that there are several curious positions on the board of the LMA - namely Amanda Walsh who we all know supported her husband Denny Walsh going against Orono City code to clear cut their own bluff, he also filled in a wetland, and handed out public land to his friends.

Mr. Lee Harren holds a position on the board of the LMA as “Treasurer/Secretary”. He also has one of the largest lawns in the area that regularly has chemical runoff into Stubbs Bay through the wetlands and the fresh water stream.

Ms. Karena Casey with again, one of largest lawns in the area, and thereby runoff that drains directly into the fresh water stream and into the lake from their own property. Both the Caseys and the Harrens could make an immediate difference by reducing their lawn sizes.

And Mr. Eric Evenson, self-admitted flip-flopper, and former administrator of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District. Weren't you ousted Mr. Evenson? (see article here https://www.startribune.com/minnehaha-creek.../256789611) The main point is how angry and misleading he was during the meeting (link below). Mr. Evenson promised a lot of data that was missing and we are still waiting for all that information.

We now know Mr. Evenson is in a big fat hurry to build these LIDs all over Lake Minnetonka. Harrison’s Bay - watch out because he’s already over there telling stories to the unsuspected. And we just found out that there are homeowners around Brackett’s Point being contacted, is this because Judd Brackett is on the board?

This is perhaps the greatest point of all - Forest Lake residents did their own research and decided that a LID was not a good idea. They stopped and changed direction once they did their own homework. So please, if you do not want to take our word for it - see these places for resources and let’s stop harming our greatest natural asset together.

City of Orono City Council Meeting 4/14/2025 - Look for Item 12

https://oronomn.new.swagit.com/videos/339967

#TogetherWeAreBetter

#CommunityThatCares

@friendsoforono