06-28-1999 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Trends in Boat Numbers on Lake Minnetonka and Other Twin Cities Lakes and Rivers Since the Mid 1980s* XTEI^ 3.Q Twin Cities Trends (excluding Lake Minnetonka) Between 1984 and 1996 there was little overall change in boat numbers on Twin Cities area lakes at peak boating times on weekend/holiday afternoons (see leftmost set of columns on Figure 1). This same lack of change is evident for all the boat ing lake-resource classes, except those that received a public access between 1984 and 1996 (see other sets of columns on Figure 1). The St. Croix River downstream of Taylors Falls has experienced ups and downs in boat numbers at peak boating times on weekend/holiday afternoons since 1983, but no trend in boat numbers is apparent (Figure 2). The St. Croix is the major boating resource of the east side of the metro area, much like h4innetonka is the major boating resource of the west side of the metro area. It is used as intensively for boating as Minnetonka. Together the St. Croix and Minnetonka support 43 percent of all summer boating on metro waters (St. Croix 16% and Minnetonka 27%). Lake Minnetonka Trends Lake Minnetonka may have followed the same pattern as other metro area lakes and the St. Croix River; namely, since 1984 no evident trend in boat numbers at peak times on weekend/holiday afternoons. However, in the 1990s, excepting 1994, average boat numbers have been lower than in the 1980s (Figure 3a). The reason for these lower averages is a few “marginal ” boating days, days when the weather was rainy, windy and raw and when the number of boats on the water was excep tionally low. Such marginal boating days were not encountered in the boat counts of the 1980s. If these few exceptionally low days (the four days identified on Fig ure 4) aie eliminated from the averages, the “fair weather” averages in the 1990s look very similar to those in the 1980s (Figure 3b). TTie “fair weather” trend dis played on Figure 3b is probably a more accurate depiction of Lake Minnetonka trends than the “all counts” trend displayed on Figure 3a. T^is was a cooperative research effort of MN DNR and LMCD. (2) 1997 St. Croix Iwat co^ts from: 1997 Recreational Boating Study of the Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and the Mississippi river from the Twin Cities to Lock and Dimi 10. Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundaiy Area Commission. 1998. (3) 1998 L^e Minnetonka boat counts fr^: 1998 Lake Minnetonka Boat Use Study. Conducted by Schocll & Madson, Inc. under contract with LMCD and MN DNR, 1998. Tim Kelly, MN DNR, May 1999