Morrison County Lake Improvement Districts (LIDs) and associations recently put in their requests for a share of the county’s $50,000 in annual Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) grant funding. Land Services Director Amy Kowalzek presented the applications and funding recommendations to the County Board of Commissioners during its Tuesday, March 19 planning session.
A total of $73,361.28 was requested this year by the various lake organizations, exceeding the available budget. As in past years, some groups returned unused funds from completed projects. This allowed $9,061.28 to be rolled over, bringing the total available to $59,061.28.
Kowalzek’s committee, including Commissioners Mike LeMieur and Robert Kasper, reviewed the applications. They looked to balance funding mature programs with established needs against supporting fledgling efforts ramping up AIS prevention and treatment.
Adjustments were made from the original requests, with all entities receiving at least partial funding. Established groups saw reductions to their requests. Meanwhile, programs just getting started on lakes were recommended for full requested amounts.
Breaking the numbers down, Kowalzek passed out a sheet of paper showing exactly how much the different LIDs and associations requested and how much was recommended that they receive. The Sullivan LID and Lake Association requested $15,103, with their recommended total being $12,353; the Shamineau LID requested $19,800 and had its recommended total as $12,550; the Platte Lake Owners Association requested $6,770 and was recommended to receive $5,770; the Green Prairie Fish Lake Owners requested $7,153.60 with their recommended total being $6,153.60; the Fish Trap LID requested $5,500 and got a recommended total of $4,200; and the Lake Alexander LID’s request of $8,000 was reduced to a recommended total of $7,000.
Of these LIDs and associations that had their recommended totals reduced from their total amounts requested, the Shamineau LID received the largest recommended cut, a $7,250 decrease from their total amount requested, while the Platte Lake Owners Association, Green Prairie Fish Lake Owners and Lake Alexander LID all tied for the closest recommended totals to their requests, with each receiving a recommended total of $1,000 less than requested.
There were three LIDs or associations that did receive recommended totals equal to their requested amounts. The Pine-Cedar Lakes Association was recommended to receive the total amount requested, $4,010.68, and the Crookneck LID and Pierz Fish Lake Owners Association were also recommended to receive their total requested amounts of $5,655 and $1,369, respectively. No funds were requested for the Round Lake, owned by the Pulaski Township. As such, there was no recommended total for the lake.
“I just want to give a shout out to (Shoreland Specialist Darrin Welle)” LeMieur said. “He does a really, really good job. He reaches out to all these LIDs. He does his best to ensure that they have the opportunity to put a grant application in and he’s very thorough and organized.”
Kowalzek said Welle was planning on being present for the discussion, but was unable to attend. She said she would pass on LeMieur’s compliments to him.
Commissioner Randy Winscher asked if some LIDs and associations historically not using all granted funds in the past affects how much they are awarded in the future. As an example, Kowalzek said Welle worked with the Crookneck LID, which had requested more funds than it had used for the past few years, to reduce the amount it requested this year to more accurately reflect its needs. Even with more accurate estimates, however, she said unexpected events, such as weather, can change the amount of funds a grant recipient needs. Kowalzek said the county’s policy is to always take back any remaining grant funds, not allowing LIDs or associations to hold the funds over into the following year.
The Board will vote on whether to approve the funding proposal as part of its consent agenda at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, March 26. The grants aim to help lake groups combat the spread of invasive species through activities like monitoring, watercraft inspections and chemical treatments.
As development puts increasing pressure on water resources, AIS pose a growing threat. The grants help leverage county dollars to protect the region’s lakes for recreation, tourism and environmental health. Officials hope to continue supporting lake stewards into the future with this critical funding source.
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