Your Iowa Great Lakes Association celebrates our 10 year anniversary in 2018. Below is an article from the Fall edition of Okoboji Magazine in which you will learn the history of and vision for our nonprofit association. Email okoboji@iowainformation.com if you would like to subscribe to this publication celebrating this extraordinary place we call home. … Read more
(Spirit Lake)– The issue over soil contaminated by oil that was spilled in that BNSF train derailment near Doon last month being disposed of at the Dickinson County Landfill east of Arnolds Park is headed for the political arena. The Dickinson County Board of Supervisors this (Tues.) morning voted unanimously to send a letter to … Read more
Emergency 600-foot 5 mph/No-Wake rule now in effect for some lakes in Dickinson County On June 26, 2018, the level of East & West Lake Okoboji rose above 6.05 feet on the USGS Gauging Station. Per the Dickinson County Emergency Management Commission’s No-Wake Policy, the 300-foot no-wake (5 mph) zone (established by Iowa law) is … Read more
Parks personnel with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources hosted a public informational meeting Thursday evening on various improvements either currently underway or that soon will be getting started at several state parks in the Iowa Great Lakes Area. They include the removal of an existing restroom and replacing it with a new one along … Read more
Iowa Great Lakes Association Environmental Update Spring 2017 Zebra Mussels Zebra mussel populations continue to expand in the Iowa Great Lakes. The populations is expected to continue to increase in the coming years before reaching a limit and moderating. The biggest impact to lakeshore residents continues to be colonization on hoists, docks and swim ladders. … Read more
Iowa Great Lakes Association President, Bill VanOrsdel, has announced Jen Johnson-Ross as the new Community Development Manager of the association dedicated to protecting, preserving and enhancing our lakes and environment. A Spirit Lake graduate, Johnson-Ross is a University of Iowa Graduate who possesses degrees in history and political science and certification as a secondary teacher. … Read more
Did you know? A little-known area holds significant power in maintaining and preserving the Iowa Great Lakes. Three box culverts at Lower Gar Outlet near Milford have saved Lakes-area residents and businesses from sustaining significant damage when water levels naturally rise and fall. Listen as Iowa Great Lakes Association President, Bill VanOrsdel, explains how our successful … Read more
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has found a small number of additional zebra mussels in the Iowa Great Lakes. The DNR released a press release this week about the discovery.
OKOBOJI, Iowa – One of Iowa’s larger shallow lakes will be the focus of a water quality improvement project that was born out of the historic drought of 2012. The 1,200-acre Trumbull Lake and its 1,000 acres of connected marshes, in Clay County, are nearly dry which is unusual for the shallow lakes system that … Read more
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa – The Iowa DNR recently collected a single live juvenile zebra mussel from Upper Gar Lake on a sampling plate used to monitor for the presence or absence of zebra mussels. Additional sampling was immediately conducted in Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, East Okoboji Lake, Upper Gar Lake, Minnewashta, and Lower Gar … Read more