 At the annual meeting, Liv Nyffeler from the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center explained the findings from the study they did last year and the new low-dose copper treatment plan for the lake in 2026. This is the first lake that will get the treatment and will be used as a model for future lake treatments.
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 Thanks to all who attended our Annual Meeting Monday evening. It was great to see so many neighbors again after a long winter. If you were unable to attend here is a summary of the key topics.
Thank You Thanks to John Richardson, Chad Henfling, Dave Vogel, and Jake Peterson for serving as Board Members last year. Also, thanks to Greg Hastings for coordinating the fish stocking and Anne Florenzano for running the Ice In/Ice Out contest. New Officers John Richardson was elected the new President and Ted Marks the new Vice President for 3-year terms starting today. Welcome to the Board Ted! Guest Speaker: Liv Nyffeler, University of Minnesota Liv gave an update on her Low-Dose Copper Project. She gave a background on the treatments and results done in St. Alban’s Bay of Lake Minnetonka. It demonstrated that low-dose thermocline-targeted copper can suppress Zebra Mussel populations for multiple years at very low doses that are safe to native mussels and fish. Lake Riley will be the first whole-lake treatment in the state! Baseline data was taken last summer from the 40 zebra mussel settlement plates placed around the lake. Treatments will start in Mid/Late July every 3-4 days over a 3-week period. We will be notified a week before treatment starts. It is safe to swim in the lake during treatment since the dose is so low. Her presentation is posted on the LRIA website: www.lakeriley.org. Guest Speaker: Terry Jeffery, District Administrator, RPBC Watershed District Terry did not present slides so it was mainly a Q/A session. Lake Riley was delisted from the Impaired Water List last year based on its 10-year water quality averages. However, last summer the lake had poor visibility and had blue-green algae blooms that required closing the beach. Algae blooms were widespread in the metro area last August and September due to high temperatures calm conditions. If it happens again and you want your shoreline tested, the Watershed District will come to your lot and test it for toxin levels. The city of EP will only test at the city park. The lake will be treated again this year for Curly-Leaf Pondweed and (if necessary) Eurasian Milfoil. Terry offered to attend a LRIA Board Meeting and get input for the next 10-year plan. Fish Stocking We stocked about 2000 10”-15” walleye last fall. This is the second year in a row of stocking larger fish, based on DNR recommendations. DNR Fish Surveys The DNR will carry out two fish surveys on the lake this summer. In the spring they will do a sunfish assessment to see if the special regulations on bluegill and crappie has resulted in larger fish populations compared to the 2021 survey. The standard fisheries survey will be done in July. It will be interesting to see if the northern pike population has decreased and if the walleye population is increasing. Matt Peterson is our new contact at the DNR. Boat Launch Inspection The boat launch AIS inspection program was strong in 2025 with 5,494 inspections over 1,987 hours. A total of 77 entering inspections found violations of AIS laws. The hours are;
Unsafe Jetski and Boat activity If anyone sees unsafe activity you should call 911 and report it. The Water Patrol said that pictures or videos of violations would help them with enforcement. Social Events The Annual 4th of July Boat Parade will take place at 12:00 pm on Saturday, July 4th. Meet in the South-West Bay to begin. As always, awards will be given to the most creative and patriotic decorations. The Annual Fall Party will be Sunday, August 30th from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Riley Lake Park Pavilion. There will be a sign-up closer to the event to bring side dishes and desserts. Have a great summer!  Boating season has begun-
Fishing, floating, water fun! The winter season is now done We welcome the summer warmth to come. March 30, 2026 the ice is out - and Perry Forster won the guessing pool right on the nose! Congratulations! Our dock went in last year on April 6th. It's fun to see the docks appear around the lake. Look for the loons to come back, usually very soon after the ice is gone. Here's a question: which will we see first, a fishing boat or a loon? Happy Spring, everyone! Anne  Reference: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/boater-education-law.html
Effective Date: July 1, 2025 Starting on July 1, 2025, a new law requires some adults and youth who operate motorboats—including personal watercraft—to have a valid watercraft operator's permit (commonly also known as a boater safety certificate). People who already have a watercraft operator's permit are not affected by the law, which is designed to make boating safer by ensuring everyone operating a motorized watercraft knows the rules and is properly trained. Here's a breakdown of the key points: Adult operators:
Who is considered an accompanying operator?
