Forest Service Samples Hartley Pond

DULUTH, Minn. – Monday, the Forest Service visited Hartley Pond as part of a national lake study.

Hartley is one of 250 lakes across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan that have been sampled this summer. The survey is being conducted to determine whether there are any stressors to the lakes as well as the differences between them.

It’s been 40 years since this type of survey has been conducted.

“We have such a resource here, such a quality economic resource, recreational natural resource here. But, a lot of time the emphasis is on places that are more polluted and so here where we have such high quality lakes we wanted to understand them; get a base-line for what their condition is,” Forest Service Air Resource Specialist, Trent Wickman says.

Once sampling and field measurements are conducted, the samples are further processed on site and them shipped off to the lab.