What a Living Lake Gives Back

I was fortunate to grow up near open fields of tall grass and wildflowers. Summer evenings were illuminated by fireflies. A neighbor had a grove of oak trees along a monarch migration path, and every fall, butterflies blanketed the trees.

There were always toads and snakes to discover, and more than a few birds that needed rescuing—or that we believed needed rescuing. Nature was not somewhere we went. It was simply where we lived.

It was a wonderful childhood.

Over time, however, the butterflies stopped coming. There were fewer fireflies and fewer wild places. Nature seemed to retreat a little more each year.

That is one reason I have been so overjoyed to live on Long Lake in Stillwater. My husband, Jon, and I moved here almost a year and a half ago, and once again, I feel surrounded by nature.

Every day brings an opportunity to learn about the birds, animals, plants, and insects sharing our yard. Since May 2026, our PUC bird monitor has detected 142 different bird species in or passing through our backyard. A few weeks ago, thousands of tiny toadlets emerged and scattered throughout the grass. In the evenings, the soundtrack changes with the season: first spring peepers, then tree frogs, and now the deep calls of bullfrogs.

This past weekend, Brown's Creek Watershed District hosted Still Water, Living Lake at Long Lake. The event gave our community a chance to experience the lake through science, art, observation, and play, and it gave me an opportunity to learn even more about my own backyard.

What I learned is that Long Lake was not always as healthy or full of life as it is today.

Between 1970 and 2002, farming, development, and stormwater runoff contributed to a gradual decline in the lake's water quality. By 2002, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency had officially classified Long Lake as impaired.

Its recovery did not happen by accident.

Through more than two decades of collaboration, Brown's Creek Watershed District, the City of Stillwater, local landowners, and conservation partners completed more than 100 projects to keep soil and excess nutrients from reaching the lake. Between 2006 and 2016 alone, stormwater treatment projects prevented an estimated 150 pounds of phosphorus from entering the Long Lake subwatershed.

Thanks to people such as Karen Kill and Hannah Peterson, along with the dedicated teams at Brown's Creek Watershed District, Washington Conservation District, the City of Stillwater, and the many landowners who participated, Long Lake has steadily returned to health.

In 2017, the lake's water quality had improved enough to support aquatic plants and earn a C on the watershed district's annual report card. In recent years, its grades have climbed to Bs and B-pluses. The improvement has been significant enough that the district is now discussing the possibility of removing Long Lake from the state's impaired waters list in 2028.

One of my favorite discoveries at the event was Vasey's pondweed.

Vasey's Pondweed

Vasey's pondweed is a rare native aquatic plant, and the population found in Long Lake is the southernmost known occurrence in Minnesota. That alone is remarkable. But what makes its presence even more meaningful is the story it tells about the lake.

Environmental scientist Jimmy Marty explained how aquatic plants can reveal what is happening beneath the water's surface. A recent survey found Long Lake's native plant community to be unusually diverse and healthy, scoring above the regional average and among the highest in the watershed district. In other words, Vasey's pondweed is not just an interesting little plant—its presence is living evidence of recovery. Long Lake is shallow, so abundant plant life is part of what a healthy version of this lake looks like.

Throughout the afternoon, science and art offered different ways to understand that story. Jimmy Marty taught visitors about aquatic plants in real time. Artist Jennifer Awes Freeman created educational prints inspired by Long Lake. Playdoh Puppet Productions demonstrated how natural and reclaimed objects can become imaginative puppets, while Victoria Bradford Styrbicki of A House Unbuilt: Art & Water Space invited participants to think about their relationship with water and place in new ways.

And then there was little Maryn, spending the afternoon catching frogs and learning about nature.

"Maryn said this was her favorite day ever!"

That simple sentence stayed with me.

More than 35 years ago, I was a child exploring fields, watching monarchs cover oak trees, and delighting in every toad, snake, and bird I encountered. Now, because a community chose to protect and restore this lake, children like Maryn can experience that same wonder.

This is why sustainability matters.

Sustainability can sound like a large, abstract idea—something involving policies, infrastructure, and distant goals. But sometimes it looks like a tiny toadlet in the grass. It sounds like bullfrogs calling after dark. It is a rare strand of pondweed growing farther south than anywhere else in Minnesota. It is a child catching frogs and declaring it the best day ever.

A healthy lake is never the work of one person or one project. It is the result of people deciding, year after year, that this place and its future are worth caring for.

Long Lake reminds us that nature can return when we give it the opportunity. It also reminds us that the childhood experiences we treasure are not guaranteed. They are gifts we preserve—or lose—through the choices we make together.

I am deeply grateful to be surrounded by nature again. Even more, I am grateful that another generation has the chance to fall in love with it.

Written by Andi Arnold, SSMN Executive Director

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