A Different Perspective

Snail Lake in Shoreview

 

Hi. My name is Maddy Jackson. I just started my freshman year in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota. I’ve had the good fortune to grow up on Snail Lake, and I’m sure it has contributed to my interest in Biology. I hosted a lake education session on September 15 as part of my Girl Scout Gold Award project. 


I’d like to share a little of my recent history with Snail Lake:


When I’m out on the lake with my family and it’s time to pull up the anchor, there is always one question that nobody wants to ask: Whose turn is it to pull the weeds off? None of us want to stick our hand into that brownish-green mass of goodness-knows-what. We all know it’s full of ‘weeds’ and ‘muck’ but there’s just something about those things that really grosses us out.


On a warm July day last summer, my dad had the strangest idea. He wanted to go snorkeling in Snail Lake! At first I thought he was kidding. How nasty would it be to go snorkeling in a lake that’s full of ‘weeds’ and ‘muck’? Alas, it was roasty toasty outside and I was up for a little adventure.


At first, I avoided touching the weeds as much as possible. The way they slithered on my leg was simply unpleasant. When I opened my eyes it was like I could finally see the lake for what it really was. The plants looked absolutely beautiful as they swayed back and forth with the waves. I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing the whole time. Here’s a little peek at what our lakes look like from a different perspective: