A few moments on Grace LakeThe view from the dock.
Photos from members. The lake puts on a different show every season — sometimes every hour.
Protecting Grace Lake since 1954
We are 140+ lakeshore families and friends who fund boat-landing inspections, track aquatic invasive species, commission independent water studies, and turn up every spring to make sure Grace Lake is still Grace Lake.
Current Priority
LimnoPro’s full report is in. Across 681 sampled points the lake holds a diverse native plant community largely unchanged since 2006, and no Eurasian watermilfoil or starry stonewort was found. Curly-leaf pondweed is established but localized — five beds totaling 20.8 acres, about 6.1% of the littoral zone. The report supports the board’s decision to monitor the beds in 2027 rather than treat them, and flags phosphorus as the thing most worth protecting.
It is our mission to improve, preserve, and vigorously protect the quality of our natural resource for the benefit of all who surround and use it. Through education and implementation of remedial and proactive measures, we will achieve a sustainable balance of flora, fauna, and recreation for ourselves and those who follow us.
Curly-leaf is only visible in spring, before it dies back. Residents are asked to scan the shallows from the dock, boat, kayak, or while swimming, and report anything that looks like it is growing ahead of the native plants. See the full identification guide.
The board will check the mapped beds during curly-leaf's peak growth to see whether they are holding steady or spreading. On LimnoPro's advice, no chemical treatment is planned for 2027; the beds will be watched instead, and the approach reviewed each year.
Starts at the Bible Camp at 2:00 PM. Decorate your boat, join the line, and enjoy the lap around the lake. A Grace Lake tradition — thanks to everyone who turned out in 2026.
LimnoPro has delivered the final report covering both the 2025 and 2026 lakewide surveys — 681 points sampled, sonar mapping of the whole lake, and two decades of water-quality records pulled together. The headline findings: plants were present at about 92 percent of points and 25 different kinds of plants were recorded, against a Minnesota average of roughly 16. The community looks much as it did in the DNR’s 2006 survey. No Eurasian watermilfoil and no starry stonewort were found.
Curly-leaf pondweed turned up at just 3 of 341 spring points, confirming the five mapped beds are localized rather than lakewide. The report says the board’s plan to monitor rather than treat in 2027 is reasonable. It also flags the lake’s sensitivity to phosphorus as the thing most worth protecting. Read the summary →
Beltrami County has finalized Grace Lake’s numbers for the season. Inspectors staffed the public access for 1,055 hours between May 11 and September 27, conducting 2,383 inspections — about 2.3 per hour. They checked 1,298 watercraft entering the lake and 1,074 leaving it.
Thirteen of those inspections found vegetation or other material on a watercraft before it went in — thirteen chances for something to reach Grace Lake that were stopped at the ramp instead. Drain-plug compliance came in at 99 percent, and no zebra mussels were found on any boat inspected. This is the work your dues and donations pay for. See the full season data (PDF) →
The MN DNR has asked that we remind everyone that now is one of the best times to look for aquatic invasive species. When removing docks, lifts, swimming rafts, and other equipment that has been sitting in the lake all summer, please take a few extra minutes to check it carefully:
Thank you for doing your part to keep Grace Lake clean and healthy.
Grace Lake reached its lowest recorded level on July 27, 2026 — about 39 inches below the June 2019 record high, and the lowest since the DNR began tracking in August 1980. Levels remain well below the Ordinary High Water mark of 1,328.2 ft.
Low water shrinks the swimming and boating area, makes the access harder to use, and puts more of the lake bottom in the sunlit depths where plants grow thickest. The full record, updating automatically from the DNR, is on the About page →
Water levels on Grace Lake are very low, making it difficult to launch and load boats at the public access. The board spoke with Dave Schotzko at the MN DNR, who reports that rocks were recently added to the landing, but most area lakes are experiencing the same low-water conditions. Power loading — using the motor to push the boat onto the trailer instead of winching — is creating blow holes that worsen the situation. The DNR has posted two signs at the landing warning of low water and the hazards of power loading. Please idle in and winch your boat. Further education efforts are being discussed with the DNR.
Two lakewide plant surveys, a delineation survey, and a full season of boat-access inspections all landed in the same year. The grant covered part of it; the rest came from the Association directly. Costs for the inspection program have risen, and it needs funding again next summer. Dues alone do not cover a year like this one. If you are able to give beyond your dues, it goes straight to protecting the lake. Donate here →
The new survey puts Grace Lake in the state’s highest-priority group for phosphorus protection — close enough to the threshold that a modest increase could visibly cut water clarity, and with it the clear water the whole lake depends on. Use a phosphorus-free fertilizer mix, keep shoreline vegetation in place, and keep septic systems sound. More on why →
Full briefing on the curly-leaf pondweed finding, identification, timeline, and what residents can do.
The HC COLA early-detection program and how to report suspected aquatic invasive species.
Mission, board of directors, bylaws, meeting history, and the lake’s place in the watershed.
Photos from members. The lake puts on a different show every season — sometimes every hour.