This week, I want to share a couple of past mysteries that reveal the complex interactions roiling under the surface of the lakes we love. One mystery happened right here in Minnesota; the other overseas.
Steve McComas: Trusting science when easy answers elude us Read More »
After hunkering down for the Minnesota winter, we are tilting back toward the sun, and as sunlight energy becomes more direct and intense, our temperatures warm. Spring awakenings are afoot.
As the hours of daylight get longer and we move closer to spring and summer, there are boxes for me to check. Here are the things I am tracking.
Steve McComas: What to track as spring awakens Minnesota waters Read More »
Before retreating 14,000 to 10,000 years ago, glaciers covered nearly all of Minnesota except for the Driftless Area, in the southeastern corner of the state. Many Minnesota lakes were formed in depressions created by ice blocks that were left behind. When the ice blocks melted, water filled the depressions and lakes were formed.
For a brief period, there were no aquatic plants nor fish in these water bodies.
Steve McComas: Invasive species have been invading Minnesota lakes for centuries Read More »
These days, investigating lakes is bolstered by technology including new types of sonars, apps, and how-to videos that assist in finding fish. But old gumshoe methods are still important when it comes to a fish investigation – or when I take a break from my cases and go fishing for fun.
Either way, I combine new and old techniques.
Steve McComas: New and old ways to solve lake mysteries Read More »
This year’s early winter conditions lend themselves to a 1930s hardboiled detective type of story.
The first snow came early in Minnesota this year, and I was as surprised as a turtle coming out of hibernation in December. First, lakes sealed up with ice as clear as a picture window, then were slapped with a snowfall depositing a 6-inch-thick white down comforter across the hard lake surface in some places.
Steve McComas: Winter conditions set the stage for summer in Minnesota lakes Read More »
I’ve been following several Minnesota cases in which fish population trends were difficult to explain but later made sense. A few examples are listed below.
Steve McComas: Minnesota fish mysteries solved in 2025! Read More »
Minnesota’s lakes are resilient, but if pushed too hard, they will change, sometimes for the worse.
Mother Nature, another name for the complex web of natural processes, has a way of rebalancing lake ecosystems that get out of whack. I think we should give Mother Nature more attention in her role to improve lake water quality and lake-related issues.
Steve McComas: How Mother Nature can fix Minnesota lakes Read More »
I have seen some interesting lake-related phenomena during the past 40 years. Here are a few examples. More than once I’ve witnessed a northern pike with at least half their body completely vertical, out of the water. Why do they do this? Explanations vary.
A look back: Noteworthy observations from four decades examining Minnesota lakes Read More »
Earlier in August, all the water of Lake Alice, a 26-acre lake in William O’Brien State Park (north of Stillwater, Minn.), drained accidentally into the St. Croix River when a valve stuck in the “open” position as high lake levels were being lowered due to recent heavy rains.
Lake Alice is a man-made reservoir (sometimes referred to as an impoundment) with a (former) maximum depth of 9 feet was created by an earthen dike built in 1961. In August, when the bottom valve wouldn’t close, the lake was drained.
Steve McComas: Lake drawdowns: some intended, others by surprise Read More »
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