Minnesota DNR accepting feedback on Lake Shaokatan Vegetation Management Plan
Residents and visitors of Lake Shaokatan (also known as Shaokotan Lake) in Lincoln County are encouraged to provide their feedback on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Vegetation Management Plan for the lake. Feedback will be accepted through Monday, Aug. 31.
The Lake Vegetation Management Plan, initially developed in 2016, seeks to accommodate herbicidal control of native vegetation on the lake, while minimizing damage to water quality. The plan was created as a result of numerous lakeshore owners on Shaokatan expressing a desire to treat vegetation and allow the full length of the lake to be boated, while other users indicated they don’t want the lake to be treated often or at all.
“With the 10-year update to the plan we’re doing now, we’re seeking any feedback the public might have,” said Nate Hodgins, DNR regional assistant fisheries manager. “We will take all feedback into account, and if there is a significant amount, we can hold a public meeting to discuss any ideas or issues at hand.”
The plan sets a system: Each year, DNR staff check the levels of vegetation in the lake — specifically submerged vegetation — via a point-intercept survey; if 85% or more of survey points show common or abundant levels of vegetation, treatment is allowed that year; if less than 85% are common or abundant, no treatment is allowed.
"Treatment of native vegetation offshore is rare in public waters, because vegetation is habitat," said Craig Soupir, regional fisheries manager. "However, in shallow lakes, like Shaokatan, dense vegetation can form across the entire body making recreation difficult. The LVMP sets conditions for treatments, in order to balance the need for recreational access with the positive habitat value that vegetation provides to lake ecology."
No changes have been made to the standards in the latest update to the plan. The last time the standards were met for the Lake Shaokatan Improvement District to treat the lake was in 2023; previous to that, it was 2019.
Lake Shaokatan is unique in that it’s the last lake in the state to receive an annual point intercept survey.
“There are about 200 points on the lake,” said Durel Carstensen, DNR fisheries specialist. “We create a grid across the entire lake, and we distribute the points throughout the lake. We go to the same points every year, use a rake to pull out vegetation, and we sample from there.”
A full draft of the 2026 Lake Shaokatan Vegetation Management Plan will be available at the DNR Windom Area Fisheries webpage. To provide feedback, email Nate Hodgins at [email protected] or call 507-233-1216 by 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 31.
About Lake Shaokatan
Lake Shaokatan is just east of the Minnesota-South Dakota border, near the cities of Hendricks, Ivanhoe and Lake Benton. It is nearly 1,000 acres with a typical maximum depth of 11 feet. There is a county park and state wildlife management area on the southern shoreline, while the remaining near-shore area is a mix of residential and agricultural land.
The lake has been subject to multiple water quality studies and watershed restoration projects to study and reduce the levels of phosphorus. Due to high nutrient levels, there were very few aquatic plants present in the lake before water quality management actions were taken. With the improvement of the water quality, aquatic plants have returned.
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