"Exempt operator" means a motorboat operator, including a personal watercraft operator, who is 12 years of age or older and who:
Rentals:
Low-powered motorboats This new law does not affect individuals who operate motorboats powered by a motor with a factory rating of 25 horsepower or less. People of any age do not need a valid watercraft operator’s permit or have an accompanying operator in the motorboat so long as it is not a personal watercraft and is powered by a motor with a factory rating of 25 horsepower or less. SIGN UP NOW to take the watercraft operator's permit course:https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/boatwater/education.html Here is the latest update from the Watershed District on the water quality rating on Riley. The rating has gone down since previous years, but they are doing some treatments this Spring and Summer to hopefully bring it back up to an "A".
DOWNLOAD HERE Observing the lake yesterday, I thought, "This is a real ice-in day, with the whole lake becoming frozen at once!" I did see some swans in the bay in the distance, but I felt that if nothing opened up with wind or changed, yesterday would be THE DAY.
This morning confirms it, seeing the snow covering the whole lake and not revealing any dark water left open. So as I looked over the frozen scene this morning, I confirmed yesterday's ice-in, December 4, 2025. Ford Halvorson has won this ice-in pool with his guess of 12/4 in the afternoon - Congratulations! How fast does ice form on a lake? Here's some math for you all to do: Estimating Ice Growth with Freezing-Degree Days You can estimate ice growth using the Freezing-Degree Day (FDD) formula:
These calculations are only guidelines. Ice conditions can vary dramatically even within a few feet.
As always, be careful on the ice, folks. The Minnesota DNR's standard ice warning emphasizes that NO ICE IS 100% SAFE, but provides thickness guidelines for clear ice: 4 inches for walking/fishing, 5-7 inches for ATVs/snowmobiles, 9-12 inches for cars, and 13-17+ for trucks, advising you to double thickness for white ice, wear life jackets, carry ice picks, and check conditions often as factors like snow and currents make ice unpredictable. The MN DNR has a great webpage about ice safety: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/index.html, and do check out the video on what to do if you fall in: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/safety/ice/survival.html Happy Winter to you all! Anne  LRIA Members,
Thanks to the generous donations by our members, we were able to stock Lake Riley with $5,550 worth of 10” – 15” walleye yearlings this week. Greg took the photo’s below and said that about 1300 – 1500 fish were put into the lake on Wednesday! It was the second year in a row of stocking larger fish (> 1 year old) , which was recommended by the DNR. Hopefully these much larger fish will avoid falling prey to the healthy northern pike population in the lake. Thanks to all who donated to the fish fund this year! Scott  We had a good turnout last night for the LRIA Annual Party and perfect weather. A big thank you to John Richardson and Jake Petersen for leading the party planning again this year. Also, thanks to everyone who contributed a side dish or desert.
Below are the predictions of Ice-In and Ice-Out this year. Good luck to all that entered! The minnow races were the highlight for the kids, and the photo below shows John with the lucky winners Haldo (1st), Payton (2nd), and Evelyn (3rd). Next year the party will be on August 30th so put it on your calendar! Good morning!
Wanted to give you a heads up that the goslings are hatching earlier than normal this year. Our contractor is doing surveys toward the end of next week with removals the following week. (That’s a full MONTH ahead of schedule!) If any of your members have suggestions for properties to be included in the survey, please have them fill out the form at the bottom of this page no later than 5/21/25: https://www.edenprairie.org/community/sustainable-eden-prairie/water/stormwater-and-surface-water/goose-management. Thank you, Lori Haak, CMWP Water Resources Coordinator 8080 Mitchell Road Eden Prairie, MN 55344 952-949-8327 edenprairie.org  A group of LRIA members met with Olivia Nyffeler from the University of Minnesota last night to hear about her research study of Zebra Mussels in Lake Riley. Josh Maxwell from the Watershed District, Lori Haak from the City of Eden Prairie, and a representative from the US Geological Survey joined her. The research project is being funded by the USGS. This will be Olivia’s Ph.D. project working under the guidance of Prof. Gretchen Hansen.
You may have noticed the buoys they put in the lake to monitor Zebra Mussels. The buoys have a USGS logo on them. They will be there for 2-3 months, and the plates are about 10-12 feet deep. Chemical treatments won’t be done until late July or early August 2026. The low dose copper treatments will not interfere with any enjoyment of the lake such as swimming and are not expected to have any adverse effects on fish. This is a follow up study to what was done in Lake Minnetonka. Here is a short summary of that study. https://maisrc.umn.edu/news/mnkta-copper It might make sense for Olivia to speak at a future LRIA Annual Meeting to educate us on what she learns. Scott |
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