In 2009, after MN DNR Fisheries Research identified the shallow vegetated areas along the West shoreline and the Northwest finger bay as sensitive areas, the Lake John Association in cooperation with MN DNR Fisheries APM determined that development of a Lake Vegetation Management Plan (LVMP) would aid in the protection of native submerged, floating leaf, and emergent aquatic plants in these areas and vegetated areas throughout Lake John. Aquatic plants are an essential component in most lake communities as they provide food and shelter for fish and wildlife, they improve water clarity and quality by utilizing nutrients Lake that would otherwise be available for algae, they protect shorelines from erosion, and they stabilize bottom sediment in the shallow shoal-water areas (areas where water is 1-5 feet deep). Maintaining or even improving the existing plant community in Lake John will be essential in sustaining the lakes overall quality.
The goals for management of aquatic plants are:
- Protect high quality communities of native emergent, floating-leaf and submerged aquatic plants.
- Restore or enhance shoreline habitat
- Restore or enhance lake water quality