Mary McCormick's interest in the well-being of North Long Lake, located in Crow Wing County, began when she and her family purchased a cabin on its shore. That led her to become involved with the lake association and eventually take the Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Detectors Core Course.
“I did some research and then I went to one of your [AIS Detectors] classes, which was absolutely wonderful,” said McCormick of the class that is an introduction to AIS science, identification and surveillance. “I did it again the next year just to refresh my memory. I figured however many times I take it, I would learn something else and build on my learning.”
After taking the Core Course, McCormick constructed monitoring rakes for herself and for the lake association, bringing what she learned back to others in the group. McCormick is highly active with early detection and has joined a fellow AIS Detector to frequently monitor the lake. McCormick now serves on the lake association board and co-chairs the AIS committee.
McCormick also spearheaded an education station at the lake association’s annual meeting. She uses the lake association newsletter to write educational articles and volunteers at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center Showcase, expanding her learning while assisting at the event.
Thanks to McCormick’s dedication and cross-county collaboration, North Long Lake now has three cleaning stations for visitors to use with tools to remove boat drain plugs and grab stowaway plants.
“I love going out and throwing rakes. I wear my [Clean, Drain, Dry] shirt and my vest, and then people will recognize it,” said McCormick.
She appreciates the opportunity to talk with members of the community, explaining what she is doing and why it is so important to monitor the health of lakes.