Sensitive Shores

2009 Update - Sensitive Shores Report

The DNR has the full report completed. You can find it at: Little Boy Wabedo Sensitive Shores Report

2008 Update - Vegetation Survey

The DNR plans to have the full report completed for Little Boy and Wabedo in the winter of 2008-2009. They have already completed the vegetation study report - other survey reports will follow. Below is the link to the DNR site where the vegetation report is located.

Little Boy Wabedo Vegetation Survey

2007 Update - Intra-Lake Use Reclassification

Cass County and the Minnesota DNR have teamed together to create the Intra-Lake Use Reclassification Project. This project will attempt to use scientific survey data to determine which portions of a lake should be reclassified to provide additional resource protection for sensitive areas of a lake. Today an entire lake is classified as one of the following: GD-General Development, RD-Recreational Development, NE-Natural Environment. Each of these classifications have different setbacks and other development criteria. This project would allow for re-classification of portions of a lake by using the survey data to define these areas.

The project started with some pilot lakes - Ten Mile, Birch, Leech and Woman. Surveys are hopefully being completed this year (except for Leech which will take 3-4 years). The surveys include: acquatic vegetation mapping, fish species, frog surveys, bird surveys, shoreland plant surveys. Data is collected every 200 meters across the lake. When the data has been compiled, each data point is given a score based on what was found at that location and the higher scores indicate areas that may need additional protection. These areas are called Resource Protection areas and Cass County is working on creating ordinances that help protect these areas. The ordinances may include higher setbacks, more buildable area, etc.

The DNR and Cass County are now beginning the surveys on the next set of lakes: Little Boy, Wabedo, Ada, and Long. If you see the DNR along the shores of Little Boy or Wabedo and wonder what they are up to, they are probably doing one of the surveys. By the way, the frog survey is done at night or late evening by calling frogs and listening for the frogs to answer.

This project could lead to additional controls being placed on portions of our lakes - areas that are resource sensitive such as spawning grounds, rare plants or animals, etc.