2 experts take stock of Minnesota's lakes

"If you look around the landscape of Minnesota, most of our communities are on lakes," said Jeff Forester, executive director of Minneota Lakes and Rivers advocates.

The culture on Lake Vermilion is different from that of Lake Minnetonka, for example, and people use each lake for different reasons.

Lakes are baked deep into the culture of Minnesota, which is part of why MPR is deeming April as Water Month.

But there are myriad threats facing our lakes: warming water temperatures, changing hydrology, increased runoff that pollutes the waters, continual shoreline development and ever-changing fish populations.

As part of the water-focused coverage, MPR News host Mike Mulcahy invited Forester and Adam Heathcote, a scientist at the St. Croix Watershed Research Station, to discuss the health of Minnesota's prized bodies of water and take your most pressing questions.

Hear the conversation by using the audio player above.