“I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want”
- Andy Warhol
In Detroit Lakes, the value of houses on the lake are on average 10 times more expensive than houses a block away from the city beach in town. In a hotel, rooms with an ocean view are more expensive than a non-ocean view. Why? People want to be near water where they eat and sleep, and they are willing to pay a premium for it. Waterfront property is limited, and the demand is high, which is what causes the high prices.
The tax data from Becker and Otter Tail Counties illustrates the prominence of lake homes. The total market property value around Pelican Lake and the Cormorant Lakes are $1.1 billion each. The total market property value around the Gull Lake Chain is $4.6 billion.
We obviously love our lakes and are investing in properties on them. So why wouldn’t we do more to protect them, thereby also protecting our investment?
Recent Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) data show that we are not protecting our investment. Minnesota has lost 40-50% of its natural shorelines (shorelines with vegetation and trees), and they are being degraded at a rate of 1-2% more each decade (converted to lawn). At this rate, a majority of Minnesota shorelines will soon be unable to protect water quality and provide fish and wildlife habitat. A ‘lawn to lake’ shoreline allows seven to nine times more phosphorus to enter the lake than a more naturally vegetated shoreline.
If you give most people a choice, they would prefer to swim in a lake where you can see your feet standing chest-deep than one where you can’t see your feet at knee-deep. Given this preference, we would assume that water clarity is a factor that determines recreating on lakes and purchasing lakeshore property. So how do you actually quantify this preference and does it really exist?
A study from Bemidji State University on Minnesota lakes showed that lake property values are directly tied to water quality. For a three-foot decrease in water clarity, prices were reduced up to $594 per shoreline foot. For a three-foot increase in clarity, prices increased up to $423 per shoreline foot.
These results illustrate the importance of protecting lake water quality. Minnesota’s lakes are extremely important to the recreation and tourism industry, as well as our local economy and individual property owners’ investments.
Do you want to see how your own property is affecting the lake? There is a self-evaluation tool called “Score Your Shore” from the DNR. This tool walks you through your property to see how protective it is of the lake’s water quality: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/scoreyourshore/index.html.
If you want to make your yard more lake-friendly, contact your local Soil and Water Conservation District for help on designing and planting your shoreline buffer. They have experts and cost share funding to help install projects.
It starts with each one of us. What are you willing to do to protect your investment, and the namesake of our state, “The Land of 10,000 Lakes”?
Moriya Rufer is a water quality professional with 20 years experience working with lakes in northern Minnesota.
Data sources: Otter Tail County, Becker County, Crow Wing County, Cass County, DNR
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