Our Knauss Q&As are about our 2023 Knauss Fellows’ experiences as they take on year-long fellowship appointments in the legislative and executive branches of government in Washington, D.C., to address ocean, coastal and Great Lakes policy decisions at the national level.

Our Knauss Fellows began their fellowships in February and are getting acclimated to their new positions with their host offices.

Image credit: Brandon Barlow.

About the time people start packing for a winter vacation in southern climes, my mind turns to ice-out and when I can put my boat in the lake. I know that I am not alone. Those hours out on the lake are magical and our northern Minnesota lakes are some of the best in the world. I know – I’m a limnologist. When I was a kid in Minnesota, my family never thought about going to the lake before Memorial Day, and, although some years the lakes were clear of ice a bit early, ice-out in Itasca County was always around May Day, plus or minus a few days.

A Sweeping Solution to Stormwater Pollution

There’s a surprisingly simple and proven solution to stormwater pollution. When it rains in urbanized places like parking lots and paved streets, instead of soaking into the ground, stormwater runs off these impermeable — essentially water-proof — surfaces picking up and transporting pollutants along the way. Some of the pollutants in stormwater come from what’s washed off impermeable surfaces and some pollutants come from leaves and other organic debris that clog storm drains.