About Starry Trek
Started in 2017, Starry Trek is a statewide event focused on searching for one of Minnesota's newest aquatic invasive species, starry stonewort (and other invaders). Starry stonewort is an invasive algae that was first found in Lake Koronis in 2015 and has since spread to more Minnesota lakes (learn more about starry stonewort and our research). This event is an opportunity for you to team up with us and hundreds of your fellow Minnesotans to better understand its distribution in Minnesota.
What You'll Do
You will meet at a local training site hosted by one of our local partners where you will receive a brief training on how to identify starry stonewort and other target aquatic invasive species and how to follow the search protocols. Groups are then sent out to nearby priority lakes to follow the protocols and bring back any suspicious organisms. Starry Trek is a free event and no experience or special equipment is required. Participants under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
How You'll Make a Difference
Starry Trek volunteers have discovered new populations of starry stonewort. Follow-up surveys by Minnesota DNR specialists confirmed these new findings in Lake Carnelian (Stearns County, 2020), Wolf Lake (Hubbard County, 2018) Lake Beltrami (Beltrami County, 2018) and Grand Lake (Stearns County, 2017). As a result of the Grand Lake discovery, the local lake association and MN DNR teamed up in a rapid response plan to remove the small patch of starry stonewort. Other notable finds by Starry Trek participants include the discovery of a new populations of Eurasian watermilfoil in Winona County (2017) and Aitkin County (2019) and a new zebra mussel population in Dakota County (2018). Over 200 Minnesotans have joined in this effort and searched over 200 public water accesses each year since our inaugural event in 2017.
Background
Starry Trek is organized by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center and University of Minnesota Extension in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Funding for Starry Trek is provided in part by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Starry Trek is held in coordination with AIS Snapshot Day, an aquatic invasive species search event held in Wisconsin on the same day hosted by the River Alliance of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin Extension, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Recap: Starry Trek 2026
Thank you for participating in Starry Trek on August 8th!
We’ve been working hard to process all the data from all 20 local training sites across the state and now have full results available for you. Each year, we take the time to track down the final ID on every report local coordinators send in so that you get some closure on what actually happened at your sites and we appreciate your patience as we work through all those reports with our partners at Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
We also need to share our thanks with all our local partners who contribute their time and energy into each of the local training sites across the state. We simply would not be able to see this kind of effort without them. Please join us in thanking the following agencies and organizations for offering to host Starry Trek sites this year: Lake of the Woods SWCD, Lake County SWCD, Beltrami Environmental Services, Itasca SWCD AIS Program, Hubbard County Environmental Services, Becker SWCD, Aitkin County SWCD, Douglas County Land and Resource Management, Big Stone County 4-H, La Qui Parle SWCD, Stearns County COLA, Sherburne SWCD, Ramsey County, Dakota County SWCD, Prior Lake-Spring Lake Watershed District, Wild Rivers Conservancy, Nine Mile Creek Watershed District, Le Sueur County, and Cass County.
We’re excited to announce that this year, there were no new discoveries of starry stonewort made during Starry Trek!
There were some previously unreported aquatic invasive species found during Starry Trek, though. Volunteers in Dakota County reported purple loosestrife at Farquar Lake and Chisago County volunteers reported curly-leaf pondweed in the Sunrise River at Kost Dam. Each year we also get several new reports of Chinese and banded mystery snails that are not yet in the EDDMapS database (a nationwide invasive species reporting system). Not all of these are previously unknown populations, however many of these helped update the database, which is used by DNR and many other agencies to track populations of invasive species, so their discovery and reporting is still important and beneficial. This year we again asked that some additional special attention be paid to these species so that we can improve our distribution maps for these species in Minnesota (and help support MAISRC research projects focusing on these species). This year we saw new reports of banded mystery snails reported in the following water bodies:
We also saw a few new reports of Chinese mystery snails by Starry Trek volunteers in the following water bodies:
Below, you will find a list of the remaining samples that were passed on to MN DNR for verification or identification and the final determination. The below results were either determined to be native species, or were invasive species that were already known to be present in that water body. Locations are listed by the local training site they were returned to. If there was a specimen you were particularly interested in at your site and you don't see it listed here, feel free to reach out and we’ll see if we can help get to the bottom of it!
EAGAN (Local Host: Dakota County SWCD)
Snail samples from Farquar Lake were likely Chinese mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
Snail samples from Carlson Lake were likely Chinese mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
Snail samples from Keller Lake were likely Chinese mystery snails and banded mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
Snail samples from Crystal Lake were likely Chinese mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
LONGVILLE (Local Host: Cass County)
Snail samples from Wabedo Lake were likely Chinese mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
Snail samples from Long Lake were likely Chinese mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
Snail samples from Big Sand Lake were likely banded mystery snails, which have previously been reported in that lake
Media
- Starry Trek is coming back to Aitkin County! (Aikin Independent Age)
- Starry Trek 2025, (UMN Extension)
- Starry Stonewort Expands in MN, (Grand Forks Herald)
- Starry stonewort confirmed in Garfield Lake, three other lakes, (Pilot Independent)
- Volunteers needed to look for invasive species in annual Starry Trek, (KAXE)
- Douglas County seeks volunteers to look for starry stonewort, (Echo Press)
- The ninth anniversary of Starry Trek, (Aikin Independent Age)
- Volunteers needed for Starry Trek 2025, (Brainerd Dispatch)
- Join the ‘trek’ every day, (Aikin Independent Age)
- Starry stonewort spreads concern in Minnesota lake country, (KAXE/KBXE)
- Monitor Minnesota waters for invasive starry stonewort in Aug. 10 'Starry Trek', (West Central Tribune)
- Beltrami Co. Residents Learn How to Identify AIS at ‘Starry Trek’ Training, (Lakeland PBS)
- 'Starry Trek' event combats invasive algae with statewide search, (Southwest News Media)
- ‘Starry Trek’ Volunteers Wanted to Help Search MN Lakes for AIS, (Lakeland PBS)
- Latest aquatic invasive species prompts call for volunteers, (Brainerd Dispatch)
- 12-year-old discovers invasive clams in Minnesota lake, (MPR News)