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j who'd bought a cabin on a beautiful Minnesota `lake. As they spoke of the new cabin Duerre _ asked if he had a lawn and what type oflawn care `~, ~~ or shoreland protection he was practicing. The f i d h r en was appy to report he had a gorgeous ~~ ~ ~ ' i .° green lawn right down to the water's edge. ~ r 'i ~ Duerre explained this damaged water quality as ' - ~ + fertilizer and other runoff dumped into the lake. _ zx + .r ~ ~ ,. : i His friend then responded in saying the lakes "up =~~ <~ ~. ~ here" are so clean and clear, nothing can hurt . ~ ~_~' ~'_~ them. Unfortunately, says Duerre, this mind set ~ is not entirely uncommon. j '~ - ~ ~ ~ Although Duerre look -his readings, ' '~ recorded. the data and sent it in for many years, he I : ~ ~ ~ explained he grew frustrated as nothing seemed to )) ~~ ,~ ~ a happen: Simultaneously he was attending meet- ~ - - . ~~Y ' ~ ings held by government officials, hopeful for .~, x' ~ '_ ~'~' ~ .,ti ` preservation and restoration strategies. Yet, time - _ _ c ~ .'-' ° _j . and again, the message was fuzzy. The experts . ` ' knew the causes, but politics and public pressure ' Duerre wasn t phased. He simply learn-~~ the new clouded the message, and the true causes weren't skill; added it to his repertoire and started collect- being addressed. It felt as though his efforts were ing the data. One interesting finding, Duerre disappearing into the clutches of bureaucracy. notes, indicated the water quality of Black Dog However, Duerre feels- the times are Lake, emptying into the Minnesota River, was undeniably changing. He .has noticed some dirtier than that of the river itself. This finding. hopeful trends, such as active lake associations, was remarkable as common perception assumed . .city councils passing lake noise control ordi- the wetland lake was purifying water and empty- ' nances, or improving water quality. in some of = ing cleaner waters into the river. Minnesotan lakes. Although his labors have pro- Most recently, Crow Wing County's duced countless successes over the years, when first Silver Lake became the Iucky benefactor asked to recall some triumphs, Duerre of athree-decade long, veteran lake could not evoke the accomplish- qualty monitorwhen Duerre and ~...^--"~~` -; 44 _ ,$~~.~ ~ ,~ menu of his work. It's this his wife relocated their summer ~= ,,~~ humility which seems. to fur- cabin in July 2004. This beauti- ~-'z~ ~- ther illuminate the achieve- ful little 200 acre lake seems i^'s~~,i ~ `~ - ~„ menu of a true environmental quite a_fitting location for Duerre ~ w ±' 4 steward. to carry on ..his monitoring prat- `'' Certainly the numerous rites. The crystal clear waters allow efforts and successes highlighted in hire visibility down to 14 feet, the lakes great- this 'artide are merely a'few of-the many: est depth. Moreover, glancing out across the accomplished over the past 30 years. Nevertheless, waters at an undeveloped shoreline and hearing- it's really the big picture we should strive to under the. quiet of a gentle wind, now somewhat st:rtrd. Duerres words explain it best in simply:, uncommon on many lakes, give it the appearance stating, "Get involved and stay involved.-and try of a protected wilderness lake. Indeed'an appro- to ,et :more people involved. Become aware of priate setting.for_Duerre. ~i~hat's happening to-your lake-understand how When asked about his greatest actions on land affect .your water." And as he challenges through th'e years. of monitoring, thoughtfully discusses the fitntrc of Minnesota's ` Duerre explains ~ the struggle to create' public waters Duerre ~ tallcs~ about the .importance of awareness of problems sand possibilities for ittvol~in~ youth, instilling the experience and change. He elaborated on the difficulty-'in> " value necessary for life-tong-environmental stew- convincing t11em°[the general public] that it's ' ardship. Infact,he is already-.busy on his. next important and helping them understand they ca^ task, working. to get a few teenagers imrolved in have an impact if they get involved: And that monitoring Slack Dog Lake. Duerre practices logically (cads to in$uencinggovernmentalbodies ~ what he preaches, perhaps you can Icnd a hand. `and polio ies_" Duerre also shared a story of friend Page 7