FoDL plans lake management

BY DICK SAUNDERS

Friends of Diamond Lake (FODL) has set out to develop a first-ever lake management plan to “protect and preserve” the picturesque 51-acre urban
lake lying just south of Pearl Park in South Minneapolis.

  The volunteer, nonprofit group of 50 will hold the second of two plan development meetings at its first annual meeting Tuesday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. at the Pearl Neighborhood Center, 414 E. Diamond Lake Road. All are invited.
  David Oltmans, chair of FODL, said the first planning meeting, held March 24, “generated dozens of ideas falling into five basic categories of citizen concern for the lake’s future: recreational opportunities, water quality, wildlife and plant habitat, aquatic vegetation control and  “other areas,” including stakeholder relations.

  “At the next meeting we will prioritize these ideas into two or three primary points of focus in the coming year,” Oltmans explained. “Broadly speaking, declining water quality and wildlife habitat are two of our largest concerns.”

  “We’re very pleased with the broad cooperation we’ve received to date
from a number of experienced water and lake management agencies and
volunteer groups partnering with us to formulate the plan,” Oltmans, himself
a lifelong resident of Diamond Lake neighborhood, said. Planning partners
to date include the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minnesota Waters,  and Initiatives Group (Little Falls, Minn.).

The goals of the lake management plan are to:
1. Learn the current health of Diamond Lake and its watershed through research;
2. Provide engaging and educational programs on water quality, natural habitat and environmental preservation;
3. Act as stewards for the environmental well-being of Diamond Lake residents of all species;
4. Provide a centralized point of community leadership when working with local and state agencies on matters involving the Diamond Lake watershed.

For more details, visit www.friendsofdiamondlake.org