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Since the inception of Itasca County’s Aquatic Invasive Species program in 2014 the Deer Lake Association has made a major impact in the fight against the spread of AIS, as members of the AIS Technical Advisory Committee, and for their AIS efforts on Deer Lake.

The “Deer Lake Station” was created in 2019 due to the efforts of former DLA President John Davis, to ensure that boaters had convenient access to the proper tools needed to decontaminate their watercraft when entering or exiting area lakes.  The Deer Lake Association has also been very active in the control of the Curly Leaf Pondweed (CLP) population discovered on the lake in 2020 through hand-removal of the plants, as well as limited granular herbicide applications. For many years neighbor Jon Arsenault volunteered to scout the Access Bay for CLP by scuba. Chris Evans has been the leader of the Control and Monitoring crew from SWCD, and has worked closely with the DLA. The Itasca SWCD is proud to recognize and celebrate the Deer Lake Association’s ongoing commitment to stewardship, collaboration, and environmental resilience.

Pictured above at the award ceremony at the Minnesota Association of SWCDs, are Itasca SWCD Board Chairman Calvin Sarri, Jeff and Jackie Johnson, Chris Evans, and Andy Arens, Itasca SWCD Manager.

Overnight on December 7th Deer Lake froze over for the winter!

Photos are of the North-East section, looking south toward Christmas Point:

And from the Deer Lake beach in the Narrows between Deer and Moose on the western shore looking east:

Looks like there will not be a Skating Season this year 😿

Here is some DNR data on Deer Lake ICE-IN:

Deer Lake is at a record high this Summer, 2025.

Some debris at the Dam on West Deer Lake Road was thought to be a hindrance; it has been cleared. There is another small lake, called Bay Lake, between Deer Lake and the Dam on West Deer Lake Road. Both Deer and the Creek from Moose and Little Moose flow into this intermediary Bay Lake, and then together as the headwaters of the Deer River to the Dam. Waters from the north (Moose and many smaller lakes) do not flow into Deer Lake, but from Bay, with Deer, along the Deer Rive to the Dam. Although the elevations between Moose, Deer, Bay and the Dam are slight, the flow includes no mixing of Deer and Moose Lake waters. This is important because Moose Lake has been infected by Zebra Mussels.

The hydrology graph of the lake water level is a 10 year measurement that concludes with the end of 2024 (ICE-IN: very low at 1307.55), followed by the DNR’s re-establishment of the lake water level gauge for 2025, after ICE-OUT. With the snow melt in the lake for the Spring of 2025, the level was 1.05 feet higher, at 1308.60. Since then rains have increased the level substantially from where it leaves off on the graph. The record high we have had in June and July 2025, would be in excess of the top of this graph at 1309.00+. Water levels will continue to be monitored throughout the season till ICE-IN.

Of interest is the increasing variance between high and low lake levels. Photos below show just how high and low the lake has bee in recent years, with the same dock, same height, as reference. The Low was from August 2021, the high water from July 2025.

UPDATE: as of the end of August, the Lake Level is back to its starting level in May. As can be seen from the last point on the graph below, for May 2025, this was well above the average already, but also a sharp increase from the previous Fall.

Don’t end up like this environmental mess!

The Itasca County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offers FREE site visits to discuss the best shoreland projects, provide technical advice and cost-share funding. Contact Austin at austin.steere@itascaswcd.org

Friday, December 13 was after a very cold night.

We Had ICE-IN this morning accompanied by spectacular sundogs that were really Pillars!