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A sunset clause was included in Lino Lakes' slow no -wake zone ordinance. As a result, the council <br />will reconsider the issue next fall. <br />Bergeson says he thinks the slow no -wake zone will be extended or made permanent. Lindner agrees, <br />though he hopes the terms are changed. <br />"I don't have a problem with the great blue herons. I want to protect them like everyone else," he <br />says. "I expect the no -wake zone will stay in effect, but I think it should be moved [north of the <br />island] ... and it should only be April through July. It doesn't have to be the entire year." Perry <br />disagrees. <br />"Research shows that herons are flushed off nests when humans come within 300 yards," he says. <br />"The current buffer starts 200 yards south of the island. We've already compromised so there would <br />be minimal impact on recreational activities on the rest of the lake, but the buffer can't move in any <br />more. <br />"We can't adjust the timing either, because all summer long the no -wake zone also protects sensitive <br />aquatic vegetation in the area. When motorboats rip up those plants, they release phosphorus that <br />degrades the water quality. And that's a regionwide problem, because Peltier Lake is the headwaters <br />for the entire Rice Creek chain of lakes, and it eventually flows into the Mississippi River. So herons <br />aside, clean water throughout the northern Twin Cities is another important reason for maintaining <br />this no -wake zone." <br />As far as the herons are concerned, Hawkins is optimistic he will see an unprecedented comeback in <br />the rookery. <br />"In 30 years of monitoring bird colonies, I never saw one that kept coming back after three years of <br />disruption," he says. <br />That may be because the Peltier Lake herons have no other choice. <br />"In the Twin Cities and suburbs, our herons have been reduced to literally nesting on islands of <br />suitable habitat," says Galli. "They have nowhere else to go." <br />Gustave Axelson is a freelance writer who lives in Minneapolis. <br />© 2010 MN Department of Natural Resources copyright notice I accessibility I linking I privacy <br />mfrtnssr <br />star <br />Questions? <br />1 -888-MINNDNR <br />651- 296 -6157 in metro <br />mailto:info.dnr@state.mn.us <br />