Bush Lake

Since 1937 our Chapter has been on the shores of Bush Lake. Our beautiful location, on such a beautiful lake with all the great surrounding woodlands and wetlands, reminds us of the need to protect, preserve and restore our natural resources for future generations. Bush Lake has great water quality because of past local actions to keep it clean. It's an awesome lake to kayaking, canoeing, swimming and other low-footprint recreational activities. Twenty minutes from St. Paul and you can be kayaking next to a loon on a lake that you can see down 15’ and feel like you’re alone up north - there are very few places like this left in the metropolitan area.

Our chapter is composed of volunteers who enjoy and respect the outdoors and get together to advocate for common-sense approaches to issues and policies that affect the environment that we live in and appreciate. We educate ourselves on conservation issues and help organize actions and outreach to the public.

With chapter membership dues we help provide funding for youth outdoor experiences, scholarships for college students, and community conservation projects. We also participate in water-quality sampling in area lakes and streams, habitat restoration projects, community litter cleanups, and other hands-on conservation projects.

We welcome all new conservation minded members.

 

President - Gregg Thompson
612-618-8616
bushlake@bushlakeikes.org

Vice President - Greg Hanson

Secretary - Paul Erdmann

Treasurer - Jill Crafton

Membership Directors - John & Mary Crampton

State Director - Gregg Thompson

State Director - Jill Crafton

Dues:  $110 Individual, $130 Family, Canoe rack rental $50

Chapter Email:  bushlake@bushlakeikes.org

Meetings: Six or seven times annually or set by Board of Directors.

Bush Lake Club House
7515 Izaak Walton Rd. W
Bloomington, MN 55438
952-944-3066

ACTIVITIES:

• Scholarships for college students in conservation majors
• Scholarships to school group program at Richardson Nature Center
• Scholarships to Izaak Walton Camp at Deep Portage Conservation Learning Center
• Host Wilderness Awareness Presentations at REI Store in Bloomington
• Sponsor youth fishing access in metropolitan area and youth fishing event at our chapter
• Advocate for-educate about reduction and filtration of urban storm water runoff in local communities.
• Advocate for prioritized / strategic terrestrial invasive species control and improved resource management in local communities
• Advocate for aquatic invasive species control in local communities, statewide and nationally.
• Offer free workshops on Water Smart Landscaping: Lawn Care, Rain barrels, Rain gardens, Low Water Use Landscapes, Bird & Butterfly Gardens, Permeable Pavement Types, Composting Leaves
• Offer workshops through Eden Prairie Community Education on Water Smart Landscaping and Living with Shoreland
• Co-sponsored the 2011 “Design with Nature” Conference at U of M St. Paul Campus, hosted by The Wild Ones
• Water quality monitoring training at Bush Lake and Minnesota River
• Bio monitoring of water quality for Nine Mile Creek Watershed District using IWLA Save Our Streams (SOS) program
• Display and staffing of tables at Living Green Expo, Midwest Fly Fishing Convention, and MN 350 presentation at Edina High School
• Hosted Solar power potluck event to promote renewable energy use for solar PV, solar thermal, and electric powered transportation in conjunction with the MN Renewable Energy Society
• Lead on local efforts toward a sustainable community including participation in West Metro Sustainability Forum sponsored by the Alliance for Sustainability
• Lead chapter in hosting the 2009 Wetlands Summit at Normandale Community College, Feb. 2009
• Lead chapter in organizing and hosting 2010 Wetlands Summit “Agriculture and Water Quality”
• Lead chapter in organizing and hosting 2011 Watershed Summit “Managing Water on the Land” at U of M Landscape Arboretum

Chapter Established: 06/1923
Date of last review or update: 10/5/2011